“Mga Pag-Ibig Ni Dr. Jose Rizal”

Research By:Patrick Paul S. Alvarado

1. Julia Celeste Smith

Julia Celeste Smith a 16 year oldlady she is the First Girlfriend of Dr.Jose Rizal. Rizal was only 15 whenhe first saw Julia by accident in ariver named Dampalit in Los Bañosa few days after Easter in 1877. Shewas wearing a red wraparound skirt.Julia could not catch the butterflyshe was chasing. Rizal ever gallant,caught two, Trillana wrote. Heartbeating with strange fondness, Rizall offered her the butterflies and shelaughed with innocent pleasure. Hewas instantly attracted to her. Butfor lack of subsequent contact, Rizaleventually forgot Julia CelesteSmith.

2. Segunda Katigbak

Segunda Katigbak is the SecondGirlfriend of Dr. Jose Rizal. Segundaa charming girl from Lipa, Batangas.She was his puppy love, accordingto Trillana. Unfortunately, his firstlove was engaged to be married to atown mate- Manuel Luz. After hisadmiration for a short girl in theperson of Segunda.

3. Jacinta Ibardo Laza

Third Girlfriend of Dr. Jose Rizal.Jacinta Ibardo Laza is a lady fromPakil, Laguna she was a teacherand the Third Love of Dr. JoseRizal leaving on Nicolas Regaladohouse a friend of Rizal. Rizal gaveJacinta his full love and attentionfor the reason to forget all theheartaches that Segunda broughthim.

4. Leonor Rivera

Fourth Girlfriend of Dr. Jose Rizal. Leonoris a tall girl from Pagsanjan. Rizal send herlove notes written in invisible ink, thatcould only be deciphered over thewarmth of the lamp or candle. He visitedher on the eve of his departure to Spainand bade her a last goodbye. Almostsimultaneously, Rizal was meetinganother Leonor. The girl, Leonor Rivera,would be his girlfriend for the next 11years. The two were distant cousins.Rivera was to him his ideal woman, hismodel for Maria Clara, one of the maincharacters in his first novel, “Noli MeTangere.” He was ready to marry her.Unfortunately, Rivera’s mother dislikedRizal who was then earning thereputation of being a dissident. The twolast saw each other before Rizal left forSpain in May 1882. The mother hid fromRivera all the letters that Rizal wassending from Spain. After a passage ofmany years, thinking that Rizal hadabandoned her, Rivera sadly consented tomarry Henry Kipping, an Englishman whowas her mother’s choice. Rizal was said tohave cried shamelessly when news of thewedding reached him. Rivera never got toknow that Rizal loved her just as muchand that the thought of her preventedhim from having a serious relationshipwith any of the women he encountered inEurope — Ortiga, Beckette, Boustead andJacoby.

5. Leonor Valenzuela

Fifth Girlfriend of Dr. Jose Rizal. Severalmonths later, during his sophomore yearat the University of Sto. Tomas, heboarded in the house of Doña ConchaLeyva in Intramuros. The next doorneighbors of Doña Concha were Capitan.Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzueafrom Pagsanjan, Laguna, who had acharming daughter named, Leonor. Rizal,the medical student from Calamba, was awelcome visitor in the Valenzuela home,where he was the life of the social partiesbecause of his clever sleight-of-handtricks. He courted Leonor Valenzuela,who was a tall girl with a regal bearing.He sent her love notes written in invisibleink. The ink consisted of common tablesalt and water. It left no trace on thepaper. Rizal, who knew his chemistry,taught Orang (pet name of Leonor) thesecret of reading any note written in theinvisible ink by heating it over a candle oflamp so that the words may appear. But,as with Segunda, he stopped short ofproposing marriage to Orang.

6. Consuelo Ortiga Y. Rey

Sixth Girlfriend of Dr. Jose Rizal.Consuelo Ortiga Y. Rey she is theprettiest of Don Pablo Ortiga’s twodaughters, in Madrid. She fell inlove with him after only a few dates.He dedicated to her “A laSenorita C.O. y R,” which becameone of his best poems. The Ortiga'sresidence in Madrid was frequentedby Rizal and his compatriots. Heprobably fell in love with her andConsuelo apparently asked him forromantic verses. He suddenlybacked out before the relationshipturned into a serious romance,because he wanted to remain loyalto Leonor Rivera and he did notwant to destroy hid friendship withEduardo de Lete who was madly inlove with Consuelo.

7. Gertrude “Gettie” Beckett

Seventh Girlfriend of Dr. JoseRizal. While Rizal was in Londonannotating the Sucesos de lasIslas Filipinas, he boarded in thehouse of the Beckett family, withinwalking distance of the BritishMuseum. Gertrude, a blue-eyedand buxom girl was the oldest ofthe three Beckett daughters. Shefell in love with Rizal. Tottiehelped him in his painting andsculpture. But Rizal suddenly leftLondon for Paris to avoidGertrude, who was seriously inlove with him. Before leavingLondon, he was able to finish thegroup carving of the Beckettsisters. He gave the groupcarving to Gertrude as a sign oftheir brief relationship

8. Nellie Boustead

Eight Girlfriend of Dr. Jose Rizal. Rizal havinglost Leonor Rivera, entertained the thought ofcourting other ladies. While a guest of theBoustead family at their residence in the resortcity of Biarritz, he had befriended the twopretty daughters of his host, EduardoBoustead. Rizal used to fence with the sistersat the studio of Juan Luna. Antonio Luna,Juan's brother and also a frequent visitor ofthe Boustead's, courted Nellie but she wasdeeply infatuated with Rizal. In a party held byFilipinos in Madrid, a drunken Antonio Lunauttered unsavory remarks against NellieBoustead. This prompted Rizal to challengeLuna into a duel. Fortunately, Luna apologizedto Rizal, thus averting tragedy for thecompatriots' heir love affair unfortunately didnot end in marriage. It failed because Rizalrefused to be converted to the Protestant faith,as Nellie demanded and Nellie's mother didnot like a physician without enough payingclientele to be a son-in-law. The lovers,however, parted as good friends when Rizalleft Europe.

9. Seiko “O Sei San” Usui

Nineth Girlfriend of Dr. Jose Rizal.On his second trip to Europe in1888,Rizal stopped by Japan wherehe met Seiko Usui a lovely andintelligent daughter of a samurai. Ifall he wanted was a good life, hewould have married O Sei San andstayed on in Japan because aSpanish legation there was offeringhim a well-paying job. But he leftJapan because he thought he wasdestined for a greater task in thePhilippines and had to go home. Ina letter, he said of her: “O Sei San”,O Sei San, sayonara. No woman,like you, has ever loved me

10. Suzanne Jacoby

Tenth Girlfriend of Dr. Jose Rizal.In 1890, Rizal moved to Brusselsbecause of the high cost of livingin Paris. In Brussels, he lived inthe boarding house of the twoJacoby sisters. In time, they felldeeply in love with each other.Suzanne cried when Rizal leftBrussels and wrote him when hewas in Madrid.

11. Pastora Necessario “Torak” Carreon

Eleventh Girlfriend of Dr. JoseRizal. Pastoran NecessarioCarreon is a lady from Dapitanhe is Pastor on a church onDapitan after Suzanne Jacoby.Rizal fell deeply in love in this girlfrom Dapitan but this relationshipnot last because Necessario is aPastora she want to gave his fulllove on his church.

12. Josephine Leopaldine Bracken

Twelveth Girlfriend of Dr. Jose Rizal. inDapitan, Zamboanga, In early February 1895,Rizal met an 18-year-old petite Irish girl, withbold blue eyes, brown hair and a happydisposition. She was Josephine Bracken, theadopted daughter of George Taufer who hadtraveled to Dapitan from Hong Kong to havehis eye treated by Rizal. Rizal was immediatelyattracted to Josephine. He called her “dulceestranjera,” or sweet foreigner. The lonelinessand boredom of exile may have taken its toll ashe found himself falling in love quite easily.However, Rizal’s sisters suspected Josephineof being a spy for the Spanish authorities and athreat to his security. Rizal asked Josephine tomarry him, but she was not yet ready to makea decision due to her responsibility to the blindTaufer. Since Taufer's blindness wasuntreatable, he left for Hon Kong onMarch1895. Josephine stayed with Rizal’sfamily in Manila. Upon her return to Dapitan,Rizal tried to arrange with Father AntonioObach for their marriage. However, the priestwanted a retraction as a precondition beforemarrying them. Rizal upon the advice of hisfamily and friends and with Josephine'sconsent took her as his wife even without theChurch blessings. Josephine later gives birthprematurely to a still born baby, a result ofsome incidence, which might have shocked orfrightened her.