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Now, and even before Rizal's time, Binan is one of the richest towns in the province of Laguna.
Documentary exploring the hidden family secrets of Jose Rizal, focusing on his mother Teodora Alonso and the historic Alberto mansion in Binan, Laguna.
Key Takeaways
- Teodora Alonso, Rizal’s mother, was a pivotal but often overlooked figure in his life and Philippine history.
- Family conflicts and scandals have obscured parts of Rizal’s maternal lineage.
- The Alberto mansion in Binan is a valuable but endangered cultural landmark.
- Preservation efforts face challenges from ownership disputes and lack of public awareness.
- Understanding Rizal’s family history offers deeper insight into his legacy and Filipino heritage.
What the video covers
- Binan, Laguna was one of the richest towns even before Rizal's time, home to the Alberto family mansion linked to Rizal's mother, Teodora Alonso.
- Jose Rizal was close to his mother, who played a significant role in his upbringing and heroism.
- Rizal’s family tree notably excludes descendants from his mother’s side, raising questions about family dynamics and secrets.
- The documentary investigates the deteriorating state of the historic Alberto mansion and efforts to preserve it.
- Teodora Alonso faced scandal and imprisonment due to family conflicts and false accusations, including a poisoning incident involving a dog.
- The mansion is currently owned by the Alberto family, descendants of Teodora Alonso’s relatives, but is threatened by demolition.
- Local cultural groups and historians are advocating to save the mansion as a national heritage site.
- There are disputes and gossip within the extended family about legitimacy, inheritance, and historical recognition.
- The documentary highlights the lack of public awareness about Teodora Alonso’s contributions and the mansion’s historical significance.
- The film ends with a cultural protest and a call to preserve Filipino heritage tied to Rizal’s family history.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction to Binan and the Alberto Mansion
- 01:32Rizal’s Family Tree and Maternal Lineage Mystery
- 02:56Teodora Alonso’s Role and Family Struggles
- 04:39Scandal and Imprisonment of Teodora Alonso
- 06:09Ownership and Condition of the Alberto Mansion
- 10:25Family Disputes and Historical Controversies
- 11:46Cultural Advocacy and Preservation Efforts
- 14:42Conclusion: Legacy and Call to Action
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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And the mansion of the Alberto family is still standing in the middle of the town. The Rizal's mother's relatives, Teodora Alonso. But no one lives here anymore, and it seems that the situation is slowly getting worse. This is the story of the secrets
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of the family of Rizal. Three nights in a row that I always dream of you. And sometimes I dream of you in one night. I want to believe that I am always the one you are smiling at, and that is what makes you
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smile in my mind. Because whatever part of your brain you have, it should not be lost. Because while I sleep here, John is awake. In the family of 11 children, Jose Rizal is the beautiful son. A smart kid who is close to his mother,
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his first teacher. So it is surprising that in the family tree that Rizal made in 1896, his last year in the world, Francisco Mercado's father's family is almost complete. But his mother, Teodora, has no offspring. Is this a coincidence? And is
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there a reason why Rizal didn't want to share the family with the next generations? We went to Binan, where Teodora's rich family lives. I met Dr. Bimbo Santamaria here, who has been exploring the life of Rizal for a long time. The Uchenco group are building
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these trellises around the house when the house is already being torn down. He took me to the old mansion of the Alonso de Alberto family. Doc is one of the people who work to stop the destruction of a historical house from the land
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where it was built. Rizal's, you know, the way he became a hero, his mother played a big role. And then you hear people, "Alberto's house is not Rizal's, it's his mother's." How can you say "only"? "Only his mother." That hurts, you know, for a woman who has sacrificed a lot
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for her son, for her family, and for the whole country. If Rizal wasn't here, our countrymen wouldn't have the right to have fair treatment. The bricks and stones are falling. It looks like they're being thrown away. The stones are falling.
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The house was strictly prohibited from entering. Here, the five sons of Lorenzo Alonso de Alberto grew up. They are the richest residents of Binan. We are very sad, brethren. What we did to our mother was wrong. The accusation was immediately dismissed. According to
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what Rizal wrote, there was a scandal and a fight in the family. And his mother was arrested. A fight where the house was seen as a murder. Teodora was a victim for 100 years. But until now, the house is divided. And there is a warning that their house will be
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demolished and built in a distant place. José Rizal was only 10 years old when a story began to give rise to their history. He had an uncle, José Alonso, brother of his mother who was often in Spain. The name of José Alonso's wife was
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also Teodora Formoso. The story of Gregorio Saide, who often traveled to other countries, his wife Teodora and their children just stayed at home. Sometime in 1872, Jose Maria Alonso came home from his trips to Europe and found the house
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to be deserted, empty. Señorito! Señorito! The wife was not there, the children were there, nobody was there. She was there last night, señorito. What's the problem? Because...
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The wife went with another man from Gregorio Saidez's book. She wrote it. So sad that Jose Maria Alonso was abandoned by her husband. It is also said that Teodora Alonso's favorite is Rizal, the brother of Jose Alonso. That's why this situation is like this. The
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sister even tried to get her husband to confess. Actually, in Mrs. Bantug's book, I read that her grandfather Kikoy, Francisco, and grandmother Lola, Lola is what they call Kikoy, told her not to interfere, to fight with the husband. But then, she wanted to
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separate. It's natural. She went with another man. But she still didn't stop. Doc believes that because Jose was so angry at the fact that Teodora was married, he helped her in one part of the house.
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He also included this story with Barbara Gonzalez and the sister of Rizal, Lola Maria. Jose Alberto has a wife who is a peninsular woman.
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And her husband is a traveler. I think he's in Madrid. Sometimes, Teodora's food was delivered to the house of her step-daughter, Saturnina. Now, Teodora Alonso and Saturnina went to their house to make food. I brought a piece of food to my house.
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Then the snack, when he was given, he took the snack and put it on the floor. He called his dog. Ronquillo, Ronquillo, Ronquillo Mipero. Ven aquí, ven aquí. His dog ate it. The dog died. Because of what happened to the dog, Teodora Alonso,
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who was adopted by Teodora Formoso, was accused. She was supposed to be the one who ate it. If you kill me, you'll have a taste of food.
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So, because of her anger, she called the head of the Civil Guard. She said she was her lover. That's what arrested Dona Theodora because she was being accused of her rape. The alleged rape of Theodora Formoso was the reason for Theodora Alonso's
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imprisonment for more than two years. The mayor convinced my mother to confess so that she could be released and see her children. Who would refuse in this condition? Although Teodora confessed, she was not released as promised by the mayor. My question is, why would
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I feed my dog if I don't know that the dog will die? Maybe he cleaned his dog before he fed him. So, frame up.
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Why? After more than a hundred years, the house that was once the home of the Alonso family now belongs to the Alberto family. They are the next generation of the Jose Maria Teodora Formoso family.
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From the outside, you can see the rough structure of the house. You wouldn't think that it has been built for almost two hundred years.
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Even though it is in the law that any structure that is 50 years old is recognized as a national landmark, this is not a sign of recognition. Not recognizing this house as a landmark is a sign of the
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chismes that Bastardo Umano, the Alonso family, the house of Alonso de Alberto, the right hand of Jose Rizal.
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When the child was sent to Binan to study, it is said that Rizal stayed in a house and not in the big house of his grandfather. I think they had a fight and it got worse. And after 100 years, it seems that
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the house still cannot be closed. Last June, the news spread that the house in Binan was being demolished.
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The group of Dr. Santamaria joined together. They are the United Artists for Cultural Conservation and Development of Binan. We mounted a cultural protest to express their opinions on this issue, to be one of the advocacy to save the Alberto House. In front
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of the Alberto House, they brought music and drama. For BJ Borja, the protest was deeper because he was able to visit the famous house before it started to be destroyed. Did the Binan's appreciate this part of their history? I feel that the people who
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appreciate this piece of history are very picky. Most people don't know the history of the house. They just know that it's Rizal connected.
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But they don't know who Teodora Alonso is. Teodora Alonso, mother of a country boy, is believed to have been buried here in this house. GMA News reported that Jerry Alberto was the one who caused the demolition. He is the current owner
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of the house. He is the son of Jose Alonso, Teodora Alonso's brother. This is not the house of Teodora Alonso. Teodora Alonso was not born here. Although she is my grandmother.
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But this is not every house in the Philippines is a heritage house. Teodora Alonso was never born here. She was born in Santa Cruz, and the worst part, her birth certificate in Santa Cruz was turned down because of some family reason. That will come out when this
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house is finished. I will show it every... This is the house of the brother, half-brother of Teodora Alonso. Half-brother, says Jose.
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In Gregorio Saide's book that we use in our studies, the father and mother of Narcisa, Teodora, Gregorio, Manuel, and Jose Alonso are Lorenzo Alonso and Brigida Quintos. But in several books of wise men, such as Asuncion Lopez Bantug and Aust
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Craig, Jose Maria Alonso is mentioned as half-brother. In the life of Rizal, there are so many versions. But in the book of Gregorio Saide, he said Jose Maria Alonso de Alberto He searched for the research paper that was
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about a case of rape by Lorenzo Alonso and a young woman named Vigan. After finishing his studies, I guess, he was 24, he got married to a 12-year-old Paula Florentino. Fixed marriage, and then they didn't have children. Now, surprisingly, according to
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some books, in 1824, 10 years after Lorenzo Alonso de Alberto married Paula Florentino, he was found living with Brida Quintos. This version you're talking about, that it's not legitimate, the marriage of Dorenzo and Brigida, which would make their children illegitimate. Illegitimate,
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or children outside. Is this the reason why Jose Rizal's family tree was cut? But according to many, Jose Alonso was the only legitimate and the other siblings were the children outside.
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One of the theories of Dr. Santa Maria on why Jose Alonso's half-brother was released is due to two events in his life. Their father, Lorenzo, has contributed so much, Javi, to the missions of the Dominicans in Indochina. Because
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of this, Javi, he was conferred the title of the Knight of the Order of Queen Isabel the Catholic. And later on, I would presume that Jose Maria Alberto married a certain Chidora Formoso. Well-known family.
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Now, you are going to get married. and you are a knife. So you will be asked papers. But because Lorenzo was already a man at that time, the title could be transferred to his child. How can you be conferred a knife if you're an
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illegitimate child? And because this is a very important and very important conferment for a family, I think Jose Maria declared himself to be the legitimate son of Lorenzo Alonso and Paola. He cleaned his own mother, Brida Quintos. Dr. Santamaria also added that this issue also had a big impact
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on the history of the house. Why did Rizal, a very precious child of Francisco and Chidora, did not stay in the big house when he studied in Vinaig. Instead, he lived with Tumasa Mercado. Most likely because of discrimination from the
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wife of Jose Maria. And to the belief of Albertos that Teodora has no connection with their house, this is the reason why the 200-year-old structure became easy to sell.
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Good afternoon, sir. We'll go back to the vineyard a few times before the authorities let us in to Alberto's mansion. The house was filled with pieces of the house. It's true that the news is that the historical mansion in Binyan is slowly being destroyed.
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Even though we heard that the inside of the house was being destroyed, we were still surprised at what we saw. The stairs and walls were destroyed.
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And there are no more bricks and stones that witnessed the history. and the foundation is being demolished. But the old ruins still remain. These are the original tiles from the roof. They made it very well. It's very strong. So the tiles they put on
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the roof are not common. So now they are removing them one by one. And this is probably the place where they put it.
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Nice to see you again. Same to you. So this is the only one that's been looking from that age?
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Yes, this is their first star. In the gradual destruction of the house, the hope of Dr. Santamaria that it will be saved is also being destroyed. But for Mr.
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Alberto, they also have the right to own the house. I don't know what they're talking about but I don't see what is the disaster. It is a private property. I have been paying my taxes religiously and I can do
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it whatever I want with it. The deal is closed so it is finished. There's nothing they can do about it and there's nothing I can do about it. And the deal is? Moving all the materials to Bataan.
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Jose Alberto, he was accused of having an affair with Saturnina the daughter of The sister of Jose Rizal's eldest sister. Then, the gossip is that Soledad, Jose Rizal's youngest sister, is Saturnina's daughter. The gossip is that Soledad is also Saturnina's daughter. But when they found out that
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Saturnina was pregnant, they took her on vacation. somewhere. Then, Dona Theodora's daughter died a long time ago. When they came home, they brought the baby. Dona Theodora said, "That's her. That's Soledad's head." We don't know. But Soledad, that was the prettiest. The youngest. Austin
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Coates, he still has... Austin Coates is the biographer. He also thinks that Soledad was the daughter of Saturnina. She's the prettiest. Because the father was mestizo. Was Jose Alberto. If true, this story about Jose Alonso's relationship and his mistress,
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Saturnina, is considered a blow to Teodora Formoso, Jose Alonso's wife. This is why the conflict between Alberto and Alonso is more serious. Actually, I met them only once, the Albertos. And I felt like...
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I never knew them. We were cousins who went there. A certain difference. I don't know if I would say na galit sila sa amin. Hindi naman eh. Pero parang a certain, yung ilag, a certain ilag. I thought it was because nga, illegitimate yung Theodora Alonso. So I thought baka yun.
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And when I asked if that room was where it happened, sabi ko lang, ito ba yung kwarto kung saan nagsilbi ng...
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What will the truth accomplish in this case? What's wrong? Just tell the truth. The truth is the best thing. It will show Filipinos that anybody can be a hero. In the Rizal Library of Ateneo de Manila University, we saw
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a picture of Rizal showing his connections to his uncle. He did not hide the family of his mother, Theodora. According to this, the father and mother of Theodora and Jose Alonso are one. I am Javi Severin and this
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is "EYEWITNESS." Dear children, I will sing a song of hope. Now I know that new hearts and souls are rising, fought and revived by the lives of my children. Death, you have betrayed my son. Life, you have betrayed me tonight.
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Mipeden versus. My children, come. I want you to see my light.
Topics:Jose RizalTeodora AlonsoAlberto mansionBinan LagunaPhilippine historyheritage preservationfamily secretsGMA Public AffairsI-Witness documentaryHowie Severino
