He was 16, she was 14: Jose Rizal's first love, first heartbreak

We know Jose Rizal as a national hero, but once upon a time, he was also a teenager whose heart was broken by his first love.

At 16, Rizal crossed paths with Segunda Katigbak, a sister of his friend. She was just 14 when she first met him in Trozo, Manila.

"He has a friend by the namen of Mariano Katigbak and they went to the house of the grandmother of Rizal and it so happen that it that place in Trozo, Manila, that's where Tutuban is right now, he saw Segunda or Segunda saw him kasi it was Segunda who fell in love with him," historian Corazon Manalo narrated in a 24 Oras report by Howie Severino.

Love blossomed between the two teenagers when Rizal visited his siblings at La Concordia College in Paco, Manila, the same school attended by Segunda.

It seemed that Segunda was the one who made the first move to engage Rizal in a conversation.

"Si Segunda yata ang unang nanligaw kay Rizal. Tinanong niya si Rizal, 'what is your favorite flower?' Sabi ni Rizal, 'I like white flowers and dark flowers and sabi ni Segunda, ''Yun din ang gusto ko.' At one point when Rizal came to visit, may pinaabot kay Rizal," Manalo revealed.

He started to fall in love with Segunda, but unfortunately, she was already betrothed to another man.

Despite the sad reality, he continued to visit Segunda: "Mutual understanding siguro, oo. Meron silang pagmamahalan sa isa't-isa pero I think that was the first heartbreak of Rizal also. He had no experience. Tinanong din siya ni Segunda at one point, do you have a sweetheart?"

In response, he wrote: "Wala ho, hindi ko inisip kailanman ang umibig sapagkat nalalaman kong hindi ako papansinin, lalo na ng magaganda."

On one occasion when they crossed paths in Laguna, he chose to end whatever was between them.

"Ngumiti siya sa akin at iniwasiwas pa ang kanyang panyolito. Wala akong ginawa kundi magpugay. Ang aking dila na karaniwang masalita ay napipipi kapag ang aking puso ay natitigib ng mga damdamin," he wrote.

"Sa maseselang sandali ng aking buhay, lagi nang laban sa aking kalooban ang naipapasya ko dahilan sa iba't-ibang layunin at mga makapangyarihang alinlangan. Tinahak ko ang ibang daan. Sa ganito natapos ang lahat."

She ended up marrying Manuel Luz of Lipa, Batangas while he pursued his studies in Europe. —Anna Felicia Bajo/JST, GMA News