Segunda Katigbak and Jose Rizal: Their secret strange last meeting

The love story of Segunda Katigbak and Jose Rizal has become immortalized in Jose’s diary. And it includes their secret strange last meeting.

It was a romantic day in December 1877 when the confused Jose Rizal came to La Concordia (where Segunda Katigbak was studying and boarding) to see his ever-hopeful “first love.” Rizal said goodbye because he would spend his New Year vacation in his hometown starting the following day.

Segunda replied that she was also going home to Lipa a day later. She then maintained silence, perhaps giving Rizal enough opportunity to say anything romantic, especially that sweetest tri-syllabic pronouncement which a lover would want to hear from a beloved.

To her surprise, Rizal indeed uttered a three-syllable statement. The young Rizal said, “Well, good-bye” (which is virtually equivalent to today’s cold text message “Ah ok” plus a smiley). “Anyway—I’ll see you when you pass Calamba on your way to Lipa”, he nevertheless promised. 

Rizal went home to Calamba and woke up the following day determined to fulfill his promise to Segunda. The steamer carrying Segunda anchored in Biñan so Jose saddled his white horse to wait at the road. When Segunda’s carromata passed by, she smiled and waved her handkerchief to him.

Initially wanting to follow, Rizal at the last minute turned his horse around and decided to ride home instead. That incident marked the end of everything between the young lovers. (Editor’s note: In the exact words of author Jensen DG. Mañebog, “… Pagkatapos nito, ang kanilang pagkikita ay hindi na na-Segunda-han)

Segunda returned to Batangas and in due time married Don Manuel Luz y Metra who also hailed from a prominent family in Batangas. Segunda’s husband was actually the nephew of her maternal grandmother. (Know more about Rizal’s other girlfriends)

The Luz-Katigbak ancestral house called ‘Casa de Segunda’, an old ‘bahay-na-bato’ which survived the World War II bombings, still exists today in Lipa on a street ironically named ‘Calle Rizal’. The house was restored as a vacation house and later turned into a private museum … continue reading

© Jensen DG. Mañebog

Editor’s note: This is the sequel to the author’s well-read article, “Segunda Katigbak: Jose Rizal’s First Love

Know more about Rizal’s love life: The Colorful Love Affairs of Dr. Jose Rizal by Jensen DG. Mañebog

Read Also:
The Interesting Tales of the Jose Rizal Family
 by Jensen DG. Mañebog

Read the prequel of this story: “Segunda Katigbak: Jose Rizal’s First Love

Check Out: The Colorful Love Affairs of Dr. Jose Rizal by Jensen DG. MañebogCheck Out: The Colorful Love Affairs of Dr. Jose Rizal by Jensen DG. Mañebog