There’s a famous saying, “First love never dies.” What if your first love was bound to marry another man? Of course, you’ll let her go. Such was the case of Jose Rizal and Segunda Katigbak, a Batangueña, whom Rizal met when he was only a 16-year-old boy.  They met when Rizal visited his grandmother with his friend, Mariano Katigbak, Segunda’s brother. It was love at first sight, and they became very close. However, Segunda was already married to a man who lived in her town, and Rizal had to stop pursuing her. 

“Ended, at an early house, my first love! My virgin heart will always mourn the reckless step it took on the flower-decked abyss. My illusions will return, yes, but indifferent, uncertain, ready for the first betrayal on the path of love.”                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                 -Jose Rizal