荷西•黎剎醫生(Dr. Jose P. Rizal)曾在這雍仁會館舊址出席香港共濟會的會議。

這是雍仁會館舊址(共濟會同寅愛暱稱為Bungalow，意為「平房」)，乃建於1853年，是由當時的香港「量地官」(相當於現今地政總署署長)基化厘(Charles St. George Cleverly)設計的，他也是香港總督府(即現今香港禮賓府)的設計師。荷西•黎剎醫生是一位共濟會會員；更是菲律賓的國父和民族英雄。他與其他共濟會的著名會員(Masons)就是在這建築物裡開會的，直到它在第二次世界大戰時被日軍炮火嚴重破壞為止，會所遂遷往堅尼地道現址。

黎剎的族譜－從姓「柯」(Co)到「梅爾卡多」(Mercado)，為什麼Tsinoy (即菲律賓華人)荷西會成為了黎剎(Rizal)？菲律賓的國家英雄荷西•黎剎醫生若非其祖輩改了姓氏，他就應該稱為柯荷西(Jose Co)了，因為他是中國福建移民的曾曾孫──其天祖父是柯長豐，或叫祥哥(Siang Co)；天祖母叫芸娘(Zun Nio)。

世人認識的荷西•黎剎醫生其實全名叫荷西•普洛他西奧•梅爾卡多及艾朗素(Jose Protacio Mercado Y Alonso)，父親是佛朗西斯科•梅爾卡多(Francisco Engracio Mercado)，母親籍貫為菲律賓內湖省比爾市(Biñan, Laguna)的媞妸多拉•艾朗素(Teodora Alonso)，他是他們11個兒女之一。

黎剎的家族根源可以追溯到中國福建省晉江市刺桐區上郭村(Sionque)。其高祖父柯儀南，又稱南哥(Nam Lo)，是祥哥和芸娘的兒子，於1690年移居菲律賓。他35歲時信奉了天主教，在菲律賓岷倫洛(Binondo)接受領洗，並獲得教名為多明戈哥(Domingo Co)，後來娶了一位中國混血兒殷斯•迪拉•羅沙(Ines de la Rosa)。南哥是西班牙修士佛朗西斯科•馬爾克斯(Francisco Marquez)和胡安•卡巴里羅(Juan Caballero)的好友，他們遊說他定居在菲律賓比南(Biñan)的聖伊西德羅•拉布拉多(San Isidro Labrador)修士莊園，因為他幫助當地開發了灌溉系統。於1731年，南哥和迪拉•羅沙生了一個兒子，教名為佛朗西斯科•梅爾卡多(Francisco Mercado)。Francisco這名字正是取自上述其中一位西班牙修士好友的名字，而Mercado在西班牙文是指「市場」，即南哥寄望兒子將來的工作是做貿易商人。佛朗西斯科長大後與貝納達•莫妮卡(Bernarda Monica)結婚，她是一位在內湖省聖佩德羅市(San Pedro)附近大莊園土生土長的女子，他俩生了兩個孩子，名為克萊門特(Clemente)和胡安(Juan)，而後者就是黎剎的祖父。 

佛朗西斯科•梅爾卡多(Francisco Mercado)曾於1783年當選比南市(Biñan)的市長；而黎剎的祖父胡安•梅爾卡多(Juan Mercado)亦分別於1808年、1813年和1823年當選為同一個市(比南)的首長(Captain de Pueblo)。胡安娶了中國混血兒斯利拉•亞歷山卓(Cirila Alejandro)為妻，一共育有13個孩子，其中一個便是黎剎的父親佛朗西斯科•英格拉次奧•梅爾卡多(Francisco Engracio Mercado)。黎剎的祖父去世時，他的父親才不過8歲，這孩子已經要幫助他的寡婦母親經營家庭式生意。他在菲律賓聖約翰萊特瑞大學(Colegio de San Juan de Letran)攻讀拉丁語和哲學時​​，邂逅了他的妻子媞妸多拉•艾朗素及里亞朗達(Teodora Alonso y Realonda)，她當時就讀於聖羅莎學院(Colegio de Sta. Rosa)。婚後兩人租住在道明會(Dominican Order)的莊園，靠種植大米、玉米和甘蔗養活全家。

在1848年，當時的菲律賓總督納西索•克拉雅里亞(Narciso Claveria)頒令，規定菲律賓人和中國移民都要改用西班牙語的姓氏。佛朗西斯科•梅爾卡多(Francisco Mercado)選擇了Ricial，意思是「沃田」。然而，他的新姓氏卻令到他許多生意夥伴和顧客都感到混淆，促使他回復舊姓，改為叫作黎剎•梅爾卡多(Rizal Mercado)。於1865年，他那全名為荷西•普洛他西奧•黎剎•梅爾卡多(Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado)的兒子，正就讀於馬尼拉的阿庭諾市立學校(Ateneo Municipal de Manila)，被迫放棄他的第二個姓氏──梅爾卡多，以便與其兄長帕西諾(Paciano)劃清關係，因哥哥與3位為反殖民統治而殉難的菲律賓神父馬里亞諾•戈密斯(Mariano Gomez)、荷西•伯戈斯(Jose Burgos)和哈辛托•薩莫拉(Jacinto Zamora)均關係密切，因而受到西班牙當局監視。此外，黎剎亦需要一個全新的身份，好讓他得以自由地出國，免受西班牙宗教裁判所的調查。

黎剎醫生曾於香港居住和執業，他的眼科診所就設於都爹利街2號和德己立街5號，並住在中環半山的列拿士地臺(Rednaxia)，門牌為2號。他亦曾與志同道合人士創辦了用作反殖民宣傳運動的雙周刊《團結報》(La Solidaridad)，當中包括馬里亞諾•龐塞(Mariano Ponce)，他是中國國父孫中山先生的親密朋友，兩人都被推崇為共濟會第32級導師(32nd Degree Masons)，即地位崇高的會員。

黎剎醫生是一位愛國主義者、民族領袖、詩人、小說家、眼科醫生、記者和革命家，他精通10種語言和幾種方言。他的著作包括《不許犯我》(Noli Me Tangere)和《反對黨》(El Filibusterismo)等等，均揭露了殖民統治的弊端，並鼓動了菲律賓人反抗西班牙300多年的殖民統治。為此，他被逮捕和審判，並於1896年12月30日被西班牙殖民當局搶斃處決。其實，菲律賓的革命火焰正是在1896年爆發了，而他的壯烈犧牲更使之熾烈地燃燒，令菲律賓成為了亞洲第一個成功推翻西方殖民統治的地區。

請標記這一天， _________________ ，是黎剎醫生殉難156週年紀念日。

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Dr. Jose P. Rizal attended Lodge at the Former Zetland Hall on this site.

This is the former site of the Zetland Hall (fondly referred to as The Bungalow) built in 1853. The building was designed by the Surveyor-General, Charles St. George Cleverly, who also designed the Government House. Dr. Jose P. Rizal a Freemason and the Philippine National Hero, as well as other Famous Masons attended their meetings in this building until it was severely damaged in World War II and was then relocated to Kennedy Road.

Family Tree of Rizal From Co to Mercado, why Tsinoy Jose became Rizal the name carried through to the Philippine National Hero Dr Jose P. Rizal, if not for the name changing he would be known as Jose Co, the great-great grandson of Siang Co and Zun Nio from Fujian, China. Jose Protacio Mercado Y Alonso, popularly known as Jose Rizal, he was the 11th child of Francisco Engracio Mercado and Teodora Alonso of Biñan, Laguna. The roots of Dr Jose P. Rizal can be traced back to the Village of Sionque in the District of Chi-Chew, Fujian, China. From Fujian, Siang Co and Zun Nio’s son, Lam Co migrated to the Philippines in 1690. At 35, Co was baptized into the Catholic faith in Binondo, Philippines acquiring his Christian name Domingo Co and married a Chinese mestiza, Ines de la Rosa. Co was close friends with Spanish friers Francisco Marquez and Juan Caballero who enticed him to settle in the friers’ estate in San Isidro Labrador in Biñan, Philippines, where he helped to develop the irrigation system in the area. The union of Co and Dela Rosa produced a son in1731. The offspring acquired the Christian name Francisco Mercado. Francisco was derived from one of Co’s frier friends while Mercado meant “market” in Spanish, signifying his future job as a trader. The young Francisco married Bernarda Monica, a native of the nearby hacienda in San Pedro, Laguna and bore children Clemente and Juan, who would be Rizal’s grandfather. In 1783, Francisco Mercado was elected “gobernadorcillo” (municipal mayor) of Biñan while Rizal’s grandfather Juan Mercado was elected Capitan de Pueblo” of the same town in 1808, 1813 and 1823. Juan Mercado married Cirila Alejandro, a Chinese mestiza, and had 13 children, one of them was Rizal’s father Francisco Engracio Mercado. Rizal’s grandfather died when Francisco Engracio was only eight, and the child helped his widowed mother run the family business. Francisco Engracio was studying Latin and Philosophy at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran when he met his wife Teodora Alonso y Realonda who was studying in Colegio de Sta. Rosa. Francisco Engracio and Teodoraraised their family in the rented estate of the Dominican Order and produced rice, corn, and sugarcane. In 1848, Governor General Narciso Claveria decreed that Filipinos and Chinese immigrants adopt Spanish Family names and Francisco Mercado opted to adopt the name “Ricial” which means “greed fields”. However, his new surname confused many of his business associates and patrons, forcing him to change it to “Rizal Mercado”. In 1865 during his studies in Ateneo Municipal de Manila, Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado dropped his second last name to disassociate himself from his brother Paciano who was then under the surveillance of the Spanish authorities because of his links with the martyred Filipino priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora. Rizal also needed a fresh identity so he could travel freely abroad without the hassles of the Spanish inquisition.

Dr. Rizal practiced ophthalmology at his clinic’s located at No 2 Duddel Street and No. 5, D’Aguilar Street, and had his residence at No. 2, Rednaxela Street in Mid-Levels, Central. Fellow founder of “La Solidaridad” – a propaganda movement, Mariano Ponce, was an intimate friend of Dr. Sun Yat Sen -both highly regarded as 32nd Degree Masons.

A nationalist, patriot, poet, novelist, ophthalmologist, journalist, and revolutionary, Dr. Rizal could speak 10 languages and several dialects. His novels, "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo", exposed the cancer of colonial rule and agitated for reforms against Spanish colonization of the Philippines for more than 300 years. For this he was arrested, tried and executed by a firing squad on December 30, 1896. His death fanned the flames of the Philippine Revolution of 1896, the first successful uprising in Asia against a Western colonial power.

Installed this day, _________________, the 156th year of his martyrdom.