Rizal 1

• RIZAL LAW: REPUBLIC ACT 1425
• WHAT IS RIZAL LAW? Rizal law or RA 1425 is a Philippine law that requires all schools in the country, both public and private, to offer courses on the life, works, and writing of the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal
• WHY STUDY HIM? Many Filipinos observed that the sense of Filipino identity is waning. In response, nationalist policy-makers took action to redirect nations back to its root by emphasizing the importance of history as a foundation for national hope and pride
• Senator Claro M. Recto proposed Senate bill no. 438 and submitted it to the senate committee on education


  April 3, 1956
• Senate bill 438, titled "An act to make Noli Me Tangere and El filibustirismo Compulsory Reading Matter in All Public and Private Colleges and Universities and for other purposes" also known as "NOLI-FILI BILL"
• Senator Jose P. Laurel sponsored the Noli-Fili bill in the senate and presented it to the upper house


  April 17, 1956
• The main purpose of the bill was to disseminate the ideas and ideals of Jose Rizal through the readings of his novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibustirismo. Noli Me Tangere and El Filibustirismo must be read by all Filipinos. They must be taken to heart, for in their pages we see ourselves as a mirror, our defects as well as our strength, our virtues as well as our vices
• The catholic church's opposition to the Noli-Fili bill: Since Jose Rizal criticized the catholic church, the Noli-Fili bill was met with stiff opposition from the latter's head and supporters. According to them, the bill was an attempt to discredit the catholic religion. Father Jesus Cavanna argued that Rizal's novels from the past should not be taught in schools because they do not accurately depict current conditions and may give a false impression of the country
• Criticisms of the catholic church regarding the Noli-Fili bill


  • Among the 333 pages of Noli Me Tangere, only 25 passages are nationalistic while 120 passages are anti-catholic
  • 170 lines from Noli Me Tangere and 50 lines in El Filibustirismo were offensive to the catholic church doctrine
  • The bill might divide the nation
  • Compulsion to read something against one's faith impairs freedom of speech and religious freedom
  • Rizal admitted that he did not only attack the friars who acted deceptively on the Filipinos but also the catholic faith itself
• At that time, Noli-Fili bill was widely controversial. The church charged Recto with being a communist and an anti-catholic. It even comes to the point where catholic schools threaten to close down their schools if the bill was passed
• Congressman Jacob Gonzales filed a simi


  April 19, 1956
• Rizal: 'admitted that he did not only attack the friars who acted deceptively on the Filipinos but also the catholic faith itself'
• Noli-Fili bill was widely controversial
• The church charged Recto with being a communist and an anti-catholic
• Catholic schools threatened to close down if the bill was passed
• Congressman Jacob Gonzales filed house bill no. 5561 to the house of representatives


  April 19, 1956
• House bill 5561 was opposed contending its constitutionality and religiosity
• Enactment of "Rizal law"


  Senator Laurel proposed a substitute bill with a wider range of works and writings by Rizal, making reading optional
• Reading unexpurgated versions of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibustirismo is only for college or university students
• Senate bill no. 438 and house bill no. 5561 were unanimously approved on the second reading in the lower house


  May 12, 1956 and May 14, 1956
• The bill was signed into law by President Magsaysay, giving birth to Republic Act 1425 or the Rizal law


  June 12, 1956
• Rizal law includes in the curricula of all private schools, colleges, and universities a course on the life, works, and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibustirismo
• The purpose of enacting the Rizal law is to educate the young generation of the Philippines about the ideals and principles for which Rizal sacrificed his life
• By reading and studying Rizal's life, teaching, and writings, the youth will gain confidence, direction, courage, and determination to contribute to the progress of the nation
• Goals of the Rizal law

  • To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of freedom and nationalism, for which our heroes lived and died
  • To pay tribute to our national hero for devoting his life and works in shaping the Filipino character
  • To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through the study of Rizal's life, work, and writings