GEC109

• Episcopal visitation


  An official pastoral visit conducted by the bishop on a diocese to examine the conditions of a congregation; often done once every three years
• Garrote


  An apparatus used for capital punishment in which an iron collar is tightened around a condemned person's neck
• Polo


  A system of forced labor that required Filipino males from 16 to 60 years old to render service for a period of 40 days
• Regular clergy


  Priests who belong to religious orders
• Secular clergy


  Priests who do not belong to religious orders and are engaged in pastoral work
• Tributo


  A system of taxation imposed by the Spanish colonial government on the Filipinos in order to generate resources for the maintenance of the colony
• Cavite Mutiny


  1. Approximately 250 Filipino soldiers and workers rose in revolt at an arsenal in Cavite

  2. Eleven Spaniards were killed during the mutiny

  3. An immediate assault led by government forces put an end to the uprising after three days
• An oft-cited reason for the mutiny was a decree released by Governor-General Rafael de Izquierdo that ordered the arsenal workers would no longer be exempt from the tributo and polo, a privilege they had enjoyed in the past
• Official accounts argued that the revolt was part of a larger movement with the aim of overthrowing the Spanish government and asserting independence
• Official reports claimed that the leaders of the mutiny had expected the support of close to 2,000 men from regiments
• The mandatory teaching of José Rizal's life with the emphasis on his landmark novels is inscribed in legislation. Republic Act No. 1425, more popularly known as the Rizal Law, was passed in 1956 leaving a colorful narrative of debate and contestation.
• This textbook will begin with the reading of the Rizal Law. In this chapter, you will study RA 1425 within its context, look into the major issues and debates surrounding the bill and its passage into law, and reflect on the impact and relevance of this legislation across history and the present time.
• In the course of the discussion, the process of how a bill becomes a law in the Philippines will be tackled so you will have an idea regarding the country's legislative process. The life of one of the major champions of the Rizal Law, Senator Claro M. Recto, will also be discussed.
• Bill


  A measure which, if passed through the legislative process, becomes a law
• Unexpurgated


  Basically untouched. In the case of the novels of Rizal, unexpurgated versions were those that were not changed or censored to remove parts that might offend people.
• Bicameral


  Involving the two chambers of Congress: the Senate and the House of Representatives
• The postwar period saw a Philippines rife with challenges and problems. With a country torn and tired from the stresses of World War II, getting up on their feet was a paramount concern of the people and the government.
• bayan/banua


  Indigenous Filipino concepts of community and territory that may be related to nationalism
• Nation


  A group of people with a shared language, culture, and history
• Nation-building


  A project undertaken with the goal of strengthening the bond of the nation
• Nation-state


  A state ruling over a nation
• Patriotism


  A feeling of attachment to one's homeland
• Sovereignty


  The authority to govern a polity without external interference/incursions
• How a Bill Becomes a Law

  1. Bill is filed in the Senate Office of the Secretary

  2. First Reading: The bill's title, number, and author(s) are read on the floor. Afterwards, it is referred to the appropriate committee

  3. Committee Hearings: The bill is discussed within the committee and a period of consultations is held. The committee can approve (approve without revisions, approve with amendments, or recommend substitution or consolidation with similar bills) or reject. After the committee submits the committee report, the bill is calendared for second reading

  4. Second Reading: The bill is read and discussed on the floor. The author delivers a sponsorship speech. The other members of the Senate may engage in discussions regarding the bill and a period of debates will pursue. Amendments may be suggested to the bill

  5. Voting on Second Reading: The senators vote on whether to approve or reject the bill. If approved, the bill is calendared for third reading

  6. Voting on Third Reading: Copies of the final versions of the bill are distributed to the members of the Senate who will vote for its approval or rejection

  7. Consolidation of Version from the House: The similar steps above are followed by the House of Representatives in coming up with the approved bill. If there are differences between the Senate and House versions, a bicameral conference committee is called to reconcile the two. After this, both chambers approve the consolidated version

  8. Transmittal of the Final Version to Malacañan: The bill is then submitted to the President for signing. The President can either sign the bill into law or veto and return it to Congress
• Nation


  • A community of people that are believed to share a link with one another based on cultural practices, language, religion or belief system, and historical experience
• As the Philippines grappled with various challenges, particularly the call for nation-building, prominent individuals who championed nationalism came to action. They pursued government measures to instill patriotism and love for country in the hearts and minds of the Filipinos. These people drew inspiration from the Philippine experience of the revolution for independence against Spain and from the heroes of that important period in the country's history.
• State


  • A political entity that has sovereignty over a defined territory, with laws, taxation, government, and bureaucracy
• Nation-state


  • A fusion of the elements of the nation (people/community) and the state (territory)
• Development of nation-states


  1. Evolved from being a state into a nation-state

  2. Formed from nations, with intellectuals and scholars laying the foundations

  3. Broke off from colonial relationships

  4. Formed through (sometimes violent) secessions
• One measure sought was the passage of the Republic Act No. 1425 or the Rizal Law, which was primarily set to address "a need for a re-dedication to the ideals of freedom and nationalism for which our heroes lived and died." The passage of the law was met with fierce opposition in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
• Primordialism


  Theory that national identity has always existed and nations have "ethnic cores"
• Modernist theory


  Nation, national identity, and nationalism are products of the modern condition and are shaped by modernity
• Constructivist theory


  Nationalism is socially constructed and imagined by people who identify with a group
• Imagined communities


  Nations are imagined by people who affiliate with that community and have a mental imprint of the affinity
• The project of nation-building is a continuing struggle in the Philippines up to the present
• Rizal: 'Ang kadahilanan nga ng mga pinuno ay ang bayan, at ang kagalingan at kaginhawahan nito ay siyang tanging dapat tunguhin ng lahat nilang gawa at kautusan. Tungkol nila ang umakay sa bayan sa ikagiginhawa, kailan pa ma't maghirap at maligaw ay kasalanan nila.'
• Rizal: 'Ang alinmang kapangyarihan upang maging tunay at matuwid ay sa Bayan lamang at sa kanyang mga tunay na pinakakatawan dapat na manggaling. Sa madaling salita, di dapat nating kilalanin ang pagkatao ng mga pinuno na mataas kaysa madla. Ang pagsunod at pagkilala sa kanila ay dahil sa kapangyarihang ipinagkaloob ng bayan, samakatuwid, ang kabuuan ng kapangyarihan ng bawat isa.'
• From the Rizal Bill to the Rizal Law

  1. Senate Bill No. 438 was filed by the Senate Committee on Education on April 3, 1956

  2. On April 17, 1956, then Senate Committee on Education Chair Jose P. Laurel sponsored the bill and began delivering speeches for the proposed legislation

  3. The bill became controversial as the powerful Catholic Church began to express opposition against its passage

  4. Claro M. Recto, and his allies in the Senate entered into a fierce battle arguing for the passage of SB 438. Debates started on April 23, 1956

  5. House Bill No. 5561, an identical version of SB 438, was filed by Representative Jacobo Z. Gonzales on April 19, 1956

  6. The House Committee on Education approved the bill without amendments on May 2, 1956 and the debates commenced on May 9, 1956

  7. A major point of the debates was whether the compulsory reading of the texts Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo appropriated in the bill was constitutional. The call to read the unexpurgated versions was also challenged

  8. Senator Jose P. Laurel proposed amendments to the bill on May 9, 1956 to remove the compulsory reading of Rizal's novels and added that Rizal's other works must also be included in the subject. He, however, remained adamant in his stand that the unexpurgated versions of the novels be read

  9. Similar amendments were adopted to the House version on May 14, 1956

  10. The amended version of the bills was also subjected to scrutiny but seemed more palatable to the members of Congress

  11. The allies in the House skillfully avoided the insertion of any other amendment to prevent the need to reprint new copies (which would take time). They also asked the Bureau of Printing to use the same templates for the Senate version in printing the House version

  12. On May 17, 1956, the Senate and House versions were approved

  13. The approved versions were then transmitted to Malacañan and on June 12, 1956, President Magsaysay signed the bill into law which became Republic Act No. 1425
• The Rizal Law (Republic Act No. 1425) mandates the inclusion of courses on the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, in the curricula of all public and private schools, colleges and universities. It also authorizes the printing and distribution of these works.
• The Rizal Law was passed in 1956 to address "a need for a re-dedication to the ideals of freedom and nationalism for which our heroes lived and died".