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R.A. 1425

RIZAL LAW

The Rizal Law is about implementing rules to educate people about the Life,
Works, and Writings of our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, especially his novels
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. This is to give the students and the
future generations an ample background and for them to understand about
how Jose Rizal hands over his life for our country.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425

AN ACT TO INCLUDE IN THE CURRICULA OF ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE

SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES COURSES ON THE LIFE, WORKS
AND WRITINGS OF JOSE RIZAL, PARTICULARLY HIS NOVELS NOLI ME
TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO, AUTHORIZING THE PRINTING AND
DISTRIBUTION THEREOF, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

WHEREAS, today, more than any other period of our history, there is a need
for a re-dedication to the ideals of freedom and nationalism for which our
heroes lived and died;
WHEREAS, it is meet that in honoring them, particularly the national hero and
patriot, Jose Rizal, we remember with special fondness and devotion their lives
and works that have shaped the national character;

WHEREAS, the life, works and writing of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, are a constant and inspiring source of
patriotism with which the minds of the youth, especially during their
formative and decisive years in school, should be su�used;

WHEREAS, all educational institutions are under the supervision of, and
subject to regulation by the State, and all schools are enjoined to develop
moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience and to teach the duties of
citizenship; Now, therefore,

SECTION 1. Courses on the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly
his novel Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, shall be included in the
curricula of all schools, colleges and universities, public or private: Provided,
That in the collegiate courses, the original or unexpurgated editions of the Noli
Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their English translation shall be used as
basic texts.

The Board of National Education is hereby authorized and directed to adopt

forthwith measures to implement and carry out the provisions of this Section,
including the writing and printing of appropriate primers, readers and
textbooks. The Board shall, within sixty (60) days from the e�ectivity of this
Act, promulgate rules and regulations, including those of a disciplinary nature,
to carry out and enforce the provisions of this Act. The Board shall promulgate
rules and regulations providing for the exemption of students for reasons of
religious belief stated in a sworn written statement, from the requirement of
the provision contained in the second part of the �rst paragraph of this section;
but not from taking the course provided for in the �rst part of said paragraph.
Said rules and regulations shall take e�ect thirty (30) days after their
publication in the O�cial Gazette.

SECTION 2. It shall be obligatory on all schools, colleges and universities to

keep in their libraries an adequate number of copies of the original and
unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as well as
of Rizal’s other works and biography. The said unexpurgated editions of the
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their translations in English as well
as other writings of Rizal shall be included in the list of approved books for
required reading in all public or private schools, colleges and universities.

The Board of National Education shall determine the adequacy of the number
of books, depending upon the enrollment of the school, college or university.

SECTION 3. The Board of National Education shall cause the translation of the
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as well as other writings of Jose Rizal
into English, Tagalog and the principal Philippine dialects; cause them to be
printed in cheap, popular editions; and cause them to be distributed, free of
charge, to persons desiring to read them, through the Purok organizations and
Barrio Councils throughout the country.

SECTION 4. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as amendment or repealing

section nine hundred twenty-seven of the Administrative Code, prohibiting the
discussion of religious doctrines by public school teachers and other person
engaged in any public school.

SECTION 5. The sum of three hundred thousand pesos is hereby authorized to

be appropriated out of any fund not otherwise appropriated in the National
Treasury to carry out the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take e�ect upon its approval.

History

Senate bill 438 known as Rizal Bill which was �rst authored by Senator Claro
M. Recto – requiring the inclusion in the curricula of all private and public
schools, colleges and universities the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal
particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo – is considered as
one of the most controversial bills in the Philippines. Normally, before the bill
was approved and implemented in all schools and was signed into a law
known as Republic Act 1425, it had been brought to the Upper and Lower
House of the Congress for deliberations. But what made it controversial is that
the bill was not just �ercely opposed by people from Legislative Arm but also
by the Catholic Church due to the inclusion of compulsory reading of Rizal’s
novels in which according to them, catholic dogmas are humiliated.

Senator Recto brought the bill to the Senate and Senator Jose B. Laurel Sr. who
was then the Chairman of the Committee on Education sponsored the bill that
consequently led to exchange of arguments from the Congress. The bill was
headedly opposed by three senators namely Senator Francisco Rodrigo who
was a former Catholic Action President, Senator Mariano Cuenco and Senator
Decoroso Rosales who was the brother of Julio Rosales, an archbishop. Other
oppositors were from Lower House namely Congressmen Ramon Durano,
Marciano Lim, Jose Nuguid, Manuel Soza, Godofredo Ramos, Miguel Cuenco,
Lucas Paredes, Congressmen Carmen Consing and Tecia San Andres Ziga. The
Catholic Church was indirectly included in the debates and played a major role
for the intervention of signing of the bill into a law. Allied with the church in
battle against Rizal Bill were the Holy Name Society of the Philippines,
Catholic Action of the Philippines, Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus and
Daughters of Isabela.

Oppositions argued that the bill would go against freedom of conscience and
religion, The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) submitted
a pastoral letter to which according, Rizal violated Canon Law 1399 which
forbids or bans books that attack or ridicule the catholic doctrine and
practices. Oppositors argued that among the 333 pages of Noli Me Tangere,
only 25 passages are nationalistic while 120 passages are anti-catholic. While
upon scrutiny of thetwo novels by some members of catholic hierarchical, 170
passages in Noli Me Tangere and 50 in El Filibusterismo are against catholic
faith. Furthermore, oppositors pointed out that Rizal admitted that he did not
only attack the friars who acted deceptively on the Filipinos but also the
catholic faith itself. They suggested a reading material for students as to what
they called Rizalian Anthology, a collection of Rizal’s literary works that
contain the patriotic philosophy excluding the two novels.

Of course, Recto and Laurel defended the bill and argued that the only
objective of the bill is to keep the memory of the national hero alive in every
Filipino’s mind, to emanate Rizal as he peacefully fought for freedom, and not
to go against religion. Senators LorensoTanada, Quintin Paredes and
DomocaoAlonto of Mindanao also defended Rizal Bill which was also favored
by Representatives from the House namely Congressmen Jacobo Gonzales,
Emilio Cortez, Mario Bengson, Joaquin Roxas, LancapLagumbay and Pedro
Lopez. Other supporters of the bill were Mayor Arsenio Lacson call anti-rizal
bill “bigoted and intolerant” and walked out of a mass when the priest read a
pastoral letter from the Archbishop denouncing the Rizal Bill aqnd General
Emilio Aguinaldo with groups like the Knights of Rizal, Women Writers of the
Verrnacular, Philippine Veterans Legion, Colleger Editors’ Guild and Philippine
School Teachers’ Association.

Excitement and intense scnenes were eventually arisen in settling the Rizal
Bill. One of which was the debate of Cebu Representative Ramon Durano and
Pampanga Representative Emilio Cortes that ended with a �st�ght in Congress.
Bacolod City Bishop Manuel Yap threatened to campaign against pro-rizal bill
legislators nad to punish them in future elections. Catholic Schools
Representatives threatened to close down their schools if the Rizal Bill was
passed. Recto told them that if they did, the State could nationalize the
catholic schools. When there was a proposal to use the expurgated novels as
textbooks and put the original copies under lock and key in the school
libraries, Recto rejected this amendment and expressed:

“The people who would eliminate the books of Rizal from the schools…would
bot out from our minds the memory of the national hero…this is not a �ght
against Recto but a �ght against Rizal…now that Rizal is dead and they can no
longer attempt at his life, they are attempting to blot out his memory.”

Due to apparently never-ending debate on the Rizal Bill, approved

amendments were formulated through ideas of three senators. Senator Laurel’
created an amendment to the original bill in which, other that Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, works written by Rizal and works written by
others about Rizal would be included and reading of the unexpurgated revision
of the two novels would no longer be compulsory to elementary and secondary
levels but would be strictly observed to college level. Senator Lim suggested
the exemption to those students who feel that reading Rizal’s novels would
negatively a�ect his or her faith. Senator Primicias created an additional
amendment that promulgates the rules and regulations in getting an exemption
only from reading the two novels through written statement or a�davit and
not from taking the Rizal Course. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, no
student has ever availed of this exemption. After the revised amendments, the
bill was �nally passed on May 17, 1956 and was signed into law as Republic
Act 1425 by President Ramon Magsaysay on June 12 of the same year.

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