Name: Jay Chadly T.

Pulan BFA- PD IV Date: January 31, 2019

Instructor: Mr. Noe John Joseph E. Sacramento Subject: PI 100 sect. F

RIZAL LAW ARTICLE REVIEW

The Rizal Law or Republic Act number 1425, with the complete description of, 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. This law
sparked debates among different groups and institutions that have different beliefs and stands
with regards to this law. The two novels written by Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo which is the other sequel, these were banned in other major parts of the
Philippines, for some reasons of having subjected to a harsh judgment, the most obvious reason
was because of their explosive contents which had brutally exposed the deliberate abuses of the
Spaniards and the clergy respectively. These were attributed as nationalistic because the books
were able to effectively instill the love for one’s country having a great sense of gratitude and
common sense towards Filipino society even under the rule of the Spaniards, and these had made
Filipinos rightly possess a unifying element of national identity even had sparked a revolution of
nationalistic ideals of the Filipino masses.

This debate regarding the law is telling the identity of Filipinos that not all but some
people have different beliefs on something, since the law is aiming to revive the patriotism by
promoting the teachings of the national hero but there is always those who will try to oppose to
the said matter. The law is there serving its purpose and it took careful considerations, if not then
maybe most of the considerations regarding the people being affected by this particular law, and
as an individual living under the guidance of the law, one must follow it. There are honesties
when you question the law and wonder if you can have exemptions, just like with this law it is
ironic to say in the first section of the Rizal Law that it is to be included in the curricula of all
public and private schools regardless of one’s beliefs, meaning to be mandatory for all to obey
and no excuses not to follow but in the debate with regards to this law is demanding for
exemption of reading the novels because of one’s different personal religious beliefs, this does
not make a complete sense of having the law in the first place but this makes a worthy
compromise because it grants religious exemptions and limits the unedited version to those in the
college level having different personal religious beliefs. The politics of translating the basic texts
of the novels shows how vulnerable the translations can be and potentially in jeopardy for
changing the original message and disorder up the context of the novels because of the
translator’s personal bias, this can be a serious problem since the novels coming from a Spanish
language then being translated to English, and English to Filipino, and additionally Filipino to
the local dialects will no longer have the very original and unedited texts from the novels, so it
makes the translations not that genuine. And from the article the intense debate on the Rizal Law
by Raul Pangalangan, he asked the readers as to why isolate the high school student from
allowing them to access the original version, and why can the student from a collegiate level
only granted the access to these according to the law, and I personally think that it should be
allowed to anyone who is interested to read the unedited version of the novels who has the
interest in knowing the truth and wants to open their minds to a different knowledge aside from
the ones that they are made to believe with regards to our history. Mr. Pangalangan’s article
made a point by questioning the schools having to undermine the power and authority of this law
if schools are not able to provide and actually hand out stocks of the novels of Jose Rizal to
students and in their library shelves, and that this makes the law not a hundred percent effective
for it has made its execution so poorly.

The significance of the Rizal law in our present lives as Filipinos in general and as
students is the privilege to have the knowledge of our history and not just a history but with the
facts coming from a perspective of a Filipino, and for this I think if we are having that
knowledge we as Filipino make us a better citizen. And as students it is significant for us to be
developed by our school for it is their duty to instill us not only with the knowledge regarding
intellect but most importantly our character, having morals and discipline on a personal level,
this is not possible if not helpful, if the novels of Jose Rizal will not be accessible to all, for it has
all truths and perspective of a Filipino just like us, even with the content having anti Catholic
parts, that the church were offended , but this all is just to expose the uncensored reality of our
past under the rule of Spaniards, we students should be open to all facts and not just stick to one
source of fact for it will lead us to ignorance to all other facts that are out there. Having the
novels of Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo available to the general public and
most specially to the students according to the law and in section 2 of the Rizal law haven’t
really been executed properly, since the libraries today do not have enough copies on their
shelves to cater and be accessible to students from the entire school. In the article, The fight over
the Rizal Law by Ambeth Ocampo, he pointed out a great fact of questioning the reality of our
local organizations and barangay which he doubted the availability and accessibility of the
copies of Jose Rizal’s two novels, that even with the law being already approved, the execution
of it is not in compliance to what is supposed to be obeyed by this particular law. And with this
poor distribution of unedited and original copies of the novels of Jose Rizal, I came to think that
the subject teaching the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo is helping the need for us students to understand the significance
of the Rizal law and Rizal’s perspective and genuine truth about the experiences and events
under the rules of the Spaniards here in the Philippines. It is of great importance that we as
students should be mindful and understand the Rizal Law for it is important to study Rizal's life
and his writings including other heroes because the contribution they give to the country, and
make us realize to make great our passion and love for Philippines as our country, that even
though our country experienced colonialism and being dominated by other ruling country we
have heroes who are brave to expose the injustice and unfair treatment to our fellow Filipinos.
And according to Jose Rizal himself, “I want to show to those who deprive people the right to
love of country, that when we know how to sacrifice ourselves for our duties and convictions,
death does not matter if one dies for those one loves – for his country and for others dear to
him.”

References

Driftwood Journeys. (2017). Noli Me Tangere: The Catalyst of Social Awakening among
Filipinos. Retrieved January 29, 2019, from http://driftwoodjourneys.com/nolime-
tangere-the-catalyst-of-social-awakening-among-filipinos/

Ocampo, A. (2016). The Fight over the Rizal Law. Retrieved January 29, 2019, from
https://studymoose.com/the-fight-over-the-rizal-law-essay

Official Gazette. (1956). Republic Act No. 1425 | GOVPH. Retrieved January 29, 2019, from
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1956/06/12/republic-act-no-1425/

Pangalangan, R. (2010). Passion for Reason. Retrieved January 29, 2019, from
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20101231-311789/The-intense-
debate-on-the-Rizal-Law