What is Rizal Law?

The Rizal Law, or Republic Act 1425, is a government-mandated law that requires
all colleges and universities in the Philippines to include courses on the life and
works of Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippines' national hero, in their curriculums.¹
These courses also emphasize the study of Rizal's two most famous novels, "Noli
Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo," which are considered seminal works in
Philippine literature. This law aims to promote national consciousness and love for
country among Filipinos by studying the life and works of Rizal.²

Why Study Rizal: From The Perspective of Lawmakers

Now, you may be wondering why it is mandatory to study the life and works of
Jose Rizal. To understand the reasoning behind this, let's hear from the people
who created the Rizal Law, or Republic Act 1425, and learn their perspective on
the importance of educating students about the national hero.
In 1956, during Ramon Magsaysay's presidency, a decade had passed since the
end of World War II. At this time, many nationalist policy makers noticed that the
sense of Filipino identity seemed to be fading among the people. To address this,
the lawmakers felt it was important to focus on rebuilding a strong national
identity and moving forward as a united people.³
One of the solutions proposed by these policy makers to enhance the national
pride and hope of Filipinos was through education. In their view, by providing the
youth with a comprehensive education that included learning about their country's
history, they would become knowledgeable and proud Filipinos. This would foster
a strong sense of national identity, which in turn would lead to a stronger and
more united Philippines.
On April 3, 1956, Senator Claro M. Recto submitted a bill to the Senate Committee
on Education, which proposed that Jose Rizal's two most famous novels, Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, be made mandatory reading for all Filipino students
in college. The bill was officially known as Senate Bill No. 438 or "An Act to Make
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo Compulsory Reading Matter in All Public and
Private Colleges and Universities, and for Other Purposes."⁴
For easier understanding, we will call it the Noli-Fili Bill.
On April 17, 1956, Senator Jose P. Laurel, who was then the Chairman of the
Committee on Education, sponsored the Noli-Fili Bill in the senate and presented it
to the upper house. According to Laurel, the main purpose of the bill is to
disseminate the ideas and ideals of Jose Rizal through the reading of his novels,
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.⁵
"Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo 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. Only then would we become
conscious as a people, and so learn to prepare ourselves for painful sacrifices that
ultimately lead to self-reliance, self-respect and freedom."⁶

The Catholic Church's Opposition to the Noli-Fili Bill

The Noli-Fili bill, like the Reproductive Health Bill, faced opposition and
controversy from the Catholic Church and conservative groups. They opposed the
bill because it required the reading of Jose Rizal's novels, "Noli Me Tangere" and
"El Filibusterismo," which contain criticisms of the actions of the Catholic Church
during Rizal's time.
The Church argued that if the bill were to pass, it would damage the reputation of
the religion. According to Fr. Jesus Cavanna, the novels were written a long time
ago and teaching them today could be harmful as it may give students incorrect
ideas about the current state of the Philippines.⁷
Here are some additional criticisms of the Catholic Church regarding the
Noli-Fili Bill: ⁸
1.
Among the 333 pages of Noli Me Tangere, only 25 passages are nationalistic while
120 passages are anti-Catholic.
2.
170 lines from Noli Me Tangere and 50 lines in El Filibusterismo were offensive to
the Catholic doctrine.
3.
The bill might divide the nation.
4.
Compulsion to read something against one’s faith impairs freedom of speech and
religious freedom.
5.
Rizal admitted that he did not only attack the friars who acted deceptively on the
Filipinos but also the Catholic faith itself.
The Noli-Fili bill sparked a highly controversial debate. Catholic groups organized
to oppose the bill and Senator Claro M. Recto was accused of being a communist.
The situation became so tense that some Catholic schools threatened to close if
the bill were to pass.⁹
On April 19, 1956, another bill, House Bill No. 5561, was introduced in the House
of Representatives by Congressman Jacobo Z. Gonzales. This bill was almost
identical to the Noli-Fili Bill, and it also faced the same faith, as it was also
criticized and considered unconstitutional by the Church.¹⁰
The Enactment of “Rizal Law"
So what happened to the Noli-Fili bill? If the Catholic Church opposed it, why are
Rizal's works being taught in schools now? Well, Senator Jose P. Laurel proposed a
substitute bill that addressed the concerns of the Church.¹¹
Here are the few tweaks that were made to appease the opposition:
1.
The new substitute bill now included a wider range of works and writings by Jose
Rizal, instead of only "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo."¹²
2.
Students who did not want to read the novels were given the option to ask for an
exemption. (Note: As of now, there is no record of any student requesting an
exemption, or if such a practice was even implemented.)¹³
3.
The unexpurgated version of "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo" could only
be studied at the college level.¹⁴
When we say "unexpurgated version," we refer to the original version of the text
that has not been edited, censored, removed, or altered in any way. The original
meaning is retained.
You may be wondering why reading "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo" is
considered controversial. You might say that you read it when you were in junior
high school and it wasn't that bad. Well, maybe the reason for your perspective is
that you read the expurgated versions, which have been censored. In that case,
the true intention of the text may have been lost.
As Senator Laurel said, if we do not read the original, unedited, and uncensored
"Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo," the purpose of the law will be lost.¹⁵
On May 12th and 14th, 1956, despite strong opposition from the Church and other
groups, Senate Bill No. 438 and House Bill No. 5561 were both approved on
second reading and in the Lower House. Then, on June 12th, 1956, on Flag Day,
President Ramon Magsaysay signed the law, which is now known as Republic Act
1425 or the Rizal Law.¹⁶
The full name of the law is "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."¹⁷
Elements of the Rizal Law
According to Laurel, 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, teachings, and writings, the
youth will gain confidence, direction, courage and determination to contribute to
the progress of our nation.¹⁸
Here are the different sections of Rizal Law:¹⁹
•
The first section of the law concerns mandating the students to read Rizal’s
novels.
•
The second section of the law require the schools to have a sufficient number of
copies of unexpurgated edition of the novels in their libraries.
•
The third section of the law aims to make Rizal's writings more readily available to
the general public by promoting their printing at an affordable cost, or in some
cases, providing them for free.
•
The fourth section of the law clarifies it will not change a specific section of the
Administrative Code that prohibits public school teachers from discussing religious
doctrines.
•
The fifth section of the law authorizes the unallocated funds to be used to
implement the act.
•
The last section of the law states that the act will immediately take effect.
The goal of Rizal Law can usually be summarized in three points:²⁰
1.
To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of freedom and nationalism, for
which our heroes lived and died.
2.
To pay tribute to our national hero for devoting his life and works in shaping the
Filipino character.
3.
To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through the study of Rizal’s life, works,
and writings.

But Really… Should We Study Rizal?

The intention of the Rizal Law is, without a doubt, good. However, I will play devil's
advocate here. All of what you read is on paper. Let's examine reality. The Rizal
Law was passed in 1956, which is a long time ago. The question remains: have its
goals been met? Or are we even close to meeting them?
The study of Rizal remains a highly debated topic to this day. And currently, the
only correct answer to why we should study Rizal is because it is the law.