UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW R.A. 1425 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW The mandatory teaching of Jose 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 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW As an introduction to the Life and Works of Jose Rizal , this textbook will begin with the reading of the Rizal Law In this Chapter, we 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 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW In the process 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 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW Vocabulary: 1. Bill – a measure which, if passed through the legislative process, becomes a law 2. Unexpurgated – basically untouched. In the case of the novels of Rizal, unexpurgated version were those that were not changed or censored to remove parts that might offend people 3. Bicameral – involving the two chambers of Congress; the Senate and House of Representatives UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW The Context of the Rizal Bill : the post war 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 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW 1. Bill is filed in the Senate Office of the Secretary : it is given a number and calendared for first reading 2. First Reading : The bill’s title , number, and author(s) are read on the floor. Afterwards, it is referred to the appropriate committee UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW 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 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW 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 participate in discussion regarding the bill and a period of debates will pursue Amendments maybe suggested to the bill UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW 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 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW 6. Voting on third reading : copies of the final version of the bill are distributed to the members of the Senate who will vote for its approval or rejection UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW 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 the House versions, a bicameral conference committee is called to reconcile the two After this, both chambers approve the consolidated version UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW 8. Transmittal of the final version to Malacanang : 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 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW How the Bill becomes a Law: The Legislative Process: The Senate and the House of Representatives follow the same legislative procedure Legislative proposals emanate from a number of sources UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW How the Bill becomes a Law: The Legislative Process: They maybe authored by the members of the Senate or House as part of their advocacies and agenda; produced through lobbying from various sectors Initiated by the executive branch of government with the President’s legislative agenda UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW Once a legislative proposal, like a bill is ready, it will go through a certain process UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW As the Philippines grappled with various challenges, particularly the call for nation -building , prominent individuals who championed nationalism came into action They pursued government measures to instill patriotism and love for country in the hearts and minds of the Filipinos UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW The 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 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW 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 rededication 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 Senate and the House of Representative UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW From the Rizal Bill to the Rizal Law: On April 3, 1956, Senate bill No 438 was filed by the Senate Committee on Education On April 17, 1956 , then Senate Committee on Education Chair Jose P. Laurel sponsored the bill and began delivering speeches for the proposed legislation UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW Soon after , the bill became controversial as the powerful Catholic Church began to express opposition against its passage As the influence of the Church was felt with members of the Senate voicing their opposition to the bill, its main author, Claro M . Recto , and his allies in the Senate entered into a fierce battle arguing for the passage of SB 438 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW The debates on the Rizal Bill also ensued in the House of Representatives House Bill No 56 , an identical version of SB 438, was filed by Representative Jacobo Z. Gonzales on April 19, 1956 The House Committee on Education approved the bill without amendments on May 2, 1956 and the debates commenced on May 9, 1956 UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW A major point of the debates was whether the compulsory reading of the texts Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo appropriated in the bill was constitutional The call to read the unexpurgated versions were also challenged UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW As the country was soon engaged in the debate , it seemed that an impasse was reached To move the procedure to the next step, Senator Jose P. Laurel proposed amendments to the bill on May 9, 1956 In particular, he removed the compulsory reading of Rizal’s novels and added that Rizal’s other works must also be included in the subject UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW He, however, remained adamant in his stand that the unexpurgated versions of the novels be read On May 14, 1956, similar amendments were adopted to the House version UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW The amended version of the bills was also subjected to scrutiny but seemed palatable to the members of Congress The passage, however, was almost hijacked by technicality since the house of Representatives was about to adjourn in a few days and President Ramon Magsaysay did not certify the bills as priority UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW The allies in the House skillfully avoided the insertion of any other amendment to prevent the need to reprint new copies They also asked the Bureau of Printing to use the same templates for the Senate version in printing the House version Thus, on May 17, 1956, the Senate and House versions were approved UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW The approved version were then transmitted to Malacanang and on June 12, 1956, President Magsaysay signed the Bill into law which became Republic Act No. 1425 1.What are the key points in the module? 2.Based on your readings, how can you apply the content from this module to your daily life? 3.What insights did the module provide in your course? 4. How has class discussion influenced your thinking on this module? 5.How can the learnings in this module improve your role in your school, family, and community?
