THE 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 hand 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 suffused;
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 of 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.1awp++i1 The Board shall, within sixty
(60) days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate rules and regulations, including those of
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 first paragraph of this section; but not from taking the
course provided for in the first part of said paragraph. Said rules and regulations shall take
effect thirty (30) days after their publication in the Official 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 effect upon its approval.
Approved: June 12, 1956.
History of Rizal Law
Senate Bill no. 438 known as Rizal Bill which was first 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 Philippine.
Normally, before the bill was approved and implemented in all schools and was signed into
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 fiercely
opposed by people from Legislative Arm but also by the Catholic Church due to the inclusion
of compulsory reading of Rizal’s novels which according to them, catholic dogmas are
humiliated.
Senator Recto brought the bill to Senate and Senator Jose P. Laurel Sr. who was then
Chairman of the Committee on Education sponsored the bill consequently led to exchange of
arguments from the Congress. The bill was headedly opposed by three senators namely
Senator Francisco Rodrigo who was 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 Congressman 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 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 too
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 the two novels by some members of the 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.
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 Lorenso Tanada,
Quintin Paredes, and Domocao Alonto of Mindanao also defended the Rizal Bill which was
also favored by Representatives from the House namely Congressmen Jacobo Gonzales,
Emilio Cortez, Mariano Bengson, Joaquin Roxas, Lancap Lagumbay and Pedro Lopez. Other
supporters of the bill were Mayor Arsenio Lacsion 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 and General Emilio Aguinaldo with groups like the Knights of Rizal,
Women Writers Vernacular, Philippine Veterans Legion, College Editors’ Guild and Philippine
School Teacher’s Association.
Excitement and intense scene 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 fistfight in Congress. Bacolod City Bishop Manuel Yap
threatened to campaign against pro-Rizal bill legislators and 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 fight against Recto but a fight
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 affect 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 affidavit
and not from taking the Rizal course. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, no students has
ever availed of this exemption. After the revised amendment, the bill was finally 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.
By: Sharon Servidad-Monsale (scribd)