Republic Act 1425: Rizal Law

• Republic Act 1425, also known as the Rizal law, mandates the inclusion of Jose Rizal's life, works, and writings in the curricula of all private and public schools, colleges, and universities.
• The law specifically mentions the inclusion of Rizal's novels "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo."
• It is considered one of the most controversial bills in Philippine history because of the opposition from the Catholic Church.

History of the Rizal Law

• Senate Bill 438, authored by Senator Claro M. Recto, was the original Rizal Bill.
• Senator Jose B. Laurel Sr., as Chairman of the Committee on Education, sponsored the bill.
• The bill underwent debates in both the Upper and Lower Houses of Congress.
• The Catholic Church opposed the bill due to the compulsory reading of Rizal's novels, which they claimed humiliated Catholic dogmas.
• Senator Francisco Rodrigo, Senator Mariano Cuenco, and Senator Decoroso Rosales were among those who opposed the bill in the Senate.
• Congressman Ramon Durano, Congressman Marciano Lim, and Congressman Jose Nuguid also opposed the bill in the Lower House.
• The Catholic Church was supported by organizations such as the Holy Name Society of the Philippines, Catholic Action of the Philippines, the Legion of Mary, Knights of Columbus, and Daughters of Isabela.

Arguments Against the Rizal Bill

• Opponents argued that the bill would infringe on freedom of conscience and religion.
• The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) claimed that Rizal's novels violated Canon Law 1399, which prohibits books that attack or ridicule Catholic doctrine and practices.
• The CBCP said that the novels contained anti-Catholic passages, with only 25 pages in "Noli Me Tangere" being nationalistic while 120 were anti-Catholic.
• Opponents claimed Rizal had admitted to criticizing the Catholic faith itself.

Arguments for the Rizal Bill

• Recto and Laurel argued that the bill's purpose was to preserve the memory of the national hero in Filipino minds and honor Rizal as a peaceful advocate for freedom, not to oppose religion.
• Senators Lorenzo Tanada, Quintin Paredes, and Domocao Alonto supported the Rizal Bill, along with Representatives Jacobo Gonzales, Emilio Cortez, and others.
• Arsenio Lacson criticized anti-Rizal sentiments as "bigoted and intolerant."
• General Emilio Aguinaldo and groups like the Knights of Rizal also supported the bill.

Debate and Amendments

• The debate over the Rizal Bill became heated.
• Representative Ramon Durano and Representative Emilio Cortes engaged in a fistfight in Congress during the debate.
• Bishop Manuel Yap threatened to campaign against legislators supporting the bill.
• Catholic schools threatened to close if the bill passed, leading Recto to warn that the state could nationalize them.
• Amendments were proposed and accepted, including one by Laurel.
• The law specified that reading the unexpurgated versions of the novels would no longer be compulsory at elementary and secondary levels but would be strictly observed at the college level.
• Lim proposed exemptions for students who believed reading Rizal's novels would affect their faith, with Primicias adding an amendment requiring a written statement or affidavit for exemption.
• Historian Ambeth Ocampo noted that no student ever availed of this exemption.

Enactment

• The bill was passed on May 17, 1956, and signed into law as Republic Act 1425 by President Ramon Magsaysay on June 12 of the same year.

Sections of Republic Act No. 1425

• Section 1 mandates courses on the life, works, and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo", in the curricula of all schools, colleges, and universities, public or private.
• Section 2 requires all schools, colleges, and universities to keep an adequate number of copies of the original and unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as well as Rizal's other works and biography, in their libraries.
• Section 3 directs the Board of National Education to 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.
• Section 4 states that nothing in the Act shall be construed as amending or repealing section nine hundred twenty-seven of the Administrative Code, which prohibits the discussion of religious doctrines by public school teachers and other persons engaged in any public school.
• Section 5 authorizes the appropriation of three hundred thousand pesos to carry out the purposes of the Act.
• Section 6 states that Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Philippine Hierarchy Statement on Rizal's Novels

• The Catholic Philippine Hierarchy restated their loyalty to the fatherland and the lawfully constituted authorities of the country.
• They emphasized their love and veneration for Rizal as a national hero, not for what he wrote against religion but for what he did for the country's welfare.
• They believed that the novels "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo" were written out of Rizal's love for the Philippines, and they favored propagating passages showing this.
• The hierarchy noted that the novels contained contradictions to Christian beliefs due to Rizal's estrangement from the faith at the time of writing.
• It was argued that to remain loyal to the faith, one must imitate Rizal by withdrawing statements against the Catholic faith, as he did in his retraction.
• The Philippine Hierarchy was against compulsory reading in their entirety of books that contain teachings contrary to the Catholic faith.