Philippine Religious Groups and the Bill Advocacy Quiz

The Rizal Bill Controversy

• The Catholic Church opposed the Rizal Bill, encouraging its followers to write to their congressmen and senators to show opposition.
• Groups that opposed the bill included Catholic Action of the Philippines, Congregation of the Mission, Knights of Columbus, and the Catholic Teachers Guild.
• Those in favor of the bill were Veteranos de la Revolucion, Alagad ni Rizal, Freemasons, and the Knights of Rizal.

The Bill's History

• The bill was sponsored by the Senate Committee on Education and co-written by Jose P. Laurel and Claro M. Recto.
• Only two people, Francisco SOC Rodrigo Mariano Jesus Cuenco and Decoroso Rosales, opposed the bill in the Senate.
• Cuenco argued that Rizal attacked the practices and beliefs of the Catholic Church.
• Catholic schools threatened to close down if the bill was approved, but Recto countered that the government would nationalize them if they did.

The Compromise

• On May 12, 1956, a compromise was inserted by Committee on Education Chairman Laurel, accommodating the objections of the Catholic Church.
• The compromise was approved unanimously.

The Bill's Journey

• Senate Bill No. 438 was filed by the Senate Committee on Education on April 3, 1956.
• The bill became controversial when the Catholic Church expressed opposition to its passage.
• Debates on the Rizal Bill began on April 23, 1956, in the Senate and May 9, 1956, in the House of Representatives.
• House Bill No. 5561, an identical version of SB 438, was filed by Representative Jacobo Z. Gonzales and approved without amendments on May 2, 1956.

Key Players

• Senator Claro M. Recto was the main proponent of the Rizal Bill.
• Recto was accused of being a communist and anti-Catholic during the 1955 Senate election.
• Recto's bill was met with stiff opposition from the Catholic Church, which claimed that reading the novels would violate freedom of conscience and religion.