THE RIZAL LAW

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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 hands 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 or 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. The Board shall, within sixty
(60) days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate rules and regulations, including
those of a 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.

HISTORY

Senate bill 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 Philippines. Normally, before the bill was approved and
implemented in all schools and was signed into a 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 in which according to them, catholic dogmas are
humiliated.
Senator Recto brought the bill to the Senate and Senator Jose B. Laurel Sr. who was then the Chairman
of the Committee on Education sponsored the bill that consequently led to exchange of arguments from
the Congress. The bill was headedly opposed by three senators namely Senator Francisco Rodrigo who
was a 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
Congressmen 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 of 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 to 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 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.

Of course, 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 Rizal Bill which was also favored by Representatives from the House namely
Congressmen Jacobo Gonzales, Emilio Cortez, Mario Bengson, Joaquin Roxas, Lancap Lagumbay and
Pedro Lopez. Other supporters of the bill were Mayor Arsenio Lacson 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 of the Vernacular, Philippine Veterans Legion, College Editors’ Guild and Philippine School
Teachers’ Association.

Excitement and intense scenes 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
student has ever availed of this exemption. After the revised amendments, 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.