The Rizal Bill of 1956

Monday, September 6, 2021 4:10 PM

The Rizal Bill of 1956

Horacio de la Costa and the Bishops

Fr. Horacio de la Costa

- Wrote a letter to the bishops to
approve the readings of Jose Rizal's
works despite the Catholic church
banning its contents some time ago.

Reynaldo Ileto
- studied the efforts of the 1950s to
create a new vision for the nation in
the wake of independence.

Jose Lansang
- speechwriter for Pres. Elipidio Quirino
- Associated with the professors of UP in
envisioning a secular nationalist
program for the nation

"new Propaganda Movement"

- Lansang's vision which he believed the
country needed
- Term coined by Ileto

Rizalian educational philosophy

- Jose P. Laurel's contribution in
envisioning a secular nationalism

Senate Bill 438 in 1956

(April 4, 1956)
- Introduced by Sen. Claro M. Recto
- Bill that mandates that the two novels of Rizal EL FILIBUSTERISMO and NOLI ME TANGERE
be a compulsory reading in all colleges and universities

Timestamp: it was even before 1956 when

de la Costa drafted a pastoral letter
- Late 1951

Timestamp: January 5, 1952

- Dean Jose M. Hernandez of UE (who
published a book about Rizal in 1950)
forwarded De la Costa through Sen.
Soc Rodrigo- nine pages of passages
from Rizal's Noli me Tangere

Fr. Jesus Cavanna, CM

- The alleged principal author of the
1956 "Statement of the Philippine
Heirarchy on the novels of Dr. Jose
Rizal, Noli me tangere and El

Schumacher Readings Page 1

 Rizal, Noli me tangere and El
Filibustersmo"
- Later found out correlation to Fr. De
La Costa's drafts.
- Published a book on Rizal's retraction
of Masonry in 1952

Timestamp: 1956
- De la Costa had been finishing his
term as dean in Ateneo de Manila
College of Arts and Sciences

Abp. Rufino J. Santos (Future cardinal at

that time)
- The administrative president of the
Catholic Welfare Organization (1956)
- The one who released the
"Statement" (p.4)

Schumacher Readings Page 2