RIZAL’S LIFE AND WORKS

Jennifer M. Castillo
1st Year – AFA
Activity 1

RIZAL LAW

One of the most important events in student life is learning about Rizal's life and works. But
before we dive into the above course, first we must understand the story behind this course. The Republic
Act of 1425, better known as the Rizal Law, is probably one of the most controversial laws in the
Philippine history.

The purpose of this law is to understand the importance of the creation of the Rizal Law. One of
these is because there is a need to revive the freedom and nationalism for which our heroes lived and
sacrificed their lives. With the help of this law, every Filipino citizen will be reminded of the sacrifices
offered by our heroes who can be an inspiration to each other in helping to build a successful nation.
Second, it is to honor our national hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal, and remind the Filipino people of his
achievements and fight for the freedom of the homeland. This will also serve as a reminder of our
responsibilities as Filipinos, especially to the youth. Third, it will serve as an inspiration to the Filipino
youth where they are still at the stage of clarifying their minds and according to the belief of Rizal, "ang
kabataan ang pag-asa ng Bayan.

Before it was enacted, when this matter was in the bill, it first went through a thorough process.
Rizal law is about the study of the life and works of Jose Rizal, specifically his two novels Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo which catholic priests believe are against their beliefs due to contradicting
the teachings of the Catholics. The members of the catholic church feared that the students' faith and
belief in catholicism might be affected because Jose Rizal's books contain more than 170 parts of Noli Me
Tangere, and 50 parts of El Filbusterismo criticize Catholic beliefs.

Although it's not directly involved in the deliberation of the law in Congress, the Catholic Church
had a great influence in opposing Senate Bill No. 438. In a pastoral letter submitted by the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the organization said Rizal violated Canon Law 1399 -
which prohibits and prohibits books that attack and ridicule the doctrine and practice of the Catholic
Church.
 The Catholic Church, desperate to prevent it from being enacted, has warned that Catholic
schools will be closed, a major benefit to the government. The bill was amended as tensions worsened.

According to Sen. Laurel, apart from Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, will also include
other works by Rizal. The “unexpurgated” or mean unrevised version of these books will no longer be
compulsorily taught in elementary and high school. Students who think that reading Noli and Fili will
affect their faith can ask for an ‘exemption’ from the Department of Education, Culture and Sports not to
read the two novels. At the suggestion of Sen. Primicias, students can seek exemption from reading Noli
and Fili by writing or affidavit, but he is still not exempted from Rizal courses. Despite the length of the
discussion and debate, the signing continued. On May 17, 1956, President Ramon Magsaysay signed the
law on June 12, 1956.