Lesson 1

Activity 5. Thought Paper

The Effectiveness of The RA 1425 Or Rizal Law

in Advocating its Objectives Among Filipinos

The study of Rizal's life and works is mandated under the Rizal Law, commonly known as RA
1425, as can be seen in section 1. This Republic Act urges the Filipino people to develop a
stronger feeling of nationalism at a time when their national identity is fading. A stronger sense
of enthusiasm among Filipinos to believe in their own country and national identity—who we are
as a nation—is sought to be sparked by the sheer fact that the Act was passed on the anniversary
of our independence. Senator Claro M. Recto is the one who came up with the Rizal Bill. The
bill was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Jose P. Laurel, Sr., who was at the time the
Chairman of the Committee on Education. Both of them were renowned for having a strong
sense of nationalism, which served as the inspiration for our republic act, that aimed to free our
country from foreign control and stand up for our own rights—exactly the goals and values that
Rizal fought to uphold. The Filipino people, in particular the younger Filipino generation, who
may have lost their sense of nationalism, were the target audience. The authors aimed to rekindle
a dim flame in each Filipino's pride in their nation. A Republic Act as extreme as the Rizal Law
—which mandates the study of Rizal's life and works—can only result from the fact that Rizal
and his works were not given a high priority in the nation's educational system before this act
was passed. It is obvious that the government needs to change drastically to address the problem.
This is evident from sections 2 and 3 of the legislation, which require all schools, colleges, and
universities to maintain an adequate number of copies of Rizal's works and legalize any
translations of his works.

There are important points that the author cited in this republic act that is worth noticing. First,
"Whereas, today, more than 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." Ideals of freedom and
nationalism were crucial at the time because the Philippines was still vying for independence and
was still gradually establishing its national identity and integrity. "Whereas, all educational
institutions are under the control of, and subject to regulation by the State, and all schools are
exhorted to build moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience, and to teach the
obligations of citizenship," reads RA 1425, which makes another crucial point. It is crucial that
we use the children who are in their formative years of learning and development to implant
these ideals in our educational institutions. Filipinos who are competent, sincere, and unselfish in
the future will result from instilling in the kids a deep moral character and a strong sense of
personal discipline. Finally, "The Board of National Education shall cause the translation of the
Noli Me Tangere and the 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 the Barrio Councils throughout the country." To provide a
specific way to carry out this act is very helpful. It is also important that the effects of this act
would be experienced by all students even those who are financially troubled. It is commendable
that in the context of this act, the poor is well represented and that it is attainable regardless of
ethnicity, social stature, and language barriers.

However, did the Rizal Law really fostered nationalism among all Filipino citizen or has it
succeeded in advocating its objectives? Sad it has not. It is extremely beneficial to provide a
certain method for executing this act. It is also crucial that all students—including those who are
struggling financially—will feel the effects of this action. It is admirable that the underprivileged
are highly represented in this act and that it is achievable regardless of racial background, social
standing, or language problems. In high school and for one semester of college, Rizal's subject is
being taught. If nationalism has been cultivated, it is only a minor and transient one. Given their
busy schedules in these difficult times, students have not yet internalized it. Because what
happened decades ago doesn't connect with current circumstances, it hasn't had much of an
impact on people's perceptions. It's unfortunate to mention that today's students spend the
majority of their time on electronic devices and social media platforms. Contrarily, some argue
that Rizal is still significant in modern culture since the societal issues that he denounced more
than a century ago are still widespread in the Philippines. The only distinction—and tragic reality
—is that the new inflictors are also Filipinos.