GEC 9: LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS OF

RIZAL
1. TITLE OF THE MODULE- CHAPTER 1: THE STUDY OF RIZAL COURSE AND
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425

2. INTRODUCTION
The study of Life, Works, and Writing of Rizal has been mandated by Republic act no. 1425 known as
Rizal Law. It is “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”

The law itself had been criticized by many friars because of the issues concerning their image.
According to Claro M. Recto, it was his belief that the readings of Rizal’s novels would strengthen the
Filipinism of the youth and foster patriotism. Also, Senator Laurel one of the supporters of the bill mentioned
that the object of the measure was to disseminate the ideas and ideals of the great Filipino patriot through
the reading of his works, particularly “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo”

3. LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

• Explain the rationale of Rizal law and its important provisions

• Critically assess the effectiveness of the Rizal Law
• Compare and contrast the sides of the Authors and Oppositions in R.A 1425
• Discuss the historical context of Rizal Law
• Relate the passage of Rizal law to nation building, patriotism, and nationalism

4. LEARNING CONTENT

Among the many illustrious Filipinos who have distinguished themselves for service to their country,
the first place of honor belongs, by universal consent, to Dr. José Rizal. He devoted himself to “dispelling the
ignorance of his people, raising their moral standards, and combating the injustices and inequality under
which they labored.

Republic Act No. 1425

June 12, 1956
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.

Approved: June 12, 1956

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 52, No. 6, p. 2971 in June 1956.

The most valuable of Rizal’s ideas are contained in his two novels. But since there is a widespread
impression that these novels are looked upon with disfavor by the Catholic Church as attacking the Catholic
faith, we want to give our views. The Catholic Church in itself is never against the legitimate political and
social aspirations of any people. Hence it follows that the clear and even forceful expression of such
aspirations can never be injurious to the Catholic Church.

The authors argued that the sole objective of the bill or the Rizal law to foster the better appreciation
of Rizal’s times and of the role he played in combating Spanish tyranny in this country. Denying that novels
had any religious motivation. Rizal himself asserted that it was not the church itself but the abuses he was
attacking as may be seen from his letter to a friend, Resurrección Hidalgo:
“I have unmasked the hypocrisy of those who under the cloak of religion have come amongst us to
impoverish and brutalize us. I have distinguished the true religion from the false, from superstitious religion,
from the religion that traffics with the Gospel to extract money, to make us believe in nonsense at which the
Catholic Church would blush, if it ever came to her knowledge.” (Retana 1907, 125–26)

Let us then heed the warning of Rizal and not confound the abuses of religion with religion itself. There were
scandals in the church in Rizal’s time. Why should we deny it? There were unfaithful priests, like the
Apostles Peter and Judas. But that fact does not make Catholic doctrine untrue. However, we must not
exaggerate the evil. As to the fact of these evils, the Church awaits the sober judgment of history. But the
history of that period is only imperfectly known and thus people take fictional narratives like Rizal’s novels as
history. Especially with the young, we foresee in the indiscriminate and undirected reading of the novels a
danger, since the young are “too apt to take as literally true whatever they see in print. Moreover, they
cannot be expected to make the necessary distinctions between what the persons in a novel say in
conformity with their characters and what the author of the novel says on his own account, between what is
said ironically and what is seriously stated; between the condemnation of the individual and the
condemnation of the society or organization to which that individual belongs.

Hence we judge that Rizal’s novels not only can but should by all means be made familiar to our students;
the editions of them which are assigned as reading matter should be accurate translations of the Spanish
text, should be properly annotated by a competent scholar familiar with the ecclesiastical and civil history of
Rizal’s period, and should, ordinarily, be commented on and explained by the teacher in charge.

In conclusion we say, first, that we find nothing in [these novels] that constitutes a serious danger to the faith
or morals of the mature well instructed Catholic, but much in conformity with the teachings of the Gospel and
right reason. Secondly, prudence demands that they should not be given as reading matter to the young
without proper direction and guidance in the form of annotations to the printed text and explanations by the
living teacher. If this prescription of prudence is complied with the salutary political and social ideas of our
national hero will strike deep roots in the minds and hearts of our people.