The oppositors of Recto and the sponsor Laurel were Rosales, Cuenco, and Rodrigo, which were

all devout Catholics and related to the Catholic opposition. One vital person involved in the
opposition is Fr. Jesus Cavanna, who was introduced as an authority on Rizal. He claimed that
Rizal's novels "belonged in the past" and that they are harmful to read because they displayed a
"false picture" of the conditions of the authority at that time. It was claimed to be "an attack on
the clergy" and objected to ridicule the Catholic Faith. They even went so far as to state the
number of pages that only contained patriotic content and anti-Catholic attacks. Despite this
not being the case, they still pushed to "kill" the bill. Several strategies were executed by the
Catholic church such as to "punish" Recto in the next elections and that Catholic schools would
close down. However, tactics such as these failed horribly and Recto still pushed to implement
it. Moreover, statements that it would discredit their religion is thrown at Recto. Claims that
the novels contained inimical portrayals to the tenets of their faith and violates the religious
freedom of the people were argued to the Congress in order to push for the disapproval of the
bill.
Most of the topics at stake in the discussion were related to religion and the Catholic Church.
Those who were against it felt that Rizal’s words damaged the Catholic Church. Mariano J.
Cuenco was one of these people. Cuenco noted in his address that Rizal criticized Church
dogmas, ideas, and behaviors. Although individuals have become accustomed to it, these
challenges remain significant today. With the country being primarily Catholic and religion
being highly valued, considering Catholic ideas and practices as potentially bad is not something
to be taken lightly. Just because something isn't discussed doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
The Rizal Legislation is basically for future Filipinos to never forget him, to ignite the flame of
patriotism inside them, and to do other things that are specifically stated in the law. However, I
believe we overlook the fact that Rizal was a human being with flaws, as no one is perfect. In
different viewpoints, he and his works may be ideal while in others it would be problematic. He
is known as our National Hero, yet despite having the law in place for many years, not many
Filipinos know who he is other from that. This could be due to pupils' lack of idealization or the
ineffectiveness of its implementation.
Republic Act is practical, but its expectations of pupils are far from realistic. Rizal Law considers
Rizal's works to be a constant source of patriotism, which is correct; yet, patriotism comes from
inside and can be triggered by anything other than Rizal's works. History is a viable alternative.
Furthermore, Rizal’s life, and writings are being taught to pupils since primary education until
college. Rather than being able to instill this in them, it may cause a backfire in the student's
interest in it and his life, as it becomes too excessive and mundane.