Manlapaz, Felicia Lorraine

4AD-2

LIWORIZ READING ASSIGNMENT

QUESTIONS:

1. Who proposed the Bill that became RA 1425?

2. What were their key reasonings to sponsor the bill?
3. Who were the detractors of the initial proposal? What were their reasons, political or
otherwise?
4. Based on the R.A.’s reasonings, how is this course relevant to today’s rapidly growing
accessibility to information?

ANSWERS:

1. Claro M. Recto was the one who originally suggested the legislation that proposed the
Bill that became RA 1425 requiring Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo to be studied
at all universities and educational institutions.

2. The Bill, R.A. 1425 is said to have the real goal to foster in every Filipino, especially the
younger generation, the true meaning of independence, nationalism, and patriotism
through the study of Rizal's life, actions, and writings.

3. The detractors of the initial proposal were the Catholic hierarchy. They are Senator
Decoroso Rosales, brother of Archbishop, now Cardinal Rosales; Mariano J. Cuenco,
brother of Archbishop Cuenco; and Francisco Rodrigo, former president of Catholic
Action. They believe that the Bill would not be necessary and can violate one's right to
religious and moral freedom.

Catholic Action also pointed out that the said novels "belong to the past" and it would be
"harmful" to read them because they presented a "false picture” of conditions in the
country at that time. It described that the Noli Me Tangere is “an attack on the clergy"
and that the Bill's object was to "put to ridicule the Catholic Faith”.
4. In the context of today's rapidly growing accessibility to information, the relevance of the
R.A. can be understood through several positive objectives. A course that requires to
understand the life, works, and writings of Jose Rizal, learning about Rizal's writings and
his fight for social justice might motivate people to evaluate current events and media
coverage critically and can contribute to the Ethical and Moral Values of the Filipinos. In
his works, Rizal frequently addressed moral and ethical dilemmas while emphasizing
principles like honesty, fairness, and compassion.

Learning from Rizal's ideals can help people utilize information responsibly and ethically
in the era of digital communication and social media. Last but not least, Rizal's works
reveal his enthusiasm for development and his belief in the ability of education to
improve society. This course might motivate Filipinos to use knowledge and technology
to promote social justice and positive change by studying Rizal and with this, who knows
that maybe people can use the knowledge more efficiently and make a meaningful
contribution to society in the future.