VIRAY, Christian Russell V.

August 17, 2023

4AD4 LIWORIZ

Assignment # 1: R.A. 1425 Rizal Bill

1. Who proposed the Rizal Bill that became R.A. 1425? Context?
Senator Claro M. Recto authored the Rizal Bill or the Republic Act No. 1425. This act requires
the inclusion of Jose Rizal’s life, works, and writings, particularly his novels “Noli Me Tangere”
and “El Filibusterismo”, in the curricula of all public and private schools, colleges, and
universities. Senator Jose P. Laurel, Sr. was the Chairman of the Committee on Education
during that time, so he sponsored the bill in the Senate.
2. What was his key reasoning to pass/sponsor the bill?
Senator Jose P. Laurel, Sr., along with Senator Claro M. Recto, were both known for their great
sense of nationalism, which mainly became the foundation to arrive at this republic act to set
the country free from colonialism and assert dominance over our own homeland. These
principles and values that Rizal was fighting for were established through his works and
writings for the good of the Filipino people, especially the youth who needs to rekindle their
sense of nationalism.
3. Who (for political or other reasons) were detractors of the initial Proposal? What
were the reasons for the opposition?
When the bill had been brought to the Upper and Lower House of the Congress for
deliberations, it was headedly opposed by people from Legislative Arm and Catholic Church,
particularly the three senators: Senator Francisco Rodrigo (former Catholic Action President),
Senator Mariano Cuenco, and Senator Decoroso Rosales (brother of archbishop Julio Rosales).
Other members from Lower House were also in opposition together with some Catholic
Church organizations such as Holy Name Society of the Philippines, Catholic Action of the
Philippines, Legion of Mary, and many more.
The main reason for the opposition is that the Rizal Bill would go against freedom of
conscience and religion, in which according to the Catholic Church, catholic dogmas are
humiliated in Rizal’s novels. According to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP), Rizal violated Canon Law 1399 which bans books that attack the catholic doctrine and
practices. They also stated that 170 passages in Noli Me Tangere and 50 in El Filibusterismo
are anti-Catholic, and that Rizal himself has admitted in his writings that he attacked deceptive
friars and the Catholic faith itself.
4. Based on the R.A. 1425 reasoning, how is this course relevant to today’s rapid
accessibility to information?
In today’s rapid accessibility to information especially through the Internet and digital
media, the “Life and Works of Rizal” course provides a critical and accurate analysis of
historical information. Studying Rizal’s life and works in an academic setup makes us,
students, differentiate the essence between credible and fabricated sources, especially
now that disinformation could be easily spread across the Internet. By giving credible
sources, we are provided with the right understanding of Rizal’s complex ideas and actions
given by his upbringing and the special events that occurred in his life. What’s most
important is that the course is promoting a sense of national identity and patriotism for
us, and that we also get to cultivate our critical thinking and research skills knowing that
every information we receive and analyze is reliable and coherent.