Dr.
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y [Alonso] Realonda
Age at death: 35 y/o
Born: 19 June 1861, Calamba, Laguna
Died: 30 December 1896, Manila
 Chinese mestizo (mixed race: part Spanish, part
Chinese, part Filipino)
 Came from a wealthy family who leased lands
and managed land for Dominican friars
 Physician (ophthalmic surgeon), Medicine
(UST)
 Approved as a national hero by the US Civil
Governor William Howard Taft in 1901 (aka the
Taft Commission)
 Americans consulted the Filipino
elites/rich and they deliberated between
Rizal and Bonifacio.
 Rizal died for the country being killed by
the Spanish while Bonifacio was killed by
the fellow Filipinos
 Not an American-created hero
 Rizal was the ‘millennial’ of his generation
Why do we need to study Rizal’s life works and
writings?
 It contributes to rediscovering our sense of
identity and as Filipinos
 We see Rizal as a role model – a mirror image of
ourselves
 What Rizal writes is very relevant to the ordinary
Filipino indio
 We are able to learn more about Filipino history
and correlate these with the present day
challenges
Origins of the Rizal Law
 1896 – beginning of the Philippine Revolution,
headed by President Emilio Aguinaldo (first and
youngest president of the Philippines at age 29)
 On December 20, 1898 (2 years after Rizal’s
death) – decree issued by President Emilio
Aguinaldo celebrating Rizal Day on June 19
(birthday of Rizal, also our INDEPENDENCE
DAY)
 Affirmed by the Philippine Commission on
February 1, 1902
 Commission was composed of both
American and Filipino officials
 Despite the observance of Rizal Day since June
19, 1899, no systemic effort has been made by
the government to include the writings of Dr.
Rizal in the curriculum of the schools. Students
only knew that he was the National Hero
 Rizal’s purpose in writing his novel was to
“Remove the veil of ignorance and superstition that had
kept his countrymen subservient to the Church and the
Spanish government”
 Dr. Rizal was honored on Rizal day, but
writings were not disseminated because of
pressure from the Catholic Church to prevent
his novels, deemed as “anti-friar, from being
widely read.
 Church pressure continued long after the
Spaniards were expelled from the Philippines
in 1898 until 60 years after the execution of
Rizal
REMOVAL OF THE VEIL OF IGNORANCE
Only in 1956, with Senate Bill no. 438, with the
intent to promote love for country
How the he Rizal Bill (Senate Bill 438) was introduced
 Senate Bill 438 was introduced to inspire and
develop nationalism, inspire civic consciousness,
as well as to teach civic values
 To promote patriotism (love for country) among
Filipino youth
 “That the Filipino youth would be incorruptible, be
confident, have courage, and determination to
move forward in their journey towards and
abundant life”
– Senator Jose P. Laurel
 Claro M. Recto and Senator Jose P. Laurel were
Nationalists (people have love for the nation and
are willing to fight for the freedom of rights at the
cost of themselves) although Claro M. Recto (anti-
colonial, anti-church) may be considered to be an
Ultra-Nationalist (bad form of Nationalism; you
love your country to the point that you are
excluding people from your country and don’t
treat them as a part of your nation (ex: Hitler to
the Jews))
 Claro M. Recto created, while Senator Jose P.
Laurel sponsored, Senate Bill 438 that
-- “required the inclusion in the curricula of all
private and public schools the life, works and
writings of Dr. Jose Rizal,” – particularly his novels
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo in their
unexpurgated form (original form without changes,
ex: Bible).
Jose Laurel – The TRIALS OF THE RIZAL BILL
 There were heated disputes over the legislation of
the Rizal Bill. The passing of the law was full of
bitterness and recrimination that attended its
enactment
 Senator Jose P. Laurel, Chairman of the Senate
Committee of Education, sponsored Senate Bill no.
438
“Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo must be read
by all Filipinos. They must be taken to heart, for in
their pages we see ourselves as in a mirror, our
defects as well as our strength, our virtues as well as
our vices. Only then would we become conscious as a
people, and so learn to prepare ourselves for painful
sacrifices that ultimately lead to self-reliance, self-
respect and freedom,”
 Laurel was a puppet president in 1941
during the Japanese 2nd Republic
 Catholics inside and outside Congress took the bill
as an attempt to discredit the Catholic Faith
 They challenged the compulsory(required) nature
of the bill as a violation of religious freedom
 There was allegedly a pastoral letter circulated by
the Church, which, while it praised Rizal, branded
his novels as heretical and impious
 Rizal bill was strongly opposed by three senators,
namely Decoroso Rosales, Mariano Cuenco and
Francisco “Soc”(Soldier of Christ) Rodrigo, known
as stout defenders of the Church
 These parliamentarians were seen as “Rabid
Catholics, who denounced Rizal as anti-Catholic.
They charged that his writings were replete with
“errors of church dogma”
 For these senators, Filipino students were
“immature” and unprepared to understand Rizal’s
writings.
 They believe that the compulsion to tread
something against one’s religious convictions was
no different from a requirement to salute the flag,
said to be an impairment of both the freedom of
speech and the freedom of religion, which will be
imperiled if the bill were approved.
 A possible conflict for Catholic Filipinos between
two “loves- their country and their church; that
these were not necessarily conflicting loves, but
were harmonious affections, like the love for his
father and for his mother. There need not be
conflict between nationalism and the church;
between the government and the church.
CHURCH REACTION
 April 22, 1956 – Sunday newspapers all carried a
statement from the Catholic bishops describing
Rizal’s works as violating Catholic canon law in
heresy and schism.
 Opposition came from the Catholic Action of the
Philippines (CAP), the Holy Name Society of the
Philippines (HNSP), the Legion of Mary (LoM),
The Knights of Columbus (KoC) and the Daughters
of Isabela (DoI)
 Recto - the bill would foster the better appreciation
of Rizal’s times and of the role he played in
combating Spanish tyranny in this country.
Constantino’s Rizal Bill, could be found in Making of
the Filipino
 Recto – the original author of the bill
 Laurel – sponsored the bill through a senate
committee
 Tackled the opposition and discussed the
existence of a pastoral letter detailing Church
objections to the bill and enjoying Catholics to
oppose it.
 Catholic Action of Manila – “kill” the Rizal Bill
 Fr. Jesus Cavanna – the 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 the time. The Noli Me Tangere was said
to be an “attack on the clergy”and that its
objective was to “put the ridicule to the Catholic
faith”
 o The novel was not really patriotic because
out of 333 pages, only 25 contained patriotic
passages while 120 devoted to anti-Catholic
attacks.
 Parts of the novels were considered objectionable
matter by the hierarchy. Catholics had the right to
refuse to read so as not to endanger their salvation
 Recto’s Bill was said to be Recto’s revenge against
the Catholic voters who, together with Magsaysay,
were responsible for his poor showing in the 1955
senatorial elections
 Noli and El Fili:
- violated Catholic canon law on heresy and
schism
- painted a false picture of Philippine society
- could sway the faith of young people who would
be naturally impressionable
- said to violated freedom of belief
Was the Church united in its opposition?
 Due to Church pressure, Rizal’s writings were not
disseminated widely until 1956. Rizal’s novels
during his time were banned even in Spain.
Why Republic Act 1425 got passed?
 Representatives of Catholic schools threatened to
close down their schools. In response, Claro Recto
threatened the nationalization of Catholic Schools
if they shut down their schools.
 An amendment was approved where that allowed
students to apply for an “exemption” for religious
reasons from reading the Noli/El Fili novels
Republic Act 1425
 Approved on June 12, 1956 signed by
Magsaysay
 Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 52, No. 6, p.
2971 in June 1956
 Not one student was said to have applied for an
exemption from reading the Noli and the El Fili
 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 met that in honoring them, 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, 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.
Important Sections of RA 1425
 Section 1 – Courses on the life, works and writings
of Jose Rizal, shall be uncluded in the curricula of all
schools: 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.
 Section 2 – It shall be obligatory on all schools to
keep in their libraries an adequate number of copies
of the original and 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
o The Board of National Education shall
determine the adequacy of the number of
books, depending upon the enrollment of the
school
o They are hereby authorized and directed to
adopt forthwith measures to implement and
carry out the provisions of this Section,
 including 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 .
  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 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 3 - The Board of National Education shall
cause the translation of 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.
Schumacher- The Rizal Bill of 1956--Horacio de la
Costa and the Bishops
 Several pastoral letter drafts
 Fr. Horacio de la Costa, S.J. – lone figure in the
Church who supported the Rizal Bill
 He argued that Rizal’s novels were merely anti-
friar and was criticizing the abuses of individual
friars within the Church. The Church believed that
the novels were not only anti-friar and anti-
Catholic.
 Debates also tackled a proposal by anti-Bill
Catholic senator Rodrigo, who suggested that an
exception be made as to editions which contain
annotations approved by the Church.
Caroline Hau’s Necessary Fiction:
Philippine Literature and the Nation, 1946-1980
 Brought literature and nationalism together in the
state’s attempt to decolonize the culture of the
Philippines.
 According to Hau, a nation’s literature also enables
us to see the evils that Rizal denounced up to this
day. These evils would include colonial mentality,
Filipinos looking down on other Filipinos,
exploitation of the environment, oppression and
abuse.
 State therefore used literature to foster national
consciousness by the Filipino people and make
“good” citizens of the Filipino youth.
 Literary works shape the national character
 The evils that Rizal denounced existed up to this
day
 In the Noli, you have the rise of a Filipino,
“knowable“ community that became the
conceptual basis of the Filipino nation
Legacies of Rizal
 The Catholic Church lost the Rizal Bill battle in
1956, it has won all other legislative battles, a
testament to its power over Filipino society.
 Memorandum Order no. 247 directs the
Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports and
the Chairman of the Commission on Higher
Education to fully implement RA 1425.
 the youth would study Rizal’s life and analyze his
teachings and literary works, the Filipino youth
would:
- gain inspiration and insight and involve
themselves in the community
- imbibe the virtues and values of Rizal and
other reputable leaders of the country
- acquire proper direction and become better
citizens
 Patriotism was therefore promoted through the
goals set by the former board of National
Education, which involved:
- application of Rizal’s ideas to the solution
of the day to day problems encountered I
contemporary life
 Promote the understanding and appreciation of
the qualities, conduct and character of Rizal
 To foster the development of the moral character,
personal discipline, citizenship skills and
vocational efficiency of the Filipino youth.
1861
- Born June 19 1942
- independence from the Japanese
1896
- Died December 30 1955
- Recto’s senatorial elections
1896
- Philippine Revolution headed by Aguinaldo 1956
- Senate Bill no. 438 “Rizal Bill”
1898 - April 22 Sunday newspapers on Church Reactions
- June 19 Rizal Day
- Independece Day 1956
- June 12 Republic Act 1425 “Rizal Law”
1901
- declared national hero by Taft 1946-1980
- Philippine Literature and the Nation
1902
- February 1 affirmed Rizal Law * Memorandum Order no. 247