RIZAL – Chapter 1 Steps on How a Bill Becomes a Law

VOCABULARY Step 1. Bill is filed in the Senate Office

of the Secretary.
Bill A measure which,
if passed through  It is given a number and calendared
the legislative for first reading
process, becomes
a law Step 2. First Reading.
Unexpurgated Untouched,
Uncensored,  The bill’s title, number, and
Unchanged author(s) are read on the floor.
Bicameral Involving the 2 Afterwards, it is referred to the
chambers of the appropriate committee.
Congress:
the Senate and the Step 3. Committee Hearings.
House of
 The bill is discussed within the
Representatives
committee and a period of
consultation is held.
CONTEXT OF THE RIZAL BILL • The committee can approve –
How a Bill becomes a Law: A Legislative 1.) Approve without revisions
Process 2.) Approve with amendments
3.) Recommend substitution or
 The Senate and the House of consolidation with similar bills
Representatives follow the same or reject.
legislative procedure  After the committee submits the
 Legislative proposals emanate committee report, the bill is
from a number of sources calendared for second reading.
1. Authored by the members of
the Senate of House as part of Step 4. Second Reading
their advocacies and agenda  The bill is read and discussed on
2. Produced through the lobbying the floor.
from various sectors
 The author delivers the
3. Initiated by the executive
sponsorship speech.
branch of the government with
the President’s legislative  The other members of the Senate
agenda may engage in discussions
 Once a legislative proposal, like a regarding the bill and period of
bill, is ready, it will go through debates will pursue.
various steps.  Amendments may be suggested to
the bill.
Step 5. Voting on Second Reading
 The senators will vote on whether
to approve or reject the bill.
 If approved, the bill is calendared
for 3rd reading.
Step 6. Voting on Third Reading
 Copies of the final versions of the
bill are distributed to the members
of the Senate who will vote for its,
approval or rejection.
Step 7. Consolidation of Version from the
House
 The similar steps above are
followed by the House of
Representatives in coming up with
the approved bill.
 If there are differences between
the Senate and House versions, a
bicameral conference committee is
called to reconcile the two.
 After this, both chambers approve
the consolidated version.
Step 8. Transmittal of the Final Version to
Malacanang.
 The bill is then submitted to the
President for signing.
 The President can either sign the
bill into law or veto and return it to
Congress.
R.A. No. 1425 or Rizal Law – was primarily
set to address “a need for a re-dedication
to the ideals of freedom and nationalism
for which our heroes lived and died.”
From the Rizal Bill to the Rizal Law
 On April 3, 1956, Senate Bill No. 438
was filed by the Senate Committee
on Education.
 On April 17, 1956, then Senate
Committee on Education Chair Jose
P. Laurel sponsored the bill and
began delivering speeches for the
proposed legislation.
 The bill become controversial as
the Catholic Church began to
express opposition against its
passage. As the influence of the
Church was felt with members of
the Senate voicing their opposition
to the bill, its main author, Claro M.
Recto, and his allies in the Senate
entered into a fierce battle arguing
for the passage of SB 438. Debates
started on Aril 23, 1956.
 Debates on the Rizal Bill also
ensued in the House of
Representatives. House Bill No.
5561, an identical version of SB 428,
was filed by Representative Jacobo
Z. Gonzales on April 19, 1956.
 A major point of the debates was
whether the compulsory reading of
the texts Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibisterismo appropriated in the
bill was constitutional. The call to
read the unexpurgated versions
was also challenged.
 As the country was soon engaged
in the debate, it seemed that an
impasse was reached. To move the
procedure to the next step,
Senator Jose P. Laurel proposed
 amendments to the bill on May 9,
1956. In particular, he removed the
compulsory reading of Rizal’s
novels and added that Rizal’s other
works must also be included in the
subject. He, however, remained
adamant in his stand the
unexpurgated versions of the
novels be read.
 On May 14, 1956, similar
amendments were adopted to the
House version.
 The amended version of the bills
was also subjected to scrutiny but
seemed more palatable to the
members of the Congress.
 The passage, was almost hijacked
by technicality since the House of
Representatives was about to
adjourn in a few days and President
Ramon Magsaysay did not certify
the bills as priority.
 The allies in the House skillfully
avoided the insertion of any other
amendment to prevent the need to
reprint new copies (which would
take time.) They also asked the
Bureau of Printing to use the same
templates for the Senate version in
printing the House version. Thus,
on May 17, 1956, the Senate and
House versions were approved.
 The approved versions were then
transmitted to Malacanang and on
June 12, 1956m President
Magsaysay signed the bill into law
which became Republic Act No.
1425.
CLARO MAYO RECTO
(February 8, 1980 – October 2, 1960)
 The main sponsor and defender of
the Rizal Bill.
 He was born in Tiaong, Tayabas
(Quezon) on February 8, 1890 to
Claro Recto Sr. and Micaela Mayo.
 He completed his primary
education in his hometown and his
secondary education in Batangas.
For his college education, he
moved to Manila and completed
his AB degree at the Ateneo and
was awarded maxima cum laude in
1909. In 1914, he finished his law
degree from the University of
Santo Tomas. He was admitted to
the bar that same year.
 His political career started in the
House of Representatives in 1919
when he was elected as
representative of the third district
of Batangas. He later became
House Minority Floor Leader. From
the House of Representatives, he
moved to the Senate in 1931 when
he was elected as a senator. In the
Senate, he held key positions such
as Minority Floor Leader, Majority
Floor Leader, and Senate President
Pro-Tempore. Recto’s career in the
government was not confined to
the legislature. In 1935 he became
Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court.
 Recto was also instrumental in the
drafting of the constitution of the
 Philippines in 1934-1935 as he was
selected president of the assembly.
 After the Philippines transitioned
to the Commonwealth Period and
survived the Pacific War, recto
again served as senator for several
terms. He also served as diplomat
and was an important figure in
international relations.
 Known as an ardent nationalist,
Recto was also a man of letter. He
penned beautiful poetry and prose.
On October 2, 1960, he died of a
heart attack in Italy. He was
survived by his wife, Aurora Reyes
and their five children.