WHY STUDY RIZAL: 

BECAUSE IT IS MANDATED BY LAW

The teaching of Jose Rizal’s life, works, and writings is mandated by Republic Act 1425, otherwise known as the
Rizal Law.  Senator Jose P. Laurel, the person who sponsored the said law, said that since Rizal was the founder of
Philippine nationalism and has contributed much to the current standing of this nation, it is only right that the youth as
well as all the people in the country know about and learn to imbibe the great ideals for which he died.  The Rizal
Law, enacted in 1956, seeks to accomplish the following goals:
1. To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of freedom and nationalism, for which our heroes lived and died.
2. To pay tribute to our national hero for devoting his life and works in shaping the Filipino character.
3. To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through the study of Rizal’s life, works, and writings.

WHY STUDY RIZAL:  BECAUSE OF THE LESSONS CONTAINED WITHIN THE COURSE
Aside from those mentioned above, there are other reasons for teaching the Rizal course in Philippine schools:
1. To recognize the importance of Rizal’s ideals and teachings in relation to present conditions and situations in the
society.
2. To encourage the application of such ideals in current social and personal problems and issues.
3. To develop an appreciation and deeper understanding of all that Rizal fought and died for. 
4. To foster the development of the Filipino youth in all aspects of citizenship.

 Issues and interest in the debate over the Rizal Bill

 the implementation of Senator Claro M. Recto’s Rizal Bill” was highly criticized by the churches. During
the Spanish Occupation, Rizal authored Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
 These books were a key instigator of the Philippine Revolution. However, it also portrayed the church or
the religious sector as an antagonist in the stories.
 Recto, during the 1955 Senate election was accused of being a communist and anti-catholic. This also led
to the churches claiming that reading the novels would violate freedom of conscience and religion.
 The bill was sponsored by the Senate Committee on Education and was co-written by Jose P. Laurel and
Recto. However, they were opposed by only two people – Francisco SOC Rodrigo Mariano Jesus Cuenco
and Decoroso Rosales.
- Cuenco emphasized that Rizal attacked the practices and beliefs of the church.

 Do these issues remain pertinent in the present day?

 Today, issues between the government and the religious sector have been more prevalent than ever.
Although this time, it’s not just the Catholic Religion that has stake in government affairs.
 the Church has been reported to become even more involved in politics. Some religions have their
candidates while those opposing their beliefs were criticized heavily, swaying public opinion.
Answer the following questions:
1. Considering the context of the 1950s, what issues and interests were at stake in the debate over the Rizal Bill?
Church’s feelings the books of Rizal opened the eyes of the Filipino people and urge them to see the abuses brought by
the colonizers as they are. The relationship between the Church and the Spanish colonization is undeniable, and with more
than 3 centuries under its rule, their beliefs and way of living has embedded its way within the Filipino lives. Itis therefore
impossible for Rizal to break the chains that colonization had bind the Filipinos without attacking the religion Filipinos
have grown fond of. The attacks toward the history of the Church and its moral teachings were at stake. With the
undiscovered history of the nineteenth century, it is without a doubt that the youth will find the novels of Rizal a
substitute for the truth. Improper translations and unsupervised reading of said books might cause misconceptions and
mislead them to unfortunate conclusions.

2. Do these issues remain pertinent in the present day? How? Cite examples.
The context of the issues mentioned above remain pertinent today. As the times mature, self-awareness and self-identity
became an important aspect in an individual’s life.
The literal interpretation of books and history does not apply to the present modern times anymore.
The youth now have the voice and the choice to be who they want to be, and the binds that limits their abilities are often
used as a weapon against the binds itself. For example, the government that limits the resources that the
taxpayers deserve are blatantly attacked by most of the community through exposing the government’s weaknesses and
lack of movement. However, during modernization and its technological advancement, youth are often exposed
to different news that threaten their knowledge of the truth and attack their personal beliefs. Children left alone in their
own personal devices with access to different sites might lead them to truths that they are not ready for
which often led to their downfall.

3. Dela Costa mentioned that Rizal declared that he did not intend to attack the Catholic church itself, but the
abuses in it. Point-out ideas and concepts from the article that proved this statement. What is your take about it?
De la Costa wrote that Rizal himself declared his intention to attack the abuses that hide behind the shield of the Church
and the characters used in his novels where fictional having basis in fact. De la Costa suggested that careful reading and
proper understanding of the passages in the books of Rizal is needed to truly apprehend the intentions embedded in his
works. He used as example the passage on veneration of saints by Capitan Tiago wherein if read in its entirety the focus of
attacks is towards the abuse of nominal Catholics like Capitan Tiago, not the invocation of saints. He also used Rizal’s
letter to Resurrection Hidalgo as reference which states that Rizal aimed to hit the friars who are hiding behind the
Church, using Her as a weapon and fortress. Rizal, therefore, had no choice but to attack said “false religion” that cause
the sufferings of the Filipino people.