Scheovil R.

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Reaction Paper on Rizal Law

Republic Act No.1425, or also known as the Rizal law, mandates the teaching of Dr.
Jose Rizal's life, works and writings for all public and private schools, colleges,
and universities in commemoration of the sacrifices of our foremost hero. An article
written by Mona Lisa H. Quizon entitled ‘Do we really know Rizal? Rizal Law
Ineffective' (2011), focused on the people's ignorance despite the enactment of the law.
She mainly pointed out the limited knowledge of an individual regarding the
contributions and the principled life of Jose Rizal. With the domination of the new
technology in this globalized world, it brought people to embrace different cultures and
remained ignorant on its own. Moreover, the author clearly indicated how people only
recognize Rizal by his name without acknowledging how he fought back then and this
lead to people to become the type of individuals that Rizal fought against all his life
It is noticeable that the act was published on June 12, the date
o f o u r independence. I think that this aimed to awaken the real, dedicated Filipino in
each of us. It was written in1956, the year when our country was still recovering
from the Japanese colonization and was depending on United States for support.
Despite the absence of invaders during this time, the Filipinos still needed another
revolution to fight for freedom. The Filipinos needed not to depend on other nations but
to stand up on their own, as what Rizal did before in fighting for freedom. The Filipinos
needed to bring back their nationalism and their belief in their country. The sponsors of the
Rizal law claimed that through Rizal's works, we would not only be able to see our strengths
and virtues but also our weaknesses and vices as well (Noli-Fili/Rizal Bill: One of the most
controversial bills in Phil History, n.d.).