UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

R.A. 1425
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

The mandatory teaching of Jose Rizal’s life

with the emphasis on his landmark novels
is inscribed in legislation

Republic Act No. 1425 , more popularly

known as the Rizal Law, was passed in
1956 leaving a colorful narrative of
debate and contestation
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

The Context of the Rizal Bill : the post war

period saw a Philippines rife with
challenges and problems
With a country torn and tired from the
stresses of World War II, getting up on their
feet was a paramount concern of the
people and the government
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

As the Philippines grappled with various

challenges, particularly the call for nation
-building , prominent individuals who
championed nationalism came into
action
They pursued government measures to
instill patriotism and love for country in the
hearts and minds of the Filipinos
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

The people drew inspiration from

the Philippine experience of the
revolution for independence
against Spain and from the
heroes of that important period in
the country’s history
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

One measure sought was the passage of the

Republic Act No 1425 or the Rizal Law, which
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”
The passage of the law was met with fierce
opposition in both Senate and the House of
Representative
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

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
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

Soon after , the bill became controversial as the

powerful 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
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

The debates on the Rizal Bill also ensued in the

House of Representatives
House Bill No 56 , an identical version of SB 438,
was filed by Representative Jacobo Z. Gonzales
on April 19, 1956
The House Committee on Education approved
the bill without amendments on May 2, 1956
and the debates commenced on May 9, 1956
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

A major point of the debates was

whether the compulsory reading of
the texts Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo appropriated in the bill
was constitutional
The call to read the unexpurgated
versions were also challenged
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW
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
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

He, however, remained adamant in

his stand that the unexpurgated
versions of the novels be read
On May 14, 1956, similar
amendments were adopted to the
House version
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

The amended version of the bills was also

subjected to scrutiny but seemed palatable to
the members of Congress
The passage, however, 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
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

The allies in the House skillfully avoided the

insertion of any other amendment to prevent
the need to reprint new copies
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
UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL LAW

The approved version were then

transmitted to Malacanang and on
June 12, 1956, President Magsaysay
signed the Bill into law which became
Republic Act No. 1425