OPPOSING VIEWS SB NO. 438 R.A.

1425
 Violates the Catholic’s  Compulsory reading of  Mandates the inclusion
religious and conscience the Noli Me Tangere of courses on the life,
freedom and El Filibusterismo in works, writings of Rizal
 Pastoral Letter – all public and private in the curricula of all
branded Rizal’s works colleges and universities schools, colleges, and
as heretical and impious  Original universities (public and
 Impairment of freedom editions/unexpurgated private)
of speech and freedom versions of the two  Expurgated versions of
of religion of the novels the two novels
Catholic  To disseminate the  Students are exempted
 Fr. Jesus Cavanna – ideas and ideals of Jose from using the
believed that the novels Rizal through reading unexpurgated editions
“belong to the past” his works on the grounds of
and is “harmful” to read  To foster the better religious belief
because it presented appreciation of Rizal’s  Aims to instill patriotism
“false picture” of the times and of the role he and nationalism among
past conditions played in combatting Filipino students by
- Noli Me Tangere, Spanish tyranny in the teaching them about
“an attack on the country the ideals and sacrifices
clergy”, “put to of Jose Rizal
ridicule the Catholic
Faith”, the novel
was not really
patriotic (120 pages
were devoted to
anti-Catholic attacks
out of 333 pages
the novel has)
 Jesus Paredes (radio
commentator) declared
that Catholics had the
right to refuse to read
the novels so as not to
“endanger their
salvation” because
some parts of the two
novels had been
declared “objectionable
matter” by the Catholic
hierarchy
 Catholic schools would
close should the Rizal
bill pass