UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA

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R.A. 1425
UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA
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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 RIZA LA
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As an introduction to the Life and Works of Jose
Rizal , this textbook will begin with the reading of
the Rizal Law
 In this Chapter, we will study RA
1425 within its
context, look into the major issues and debates
surrounding the bill and its passage into law, and
reflect on the impact and relevance of this legislation
across history and the present time
UNDERSTANDING RIZAL
THE LAW
In the process of the discussion, the
process of how a bill becomes a law in
the Philippines will be tackled so you will have
an idea regarding the country’s legislative
process
The life of one of the major champions of
the Rizal Law, Senator Claro M. Recto, will
also be discussed
UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA
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 1. Bill – a measure which, if passed through
Vocabulary: the
legislative process, becomes a law
2. Unexpurgated – basically untouched. In the case
of the novels of Rizal, unexpurgated version were
those that were not changed or censored to
remove parts that might offend people

3. Bicameral – involving the two chambers of

Congress; the Senate and House of Representatives
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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 RIZAL
THE LAW
1. Bill is filed in the Senate Office of the
Secretary : it is given a number and
calendared for first reading
2. First Reading : The bill’s title , number, and
author(s) are read on the floor. Afterwards,
it is referred to the appropriate
committee
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3. Committee hearings: the bill is discussed within
the committee and a period of consultations is
held
 The committee can approve
(approve without
revisions, approve with amendments, or
recommend substitution or consolidation with
similar bills) or reject
After the committee submits the committee
report , the bill is calendared for second reading
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4. Second Reading: The bill is read and
discussed on the floor. The author delivers
a sponsorship speech.
The other members of the Senate may
participate in discussion regarding the bill
and a period of debates will pursue
Amendments maybe suggested to the bill
UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA
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5. Voting on second reading : the
senators vote on whether to approve
or reject the bill
If approved , the bill is calendared for
third reading
UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA
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6. Voting on third reading : copies
of the final version of the bill are
distributed to the members of the
Senate who will vote for its
approval or rejection
UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA
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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
the House versions, a bicameral conference
committee is called to reconcile the two
After this, both chambers approve the
consolidated version
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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
UNDERSTANDIN TH RIZA LA
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How the Bill becomes a Law: The
Legislative Process:
The Senate and the House of
Representatives follow the same legislative
procedure
Legislative proposals emanate from a
number of sources
UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA
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How the Bill becomes a Law: The Legislative
Process:
 They maybe authored by the members
of the
Senate or House as part of their advocacies and
agenda; produced through lobbying from
various sectors
Initiated by the executive branch of government
with the President’s legislative agenda
UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA
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Once a legislative proposal, like
a bill is ready, it will go through a
certain process
UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA
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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 RIZA LA
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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 RIZA LA
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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 RIZA LA
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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 RIZA LA
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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 RIZA LA
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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 RIZA LA
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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 RIZA LA
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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
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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
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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
President since
Ramon theMagsaysay
house of Representatives
did not certify the
was about
bills to adjourn in a few days and
as priority
UNDERSTANDING RIZA LA
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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 RIZA LA
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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
1.What are the key points in the
module?
2.Based on your readings, how
can you apply the content from
this module to your daily life?
3.What insights did the module
provide in your course?
4. How has class discussion
influenced your thinking on this
module?
5.How can the learnings in this
module improve your role in your
school, family, and community?