RIZAL

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
 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
 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
 Vocabulary:
 1. Bill – a measure which, if passed through 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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 THE RIZAL
LAW
 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
 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
 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
 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
 Once a legislative proposal, like a bill is

ready, it will go through a certain
process
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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
 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?

RIZAL

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UNDERSTANDING THE RIZAL

 The mandatory teaching of Jose Rizal’s life with

 Republic Act No. 1425 , more popularly known as

 As an introduction to the Life and Works of Jose

 In the process of the discussion, the process of how

 The Context of the Rizal Bill : the post war

 1. Bill is filed in the Senate Office of the

 4. Second Reading: The bill is read and discussed

 5. Voting on second reading : the senators

 6. Voting on third reading : copies of

 8. Transmittal of the final version to

 How the Bill becomes a Law: The Legislative

 How the Bill becomes a Law: The Legislative Process:

 Once a legislative proposal, like a bill is

 As the Philippines grappled with various

 The people drew inspiration from the

 One measure sought was the passage of the Republic Act

 From the Rizal Bill to the Rizal Law:

 Soon after , the bill became controversial as the

 The debates on the Rizal Bill also ensued in the House of

 A major point of the debates was whether the

 He, however, remained adamant in his stand

 The amended version of the bills was also subjected to

 The allies in the House skillfully avoided the insertion of

 The approved version were then transmitted

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