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RizalLawWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

RizalLaw
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

RepublicActNo.1425,knownastheRizalLaw,
mandatesalleducationalinstitutionsinthe
PhilippinestooffercoursesaboutJosRizal.The
fullnameofthelawisAnActtoIncludeinthe
CurriculaofAllPublicandPrivateSchools,
CollegesandUniversitiesCoursesOntheLife,
WorksandWritingsofJoseRizal,ParticularlyHis
NovelsNoliMeTangereandElFilibusterismo,
AuthorizingthePrintingandDistributionThereof,
andforOtherPurposes.Themeasurewasstrongly
opposedbytheRomanCatholicChurchinthe
PhilippinesduetotheanticlericalthemesinNoli
MeTngereandElFilibusterismo.

Contents
1History
2Content
3Aftermath
4References
5Externallinks

History

RizalLaw

Citation

RepublicActNo.1425
(http://www.gov.ph/1956/06/12/republic
actno1425/)

Territorial Philippines
extent
Enacted
by

CongressofthePhilippines

Date
enacted

June12,1956

Date

June12,1956

SenatorClaro signed
M.Rectowas
Keywords
themain
proponentof
JoseRizal,education
theRizal
Status:Inforce
Bill.He
soughtto
sponsorthebillatCongress.However,thiswasmetwithstiff
oppositionfromtheCatholicChurch.Duringthe1955Senate
election,thechurchchargedRectowithbeingacommunistand
anantiCatholic.AfterRecto'selection,theChurchcontinuedto
opposethebillmandatingthereadingofRizal'snovelsNoliMe
TngereandElFilibusterismo,claimingitwouldviolate
freedomofconscienceandreligion.[1]
JosRizal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Law

InthecampaigntoopposetheRizalbill,theCatholicChurch
urgeditsadherentstowritetotheircongressmenandsenators
showingtheiroppositiontothebilllater,itorganized

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symposiums.Inoneofthesesymposiums,Fr.JesusCavannaarguedthatthenovelsbelongedtothepast
andthatteachingthemwouldmisrepresentcurrentconditions.RadiocommentatorJesusParedesalso
saidthatCatholicshadtherighttorefusetoreadthemasitwould"endangertheirsalvation".[1]
GroupssuchasCatholicActionofthePhilippines,theCongregationoftheMission,theKnightsof
Columbus,andtheCatholicTeachersGuildorganizedoppositiontothebilltheywerecounteredby
VeteranosdelaRevolucion(Spiritof1896),AlagadinRizal,theFreemasons,andtheKnightsofRizal.
TheSenateCommitteeonEducationsponsoredabillcowrittenbybothJosP.LaurelandRecto,with
theonlyoppositioncomingfromFranciscoSocRodrigo,MarianoJessCuenco,andDecoroso
Rosales.[2][3]
TheArchbishopofManila,RufinoSantos,protestedinapastoralletterthatCatholicstudentswouldbe
affectedifcompulsoryreadingoftheunexpurgatedversionwerepushedthrough.[4]ArsenioLacson,
Manila'smayor,whosupportedthebill,walkedoutofMasswhenthepriestreadacircularfromthe
archbishopdenouncingthebill.[5]
Rizal,accordingtoCuenco,"attack[ed]dogmas,beliefsandpracticesoftheChurch.Theassertionthat
Rizallimitedhimselftocastigatingundeservingpriestsandrefrainedfromcriticizing,ridiculingor
puttingindoubtdogmasoftheCatholicChurch,isabsolutelygratuitousandmisleading."Cuenco
touchedonRizal'sdenialoftheexistenceofpurgatory,asitwasnotfoundintheBible,andthatMoses
andJesusChristdidnotmentionitsexistenceCuencoconcludedthata"majorityoftheMembersofthis
Chamber,ifnotall[including]ourgoodfriend,thegentlemanfromSulu"believedinpurgatory.[3]The
senatorfromSulu,DomocaoAlonto,attackedFilipinoswhoproclaimedRizalas"theirnationalherobut
seemedtodespisewhathehadwritten",sayingthattheIndonesiansusedRizal'sbooksastheirBibleon
theirindependencemovementPedroLpez,whohailsfromCebu,Cuenco'sprovince,inhissupportfor
thebill,reasonedoutthatitwasintheirprovincetheindependencemovementstarted,whenLapuLapu
foughtFerdinandMagellan.[4]
OutsidetheSenate,theCatholicschoolsthreatenedtoclosedownifthebillwaspassedRectocountered
thatifthathappened,theschoolswouldbenationalized.Rectodidnotbelievethethreat,statingthatthe
schoolsweretooprofitabletobeclosed.[1]Theschoolsgaveupthethreat,butthreatenedto"punish"
legislatorsinfavorofthelawinfutureelections.Acompromisewassuggested,tousetheexpurgated
versionRecto,whohadsupportedtherequiredreadingoftheunexpurgatedversion,declared:"The
peoplewhowouldeliminatethebooksofRizalfromtheschoolswouldblotoutfromourmindsthe
memoryofthenationalhero.ThisisnotafightagainstRectobutafightagainstRizal",addingthat
sinceRizalisdead,theyareattemptingtosuppresshismemory.[6]
OnMay12,1956,acompromiseinsertedbyCommitteeonEducationchairmanLaurelthat
accommodatedtheobjectionsoftheCatholicChurchwasapprovedunanimously.Thebillspecifiedthat
onlycollege(university)studentswouldhavetheoptionofreadingunexpurgatedversionsofclerically
contestedreadingmaterial,suchasNoliMeTngereandElFilibusterismo.[1][4][6]Thebillwasenacted
onJune12,1956,[4]FlagDay.

Content
Section2mandatedthatthestudentsweretoreadthenovelsastheywerewritteninSpanish,althougha
provisionorderedthattheBoardofNationalEducationcreaterulesonhowtheseshouldbeapplied.[3]
ThelasttwosectionswerefocusedonmakingRizal'sworksaccessibletothegeneralpublic:thesecond
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sectionmandatedtheschoolstohave"anadequatenumber"of
copiesintheirlibraries,whilethethirdorderedtheboardtopublish
theworksinmajorPhilippinelanguages.[3]

Aftermath
Afterthebillwasenactedintolaw,therewerenorecordedinstances
ofstudentsapplyingforexemptionfromreadingthenovels,and
thereisnoknownprocedureforsuchexemptions.[6]In1994,
PresidentFidelV.RamosorderedtheDepartmentofEducation,
CultureandSportstofullyimplementthelawastherehadbeen
reportsthatithasstillnotbeenfullyimplemented.[7]

TheNoliandFiliwererequired
readingsforcollegestudents.

ThedebateduringtheenactmentoftheRizalLawhasbeencomparedtotheResponsibleParenthood
andReproductiveHealthActof2012(RHLaw)debatein2011.[8]AkbayanrepresentativeKakaBag
ao,oneoftheproponentsoftheRHbill,said,quotingtheCatholichierarchy,that"Morethan50years
ago,theysaidtheRizalLawviolatestheCatholic'srighttoconscienceandreligion,interestingly,the
samelineofreasoningtheyusetoopposetheRHbill."[9]

References
1. Abinales,PatricioN.Amoroso,DonnaJ.(2005).StateandsocietyinthePhilippines
(http://books.google.com/books?
id=xiOQdEzgP9kC&lpg=PA187&dq=%22rizal%20law%22&pg=PA187#v=onepage&q=%22rizal%20law%22
&f=false).Lanham,Maryland:Rowman&Littlefield.p.187.ISBN9780742510241.
2. CruzAraneta,Gemma(20101229)."LegislatingRizal,1"
(http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/295103/legislatingrizal1).ManilaBulletin.Retrieved20110524.
3. Pangalangan,Raul(20101231)."TheintensedebateontheRizalLaw"
(http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20101231311789/TheintensedebateontheRizal
Law).PhilippineDailyInquirer.Retrieved20110524.
4. CruzAraneta,Gemma(20101229)."LegislatingRizal,2"(http://www.mb.com.ph/node/295495/legi).
ManilaBulletin.Retrieved20110524.
5. Rodis,Rodel(20100107)."GlobalNetworking:TheRizalbill"(http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?
article_id=20100107246031).PhilippineDailyInquirer.Retrieved20110612.
6. Ocampo,Ambeth(20070504)."ThefightovertheRizalLaw"
(http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/2007050463978/ThefightovertheRizalLaw).
PhilippineDailyInquirer.Retrieved20110524.
7. "Mr.RamosleadsRizalDayrites"(http://news.google.com/newspapers?
id=ra8mAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PgsEAAAAIBAJ&dq=rizallaw&pg=2915%2C4864372).ManilaStandard.1994
1229.Retrieved20110619.
8. Mendez,Christina(20110523)."JPE,JokerconfidentofcompromiseonRHbill"
(http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=688830&publicationSubCategoryId=63).PhilippineStar.
Retrieved20110524.
9. "JoseRizal:newsymbolofreproductivehealthrights?"(http://www.abscbnnews.com/entertainment/bang
showbiz/06/01/11/joserizalnewsymbolreproductivehealthrights).ABSCBNnews.com.20110601.
Retrieved20110601.

Externallinks
RepublicActNo.1425(http://www.chanrobles.com/republicacts/republicactno1425.html)
Locsin,Teodoro.(1956)."TheChurchUnderAttack."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rizal_Law

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