Tariq Ammar M.

Marohomsalic 1/28/2020

As a Filipino citizen, I was taught since childhood that a man named as Jose P. Rizal is

considered as a national hero. He inspired a revolution in which we owe our liberty from the

Spanish colonizers for three hundred years. His contributions to the motherland are held in high

regard that they are being taught to students of the country and mandated by law we know as

the Rizal Law or Republic Act No. 1425.

The Republic Act No. 1425 or Rizal Law is an act to include in the curricula of all

private and public schools, colleges and universities courses on the life, works and writing of

Rizal, this particularly includes his two famous novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo

(Recto, 1956). The act also authorizes the printing and distribution of Dr. Jose Rizal’s work

and for other purposes that may fit to the needs of the Filipino people. This act was formed in

1956 and was authored by former senator Claro M. Recto. It is stated in the act that in the time

it was proposed, the time where the Americans came and act as moderators to our newly freed

state that there is a need for re-dedication of ideals of freedom and nationalism to honor those

heroes that have fought and died for its conception. As such, the works of Rizal, most particular

are those of his novels, are fruits that are full of patriotism and words of wisdom that the youth

may contemplate on and apply to their lives. In this act, provisions on how the law would be

implemented are stated and until today the law is still in effect.

R.A No. 1425 in not the only law that is concerned about teaching us about Rizal, there

are other laws or memorandums that are supplementary to the law. CHED Memorandum No.

3, s. 1995 which was a memorandum to fully implement the Rizal law to heads of different
schools and universities of the whole nation (CHED Memorandum No. 3, s. 1995, 1995).

Another memorandum by the 12th Philippine president Fidel V. Ramos, Memorandum Order

No. 247, s. 1994 where the president orders the secretary of education to take immediate steps

to fully implement the R.A. 1425. If there were governing bodies of schools, colleges and

universities that were found not complying with the laws, rules and regulations then appropriate

disciplinary action will be charged against them (Ramos, 1994). Another Republic act was

passed on the 9th of June of 1948. Republic Act No. 229 states that on the 30th day of December

of each year, cockfights, horse races and jai-alai games are prohibited and a committee was to

take charge of the proper celebration of Rizal day in every municipality and chartered city of

the Philippines (Republic Act No. 229, 1948). Some of the things that were stated in the rules

are still being followed today but it can be observed that it is not that very well celebrated by

the masses. We can see that every year on December 30 that we celebrate the anniversary of

the death of Rizal and many high ranking officials be it national or local government, they

each pay tribute and celebrate the day. Others do nothing and just see December 30 as another

rest day and forget the true essence of what the day is supposed to commemorate. The worst

part of it all, some do not even know what or whom are we doing this celebration for. The

people should be educated on things that relate to our identity as Filipinos. One must be able

to understand and empathize to the sacrifices of the heroes wishing for their freedom from the

clutches of injustice.

The Republic Act 1425 which was sponsored by Sen. Claro M. Recto was opposed by

the Roman Catholic Church as the works of Rizal, El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere gave

the church a very bad reputation where he portrayed priests as greedy, arrogant, manipulative

and lustful (V., 2017). Though some of the books that were printed were censored and these

censored versions are then used by catholic schools rather than the uncensored versions.
 A history professor of DLSU and known historian, Xiao Chua remarked that the role

of the teachers is to showcase the deeper meaning and ideas that Rizal has and shown through

his works and life and for us, the people to reflect on it and know ourselves better as Filipinos.

The Rizal course isn’t just about facts and trivia of Rizal, we must be able to gather a lesson

that we can impart on our lives as Rizal imparted us with knowledge that could address

problems of the country that plagues for years (Pag-aaral ng buhay ni Rizal, dapat pang

palalimin: mga eksperto, 2017). Rizal could still be relevant to millennials as he bestowed us

with ideas such as to promote change in a peaceful way such as with pen rather than fighting

them with swords and guns that claimed the lives of millions. As the use of social media today

rises to the extreme and quarrels and bullying are rampant in the internet, we could start a

movement of change to end violence through means of non-violence (Pineda , 2018). Another

commentary on the Philippine Daily Inquirer website claims that the Rizal law is ineffective.

After many years passed and technology changes the world so fast, it raises the question on if

we still know Rizal, the reason for him being a hero and what did he ever wanted for the future

generations to be (Quizon, 2011). When random Filipinos are asked the question about Rizal

chances are they would say the image of the 1-peso coin or the guy that was shot in Luneta.

Some barely even know who he is. Students taking up technical courses, like medicine and

engineering might ask the question on what is the relevance of Rizal course to their field of

specialty and might conclude that it is a total waste of time and money. But then, Jose Rizal

and the Rizal law are both part of our history and have a reason and purpose for the Filipino

people. The article then concludes that Rizal Law is an avenue for the youth to understand

Rizal’s vision and it aims to put Rizal closer to the Filipino people’s hearts.
 There are many reasons why studying Rizal is important in the academe. One, the

subject provides insights on how to deal with current problems. We Filipinos are also able to

understand one another more. Various life lessons can be picked up and it helps develop logical

and critical thinking (Mañebog, 2014 ). I hope that all of the good things that Rizal had

envisioned for the Filipino people could finally be seen in the future.
Bibliography
CHED Memorandum No. 3, s. 1995. (1995, January 13). Retrieved from JoseRizal.ph:
http://www.joserizal.ph/lw05.html
Mañebog, J. D. (2014 , June 25). The Importance of the Jose Rizal Subject. Retrieved from
Our Happy School: https://ourhappyschool.com/history/importance-jose-rizal-subject
Pag-aaral ng buhay ni Rizal, dapat pang palalimin: mga eksperto. (2017, December 30).
Retrieved from ABS-CBN NEWS: https://news.abs-cbn.com/focus/12/30/17/pag-
aaral-ng-buhay-ni-rizal-dapat-pang-palalimin-mga-eksperto
Pineda , L. T. (2018, January 4). Is Rizal still relevant among millennials? Retrieved from
Philippine Information Agency: https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1003718
Quizon, M. H. (2011, December 30). Do we really know Rizal? Rizal law ineffective.
Retrieved from Philippine Daily Inquirer: https://opinion.inquirer.net/20093/do-we-
really-know-rizal-rizal-law-ineffective
Ramos, F. V. (1994, December 26). Memorandum Order No. 247, s. 1994. Retrieved from
Official Gazette: https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1948/06/09/republic-act-no-229/
Recto, C. M. (1956, June 12). Republic Act No. 1425. Retrieved from Official Gazette:
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1956/06/12/republic-act-no-1425/
Republic Act No. 229. (1948, June 9). Retrieved from
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1948/06/09/republic-act-no-229/
V., J. (2017, August 5). Finally Understanding Rizal’s Heroism. Retrieved from
medium.com: https://medium.com/@JVegamora/finally-understanding-rizals-
heroism-ffc1390cd9dd