Lesson 1

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425

AN ACT TO INCLUDE IN THE CURRICULA OF ALL PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS,

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES COURSES ON THE LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS OF
JOSE RIZAL, PARTICULARLY HIS NOVELS NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL
FILIBUSTERISMO, AUTHORIZING THE PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION THEREOF,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

WHEREAS, today, more than any other period of our history, there is a need for a re-
dedication to the ideals of freedom and nationalism for which our heroes lived and died;

WHEREAS, it is meet that in honoring them, particularly the national hero and patriot,
Jose Rizal, we remember with special fondness and devotion their lives and works that
have shaped the national character;

WHEREAS, the life, works and writing of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, are a constant and inspiring source of patriotism with
which the minds of the youth, especially during their formative and decisive years in
school, should be suffused;

WHEREAS, all educational institutions are under the supervision of, and subject to
regulation by the State, and all schools are enjoined to develop moral character,
personal discipline, civic conscience and to teach the duties of citizenship; Now,
therefore;

SECTION 1. Courses on the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novel
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, shall be included in the curricula of all schools,
colleges and universities, public or private: Provided, that in the collegiate courses, the
original or unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their
English translation shall be used as basic texts.

The Board of National Education is hereby authorized and directed to adopt forthwith
measures to implement and carry out the provisions of this Section, including the
writing and printing of appropriate primers, readers and textbooks. The Board shall,
within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate rules and regulations,
including those of a disciplinary nature, to carry out and enforce the provisions of this
Act. The Board shall promulgate rules and regulations providing for the exemption of
students for reasons of religious belief stated in a sworn written statement, from the
requirement of the provision contained in the second part of the first paragraph of this
section; but not from taking the course provided for in the first part of said paragraph.
Said rules and regulations shall take effect thirty (30) days after their publication in the
Official Gazette.

SECTION 2. It shall be obligatory on all schools, colleges and universities to keep in their
libraries an adequate number of copies of the original and unexpurgated editions of the
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as well as of Rizal’s other works and biography.
The said unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or their
translations in English as well as other writings of Rizal shall be included in the list of
approved books for required reading in all public or private schools, colleges and
universities.

The Board of National Education shall determine the adequacy of the number of books,
depending upon the enrollment of the school, college or university.

SECTION 3. The Board of National Education shall cause the translation of the Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as well as other writings of Jose Rizal into English,
Tagalog and the principal Philippine dialects; cause them to be printed in cheap, popular
editions; and cause them to be distributed, free of charge, to persons desiring to read
them, through the Purok organizations and Barrio Councils throughout the country.

SECTION 4. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as amendment or repealing section

nine hundred twenty-seven of the Administrative Code, prohibiting the discussion of
religious doctrines by public school teachers and other person engaged in any public
school.

SECTION 5. The sum of three hundred thousand pesos is hereby authorized to be

appropriated out of any fund not otherwise appropriated in the National Treasury to
carry out the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: June 12, 1956

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 52, No. 6, p. 2971 in June 1956.
       By integrating Rizal in the curriculum, this would benefit the Filipino Youth as well
as the whole nation to acquire the following traits: incorruptible, confidence, direction,
courage and determination, nationalism and patriotism.

Lesson 2
Criteria for choosing a National Hero

Dr. Otley H. Bayer, an anthropologist and technical member of the panel of the
Philippine Commission recommended the following criteria choosing the national hero.

1. The person must be a Filipino

2. The person is a peace-loving and pacifist.
3. The person must have a great sense of patriotism
4. The person must die for country as a martyr.

Reasons why Rizal was chosen and declared as the Philippine’s National Hero.

1. He was the first Filipino to unite and awaken the Filipino People to peacefully rise for
independence,
2. He is a model for being a peacemaker by his complete self-denial, his complete
abandonment of his personal interest and to think only of his country and people,
3. He was a towering figure in the propaganda campaign from, 1882-1896.
4. He was a martyr at Bagumbayan where he willingly died for our country.

Rizal’s time was deemed to be the height of the maladministration of Spain and its decay that
observed the Philippine skies. The Filipino people suffered intensely beneath the bondage of
Spanish misrule for they were ill-fated victims of the evils, injustice, prejudice and sudden
collapse of colonial power.

Among these beneficial features were the following:

1. Instability of Colonial Administration

2. Corrupt Spanish Officials
3. No Philippine Representation to the Spanish Courts
4. Human Rights denied to the Filipinos
5. No Equality before the Law
6. Maladministration of justice
7. Racial Discrimination
8. Frailocracy and Secularization of Filipino Priest
9. Forced Labor and Excessive Taxes
 10. Haciendas Owned by the Friars and Spanish Officials
11. The Abuses of the Guard Civil, Church Officials and Political Leaders

Dr. Jose Rizal’s writing summarizes his nationalistic and patriotic philosophy as well as his
keen sense of awareness of the Filipino people’s need for nation building.

A tribute to a man and hero should be our rationale, because we believe that Dr. Jose
Rizal was an exponent of the roots of our nationhood.

The framers of the Rizal law envisioned that by studying his life, dissecting his teachings
and literary works, the youth may gain inspiration and might personally involve them in
nation building. 

Dr. Jose P. Rizal was chosen as the Greatest Philippine National Hero

A hero is a person admired for achievements and noble qualities and a prominent or
central personage taking an admirable action. Also, a person of distinguished valor or
enterprise in dagger and an individual honored after death by public worship because of
laudable and exceptional service to mankind.     

RIZAL AS A HERO

1. Performed outstanding deeds - used the pen to fight

2. Risked his very being for the sake of his countrymen - he waged a non-violent crusade
against the oppressors of his countrymen
3. He is a victim - suffered political martyrdom

HONORS ACCORDED TO RIZAL AS THE PHILIPPINE NATIONAL HERO

1. The day of his birth and day of his execution are fittingly commemorated by all classes of
people throughout the country and other Filipino abroad.
2. No other Filipino hero can surpass Rizal in the number of monuments erected in his
honor, in towns, barrios, and schools.
3. His name is a by-word in every home and his picture is printed and used in postage
stamps.
4. The paper money/coins with his image have the widest circulation that the poorest of
the poor can take hold.
5. Streets, boulevard, educational institutions and persons were named “Rizal”.
6. His noble thoughts and teachings had been frequently invoked and quoted by speakers.
7. The union of Manila and Morong to be a province was named after the illustration of
hero thus Rizal province was established.
Lesson 3
THE HERO OF ANDRES BONIFACIO AND THE KATIPUNEROS

Jose P. Rizal had the great influence to Andres Bonifacio, through reading of Rizal's
works, nationalistic sentiments of Bonifacio were enhanced and the novels of Rizal gave
Bonifacio an idea about the revolution. And we may consider Andres Bonifacio as the
first hero who recognized Jose Rizal as his hero. The fanaticism of Andres Bonifacio to
Rizal was evident when Andres attended the founding of La Liga Filipina on July 3, 1892.
The La Liga Filipina is a civic organization founded by Jose Rizal which aimed for the
reform in the society through education and the unity of the whole archipelago.
However, the organization did not attain its goal because Rizal was exiled to Dapitan
and he lived there for four years (July 1892-July 1896) and his exile pushed Andres
Bonifacio and another six people to establish KKK (Kataastaasang Katipunang mga Anak
ng Bayan). KKK had different objective than the La Liga Filipina because it did not aim
for reform but independence from Spanish rule through revolution. The extent of
influence of Rizal to Andres was also seen in some aspect of KKK, the password of
Bayani, the highest grade or group in KKK was Rizal. The photograph of Rizal was also
hang in the headquarters of the KKK. And the presence of Andres Bonifacio in founding
of La Liga Filipina on July 3, 1892 was one of the evidences that the Spaniards used to
associate Rizal to Bonifacio and as the founder of KKK.

While Rizal was in Dapitan, Andres Bonifacio and the members of KKK had the
opportunity to expand to the other provinces of the country, from Manila to Cavite,
Laguna, Batangas, Bataan and other provinces which joined the uprising in 1896. The
name Jose Rizal was used to collect funds since during those time Jose Rizal was
considered as a national figure. This action of the Katipuneros became part of the
evidence of the Spaniards that Jose Rizal was truly the leader of KKK and the uprisings in
1896.
In May 1896, the emissary of KKK (Dr. Pio Valenzuela) informed Jose Rizal about Rizal
about the plan of the Revolutionists and sought advice from him from him. However,
Jose Rizal was against the revolution because he knew that the Filipinos were not yet
ready for the revolution and they did not have a clear picture of good government that
they should establish after the downfall of the Spanish government in the Philippines.
Aside from this, Rizal believed that the assistance of the Creoles and the lllustrados was
very much important revolution since they were educated.

In July 1896, Jose Rizal boarded a ship that would bring him to Singapore and from
Singapore, he would travel to Spain because the Governor Genera granted his request
that he could be a volunteer doctor to Cuba. But upon his arrival in Madrid, he was not
allowed to leave the ship and for almost a month. He stayed in the ship and then
returned to the Philippines as a prisoner in fort Santiago. This was because the Spanish
government already had the suspicion about the existence of KKK that Rizal was the
founder of the secret society. 

On August 19, 1896, the existence of KKK was revealed to the Spanish government and
on August 25, 1896, the uprising started and even without concrete evidence, Rizal was
accused as the leader of the uprising. The existence of KKK and the revolution were used
by the friars to execute Rizal. Thus, the idea of revolution that Rizal wrote on his novels
also became the reason why he was executed on December 30, 1896.

THE HERO OF EMILIO AGUINALDO AND THE FIRST PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC

The death of Jose Rizal was the start of the real battle of the Filipinos against the
Spaniards. His death intensified the hate feelings of the Filipinos against the Spaniards.
KKK continued their struggle against the Spaniards and the colonial government in the
Philippines was near to its end. However, because of the issue about leadership, the
conflict between the two factions of KKK (Magdiwang-Magdalo) led to the disunity of
the katipuneros and the execution of Andres Bonifacio signed by Emilio Aguinaldo. The
death of Andres Bonifacio was one of the factors of the failure of the uprisings of the
Filipino and on December 12-15, 1897, the Spaniards and the Filipino decided to end
the hostility and signed the Treaty of Biak na Bato.

However, the group of Emilio Aguinaldo had the opportunity to communicate to the
Americans in Singapore and with their aid, the Spanish colonial government in the
Philippines ended. Upon the return of Emilio Aguinaldo from Hong Kong, he declared
the independence of the Philippines on June 12, 1898 and he became the first President.
The administration of Aguinaldo on December 20, 1898, issued his first proclamation
wherein he declared December 30 as Rizal Day and ordered for the half mast of the
Filipino flag from 12:00 noon on December 29 until 12:00 noon of December. (Zaide,
1994)

THE HERO OF THE OTHER NATIONALITIES

Jose P. Rizal was a well-travelled hero; he lived in Europe for eight years and was able to
travel to Japan, America and North America. During his travel, he spent his time inside
the ship in conversation with other nationalities. Language was not a hindrance to him
since he knew 19 different languages. While he was in Europe, he attended different
gatherings where intelligent and known people were involved. He wrote different
novels, essays and poem which were published in Europe and circulated in different
parts of the world. And on his death, the people who had the opportunity to witness his
brilliance gave tribute to his greatness.

During the American colonization in the Philippines, Jose Rizal was formally recognized
and the Americans gave importance to the contributions of Rizal especially his idea
about social reform. The Americans used education as a method of pacification and so
with Jose Rizal who viewed education as means of attaining reform. The first American
civil governor in the Philippines, William Howard Taft approved the Act No. 137 which
organized the politico- military district of Morong into the province of Rizal. Taft's action
was in line with their custom of naming the important localities in the memory of the
person who had a great influence in the community and in the country. The naming of
the district of Morong after Rizal was the first official recognition of Americans to our
hero. It was also William Howard Taft who first expressed the need to choose a national
hero to the members of the Philippine Assembly. In discussion of the commission
resulted to the list of the following heroes from Gen. Antonio Luna, Emilio Jacinto and
Andres Bonifacio and among the list it was Jose P. Rizal who was chosen as the National
hero because of his contribution in building the sense of nationh0od and because of the
extent of the influence of his writings to the Filipinos.

THE HERO FOR THE FILIPINO YOUTH

The worth of a hero could not be known to different generations if the people did not
have a clear understanding of his life, struggles and writings. The life of Dr. Jose P. Rizal
was well documented since he left numerous numbers of writings, a diary and a lot of
correspondence to his family and friends.

In July 1956, Jose P. Laurel, Claro M. Recto, Jose B. Laurel Jr., Jacobo Gonzales, Lorenzo
Tañada and other lawmakers sponsored the Republic Act 1425 that would enforce the
teaching of the life and works of Jose P. Rizal in all public and private schools, colleges
and universities.