Over the Academic Wall

Rizal Law or RA 1425 is a

Philippine law that requires
all schools in the

What Exactly
Philippines, both public and
private, to offer courses on
the life, works, and writings

is Rizal Law? of the Philippine national

hero, Dr. Jose Rizal.

Why study him?

Many Filipinos observed
Why Study Rizal: that the sense of Filipino
identity was waning.
From The
Perspective of
Lawmakers

Hmmmm. In response, nationalist On April 3, 1956, Senator Claro M.

policy-makers took action Recto proposed Senate Bill No. 438
to redirect the nation and submitted it to the Senate
back to its roots by
Committee on Education.
emphasizing the
importance of history as a
foundation for national
hope and pride.
 “NOLI-FILI BILL” “Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo must be read by all Filipinos. They
must be taken to heart, for in their pages we see ourselves as a mirror,
our defects as well as our strength, our virtues as well as our vices.
Senate Bill No. 438, titled "An Act to Make Noli Me Tangere On April 17,1956,
and El Filibusterismo Compulsory Reading Matter in All Public Only then would we become conscious as a people, and so learn to
and Private Colleges and Universities and For other Purposes,” Senator Jose P. Laurel, Sr., prepare ourselves for painful sacrifices that ultimately lead to self-
who was then the Chairman of the reliance, self-respect and freedom.”
Committee on Education,
sponsored the Noli-Fili Bill in the
senate and presented it to the
Upper House.

The Catholic
Church's Opposition
to the Noli-Fili Bill
The Noli-Fili bill sounds good, right?
NO .

According to them, the bill was an attempt to

discredit the Catholic religion.
Father Jesus Cavanna argued
that Jose Rizal’ novels from the
past should not be taught in
schools because they do not
accurately depict current Here are some additional criticisms of the
conditions and may give a false Catholic Church regarding the Noli-Fili Bill:
impression of the country.
 Among the 333 pages of Noli Me Tangere, 170 lines from Noli Me Tangere and
only 25 passages are nationalistic while 120 50 lines in El Filibusterismo were
passages are anti-Catholic. offensive to the Catholic doctrine.

The bill might divide the nation.

Rizal admitted that he

did not only attack the
friars who acted
deceptively on the
Filipinos but also the
Catholic faith itself.
At that time, Noli-Fili Bill was widely
controversial.

Compulsion to read
something against one’s faith
impairs freedom of speech
and religious freedom.

The church charged Recto with being a

communist and an anti-Catholic.
These catholic groups organized opposition to
the bill:
It even comes to the point
where Catholic Schools
Catholic Action of the Philippines
threaten to close down their
Congregation of the Mission
schools if the bill was passed.
Knights of Columbus
Catholic Teachers Guild
On April 19, 1956,
The Enactment Senator Laurel proposed a substitute bill with
Congressman Jacobo Z. Gonzales
filed a similar bill called House Bill
of “Rizal Law" a few tweaks to appease the opposition.

No. 5561 to the House of

Representatives.
Truce?
Unfortunately, akin to Noli-Fili
Bill, House Bill No. 5561 had also
been opposed contending its
constitutionality and religiosity.

1 2 3
Instead of only Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo,
the new substitute bill now includes a wider Reading is now optional.
The implementation of reading
range of works and writings by Jose Rizal.
If a student does not unexpurgated versions of Noli Me
want to read the two Tangere and El Filibusterismo will
novels, they can request only be for college or university
for an exemption. students.
Note: As of now, there is no record of any
student requesting for exemption, or if
such a practice was even implemented.

It’s important to read the original and unexpurgated

edition of Rizal’s novels because the true purpose of

unexpurgated expurgated studying these will be defeated if not followed.

not censored or edited to remove to remove or censor offensive or objectionable

offensive or objectionable content content, especially from a text.
 On June 12, 1956, the bill was signed
into law by President Ramon
Magsaysay, giving birth to Republic

“Rizal Law”
On May 12, 1956 and May 14, 1956, Senate Bill No. 438 and
House Bill No. 5561 were both unanimously Act 1425 or the Rizal Law.
approved on the second reading and in the Lower House.

“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."

The rationale for passing

Elements of the Rizal Law is that there
is a concern that the
the Rizal Law Filipino identity is waning.

The purpose of enacting the

Rizal Law is to educate the The first section of
young generation of the
Philippines about the ideals and
the law concerns
By reading and studying Rizal's mandating the
principles for which Rizal
life, teachings, and writings, the students to read
sacrificed his life.
youth will gain confidence,
Rizal’s novels
direction, courage and
determination to contribute to
the progress of our nation.
 The third section of the law
aims to make Rizal's
The second section of writings more readily The fourth section of the
the law require the available to the general law clarifies it will not
schools to have a public by promoting their change a specific section
sufficient number of printing at an affordable of the Administrative Code
copies of unexpurgated cost, or in some cases, that prohibits public school
edition of the novels in providing them for free. teachers from discussing
their libraries religious doctrines.

The goals of the Rizal Law can be summarized in

the following three points:

The fifth section of the law The last section of the law
authorizes the unallocated states that the act will
funds to be used to immediately take effect.
implement the act.

To pay tribute to our national hero for

To gain an inspiring source of
devoting his life and works in shaping the
patriotism through the study of Rizal’s
Filipino character.
life, works, and writings.

To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals

of freedom and nationalism, for which our
heroes lived and died.
 But really….
"We have a national hero who wrote a lot for
Should we still study him? a nation that does not read him."
- Ambeth Ocampo