Rublic Act No.

1425
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425

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

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.

Republic Act 1425 better known as Rizal law calls led by the former head of the National Council of
Education Senator. Jose P. Laurel. Before it enacted on June 12, 1956, passed a law in the umaatikabong
debate in the Senate and Congress. It was called House Bill 5561 in parliament led by Cong. James
Gonzales and it also called Senate Bill 438 in the Senate led by Sen. again. Claro M. Recto.
Makakapagtaka not they the leaders upheld this law, because if you go back to history, clearly
passionate love of country both. Gonzales fought to free his compatriot Sakdalistas and Recto also
clearly defended the sovereignty of the Philippines outside the United States. RIZAL: INSPIRATION of
the new generation The main goal of the founders of the law has been re-inflame the spirit of
nationalism among the next generation of Filipinos by the inclusion in the curriculum of all schools,
public or private course in the study of life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his two novel
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. They believe that Rizal could serve as inspiration to us,
especially the youth. Moreover, objective also act to honor Rizal and our other heroes in all their efforts
for the town.

History

Senate bill 438 known as Rizal Bill which was first authored by Senator Claro M. Recto - requiring the
inclusion in the curricula of all private and public schools, colleges and universities the life, works and
writings of Jose Rizal particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo - is considered as one of
the most controversial bills in the Philippines. Normally, before the bill was approved and implemented in
all schools and was signed into a law known as Republic Act 1425, it had been brought to the Upper and
Lower House of the Congress for deliberations. But what made it controversial is that the bill was not just
fiercely opposed by people from Legislative Arm but also by the Catholic Church due to the inclusion of
compulsory reading of Rizal's novels in which according to them, catholic dogmas are humiliated.
Senator Recto brought the bill to the Senate and Senator Jose B. Laurel Sr. who was then the Chairman of
the Committee on Education sponsored the bill that consequently led to exchange of arguments from the
Congress. The bill was headedly opposed by three senators namely Senator Francisco Rodrigo who was a
former Catholic Action President, Senator Mariano Cuenco and Senator Decoroso Rosales who was the
brother of Julio Rosales, an archbishop. Other oppositors were from Lower House namely
Congressmen Ramon Durano, Marciano Lim, Jose Nuguid, Manuel Soza, Godofredo Ramos, Miguel
Cuenco, Lucas Paredes, Congressmen Carmen Consing and Tecia San Andres Ziga. The Catholic Church
was indirectly included in the debates and played a major role for the intervention of signing of the bill
into a law. Allied with the church in battle against Rizal Bill were the Holy Name Society of the
Philippines, Catholic Action of the Philippines, Legion of Mary,Knights of Columbus and Daughters of
Isabela.
Oppositions argued that the bill would go against freedom of conscience and religion, The Catholic
Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) submitted a pastoral letter to which
according, Rizalviolated Canon Law 1399 which forbids or bans books that attack or ridicule the catholic
doctrine and practices. Oppositors argued that among the 333 pages of Noli Me Tangere, only 25
passages are nationalistic while 120 passages are anti-catholic. While upon scrutiny of thetwo novels by
some members of catholic hierarchial, 170 passages in Noli Me Tangere and 50 in El Filibusterismo are
against catholic fatih. Furthermore, oppositors pointed out that Rizal admitted that he did not only attack
the friars who acted deceptively on the Filipinos but also the catholic faith itself. They suggested a reading
material for students as to what they called Rizalian Anthology, a collection of Rizal's literary works that
contain the patriotic philosophy excluding the two novels.
Of course, Recto and Laurel defended the bill and argued that the only objective of the bill is to keep the
memory of the national hero alive in every Filipino's mind, to emanate Rizal as he peacefully fought for
freedom, and not to go against religion. Senators Lorenso Tanada, Quintin Paredes and Domocao
Alonto of Mindanao also defended Rizal Bill which was also favored by Representatives from the House
namely Congressmen Jacobo Gonzales, Emilio Cortez, Mario Bengson, Joaquin Roxas, Lancap
Lagumbay and Pedro Lopez. Other supporters of the bill were Mayor Arsenio Lacson call anti-rizal bill
"bigoted and intolerant" and walked out of a mass when the priest read a pastoral letter from the
Archbishop denouncing the Rizal Bill aqnd General Emilio Aguinaldo with groups like theKnights of
Rizal, Women Writers of the Verrnacular, Philippine Veterans Legion, Colleger Editors'
Guild and Philippine School Teachers' Association.
Excitement and intense scnenes were eventually arisen in settling the Rizal Bill. One of which was the
debate of Cebu Representative Ramon Durano and Pampanga Representative Emilio Cortes that ended
with a fistfight in Congress. Bacolod City Bishop Manuel Yap threatened to campaign against pro-rizal bill
legislators nad to punish them in future elections. Catholic Schools Representatives threatened to close
down their schools if the Rizal Bill was passed. Recto told them that if they did, the State could nationalize
the catholic schools. When there was a proposal to use the expurgated novels as textbooks and put the
original copies under lock and key in the school libraries, Recto rejected this amendment and expressed:
"The people who would eliminate the books of Rizal from the schools...would bot out from our minds the
memory of the national hero...this is not a fight against Recto but a fight against Rizal...now that Rizal is
dead and they can no longer attempt at his life, they are attempting to blot out his memory."

Due to apparently never-ending debate on the Rizal Bill, approved amendments were formulated through
ideas of three senators. Senator Laurel' created an amendment to the original bill in which, other that Noli
Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, works written by Rizal and works wriiten by others about Rizal would
be included and reading of the unexpurgated revision of the two novels would no longer be compulsory
to elementary and secondary levels but would be strictly observed to college level. Senator Lim suggested
the exemption to those students who feel that reading Rizal's novels would negatively affect his or her
faith. Senator Primicias created an additional amendment that promulgates the rules and regulations in
getting an exemption only from reading the two novels through written statement or affidavit and not
from taking the Rizal Course. According to historian Ambeth Ocampo, no student has ever availed of this
exemption. After the revised amendments, the bill was finally passed on May 17, 1956 and was signed
into law as Republic Act 1425 by President Ramon Magsaysay on June 12 of the same year.