Law Lesson Objectives: at the end of the lesson the student should be able to • 1. identify the opposing groups on the issue of the Rizal Law;
• 2. state the opposing group points of contention and determine the
interests of the contending groups; and
• 3. draw parallels to the present time.
The story of the Rizal law • The framer In 1956, Senator Claro M. Recto filed a measure, which became the original Rizal Bill, recognizing the need to instill heroism among the youth. • Period when Senator Recto passed the bill Period when the country was experiencing social turmoil. It was the time when the country was being ravaged by the Hukbalahap insurgency. The imperialist presence in the form of American influence was strong in the country’s economy and political policies. The communist insurgency was fought through American guidance and material aid. The Philippine became part of the global network to contain the spread of communism with the conclusion of a mutual defense agreement with the United States in 1951. SENATE BILL NO.438 Original Version • Reason for submitting the bill Calling for a return to patriotic values enunciated by Filipino heroes like Jose Rizal. Under the bill, it shall be obligatory for college and university students to study the life and works of Jose Rizal. • The oppositors of the bill The Catholic Church assailed the Rizal Bill as anti-Church because it forces the students to read Rizal’s work like the Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo which contain passages that were anti-Church. They presented fears that the religious beliefs of the young students would be harmed by reading Riza’ls works while they were at their formative years Forcing the students to read Rizal’s works which have religious overtone would be a violation of their constitutional freedom of religion and of conscience. • The Church made use of lobbyists as well as priests in opposing the Rizal Bill. Among them were Catholic organizations such as the Accion Catolico which was formerly headed by Senator Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo. Priests attended and actively participated in the hearings of the Senate. • Reasons of the oppositors of the RIZAL LAW Seminars were held across the countryside to oppose the bill. • Fr. Jesus Cavanna commented that Rizal’s novels belonged to the past and it would be harmful to read them because they presented a false picture of the conditions of the country at that time. He also sad that out of the 333 pages of the Noli Me Tangere, they were only 25 patriotic statements compared 120 anti-Catholic statements. • Jesus Paredes, said that the novels contain objectional matters and Catholics had the right to refuse to read them, so as not to endanger their faith. • Narciso Pimentel, offered the speculation that Recto inreoduce his Rizal bill to get back at the Catholic voters, who, together with President Magsaysay, were responsible for his poor showing in the 1955 elections. • Lawmakers such as Representative Miguel Cuenco and Senator Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo voiced the opposition of the church in Congress. • Senator Rodrigo commented that he would not let his teenage son read the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterimo lest he endangers his Catholic faith. He proposed that the footnoted or annotated versions of the novel be use instead of unexpurgated versions required in the Recto Bill. • The Church continued its opposition of the bill by calling all Catholic voters to reject lawmakers who supported Recto’s Rizal Bill. Pastoral letters were read in masses voicing opposition. Recto, however, stood his ground and dared the Catholic Church to shut down their schools, knowing that this was only an idle threat since the Catholic learning institutions were its major source of income. He also rejected Senator Rodrigo’s suggestion that the annotated or edited versions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo should be used. • The Passing of the Rizal Law After a month-long standoff, a compromise bill was filed. It was authored by Senator Jose Laurel and it was based on the proposals of Senators Roseller Lim and Emmanuel Pelaez. On June 12, 1956, Republic Act No.1425, better known as the Rizal Law, Came into effect. The law accommodated the objections of the Catholic Church. This could be seen in the second paragraph of Section 1, allowing students to seek exemption from reading Rizal’s works for religious reasons. • To the authors of the original bill, it was a complete victory but its oppositors felt satisfied that at least they achieved something. The law, however unexpurgated versions of Rizal’s novels. It also provided the funding of publication of Rizal’s works and their distribution to the country side. It was however, a one-time appropriation and provision, for future publication was not given. The Rizal law was more than 50 years now, and it may need revisions to make it more relevant. Group Class Activity • 1. Analyze the issues and interests that were upheld to push the Rizal Law. Are these issues valuable at present? One group will discuss the positive answer while the other group will discuss the negative answer. • 2. According to various Philippine presidents, the overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) are the present day heroes. Using the criteria presented in this reading, are they worthy of being called heroes? Justify your answers.