1. What is Republic Act 1425?

Republic Act 1425 also known as Rizal Law, is 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

2. What are the provisions included in the said law?

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 Rizals 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.

 Veneration without Understanding: An Article Review

I. Introduction
a. Profile of the Author

The young Renato Constantino learned about patriotism from his

grandmother, who told him endless stories about friar abuses and her
familys sufferings under American rule, and from his lawyer-father,
who was critical of leaders who did not fight for the countrys
independence.

His parents demanded obedience from their children, but Renato

always had a mind of his own. He was president of his third- and
fourth-year high school class, a bemedaled orator and debater. In
college, he became the youngest editor of the Philippine Collegian,
student paper at the University of the Philippines. He once wrote a
Collegian editorial criticizing then President Quezon, and Quezon
himself had gone to UP to deliver a speech in reaction to the said
editorial.

During the Filipino-Japanese war, Renato fought in Bataan and

later was member of an ntelligence team monitoring Japanese military
movements. After the war, he joined the Philippine Mission to the
United Nations from 1946 to 1949 and served as counselor of the
Department of Foreign Aff airs from 1949 to 1951. He published a book
on the United Nations in 1950.

He became a teacher, teaching in various universities for three

decades. He taught at the Far Eastern University, Adamson University,
Arellano University and the University of the Philippines. He was a
visiting lecturer in universities in London, Sweden, Japan, Germany,
Malaysia and Thailand, and visiting scholar in several other countries.

A prolific writer, in 1945 Renato, often called Ka Tato, started

writing columns for newspapers and kept it up for five decades,
contributing to the Evening Herald, Manila Chronicle, Malaya, Daily
Globe, Manila Bulletin, and Balita and articles to the Manila Chronicle,
Manila Times, and Graphic.

He also served as director of the Lopez Memorial Museum from

1960 to 1972, was a member of the editorial board of the Journal of
Contemporary Asia, and trustee of Focus on the Global South in
Bangkok.

He wrote around 30 books and numerous pamphlets and

monographs. Among his well-known books are a two-volume history of
the Philippines, titled A Past Revisited and The Continuing Past, a
biography of fellow nationalist Claro M. Recto titled The Making of a
Filipino, Neo-Colonial Identity and Counter- Consciousness, and The
Nationalist Alternative. Some of his books have been translated into
Japanese and The Nationalist Alternative into Malaysian. Renato
suffered often for his nationalist, democratic, anti-colonial and anti-
imperialist writings. He lost important posts or job opportunities. His
most widely-read essay, The Mis-education of the Filipino, had to wait
five years before it saw print.

His book The Marcos Watch, released just weeks before Marcos
declared martial law, was a collection of his newspaper columns that
were often critical of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. After martial law
was installed, Renato was arrested and placed under house arrest for
several months, and banned from traveling abroad for many years.

Renatos nationalist works have been cited and recognized by

the Quezon City and Manila governments, the Civil Liberties Union, and
the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the University of the
Philippines. Today his writings are standard reading material on
Philippine history, nationalism and democracy.

Birth:
March 10, 1919

Death:
September 15, 1999

b. Objective of the Author

The objectives of Renato Constantino, based on the contents of

the article, were the following:

To have much deeper analysis of the real story behind Rizals

being a national hero, the aspects that contributed to such
 recognition, his condemnation of the revolution, and other
factors which are not reflected on history books;

To establish a discussion or more of an argument about our

National Hero, Rizal, whether he is worthy of such reverence or
not; and

To give his own thoughts and ideologies about what truly heroism
is and to encourage that anyone can be hero if given the proper
motivation and articulation of their dreams.

C. Summary of the Article

The Veneration without Understanding is an article written by

Renato Constantino which is about Rizal, not being worthy to be called
our National Hero. The author cited some grounds why Rizal shouldnt
be revered the way most Filipinos do nowadays. For instance, Renato
Constantino mentioned the refusal of Rizal to align himself with the
revolutionary forces and his vehement condemnation of the mass
movement and of its leaders have placed Filipinos in a dilemma. He
also called Rizal as an American-Sponsored Hero. According to him,
The American administration has lent every assistance to Rizals
recognition as National hero for the very reason that they favored a
hero who would not run against the grain of American colonial policy.
There was also a part wherein he talked over the roles of heroes and
suggested that we must examine at some length the period during
which Rizal lived for us to have a deeper understanding and a more
precise evaluation of Rizal as Filipino and as hero. Moreover, the author
also had a discussion of the concept of Filipino nationhood, the
metamorphosis of the term Filipino which is a significant contribution
of Rizal, and how Rizal regarded the terms, independence and
liberty as words whose meanings are apart from each other. Renato
also stressed that Rizals class position, his upbringing, and his foreign
education were profound influences which constituted a limitation on
his understanding of his countrymen. There was a portion about how
Filipinos were blinded because of their adoration with Rizal.
Considering the fact that Filipinos continue to invoke Rizal when they
discuss specific problems and present-day society, he said that it is a
reflection of our lack of creative thinking, of our intellectual timidity,
and of our reluctance to espouse new causes. To put an end to his
article, he certainly emphasized the negation of Rizal as our National
Hero. He said that, Today, we need new heroes who can help us
solve our pressing problems. We cannot rely on Rizal alone. We
must discard the belief that we are incapable of producing the
 heroes of our epoch, that heroes are exceptional beings,
accidents of history who stand above the masses and apart
from them. The true hero is one with the masses: he does not
exist above them. In fact, a whole people can be heroes given
the proper motivation and articulation of their dreams.

II. Analysis

a. Positive Aspect

There are certain points proposed by the author which are reasonable
for me. The positive side that I saw upon reading the article is that it
doesnt limit me, as a reader, to the pieces of information which I
should be familiar with to further understand our National Hero, Jose
Rizal. He also mentioned and acknowledged some of the good things
which Rizal did for his fellow Filipinos and for his country. This article
has also given me ideas about our history, revolution, and heroism.
Furthermore, I think the courage of the author to discuss something
like this is very commendable. Renato Constantino, despite his
provocative ideologies and commentaries, he still managed to look on
the brighter side of life for he believed that everyone can be hero
through his own way.

b. Negative Aspect

The negative aspect could be some claims which, in my own opinion,

have gone so far. For instance, when he mentioned Rizal, being an
American-Sponsored Hero. I find this statement inconsequential
because there are no substantial evidences to prove his claim. I also
didnt like the way he constructed some sentences which sounded very
sarcastic and also disrespectful on the part of our National Hero.
Moreover, the absurd conclusion of Rizal, not being worthy to be our
National Hero, for he had loads of shortcomings is very pessimistic way
of dealing with the issue. I felt that the author wanted his readers to
take a look on the weaknesses and limitations of Rizal not actually to
understand him as a Filipino and as our hero, but for us to condemn his
inadequacies. These are some of the negative things which I observed
upon reading the article.

c. How is it Related or connected to our subject Rizal?

Basically, the article talks about Jose Rizal which would be the
subject matter to be discussed in our subject. The article has
information which are not usually seen on textbooks, journals, and
other reading materials. Pieces of information and ideas which
contradict the conventional way on how most of us view Rizal as our
 National Hero. This is related to our subject Rizal because it gives us
knowledge which could be a source for us to have a better
understanding about Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonzo Realonda not
just a reformist, a propagandist, and a hero. But also, a normal person,
an ordinary Filipino who has weaknesses and limitations and yet he has
a strong character and virtues as well as great ideals and dreams for
his countrymen.

III. Conclusion and Recommendation