Buesing, Mark Jason Oct.

30, 2020
BSPSYC 2-7NS Life and Works of Rizal

Do You Think the Debates on the Rizal Law Have Some Resonance Up to the Present?

One of the most controversial bills that were passed was Republic Act No. 1425,
otherwise known as the Rizal Law. The author of the Senate Bill No. 438, Senator Recto,
said that the works of the National Hero would invoke and strengthen the nationalism and
patriotism of the Filipino youth. However, the bill was faced with strong opposition in
Congress. It was further opposed when the Catholic Church expressed its objection on the
passage of the bill. The reason was that the bill stated that life and works of Jose Rizal,
particularly the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, should be included in the curricula of
all public and private schools, colleges, and universities.

It was no wonder that the Catholic Church would strongly object the bill during that
time as the two novels of Rizal openly criticized not only the Catholic dogma and morals but
also the church itself as a whole. They said, through their pastoral letter, that “the novels of
Rizal do not promote nationalism but more of criticism against it. It further alleged in that
letter the presence of 170 passages from the Noli and 50 passages from the Fili which
intend to diminish its good image.”

I think that the basis of the debates during the passing of Rizal Law does have
resonance up the present. I would tackle first the opposition of the Catholic Church. Rizal
criticized the Church during his time because he acknowledged the wrongdoings of the friars
to the Filipino people. Friars held a huge power in the time of the Spanish regime in the
Philippines. And we know for the fact that they abused it, whether we deny it or not. That’s
why I believed that the separation of church and state, as declared in 1987 Constitution of
the Philippines. According to dictionary.com, separation of church and state means “​The
principle that government must maintain an attitude of neutrality toward religion. The First
Amendment not only allows citizens the freedom to practice any religion of their choice but
also prevents the government from officially recognizing or favoring any religion.​” ​This is why
some people scorn every time they heard that senators and representatives from Congress
use bible verses as a basis in objecting or approving bills.

When I read the statement of the former Senator Rodrigo as to why he opposed the
bill,“​...I cannot allow my son who is now 16 to read the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo lest he lose his faith​,” I think of the Generation Z, and the Millennials who did
not lose their faith, but they criticized certain doctrines of the Catholic Church. They did not
criticize them because they ​just want to, but because it invalidates their rights as a human.
Such doctrines include the topic of abortion and divorce. These two topics are almost always
criminalized in certain countries, particularly abortion. Abortion and divorce - these two are
rights of the people, and it should have never been a criminal act in the first place. ​Articles
256, 258 and 259 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines “mandate imprisonment for
women who undergo an abortion, as well as for any person who assists in the procedure.”
Women should have the rights to decide and choose whether they conceive the fetus or
abort it. On the other hand, the Vatican and the Philippines are the remaining two sovereign
states in the world that do not have a law regarding divorce. And on February 4, 2020, a bill
proposing the legalization of divorce was approved. This is the first step towards change
after years of suppressing married couple into staying into marriage even though they both
no longer wanted to be with each other.

Patriotism and nationalism, if you based on history, shows the fight for the
independence of our country. The Philippines attained freedom but that does not mean that
Filipinos are no longer patriot and nationalist. The modern patriotism and nationalism is
activism. According to google dictionary, activism is the policy or action of using vigorous
campaigning to bring about political or social change. Peace does not mean happiness.
Even though we attain independency, there are people who are still oppressed. Activism and
political protests are activities people joined to fight for the rights of people. A lot of changes
are achieved and a lot of bills are enacted because of the activists who fight for the minority.
EDSA Revolution 1 and 2 are examples of activism that brought changes to the Philippines.

An additional source that proves that implementation of Rizal Law in the Philippines
was a good move. A study was written by Velasco, D. which tackles the point of view and
opinion of the students regarding the Republic Act No. 1425. According to this study, out of
the twenty respondents - ten college students and ten high school students - 70% agreed
that the works of Rizal enlightened them about the true value of the country while the
remaining 30% did not care about the patriotism and were not open-minded about the
teachings of Rizal.

If you ask me if the Rizal Law is important, I would say yes. The first reason is it
commemorates the nationalism and patriotism Rizal had and these two are passed over to
the Filipino youth as they read and understand the life and works of him. The youth then
apply the teachings of Rizal in life; fighting for the minority, fighting for the oppressed and
few instances where the patriotism is shown. And soon after, the fights will bear fruits that
will benefit the generations to come. Patriotism and nationalism start with the opening of
eyes to the true situation of those who are oppressed and longed for freedom. From being
caged to being free is the heart of patriotism and nationalism.
 Reference

Guerra, G. (2020) Philippines: House Bill on Divorce Approved in Committee. Retrieved from
https://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/philippines-house-bill-on-divorce-approv
ed-in-committee/

Team Crisostomo’s Blog. (2010) ​NOLI-FILI/RIZAL BILL: ONE OF THE MOST

CONTROVERSIAL BILLS IN PHIL HISTORY. ​[Blog post] Retrieved from
https://teamcrisostomo.wordpress.com/noli-filirizal-bill-one-of-the-most-controversial-
bills-in-phil-history/

Velasco, D.A. (2019) ​IMPLEMENTATION OF RIZAL LAW IN THE PHILIPPINES​. Retrieved

from https://nnunion.net/implementation-of-rizal-law-in-the-philippines-velasco/

Wikipedia (2018). Abortion in the Philippines. Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_the_Philippines