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MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Joker Arroyo on Monday likened the reproductive health bill to another 

controversial measure that was also opposed by the Catholic Church more than 50 years ago.

In his speech, Arroyo said ten Sen. Claro M. Recto authored a bill that would make Jose Rizal's two novels,

the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as required reading in all schools.

The bill was met with opposition by the Catholic Church, which said several passages from the novels put

the church in a bad light.

 As a compromise, Sen. Jose Laurel proposed that expurgated versions be taught in elementary and high

schools while the unexpurgated versions would be taught at the college level.

"No one lost face. None were vilified," he said.

 Arroyo noted that statesmanship that was sorely needed in the controversy over the reproductive health bill

was absent during the deliberations.

Nevertheless, he said he is giving his conditional approval to the bill, noting that "another stab at birth control

is worth a try."

He also said he expected the Catholic Church to put up a fight because of onerous and provocative

provisions in the two different versions of the bill in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

"Once could not expect the Catholic Church to surrender its doctrinal and moral position on such a life and

death issue without putting up a fight, There are statements of policy equating human life with mere

economic value that are obnoxious to Christian morals. There are provisions that violate Christian

conscience and establish secular humanism as supreme over all other belief systems," he said.

 Arroyo said he has misgivings about the bill since it could be vulnerable to constitutional challenge especially

on religious conscience grounds.

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Republic Act No. 1425 

House Bill No. 5561Senate Bill No. 438

An Act to Include in the Curricula of All Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities courses on the LifeWorks and Writings of JOSE RIZAL, particularly his novels NOLI ME TANGERE and EL FILIBUSTERISMO,Authorizing the Printing and Distribution Thereof, and for Other Purposes.

Whereas, today, more than 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 rememberwith special fondness and devotion their lives and works that have shaped the national character;

Whereas, the life, works and writings 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 theirformative 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 allschools are enjoined to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience, and to teach the duties of citizenship; Now therefore,

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled

SEC.1 Courses on the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and ElFilibusterismo, 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 ElFilibusterismo or their English translations shall be used as basic texts.

The Board of National Education is hereby authorized and directed to adopt forthwith measures to implementand carry out the provisions of this Section, including the writing and printing of appropriate primers, readersand textbooks. The Board shall, within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act promulgate rules andregulations, including those of a disciplinary nature, to carry out and enforce the regulations of this Act. TheBoard shall promulgate rules and regulations providing for the exemption of students for reason of religiousbelief 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.

SEC.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 expurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as well as Rizal’sother works and biography. The said unexpurgated editions of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo or theirtranslations in English as well as other writings of Rizal shall be included in the list of approved books forrequired 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 theenrollment of the school, college or university.

SEC.3 The Board of National education shall cause the translation of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, as wellas other writings of Jose Rizal into English, Tagalog and the principal Philippine dialects; cause them to beprinted in cheap, popular editions; and cause them to be distributed, free of charge, to persons desiring to readthem, through the Purok organizations and the Barrio Councils throughout the country.

SEC.4 Nothing in this Act shall be construed as amending or repealing section nine hundred twenty-seven of the

Administrative Code, prohibiting the discussion of religious doctrines by public school teachers and other personsengaged in any public school.

SEC.5 The sum of three hundred thousand pesos is hereby authorized to be appropriated out of any fund not otherwiseappropriated in the National Treasury to carry out the purposes of this Act.

SEC.6 This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Random 

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It is normal for bills to be debated in the upper and lower house of the Congress, but the trial that the Noli-Fili/RizalBill underwent was beyond normal. With the sponsors of the bill and the opposition not only coming from thepeople inside of the Legislative Arm but also the inclusion of the Catholic Church in the debates for this bill.

When the bill was brought to the senate by Senator Recto, there were but three who opposed it. It was whenSenator Laurel sponsored the bill as the head of committee education that the exchange of arguments from thetwo sides started. The Church played a big role in this fight because they are the ones who intervened with theapproval and signing of this bill into a law.

On the side of Senator Rectos was of course Senator Laurel who defended the bill in the deliberations. Other representatives from the house also supported the bill namely Congressmen Jacobo Z. Gonzalez, Emilio Cortez,Mario Bengzon, Joaquin Roxas, Lancap Lagumbay, Quintin Paredes, and Senator Domocao Alonto of Mindanao.

On the other hand, the original bill was opposed by Senator Francisco Rodrigo, Senator Mariano J. Cuenco and

Senator Decoroso Rosales. Senator Rodrigo was a former Catholic Action president while Senator Cuenco wasthe brother of an Archbishop. From the lower house, it was also opposed by Congressmen Ramon Durano, JoseNuguid, Marciano Lim, Manuel Zosa, Lucas Paredes, Godofredo Ramos, Miguel Cuenco, CongresswomenCarnen Consing and Tecia San Andres Ziga.

The sponsors argued that in reading Rizal’s words, we are able to see ourselves. It is through the works of Rizal,the greatest Filipino patriot, which show not only the strengths and virtues of the Filipinos but the Filipino’s defectsand vices as well. Making the Filipinos realize their flaws will prepare themselves for the sacrifices they have tomake to attain freedom. The only objective of the bill is to foster the better appreciation of our national hero’s rolein fighting for freedom under the colonialism of the Spaniards, not to go against any religion.

However, the oppositors argued that the bill would violate freedom of conscience and religion. According to theletter submitted by the CBCP, Rizal violated the Church’s laws specifically Canon Law 1399, which forbids booksthat attack or ridicule any of the catholic dogmas or which defend errors condemned by the Holy See. Not onlythat, they argue that among the 333 pages of Noli Me Tangere, only 25 passages are patriotic while 120

passages are anti-catholic. Rizal admitted before that in these passages he did not only attack the friars that actedfalsely on the Filipinos but also attacked the Catholic Faith itself. Rizal himself included in his last will theretraction of his statements about the Church in his two novels. They also stated that it is not necessary to attackthe Faith of the church to imbue nationalism on the Filipinos. They suggest a Rizalian Anthology, where acompilation of all his works which contains the nationalistic philosophy will be provided as reading material for thestudents instead of his two novels. Francisco Rodrigo even said in a statement that Filipinos can still venerateRizal without having to read his works. Rizal would still be a hero even if he didn’t write these two novels.  

 As the debate on whether the bill should be approved seemed like it will never end, Senator Laurel created anamendment to the original bill or the Noli-Fili Bill.

In this bill Senator Laurel included other books, poems, and other works written by Rizal and works written byother authors about Rizal other than Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. In addition to that, the reading of theunexpurgated version of the novels would no longer be compulsory to elementary and secondary levels due to theissues it had with the Catholic Church. Finally, the bill also included that the works done by Rizal should be readstrictly in the original and unexpurgated form in the college level.

Senator Primicias, in accordance to the previous suggestion of student exemption by Senator Lim also presentedan additional amendment on the substitute bill proposed by Senator Laurel that promulgates rules and regulationfor the exemption of students in reading the two books, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, settled in a writtenstatement but not from taking the course.

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Republic Act No. 1425, known as the Rizal Law, mandates all educational

institutions in the Philippines to offer courses about José Rizal. The full name

of the 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.The measure was strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church in the

Philippines due to the anti-clerical themes in Noli Me Tángere and El 

 Filibusterismo.

Contents

[hide] 

  1 History 

  2 Content 

  3 Aftermath 

  4 References 

  5 External links 

History[edit source | editbetabeta] 

Senator  Claro M. Recto was the main proponent of the Rizal Bill. He sought to

sponsor the bill at Congress. However, this was met with stiff opposition from

the Catholic Church. During the 1955 Senate election, the church chargedRecto with being a communist and an anti-Catholic. After Recto's election, the

Church continued to oppose the bill mandating the reading of Rizal's

novels  Noli Me Tángere and  El Filibusterismo, claiming it would

violate freedom of conscience and religion.[1] 

In the campaign to oppose the Rizal bill, the Catholic Church urged its

adherents to write to their congressmen and senators showing their opposition

to the bill; later, it organized symposiums. In one of these symposiums, Fr.

Jesus Cavanna argued that the novels belonged to the past and that teaching

them would misrepresent current conditions. Radio commentator Jesus Paredesalso said that Catholics had the right to refuse to read them as it would"endanger their salvation".[1] 

Groups such as Catholic Action of the Philippines, the Congregation of the

Mission, the Knights of Columbus, and the Catholic Teachers Guild organized

opposition to the bill; they were countered by Veteranos de la Revolucion

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(Spirit of 1896), Alagad in Rizal, the Freemasons, and the Knights of Rizal. 

The Senate Committee on Education sponsored a bill co-written by both José P.

Laureland Recto, with the only opposition coming from Francisco SocRodrigo, Mariano Jesús Cuenco, and Decoroso Rosales.[2] 

The Archbishop of Manila, Rufino Santos, protested in a  pastoral letter  thatCatholic students would be affected if compulsory reading of the unexpurgated

version were pushed through.[3] Arsenio Lacson, Manila's mayor, who

supported the bill, walked out of Mass when the priest read a circular from thearchbishop denouncing the bill.[4] 

Rizal, according to Cuenco, "attack[ed] dogmas, beliefs and practices of the

Church. The assertion that Rizal limited himself to castigating undeserving

 priests and refrained from criticizing, ridiculing or putting in doubt dogmas of 

the Catholic Church, is absolutely gratuitous and misleading." Cuenco touched

on Rizal's denial of the existence of   purgatory, as it was not found in the Bible,and that Moses and Jesus Christ did not mention its existence; Cuenco

concluded that a "majority of the Members of this Chamber, if not all

[including] our good friend, the gentleman from Sulu" believed in

 purgatory.[5] The senator from Sulu, Domocao Alonto, attacked Filipinos who

 proclaimed Rizal as "their national hero but seemed to despise what he had

written", saying that the Indonesians used Rizal's books as their Bible on their 

independence movement; Pedro López, who hails from Cebu, Cuenco's

 province, in his support for the bill, reasoned out that it was in their province

the independence movement started, when Lapu-Lapu fought Ferdinand

Magellan.[3] 

Outside the Senate, the Catholic schools threatened to close down if the bill

was passed; Recto countered that if that happened, the schools would be

nationalized. Recto did not believe the threat, stating that the schools were too

 profitable to be closed.[1] The schools gave up the threat, but threatened to

"punish" legislators in favor of the law in future elections. A compromise was

suggested, to use the expurgated version; Recto, who had supported the

required reading of the unexpurgated version, declared: "The people who

would eliminate the books of Rizal from the schools would blot out from our 

minds the memory of the national hero. This is not a fight against Recto but a

fight against Rizal", adding that since Rizal is dead, they are attempting tosuppress his memory.[6] 

On May 12, 1956, a compromise inserted by Committee on Education

chairman Laurel that accommodated the objections of the Catholic Church was

approved unanimously. The bill specified that only college (university) students

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would have the option of reading unexpurgated versions of clerically-contested

reading material, such as Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo.[1][3][6] The bill

was enacted on June 12, 1956,[3] Flag Day.

Content[edit source | editbetabeta

] 

The Noli and Fili were required readings for 

college students.

Section 1 mandated that the students were to read the novels as they were

written in Spanish, although a provision ordered that the Board of National

Education create rules on how these should be applied.[5] The last two sections

were focused on making Rizal's works accessible to the general public: the

second section mandated the schools to have "an adequate number" of copies in

their libraries, while the third ordered the board to publish the works in

major  Philippine languages.[5] 

Aftermath[edit source | editbetabeta] 

After the bill was enacted into law, there were no recorded instances of students

applying for exemption from reading the novels, and there is no known

 procedure for such exemptions.[6] In 1994, President Fidel V. Ramos ordered

the Department of Education, Culture and Sports to fully implement the law asthere had been reports that it has still not been fully implemented.[7] 

The debate during the enactment of the Rizal Law has been compared tothe Reproductive Health bill (RH bill) debate of 

2011.[8] Akbayan representative Kaka Bag-ao, one of the proponents of the RH

 bill, said, quoting the Catholic hierarchy, that "More than 50 years ago, they

said the Rizal Law violates the Catholic's right to conscience and religion,interestingly, the same line of reasoning they use to oppose the RH bill."[9]