MAIN IDEA: The Rizal Bill of 1956 Horacio de la Costa and the Bishops

SUBTOPIC: Catholic Opposition

 They [Catholic Church] organized a symposium where in a clergy named Jesus Cavanna said that
the novels Rizal published belonged to the past and that teaching them would misinterpret
current situation.

 Exemption of the mandatory reading of Rizal’s books can be granted to students who have
religious beliefs reasoning through letter request.

 Just like the RH Bill, Rizal Bill also had its own opposition groups such as Catholic Action of the
Philippines, Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Teachers Guild.

 The schools owned by the Church threatened to close down if the bill was passed.

SUBTOPIC: Changes in Drafts

 There were five drafts of the original letter

 Draft A is the original draft with 20 typewritten pages
 Draft B another copy of A but with handwritten changes
 Draft C has a considerable number of changes.
 Draft C is a shortened version of C with only five pages but with an additional paragraph that is
not found in any of the drafts
 Draft E is a copy of C with phrases and paragraphs underlined by de la Costa to indicate omission
in the statement in C
 Cavanna was only the principal author of the bishops' final letter, no doubt supplying all the
actual references to Rizais writings.
 There are indications that the bishop(s) themselves may have intervened to strengthen the
condemnatory conclusions of the letter and the strict prohibition to read the novels under
church law
 de la Costa has an appreciative view of Rizal in draft A.
 The role of the teacher in A is added the need for a handbook to explain the text
 a new paragraph considers it not advisable that high school students be given the entire text of
the novels.
 Students should be given an abridged edition containing Rizal’s thoughts that will not be a
scandal to young and tender consciences.
 Draft C was the draft de la Costa submitted to the episcopal commission in 1952.

SUBTOPIC: The Rizal Bill

 Continued by Claro M. Recto and supported by Jose P. Laurel

 Since 5th January 1952 Dean Jose M. Hernandez of University of the East who had publish in
1950 and forwarded to De la Costa through Sen. Francisco Rodrigo 9 pages from rizal’s Noli Me
Tangere
 Republic Act 1425 June 12 1956
 The Inclusion of the life and works of rizal in The Academic Curriculum of High school and
college
 The maintaining and propagation of collection of rizals in the library
 the Catholic Church urged its adherents to write to their congressmen and senators showing
their opposition to the bill
 1994 president fidel V ramos ordered the DepEd to fully implement the rizal bill
 made his novels a source of moral as well as social and political wisdom for Filipinos.
 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.
 It was focused on making Rizal’s work accessible to the general public.
 It was mandated to give schools an adequate number of copies in their libraries.
 It is considered as one of the most controversial bills in the Philippines.
 The Board of National Education is responsible for assuring the adequacy of the number of
books proportional to the number of enrollees.
