RELECTION PAPER

Doctor Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonzo Relaonda, the son of

Dona Teodora Alonzo and Don Francisco, was born on June 19, 1861,

and is the Philippines' national hero. However, what exactly is

Rizal's law about? Why is Rizal a required subject in the

Philippines? Yes, Dr. Jose P. Rizal was a hero, but was he deserving

of the title of national hero? The Rizal Law, or Republic Act No.

1425, requires all academic institutions in the Philippines to offer

courses on José Rizal. 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 is the full name of the

law. The Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines was outspoken in

its opposition to the proposal, citing anti-clerical undertones in

the films Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo. And Senator Claro

M. Recto was the bill's principal supporter. In Congress, he

attempted to sponsor the bill. The Catholic Church, on the other

hand, was outspoken in its condemnation. Recto was accused of being

a communist and anti-Catholic by the church during the Senate race

in 1955. The Church continued to oppose the bill mandating the

reading of Rizal's works Noli Me Tángere and El Filibusterismo after

Recto's election, stating it would violate people's freedom of

conscience and religion. And College students were expected to read

the Noli and Fili. In Section 2 students required to study the

novels in their original Spanish language form, with a clause

requiring the Board of National Education to develop standards for

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how they should be applied. The final two sections focused on making

Rizal's writings more accessible to the public: the second portion

required schools to have "an acceptable quantity" of copies in their

libraries, while the third component required the board to publish

the works in major Philippine languages. For addition, when the bill

was passed into law, there were no recorded incidents of students

requesting exemptions from reading the novels, and there is no

established method for gaining exclusions. In 1994, President Fidel

V. Ramos sent the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports an

order to fully implement the law, citing reports that it had not

been done so. Jose Rizal's life, works, and writings are not

required academic subjects for no reason. Far from being

impractical, the course has so many advantages that some modern

academicians believe it is more beneficial than many other subjects

in various curricula, especially when taught well. The first reason

we should study Jose Rizal's life, works, and writings is that it

gives us insights on how to deal with present issues. "He who

controls the past controls the future," says a proverb. Our

perspective on history shapes how we perceive the present, and hence

shapes the answers we offer to current challenges. The Jose Rizal

course, as a history subject, is chock-full of historical data on

which to base one's life judgments. The subject, for example,

emphasizes that education is a necessary component for a person or a

country to be truly free and prosperous in numerous ways. Second It

allows us to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves as Filipinos.

The history enables us to comprehend who we are. We identify

ourselves not only in terms of where we're going, but also in terms

of where we've come from. Our heredity, past behaviours, and old

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habits as a nation are all significant clues and determinants to our

present situation. Interestingly, the life of a very important

national historical figure like Jose Rizal contributes much to

shedding light on our collective experience and identity as

Filipino. The good grasp of the past offered by this subject would

help us in dealing wisely with the present. The third reason is that

it teaches patriotism and nationalism. Patriotism emphasizes

passionate dedication and loyalty to one's country, whereas

nationalism emphasizes the desire to achieve freedom and political

independence, especially by a country under foreign power. Jose

Rizal's life, works, and writings, particularly his novels, largely,

if not perfectly, exemplify these characteristics. For one thing,

the topic allows us to gain a better understanding of our own

country. Finally, but certainly not least, it contains several

important life lessons that we can learn from Rizal's experiences

with various situations. He faced major challenges and predicaments

as a controversial person in his time, but he answered fairly and

high-mindedly. Through the critical decisions he took in his life,

we can perceive his priorities and convictions which demonstrate how

noble, selfless, and brilliant the national hero was. He only became

a hero, in my opinion, because his family was wealthy and well-

known. He had a private tutor because his family was wealthy. He was

so wealthy that he was sent to Manila to attend a famous school and

even to Spain to expand his horizons. As a result of his family's

money, he had friends, some of whom were well-known and respected in

society. Without his family's money, he would not be able to prosper

and improve himself, and as a result, he was able to witness the

disparity between the rich and the poor, as well as the mistreatment

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of Filipinos by the friars, as well as the abuses of the Spanish

officials who ruled our country at the time. Until later, I had read

in several articles that Rizal did not deserve to be our national

hero, and that the honour should have gone to Andres Bonifacio. To

be honest, I was stunned, if not openly shocked, to see that the

National Commission on Committees and Arts (NCAA) has confirmed that

"no law, executive decree, or proclamation has been adopted or

issued officially recognizing any Filipino historical person as a

national hero." In other words, Jose Rizal was merely a historical

figure. On the other hand, we could as well regard him as a national

hero because he is a diverse individual with abilities in both the

mental and manipulative realms, not to mention his fundamental

character and love for people, particularly the underprivileged. As

proven by his real services to the people as a doctor, engineer,

teacher, artist, farmer, and others, his awareness to the needs of

others was remarkable. Through his pen, books, and intelligence, he

fought back. He didn't use guns or swords to combat.

Furthermore, whether he was a national hero or not, he did a

brilliant job for us by freeing us from slavery and providing us

with higher education. Because of his knowledge and fearlessness, he

is a great example and inspiration to us all, especially students.

And having the opportunity to read about Doctor Jose Rizal's life

and writings had a significant impact on me since it not only taught

me a lot, but it also educated me about how people lived throughout

the Spanish colonization period. He wasn't a traitor in the least.

He had bravely confronted death. He had validated the saying that "a

pen is mightier than a sword."

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References:

https://ourhappyschool.com/history/importance-jose-rizal-subject

https://www.biography.com/political-figure/jos%C3%A9-rizal

https://teamcrisostomo.wordpress.com/what-is-the-rizal-law/

https://opinion.inquirer.net/75728/jose-rizal-the-poetry-of-

patriotism

https://opinion.inquirer.net/20093/do-we-really-know-rizal-rizal-

law-ineffective

https://www.joserizal.com/jose-rizal-national-hero/

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/256043/rizal

-is-not-our-official-national-hero-and-other-facts-about-phl-s-

national-symbols/story/

https://preciousgotico.wordpress.com/2017/07/03/does-rizal-deserve-

to-be-our-national-hero-my-take-on-constantinos-veneration-without-

understanding-article/

https://nolisoli.ph/44152/jose-rizal-might-not-hero/

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