Making Rizal Relevant:

A Challenge for Todays

Educators
By
Augusto V. de Viana
National Historical Institute

Requirements for the

Teacher

Should be skilled not only in history but

also literature
He/She must
separate history
from literature:
the Noli and Fili are
works of fiction
Must put Rizal in the
proper historical perspective

Some persons and places in

Rizals works have allusions
to real objects

Examples are Telesforo Chuidian

who was said to be the inspiration
for Kapitan Tiago
Calle Anloague was a real street
Panciteria Macanista de Buen
Gusto was a real restaurant

Tan Quien-sien (Carlos Pala

As the Chinaman Quiroga?

Panciteria Macanista de Buen Gusto on San Fernando Street,

Binondo

The Bride of Christ

The Spanish troops were actually Filipino soldiers in the

Spanish army

Until the present some people argue that this picture is a fake

The teacher must

understand Rizals agenda

It is basically anti-friar
It is not anti-Spanish
In his time he did not
advocate Philippine
independence
His anti-friar approach
had some personal
dimensions

Another dimension of
Rizals agenda had
something to do with
reviving the Filipino spirit

This is what historians

call pagbabangong puri
Rizal used history to awaken
pride in the Filipino
He said in order to known
the destiny of the country
it is necessary to open the
book of the past

Like other heroes Rizal

advocated the creation of a
new moral regeneration

He said to be truly free we

must be deserving of freedom
The slaves of today will
become the tyrants of
tomorrow
Other heroes like Bonifacio,
Jacinto and Mabini
emphasized a moral revolution

How to make Rizal

relevant

Put Rizal in the context of historical perspective

Tell inspiring stories that accentuate his virtues
Trivia may help but should not detract from
Rizals true teachings

Filipinos should not make a

heroes fight each other

Rather they
should be a
unifying factor
and a moral
anchor for
the people

The Rizal teacher has a very

important role

They impart values exhibited not only by

Rizal but also other heroes
Their teachings help form the kind of
future citizens of the Philippines

The works of other heroes

should also be studied
Their works contain
gems of
nationalist
thought

Their ideas are as relevant as

Those of Rizals
Heroes should also be studied in
their historical context

We must understand why

the law was passed

The post-independence period was a

confusing time

The
Rizal Law
Half a Century Hence
(1956-2007)

The Philippines passed

through a series of crisis

The country lay in ruins as a result

of the Second World War

Though most of its leaders

were captured or killed, the
country was still in the
throes of the Hukbalahap
rebellion

The countrys press, the

freest in Asia reported on
sensational topics

These mostly
included
scandals in the
government

The special relations with

the United States made the
country a neocolony
Every leader made
it a point to cater to
American interests
Pro-Americanism
was the official order of
the day

There appear to be a moral

blight as the country
struggles through various
crises

The widening gap between rich and poor

Pro-Americanism vs. nationalism

Prevalence of crime and other social blights

Filipinos yearned for a

moral anchor which was
provided by the countrys
heroes
Rizal provided
that moral
anchor

Following the 1955

elections Sen. Claro M.
Recto introduced the
original Rizal Bill

Recto was a maverick

in the Senate
He was a strong advocate
of nationalism
Sen. Claro M. Recto

The Rizal bill ran into a

bitter controversy with the
Catholic Hierarchy
The bill was considered
an attack on the Church
Rizals novels had messages
not appropriate for the present
time
The Noli Me Tangere was said to
have contained 120 anti-Catholic
statements compared to 25
patriotic statements

Church leaders resorted

to threats
Urged Catholics to
reject legislators who
supported Rectos bill
One bishop threatened
to close down Catholic
schools if the Rizal bill
is passed
Recto dared the Catholics
To close down their
schools

Church leaders also

resorted to a propaganda
campaign
Church leaders urged their
members to write their senators and
congressmen to reject Rectos Rizal bill
One Catholic leader said that the Rizal
Bill was a way of punishing Catholic voters
for his poor showing in the 1955 elections
There was also a pastoral letter
condemning the bill

The Catholic leaders attack

the bill and moved to
emasculate the measure

The bill, they said, violates

the Constitution because it
contravenes with the freedom of
conscience
Catholics were not obliged to
take the course if it endangers their faith

R.A. 1425 accommodated

the objections of Church
leaders
It was a compromise

It was a compromise
Bill and students could
exempt themselves
by citing religious
grounds
The proponents said
That at least they gained
something
The passage of the law
showed the influence of
the church in
State affairs

Recto with Sen. Jose P. Laurel

Author of the RA 1425

The law practically made

Rizal the model Filipino
It kept his ideas alive
It suited the objectives of the
government with Rizals
adherence to evolutionary
change
But the law sidelined other
Heroes some historians saw
this as an endorsement of the
elite class

The Rizal Law is poorly

implemented
There are reported not
enough copies of Noli and
Fili in schools and colleges
Teachers lack adequate
preparation
No follow-up on the
implementation after more
than 50 years

There is a need to evaluate

the Rizal Law

Did it fulfill its original purpose?

Perhaps an evaluation could

Be done at the school level

The works of other heroes

should also be studied
Their works contain
gems of
nationalist
thought

Their ideas are as relevant as

Those of Rizals
Heroes should also be studied in
their historical context

Quo Vadis?