A RESEARCH PAPER ON:

Laws promoting Nationalism in the Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement in

Law-Related Studies

by RA

ABSTRACT

This paper explores and uncover the exis3ng ,published ,implemented and some other cons3tu3onal
provisions rela3ng to promo3ng na3onalism in the Philippines.

This paper also looks into how the Filipino ci3zens give value to na3onalism and the eects of the law in
the academe , in par3cular the Rizal Law .

LiBle or less research have been made related to the how na3onalism is being propagated in our country
,hence this paper aBempts to give a brief review of the laws promo3ng na3onalism in the hope to stress
a point to re-awaken the sleeping minds with regard to what laws that are available at hand which must
be followed .

The author made use of trusted websites to do the online research for related laws and wri3ngs in order
to come up with this paper.
 INTRODUCTION

A pen is migh3er than the sword whenever a Filipino hear this line, our na3onal hero,Jose Rizal is
tagged along. This is so because ,this very same line of strategy was adopted and was proven to be
eec3ve by Dr. Jose Rizal when he gave his life to our country to awaken us from slavery, abuses and ill-
treatments of our colonizer ,the Spaniards to the Filipinos. The stories of triumphs and trials were thus
wriBen in our history. It has been a very long 3me but s3ll his advocacy remains in every heart of a
Filipino .Hence, the beginning of patrio3c sen3ments and na3onalis3c ideals .This served as the
backbone of the rst na3onalist revolu3on in Asia, the Philippine Revolu3on of 1896 and con3nues up to
this day. These na3onalis3c sen3ments have led to an extensive campaign for poli3cal, social, and
economic freedom in the country.

But what is Na3onalism to a Filipino? It is:

1 a sense of devo3on or as a feeling of loyalty to the na3on;

2 a sense of na3onal consciousness or as a tendency to consider the interests of ones own na3on
as transcendent over the interests of all other na3ons;
 3 as an aZtude that aBaches par3cular importance to the dis3nc3ve culture of a na3on and
contribute to its preserva3on.
4 ones aspira3on to achieve na3onal advancement , to the extreme of independence and self -
determina3on
More or less , above deni3on makes one courageous, a genuine ci3zen and to a higher dis3nct level ,a
hero.

In response to the advocacy, the congress has created and passed a law to supplement and concre3ze
the declared policies in the 1987 Philippine Cons3tu3on promo3ng na3onalism all throughout the
archipelago . The past presidents who governed the country have at least issued a number of Execu3ve
Orders in order to eec3vely implement the laws enacted by the Congress . Some of the per3nent laws
and execu3ve orders will be cited in this paper to demonstrate how na3onalism was and is being
promoted by our leaders.

LAWS PROMOTING NATIONALISM IN THE PHILIPPINES AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE

I . THE LAWS

1.0 REPUBLIC ACT NO. 1425 OR RIZAL LAW

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
DESCRIPTION

Republic Act No. 1425, known as the Rizal Law, mandates all educa3onal ins3tu3ons in the
Philippines to oer courses about Jos Rizal. The measure was strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic
Church in the Philippines due to the an3-clerical themes in Noli Me Tngere and El Filibusterismo.
 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 s3 opposi3on from the Catholic Church. During the 1955 Senate elec3on,
the church charged Recto with being a communist and an an3-Catholic. Aker Recto's elec3on, the
Church con3nued to oppose the bill manda3ng the reading of Rizal's novels Noli Me Tngere and El
Filibusterismo, claiming it would violate freedom of conscience and religion.

On May 12, 1956, a compromise inserted by CommiBee on Educa3on chairman Laurel that
accommodated the objec3ons of the Catholic Church was approved unanimously. The bill specied that
only college (university) students would have the op3on of reading unexpurgated versions of clerically-
contested reading material, such as Noli Me Tngere and El Filibusterismo. The bill was enacted on June
12, 1956,

Highlighted in the said law is Sec3on 2 which mandated that the students were to read the
novels as they were wriBen in Spanish, although a provision ordered that the Board of Na3onal
Educa3on create rules on how these should be applied.The last two sec3ons were focused on making
Rizal's works accessible to the general public: the second sec3on 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.
Aker the bill was enacted into law, there were no recorded instances of students applying for exemp3on
from reading the novels, and there is no known procedure for such exemp3ons. In 1994, President Fidel
V. Ramos ordered the Department of Educa3on, Culture and Sports to fully implement the law as there
had been reports that it has s3ll not been fully implemented.
Jose P. Laurel, then senator who co-wrote the law, explained that since Jose Rizal was the
fountain head of the countrys na3onalism and had signicantly contributed to the current condi3on of
the na3on it is only right that Filipinos, especially the youth, know about and learn to imbibe the great
ideals for which the hero died.
Accordingly, the Rizal Law aims to accomplish the following goals:

1. To re-dedicate the lives of youth to the ideals of freedom and na3onalism ,for which our heroes lived
and died

2. To pay tribute to our na3onal hero for devo3ng his life and works in shaping the Filipino character.

3. To gain an inspiring source of patrio3sm through the study of Rizals life, works and wri3ngs.
 SIGNIFICANCE

A law in the Philippines that enforced that schools include in their curricula the works of the
Philippines' na3onal hero, Jose P. Rizal.
Studying Rizals life and works could help young Filipinos to know about the history of Philippines as well
as what happened to our country during the coloniza3on of Spain and how our ancestors gone through
discrimina3on and corrup3on during Spanish era.

Furthermore, study on the academic subject is signicant such that :

(a)The subject provides insights on how to deal with current problems, quo3ng a dictum He who
controls the past controls the future.

Our view of history forms the manner we perceive the present, and therefore inuences the kind
of solu3ons we provide for exis3ng problems. Jose Rizal course , as a history subject, is rich in historical
informa3on form which one could analyze the current situa3on and base his decisions in life. In various
ways, the subject for instance, teaches that being educated is a vital ingredient for a person or country to
be really free an successful.

(b) It helps us understand beBer ourselves, our behavior, as Filipinos

The past helps us understand who we are. We comprehensively dene ourselves not only in terms of
where we are going, but also where we come from where we come from. Our heredity, past behaviors
and old habits as a na3on are all signicant clues and determinants to our present situa3on.

Interes3ngly, the life of a very important na3onal gure like Jose Rizal contributes much to shedding light
on our collec3ve experience and iden3ty as Filipino. The good grasp of the past oered by this subject
would help us in dealing wisely with the present.

( c) It teaches na3onalism and patrio3sm

Na3onalism involves the desire to aBain freedom and poli3cal independence, especially by a country
under foreign power, while patrio3sm denotes proud devo3on and loyalty to ones na3on. Jose Rizals
life, works and wri3ngs-especially his novels, essen3ally, if not perfectly ,radiate these traits . For one
thing, the subject helps us to understand our country beBer.
(d) It provides various essen3al life lessons
We can learn much from the way Rizal faced various challenges in life. As a controversial gure in his
3me, he encountered serious dilemmas and predicaments but responded decently and high-mindedly.
Through the crucial decisions he made in his life, we can sense his priori3es and convic3ons which
manifest how noble, seless and great the na3onal hero was.
For example, his many resolu3ons exemplied the aphorism that in this life there are things more
important than personal feeling and happiness.

(e) It helps in developing logical and cri3cal thinking

Cri3cal thinking refers to discerning, evalua3ng and analy3cal thinking. A Philosophy major,Jose Rizal
unsurprisingly demonstrated his cri3cal thinking skills in his argumenta3ve essays, sa3res, novels,
speeches and wriBen debates. In deciding what to believe or do, Rizal also proved his being a reasonably
reec3ve thinker, never succumbing to the irra3onal whims and baseless opinions of anyone. In fact, he
indiscriminately evaluated and cri3cized even the doctrines of the dominant religion of his 3me. A
course on Rizals life, works and wri3ngs therefore is also a lesson in cri3cal thinking.

(f)Rizal can serve as a worthwhile model and inspira3on to every Filipino from one genera3on to another
.
If one is looking for someone to imitate, then Rizal is a very viable choice. The heros philosophies, life
principles , convic3ons, thoughts, ideals, aspira3ons and dreams are a good inuence to anyone.
Throughout his life, he valued na3onalism and patrio3sm, respect for parents, love for siblings and
loyalty to friends, and maintained a sense of chivalry . As a man
of educa3on, he highly regarded academic excellence, logical and cri3cal thinking ,philosophical and
scien3c inquiry, linguis3c study and cultural research. As a person, he manifested versa3lity and
exibility while sustaining a strong sense of moral uprightness.
(g)The subject is a rich source of entertaining narra3ves
People love c3ons and are even willing to spend for books or movie 3ckets just to be entertained by
made-up tales. But only a few perhaps know that Rizals life is full of fascina3ng non-c3onal accounts.

2.0 CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

2.1 Ar>cle II. Sec .17 - The State shall give priority to educa>on, science and technology, arts, culture
and sports to foster patrio+sm and na+onalism, accelerate social progress and promote total human
libera>on and development

To make this cons3tu3onal policy into ac3on ,an execu3ve order is issued ,to wit:
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 118 May 11, 1990
CREATING THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION ON CULTURE AND ARTS
xxx
Arming the government is commiBed to fulll its cons3tu3onal mandate of preserving and developing
Philippine culture for na3onal iden3ty and of placing arts and leBers under the patronage of the state;
Mindful of the fact that there is a need for a na3onal body to ar3culate a na3onal policy on culture, to
conserve and promote na9onal heritage, and to guarantee a climate of freedom, support and
dissemina9on for all forms of ar9s9c and cultural expression;
xxx
Sec. 1. Title. This Execu3ve Order shall otherwise be known as the Act Crea3ng the Presiden3al
Commission on Culture and Arts.
Sec. 2. Name and Composi3on. There is hereby created a Presiden3al Commission on Culture and Arts,
hereinaker referred to as Commission, to be composed of the following:
(a) Minister of Educa3on, Culture and Sports, as chairman;
(b) Ministry of Educa3on, Culture and Sports Deputy Minister for Culture, as member;
(c) Director of the Na3onal Historical Ins3tute, as member;
(d) President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, as members;
(e) Ministry of Tourism Deputy Minister designated by the Minister of Tourism, as member;
(f) Representa3ve from the Oce of the President, as member.
Sec. 3. Mandate. The Commission is hereby mandated to formulate and maintain the na3onal policy,
support, and dissemina3on frameworks for culture and the arts. To accomplish its mandate, it shall have
the following objec3ves:
(a) Foster a sense of na9onal iden9ty and pride through the conserva9on and promo9on of our cultural
patrimony and our na9onal heritage;
(b) Develop and guarantee a climate of freedom and support for the mul9-cultural and pluralis9c growth
of all forms of art;
(c) Encourage and assist where possible various forms of ar9s9c and cultural expression, in coopera9on
with the private sector;
(d) Work with government and non-government agencies in the na9onal and interna9onal dissemina9on
of culture and the arts.
Sec. 4. Powers and Func3ons. To carry out its mandate the Commission shall exercise the following
powers and func3ons:
(a) Establish a secretariat, under the Deputy Minister for Culture as its Execu3ve Director, for the
Administra3ve and day-to-day aairs of the Commission;
(b) Conduct consulta3ons and mee3ngs with individuals and groups of various cultural and ar3s3c sub
sectors for the purpose of establishing and strengthening the na3onal councils, as well as for ensuring
people par3cipa3on in the formula3on of na3onal cultural policy;
(c) Coordinate with various government and non-government ar3s3c and cultural ins3tu3ons and
agencies, and call upon any ministry, bureau, oce or agency of the government for assistance or
reform, which shall forthwith be furnished or accomplished by such government unit;
(d) Encourage through the na3onal councils, such par3cipa3on as appropriate in the formula3on of
strategies, policies, plans, programs, projects, funding requirements and organiza3onal changes for each
sub sector;
(e) Ar3culate such na3onal policies, promulgate such rules and regula3ons, and carry out such ac3vi3es
as may support the preserva3on of cultural heritage and the development of Philippine culture and the
arts;
(f) Authorize and eect such ins3tu3onal or organiza3onal transfers, mergers, or changes that may
eventually be recommended to it by the councils or by the Na3onal Advisory Board;
(g) Assist in the genera3on of resources, both governmental and non-governmental, local, na3onal and
interna3onal, as may be appropriate in the development, protec3on, preserva3on, or dissemina3on of
Philippine culture and the arts.
xxx
xxx
Sec. 7. Periodic Performance Evalua3on. The Chairman is hereby required to formulate and enforce a
system of measuring and evalua3ng periodically, and objec3vely the performance of the Commission
and submit the same annually to the President.
xxx
xxx
Sec. 10. Funding. Subject to the availability of funds, the amount of Ten Million Pesos (P10,000,000.00) is
hereby authorized to be set aside from the funds of the Na3onal Treasury and made available for
expenditure by the Commission, in accordance with appropriate rules, regula3ons and procedures.
NYDP shall be implemented through exis3ng implemen3ng mechanisms, i.e., through the dierent
implemen3ng agencies and NGOs indicated in the Plan. The coordina3on and monitoring of the plan
shall be done by the PCYA in consulta3on with concerned agencies.
xxx.
END.
2.3 Ar>cle II. Sec.22 - The State recognizes and promotes the rights of indigenous cultural communi>es
within the framework of na>onal unity and development.

2.4 Ar>cle XIV. Sec 14 -The State shall foster the preserva>on , enrichment and dynamic evolu>on of a
Filipino na>onal culture based on the principle of unity in diversity in a climate of free ar>s>c and
intellectual expression.

Below Republic Act supports above provisions:

Republic Act No. 8371 October 29, 1997

AN ACT TO RECOGNIZE, PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS CULTURAL
COMMUNITIES/INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, CREATING A NATIONAL COMMISSION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE,
ESTABLISHING IMPLEMENTING MECHANISMS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa9ves of the Philippines in Congress assembled::

SIGNIFICANCE:
The ICCs/IPs are given importance and recogni3on as they are being consulted in the form of
pre-prior informed consent of every project that will be undertaken within their community or protected
area. Hence, the way of life and the environment as a whole is preserved for them and for their future
genera3ons. Their leaders are empowered in such a manner that without their consent to a project it
will not proceed .

2.5. Ar>cle XIV. Sec. 15- Arts and le^ers shall enjoy the patronage of the State. The State shall
conserve, promote and popularize the na>ons historical and cultural heritage and resources , as well
as ar>s>c crea>on.
To give life to above provision ,below Republic Act was passed , to cite:
The Na>onal Cultural Heritage Act (with the designa>on of Republic Act No. 10066) is a law, or
Republic Act, of the Republic of the Philippines. It created the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property
and took other steps to preserve historic buildings that are over 50 years old. It was signed into law on
March 25, 2009.
It was passed in response to the 2000 demoli3on of the Manila Jai Alai Building.
The Philippine Registry of Cultural Property registers all cultural proper3es of the country, which the
Na3onal Commission for Culture and the Arts is mandated to establish and maintain through the
appropriate cultural agencies and local governments.
A house that has signicant importance to the Filipino culture is declared to be a "Heritage House" by
the Na3onal Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), previously known as the Na3onal
Historical Ins3tute.[2] Historical markers are placed on the houses by the commission to indicate their
signicance,[4] Ancestral homes that have gured in an historic event, house such as the Bonifacio Trial
House in Maragondon, Cavite,[5] or houses of na3onal heroes of the Philippines like the Juan Luna
Shrine[6] in Badoc, Ilocos Norte are included among the categories "Na3onal Shrines" or "Na3onal
Historical Landmarks".
The act also requires:
That for "cultural property declared as Immovable Cultural Property, the appropriate cultural
agency shall, aker registra3on, give due no3ce to the Registry of Deeds having jurisdic3on for
annota3on on the land 3tles..."
That "Local government units, through their cultural oces, shall likewise maintain an inventory
of cultural property under its jurisdic3on and shall furnish the Commission a copy..."
That "All government agencies and instrumentali3es, [ government owned and controlled
corpora3ons]...including public and private educa3onal ins3tu3ons, shall report their ownership
and/or possession of such items to the per3nent cultural agency and shall register such
proper3es within three (3) years from the eec3vity of this Act."
That "Private collectors and owners of cultural property shall register such proper3es, within
three (3) years from the eec3vity of this Act. The private collectors and owners of cultural
property shall not be divested of their possession and ownership...even aker registra3on of said
property..." and that informa3on on such private property "shall remain conden3al and may be
given only upon prior consent of the private owner."
The act denes "cultural property" as "all products of human crea3vity by which a people and a na3on
reveal their iden3ty, including churches, mosques and other places of religious worship, schools and
natural history specimens and sites, whether public or privately-owned, movable or immovable, and
tangible or intangible."
The ci3zen retains the ownership of the house; the government is only declaring the heritage value of
the structure and providing funding for its protec3on and preserva3on.

Na>onal Historical Commission

In 1965, Congress passed Republic Act No. 4368 that created the Na3onal Historical Commission and
eec3vely abolished the Philippine Historical CommiBee and the Na3onal Heroes Commission whose
func3ons were delegated to the NHC. Among the func3ons of the NHC are the following: to publish or
cause to have wriBen or published the works of our na3onal heroes and other great and good Filipinos;
to compile from various sources here and abroad data on Philippine history and prepare and publish
there from source books on Philippine history; to iden3fy, designate and approximately mark historic
places in the Philippines and to cause the construc3on or reconstruc3on and to maintain and care for
na3onal monuments, shrines and historic markers that have been erected; to take charge of all historical
ac3vi3es or projects not otherwise undertaken by any en3ty of the government; to gather data on
historical dates, personages, events, and documents presented for evalua3on, and to acquire through
purchase, dona3on, exchange or otherwise, important historical documents and materials; and to
encourage researches in Philippine history and the wri3ng and publica3on of textbooks on the subject,
the research and wri3ng of biographies of heroes, accounts of historical events, transla3ons of important
scholarly works of Filipinos and foreigners by providing appropriate or adequate incen3ves.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The men3oned Republic Acts paved way to ques3on the existence of Torre de Manila as the most
controversial building erected to hinder the line of sight of the Rizal Monument in Luneta Park,Manila .

CONCLUSIONS:

The laws promo3ng na3onalism in the Philippines are precisely enacted to con3nue the works and
advocacy of our founder of na3onalism ,Dr. Jose Rizal else we totally forget the lessons of the past which
formed part of our history .
This topic is important because as a ci3zen it is just but proper for us to know the laws and appreciate
what is the purpose of it ,follow it by heart and bring it on to our next genera3on ,so that our rich culture
will be preserved and lived on.

Essen3ally, the Rizal Law is intended for students in college to read the works and wri3ngs of Rizal, this
was a mandated subject in consonance with the said law. The purpose is to let the young genera3on
know and be aware of the importance of embracing the culture , take pride in it and emulate the ideals
of Dr. Jose Rizal.

Equally important is the law which protects the Indigenous people , these people as understood by the
lawmakers are the ones to be more exposed and prone to abuse as they normally do not have the formal
educa3on like what the rest have. They educate themselves in a manner which they could apply to their
daily lives within the bounds of their community in order to preserve their culture. They belong to the
vulnerable sector of our society which needs utmost protec3on of the law. Furthermore, they have the
high sense of na3onalism that they restrict any foreign intrusion to intermix in their culture ,hence the
need for their prior approval.

This paper however is limited to purely research . The writer encourages further research on the actual
impact of these laws in our society and how it contributed to our progress.

REFERENCES

Republic Act No. 1425,The Lawphil.

Locsin, Teodoro. (1956)."The Church Under ABack." Philippines Free Press
Abinales, Patricio N.; Amoroso, Donna J. (2005). State and society in the Philippines. Lanham,
Maryland: Rowman & LiBleeld. p. 187. ISBN 978-0-7425-1024-1.
Cruz-Araneta, Gemma (2010-12-29). "Legisla3ng Rizal, 1". Manila Bulle9n. Archived from the original
on December 30, 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
Pangalangan, Raul (2010-12-31). "The intense debate on the Rizal Law". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Retrieved 2011-05-24.
Ocampo, Ambeth (2007-05-04). "The ght over the Rizal Law". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved
2011-05-24.
The Importance of the Jose Rizal Subject by Jensen DG. Manebog
Wikipedia