Rizal Law, Hero Selection, and 19th-Century World Conditions

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Rizal Law, criteria for Philippine heroes, and 19th-century global conditions influencing Rizal’s era.

Republic Act No. 1425 (Rizal Law)

1956 Philippine law mandating the study of Jose Rizal’s life, works, and writings in all schools.

Noli Me Tangere

Rizal’s first novel exposing abuses of Spanish friars; required primary text under RA 1425.

El Filibusterismo

Rizal’s sequel to Noli that furthers his social criticisms; likewise compulsory reading under RA 1425.

Original or Unexpurgated Edition

Complete, uncensored version of a literary work; RA 1425 orders its use for Rizal’s novels.

Board of National Education

Body authorized by RA 1425 to implement the Rizal Law and prepare related primers and textbooks.

Religious Exemption Clause

RA 1425 provision allowing students, via sworn statement, to skip novel reading but not the course.

Section 927, Administrative Code

Provision banning discussion of religious doctrines in public schools; explicitly retained by RA 1425.

Memorandum Order No. 247 (1994)

Directive of Pres. Ramos ordering DepEd and CHED to fully enforce RA 1425.

CHED Memorandum Order No. 3, s. 1995

Guidelines ensuring strict compliance with Memorandum 247 and the Rizal Law.

Republic Act No. 229

Law prohibiting cockfights, horse racing, and jai-alai every December 30 (Rizal Day).

Senator Claro M. Recto

Principal author of the original Rizal Bill that became RA 1425.

Senator Jose P. Laurel

Co-writer and sponsor of the compromise Rizal Law approved in 1956.

Catholic Opposition to Rizal Bill

Resistance led by groups like Congregation of the Mission, Catholic Teachers Guild, and Accion Catolica, citing religious freedom.

Fr. Jesus Cavanna

Priest who argued Rizal’s novels were outdated and harmful for students during debates on the bill.

Jesus Paredes

Commentator claiming Catholics had the right to refuse reading Rizal’s ‘objectionable’ novels.

House Bill No. 5561 / Senate Bill No. 436

Legislative versions of the Rizal Bill requiring courses on Rizal’s life and texts.

Executive Order No. 75 (1993)

Order by Pres. Ramos creating the National Heroes Committee to study and recommend national heroes.

National Heroes Committee

Body tasked to evaluate Filipino figures against set criteria for hero proclamation.

National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP)

State agency on historical matters; requires 50-year veneration before hero confirmation.

Dr. Serafin Quiason

Historian defining a hero as an ‘event-making’ person who shapes a decisive historical fork.

1993 Criteria for National Heroes

Standards stressing struggle for national freedom, creation of order, and improving national destiny.

1995 Additional Criteria

Adds people’s long-term internalization, future-oriented vision, and whole-life impact to hero selection.

Rizal Day

December 30 holiday honoring Jose Rizal, declared national mourning day in 1898.

Bonifacio Day

November 30 legal holiday commemorating Andres Bonifacio’s birth (Act No. 2946, 1921).

National Heroes Day

Last Monday of August celebration honoring all Filipino heroes (Public Act No. 3827, 1931).

Ninoy Aquino Day

August 21 holiday marking the 1983 assassination of Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. (RA 9256, 2004).

Age of Enlightenment

18th-century intellectual movement advocating liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty; backdrop to 19th-century revolutions.

French Revolution (1789)

Uprising that ended Bourbon monarchy and inspired global quests for freedom.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Italian nationalist who helped unite Italy and end papal territorial rule in 1861.

Tsar Alexander II

Russian ruler who emancipated the serfs in 1861, the year Rizal was born.

Abraham Lincoln

U.S. president who issued Emancipation Proclamation, sparking Civil War (1861-1865).

Napoleon III

French emperor whose regime collapsed after failures like the Mexico expedition.

Archduke Maximilian

Austrian installed by France as Mexico’s ruler; defeated by Mexican forces.

Spanish Cortes

Parliament in which the 1812 Constitution briefly allowed colonial representation.

Constitution of Cadiz (1812)

Liberal Spanish charter granting colonies seats in the Cortes.

Ventura de los Reyes

Philippine-born Spaniard who represented the colony in the Cortes of Cadiz.

Ferdinand VII

Spanish king who repeatedly abolished the Cortes and colonial representation, spurring reform demands.

Queen Isabella II

Spanish monarch whose misrule deepened Spain’s decline in the mid-19th century.

Representation (Philippine Reform Demand)

Call by Rizal and others for Filipino seats in the Cortes to secure equal rights.

Continental System

Napoleon’s blockade strategy against Britain; drew Spain into alliance and later turmoil.

Opium War (1839-1842)

Conflict forcing China to open ports to British trade, signaling Western ascendancy in Asia.

Arrow War (1856-1858)

Second Anglo-French war against China, further opening the nation to foreign powers.

Commodore Matthew Perry

U.S. naval officer who compelled Japan to open to trade in 1854.

Sepoy Mutiny (1857)

Indian uprising leading Britain to make India a crown colony in 1858.

French Conquest of Indochina

19th-century campaign creating a French protectorate over Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, with some Filipino troops aiding France.

Dutch Colonization of Indonesia

Dutch expansion culminating in full control of the Indonesian archipelago during the 19th century.

British Colonization of Burma

Series of wars (1824-26, 1852-53, 1885-86) bringing Burma under British rule.

Treaty Ports

Asian seaports opened to Western trade by forceful treaties (e.g., Hong Kong, Yokohama).