R.A 1425

One of the oppositors named Fr. Hesus Cavanna commented that Rizal’s novels belong to the past and it would be harmful to read them because it presented a false picture of the conditions of the country at that time. He also stated that out of 333 pages of Noli Me Tangere, there are only 25 patriotic statements compared to 120 anti-Catholic statements. Senator Miguel Cuenco and Senator Francisco Rodrigo voiced the opposition of the Church in both houses of congress. Senator Rodrigo commented that he would not let his teenage son read the two novels of Jose Rizal because it might endanger his Catholic faith. Senator Claro M. Recto calmly answered the threat by indicating that the schools will be nationalized if that happened. He also denied Senator Rodrigo’s proposal to use annotated or altered copies of the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo instead of the unexpurgated version.