RA 1425 Explanation based on Rizal Website
RA No. 1425 prescribes the teaching of the life, works and writings of Jose Rizal for all school, colleges and universities.
Students and teachers, in the past years, have relied on books and periodicals from the library to do their studies on Rizal. The advent of Information Technology, however, facilitated the acquisition and sharing of ideas among peoples of varied persuasions throughout the globe. Survey results show that more and more students are using the Internet to do research work. This Jose Rizal website is, therefore, designed, and created to assist students in the appreciation of the role of Rizal in the development of the Filipino nation. The web contains very comprehensive materials on and by Rizal in both the English and Filipino languages. Further more, it is offered for free to everyone. The endorsement of the web by the Commission on Higher Education helped increase the number of visitors. This web continues to acquire and update information about Rizal in order to be of better service to the users.
What is RA 1425?
Just in the year 1956, to be exact, on June 12 (the anniversary of the declaration of independence) the parliament in Manila passes a law (Republic Act Number 1425) which decreed the entire works of Rizal as teaching material in all private and public schools and universities. Since the correspondence with Blumentritt represents the biggest portion of Rizal's exchange of letters it can be said with full justification that Blumentritt is known to practically every schoolchild in the Philippines.
Kurt, a grandson of Blumentritt, was presented an honorary plaque posthumously on December 30, 1978, on the death anniversary of Rizal, for his grandfather's exceptional interest in the history and culture of the Philippine people . . for his voluntary alliance, his cooperation and his identification with the Philippine reformist politicians . . . for the publication of many valuable works about the Philippines . . and for the inspiration and active support, which he lent the propaganda actions . above all, to his best friend, Dr. Jose Rizal . . ."
A year later, Blumentritt was admitted posthumously to the order of the Knights of Rizal in the rank of "Knight Commander". Here too, in the substantiation for his admission, Blumentritt was cited as inspirer-advisor and friend of Rizal for life and appreciation was paid him for introducing Rizal to the prominent men of letters and science in Europe and for being a constant source of courage to his friend and the inspiration for Rizal's vision of an independent Philippine nation.
In one of the numerous future visions which were exchanged between Rizal and Blumentritt, Rizal writes in the possibly most touching letter of this long correspondence: "Yes, I believe the time is already near when I may return to the Philippines. When I am already there, then you must come with your whole family and live with me; I am provided with a big library, I shall have a little house built on a hill for myself; then I shall devote myself to the sciences, read history and write, establish a school and if you can bear the climate, then you shall be the director. I am sure all the young ones, the best in the country shall come to us: Blumentritt-Rizal will stay in the memory of the Filipino people like Goethe and Schiller, like Horatius and Virgil, like the Humboldts ..."
The inexorability of history destroyed the dream of Rizal but his vision for the Filipino people came true - the memory of the two friends is alive. May these lines contribute to making a breach in the wall of ignorance and forgetfulness so that on his side of the globe, Ferdinand Blumentritt will finally be honored