CULTURE: Rizalistas

Dr. Jose P. Rizal’s versatile genius captured the imagination of hundred thousands of people, not only in the Philippines but also in Europe, Asia and America. This is not unexpected. Rizal’s genius is sui generis, one of its kind, as his Austrian friend Ferdinand Blumentritt would put it “His coming to the world is like the appearance of a rare comet, whose rare brilliance appears only every other century.”

Thus Rizal was not simply admired. He is deeply honored and revered. Like St. Thomas Aquinas, he was a prolific writer who devoted himself to a life of traveling, learning, writing, teaching, and public speaking.

Often Rizal’s life is compared with that of Jesus Christ.

It is a remarkable coincidence that Jesus during his time, lived in a society that foments oppression, inequality and prejudice. The very same ills Rizal fought for in the Philippines during the rule of the Spanish colonists.

Jesus and Rizal publicly rebuked inequality and injustice. Jesus spoke through his parables, which disturbed the conscience of the Sanhedrims. Rizal spoke through his novels that bewildered the Spanish authorities. Both, Jesus Christ and Dr. Jose P. Rizal were victims of the same injustices they spoke against. Jesus was sentenced to die on the cross. Rizal was executed at Bagumbayan. Scholars calculated that Jesus Christ died at the age of 33 ½, Rizal died at the age of 35.

No wonder many regards Rizal as an object of adoration, someone divine. Every June 19, during the birthday of Dr. Jose P. Rizal, ethnic groups from all over the country gather in Calamba to celebrate the national hero’s birth anniversary. They are called the “Rizalistas.” They belong to a number of religious cults who believe in the divinity of Jose Rizal. Many of these cults or religious movements believe that Rizal still lives and that he will deliver his followers from oppression and poverty. While all worship Rizal as a divine being, their beliefs vary in accordance to the sect which they belong. Some considers Rizal a god, the son of Bathala. Others venerates him as a reincarnation of Christ, a spirit, an avatar, a saint, a prophet, some believe that he is god and man at the same time.

The Rizalist religious movement ranged from colorums (unregistered) which were prevalent during the 1920s up to the 1930s. Registered Rizalista groups include the Espiritual Filipino Catholic Church, Samahan ng Tatlong Persona Solo Dios, Iglesia Sagrada Fiipina, Ciudad Mistica de Dios, Watawat ng Lahi, Adamista, Bathalismo, and others. These religious sects have chapters in different parts of the country and abroad, a number have headquarters in Calamba and in Quezon Province at the foot of Mount Banahaw.

The Iglesia Watawat ng Lahi is considered the original Rizalist group. The sect was established on December 25, 1936. Rev. Fr. Luis Fabrigar and Jose Valincunoza were the sect's first Supreme Bishop and president respectively. The sect's headquarters is located in Calamba and has established 100 chapters throughout the country. In the 1980s, the number of Rizalista converts was about 100,000, the highest number in the sect's history. As of 2012, the sect's membership dropped by about 90 percent. The sect is currently led by Bonifacio Relleta.

The Iglesia ng Watawat ng Lahi profess that Rizal is the incarnation of the Holy Spirit. They say that Rizal survived his execution in Bagumbayan. They claim that when Rizal's body was exhumed in Paco Park, Rizal's body was nowhere to be found and that a tree trunk and a pair of shoes were found at the site. They believe that Rizal is alive and is living in Mount Makiling.