Remembering Rizal

o Rizal was declared as the National Hero by the Taft

Commission or the Philippine Commission of 1901.
o A monument was built to honor him and his death
anniversary became a national holiday.
o In some provinces, men became members of Caballeros
de Rizal or the Knights of Rizal.
o Rizalistas recognized Rizal as their savior from all the
social ills that plague the country.
o Jove Rex Al = God, King of all
RIZAL AS THE
TAGALOG
CHRIST
o In Batangas, people were said to have
gathered “tearfully wailing before a
portrait of Rizal” (Ileto,1998).
o In Laguna, the peasants regarded him
as the “lord of a kind of paradise in
the heart of Mount Makiling”
(Illeto,1998).
o In 1907, Miguel de Unamuno gave
Rizal the title “Tagalog Christ”
Apolinario de la
Cruz
Felipe Salvador
■ The titles given to Filipino revolutionary
leaders show how religious beliefs were
associated in social movements.
■ The titles given to Filipino revolutionary
leaders show how religious beliefs were
associated in social movements.
The titles given to Filipino revolutionary
leaders show how religious beliefs were
associated in social movements.
o The Rizalista’s common belief was the veneration of Jose
Rizal as the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.
o They likened the travails of Rizal to that of Jesus Christ as
narrated in Pasyon, which was an epic poem popular to the
Filipinos during the Spanish colonization.
o They believed that Rizal would eventually return to life and
will save mankind, just like what is said about Jesus Christ.
o Reincarnation in the context of Rizalistas means that Rizal
and Jesus both led parallel lives.
 asians
brilliant minds
extraordinary talents
believed in the Golden
Rule
cured the sick
rabid reformers
 believed in the universal brotherhood of men
closely associated with a small group of followers
died young at the hands of their enemies
their lives changed the course of history
(Mercado,1982, p.38)
 THE
CANONIZATION
OF RIZAL:
Tracing the Roots of Rizalistas
o Rizal was declared a saint through the canonization initiated by
the Philippine Independent Church (PIC) or La Iglesia Filipina
Independiente.
o In 1903, the Acta de Canonizacion de los Grandes Martires de la
Patria Dr. Rizal y PP. Burgos, Gomez y Zamora (Proceedings of
the Canonization of the Great Martyrs of the Country Dr. Rizal
and Fathers Burgos, Gomez, and Zamora) was published by the
official organ of the PIC.
o On September 24, 1903, the Secretary General, Bishop Isidoro
Perez, presented to the Council the canonization of heroes
o Rizal and the GomBurZa were canonized following the
Roman Catholic rites.
o After the canonization, Gregorio Aglipay ordered that no
masses for the dead shall be offered to the four, their birth and
death anniversaries will be celebrated instead.
o Aglipay mentioned that the PIC’s teachings were inspired by
Rizal’s ideology and writings.
o Isabelo de los Reyes, one of PIC’s founders, said that Rizal’s
canonization was an expression of the intensely nationalistic
phase of the sect.
o During the 1950s, Paulina Carolina Malay wrote observations
of Rizal being revered as a saint.
o The observations showed how Rizalistas continued to flourish
after the canonization of Rizal done by the PIC.
 GROUPS
VENERATIN
G JOSE
RIZAL
ADARNISTA OR THE
IGLESIANG
PILIPINA
o Founder: Candida Balantac
o Year founded: 1901
o Place founded: started in Bangar, La Union;
established in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija
o How the organization was formed: through the
preaching of Balantac
o No. of followers and place where they’re present:
around10,000 followers in La Union, Isabela,
Pangasinan, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Nueva
Vizcaya, Manila, and some parts in Baguio and
Manila.
o Officials and their titles: Candida Balantac,
founder – Inang Adarna, Maestra, Espiritu Santo
Beliefs:
1.Rizal is a god of the Filipino people.
2.Rizal is true god and a true man.
3.Rizal was not executed as has been mentioned by
historians.
4.Man is endowed with a soul; as such, man is
capable of good deeds.
5. Heaven and hell exist but are, nevertheless, “within
us.”
6. The abode of the members of the sect in Bongabon,
Nueva Ecija is the New Jerusalem or Paradise.
7. The caves in Bongabon are the dwelling place of
Jehovah or God.
8. There are four persons in God: God, the father, the
Son, the Holy Ghost, and the Mother (Virgin Mary).
Shared elements with the Catholic Church:
1.Sacraments such as baptism, confirmation,
marriage, confession, and rites of the dead
2.Masses held every Wednesday and Sunday that
start at 7:00 in the morning and usually
lasts for up to two hours
3.Special religious ceremonies conducted
on Rizal’s birthday and death
anniversary
SAMBAHANG
RIZAL
o Founder: Basilio Aromin
o Year founded: 1918
o Place founded: Nueva Ecija
o why the organization was formed: to honor Rizal,
who’s sent by Bathala, to redeem the Filipino race
o No. of followers and place where they’re present:
around 7,000 followers in Nueva Ecija and Pangasinan
o Officials and their titles:
o Basilio Aromin, founder – Pangulu guru
o Preachers – lalawigan guru
Beliefs and/or practices:
1.Rizal is the “Son of Bathala”
2.Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo serve
as the “bible”
3.The churches have altars displaying the
Philippine flag and a statue of Rizal.
Shared elements with the Catholic
church:
1.Sacraments such as baptism,
confirmation, marriage, and
ceremonies for the dead
2.Preachers or the lalawigan gurus are
expected to preach Rizal’s teachings
in different provinces.
IGLESIA WATAWAT NG
LAHI
o Founder: the Philippine national heroes and Arsenio
de Guzman
o Year founded: 1911
o Place founded: Lecheria, Calamba
o How the organization was formed: A holy voice or a
banal na tinig instructed Mateo Alcuran, Alfredo
Benedicto, Jovito Salgado, and Gaudioso Parabuac
to organize a movement
o No. of followers and place where they’re present:
more than 100,000 followers in different parts of the
country
Aims: (Foronda, 2011)
1.To love God above all things
2.To love one’s fellowman as one loves himself
3.To love the motherland and to respect and venerate the
heroes of the race especially the martyr of Bagumbayan,
Dr. Rizal, to follow, to spread, and to support their right
teachings; and to serve the country with one’s whole
heart towards its order, progress, and peace.
Beliefs (Foronda, 2011):
1. The teachings of the sect are based on the commands of the
Holy Moses, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the teachings of
Dr. Jose Rizal culled from his writings.
2. Christians believe in the Trinity; the power of the Father
was given to Moses; the power of the Son, given to Jesus
Christ; and the sect believed that the power of the Holy
Ghost was given to Dr. Jose Rizal
3. Jesus Christ is embodied in Dr. Jose Rizal and hence, Dr.
Rizal is at once a god and a man.
o Rizal is not dead; he is alive and is physically and
materially present in the New Jerusalem which is
presently hidden in the site extending from Mt. Makiling
to Mt. Banahaw.
o It is the voice of Rizal which commands the officials and
the members what to do; this voice is heard in the
weekly meetings. However, an invoker in the person of
Gaudioso Parabuac is needed to ask Rizal to come and
talk to members.
o If World War III breaks out, numberless people will be
killed by atomic weapons. But after the war, Dr. Rizal
will make an appearance to the new world, and he will
lead the army of God.
o There is a particular judgment (the soul is judged three
days after death) and the last judgment (when all the
creatures will be judged).
o Man has a soul, but a soul that is different from the soul
of Dr. Rizal, for Rizal is god. Three days after his death
and if he was holy in life (i.e., if he followed the
commandments of God), man will rise again and his soul
will proceed to the New Jerusalem. If he did not fulfill
the commandments of God, the soul is not to be
punished in hell (for there is no hell) but will be made to
work in a place opposite the New Jerusalem.
In 1907, the Iglesia Watawat ng Lahi was divided into three
factions:
1.The Watawat ng Lahi also known as the Samahan ng
Watawat ng Lahi ng Presiding Elders
2.The Iglesia Watawat ng Lahi,Inc.
3.The Iglesia ng Lipi ni Gat Dr. Jose P. Rizal, Inc.
 Now, the first group teaches that Rizal is not Christ but
only a human while the last two groups claim that they hold
the original teachings and doctrines of the old Iglesia
Watawat ng Lahi and they also believe that Rizal is Christ
himself or the Jove Rex Al.
 SUPREMA DE LA
IGLESIA DE LA CIUDAD
MISTICA DE DIOS, INC.
o Founder: Maria Bernarda Balitaan
o Year founded: early 1920s
o Place founded: Tagalog region
o No. of followers and place where they’re present:
around 100,000 followers all over Luzon,
approximately 5,000 followers in Sta. Lucia in
Dolores, Quezon alone
o Officials and their titles: leader – Suprema
Beliefs:
1.God decided to transfer His “Kingdom” to the Philippines as a
result of endless conflicts among countries in West Asia.
2.Holy stations called pwesto are located in Mt. Banahaw which
is equivalent to the stations of the Cross of Christ in Pasyon.
3.Dr. Jose Rizal and the “twelve lights”, composed of the 19th
century Philippine heroes, will continue Jesus Christ’s
unfinished work.
Shared elements with the Catholic church:
1.Saturday is considered a great day of worship,
during which the Suprema will read out the
messages written by its foundress in her letters.
2.Prayers are done several times a day
3.Regular prayer gathering of the
supporters is held every 15th day
of the month at the Santa Lucia
compound.
o commemorate the birth and death anniversaries of
the “twelve lights” and Rizal
o commemoration starts with the raising of the
Philippine flag.