Jose Rizal is indeed a hero of our country and he is admired for his compassion towards the

youth and the country. But there are some cases that his greatness even went beyond his
status of being a hero, making him at the center of a religion and a reincarnation of a dominant–
culture deity. Jose Rizal’s life and works inspired many that some people end up worshipping
him or see him as a universal entity. The group of people that worship him are called Rizalistas
and many of them based in Rizal’s birthplace, Calamba City. For them he is the creator of the
universe and a perfect being. Rizalistas renown Jose Rizal as the Filipino Jesus Christ. The
group emerged after the execution of the hero yet they believe that the man who died in
Bagumbayan was not Rizal but only a spiritual transfiguration. Ever since the passing of Rizal
they started having their own customs, beliefs and teachings in honor of the fallen hero. They
even go as far as mimicing his life through civic programs, while others identify him as a God.
They have a practice of putting on clothes with the colors of the country’s flag during rituals.
Rizalistas have their own Christmas and it is observed every October 3. Unlike the Catholics
they use Rizal’s famous novels which are El Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere as their bible.
The group also has their own rules such as love God, people and society in contrast to the
Church’s Ten Commandments. There is a case in Arayat, Pampanga where they revere a
female reincarnation of Jose Rizal and she is named Apung Birhen Maria Sinukwan. They
believe that she is the manifestation of the hero. There is also a young Filipino whose name is
Marlon who can speak 18 languages and is compared to Jose Rizal for his skills of knowing
many languages.
To sum it all up everyone has their own understandings and views. As we are given the right to
believe what we want. That is why each individual differ from another. Rizalistas believe that
Jose Rizal is the only god while Christians and Catholics put their faith in Jesus Christ as their
Supreme being. People believe in someone or something based on their perspectives in life.