Metacognitive Reading Report: Rizalista Churches

A significant thing I learned from reading Lahiri’s article was the concept of

Rizalista churches. In parts of the Philippines, Rizal was venerated to an almost mythical

status. Rizal is fondly known as “Amang Doktor”, simultaneously a healer and a psychic

visionary. As Rizal was central to their doctrine, much of their teachings were rooted

within his patriotic and nationalistic ideas. For instance, during a seminar, numerous

figures were talking about the status of the Philippines and Filipino people as somewhat

similar to “chosen ones.” There was also a dispute between the ideas of ditching those

that are foreign because they cause Filipinos to lose their national identity and that

foreign-ness and the concept of race is a social construct and one must treat others

equally regardless of such.

Based on the given excerpts from the seminar Lahiri attended, there seemed to

be some conflict especially regarding nationality and race. I wonder what is the most

generally accepted idea when it comes to foreign influences and foreigners themselves.

Lahiri says that “internecine squabbles” were part of the reason why Rizalista churches

have been in decline – perhaps the squabbles in question referred to the

aforementioned conflicts. The origins of the Rizalista churches are quite unclear to me

as well. I’m also interested to find out if the common Filipino was aware of these

churches. Said churches are actually a discovery to me, so they were possibly an

obscure or an under the radar concept; however, to the average Filipino who was

somehow aware of their existence, I wonder what their perception was.

 Prior to reading the article, I would have never guessed that a “Rizalista” sect

would be something that could happen in the Philippines. Knowing that the Philippines

largely consists of traditional religious groups such as Roman Catholicism, it was quite a

revelation to me those alternative religions would occur here. It does make me wonder

if there are any more sects similar to the Rizalista church around the country.

The questions I’d ask regarding the reading material include: are Rizalista

churches operating in the modern day? Lahiri wrote that article sometime around 1997,

and she stated that they had already been in decline, so I am curious to know if they

are still around and if they have been able to attract new members. I’d also ask

questions about their origins. How and when exactly did Rizalista churches begin to

operate? What caused people to view Rizal as deity-like? Finally, how did the common

Filipino view these Rizalista churches? Could these churches have been part of the

conversation when the Rizal Law was being under debate?