Rizza Mae V.

Salvania

2013-05570

MHG2

PI 100 Take-Home Exam

April 30, 2015

Jose Rizal, as most Filipinos view towards him, is a hero that helped in attaining the liberty we
experience today. However, there are sects that perceive him as Jesus Christ, as His reincarnation, as a
spirit, as an avatar, as a saint, or as a messenger sent by God. We, PI100 students, are very lucky to have
an encounter with the Rizalistas in Quezon that opened our mind to a different vision regarding the hero we
study about in the classroom. First, we had a three-hour travel to go to Bangkong Kahoy Valley between
Mt.Banahaw and Mt. San Cristobal, then to Suprema de la Iglesia del Ciudad Mistica de Dios, Inc. in Barrio
Santa Lucia, in the municipality of Dolores, Quezon province.
The trip to Bangkong Kahoy was very fun and the scenery is undoubtedly breathtaking. This is not
the first time I have been to this kind of place because as a matter of fact, our family lives in one of the
mountains which can be seen from Quezon. Every time we return to Kalayaan, Laguna, our hometown, Mt.
Banahaw can be viewed from the terrace of our house. But now, during school days, I live in a bustling city
that deprived me of fresh air. That place truly gave me a break from the stress I experience. Not only was it
a good vacation place but also a good setting for a photoshoot. The field trip became a good opportunity for
us to have our new profile photos taken. In the case of the buffet lunch, honestly, I did not like it much
because it was all mushrooms and I do not eat vegetables. After that, we just had a few more minutes
before leaving for the Rizalistas that we spent playing and for more picture taking.
I, personally, learned new knowledge from the talk with Suprema Isabel Suarez and Mr. Paul
Bueno of Ciudad Mistica de Dios. It was a religious sect that believes that Jose Rizal is holy persona and
Mt. Banahaw will be the New Jerusalem someday. It was founded by Maria Bernarda Balita or MBB who
they believe to be the white flower in Rizals Mi Ultimo Adios that will sprout amidst the thick grasses on his
grave. She was born from a "bolang lamad" (a ball of tissue) that her mother thought of a discharge so the
latter ordered her cousin to throw it away. However, the cousin didn't throw it away because she felt that
something is stopping her to do so. Instead, she left it to Mt. Banahaw and eventually found MBB there.
When the founder was three years old, she started to manifest healing capabilities and became a
Benedictine nun later on but she left the monastery to establish the group in 1873.
She prophesized that in the future a white dove will land on Mt. Banahaw and will sow a seed
which will grow into a piece of bamboo from which the Philippine flag shall emerge, and from which a New
Jerusalem would arise. This millenarianism of the Rizalistas view that the New Jerusalem will be the place
where believers will spend their eternal lives and where the total goodness of the Supreme Being will be

exemplified. As they believe, it will be led by righteous leaders who will promote goodness for all. All of
eternity is bathed in its splendor. This place is free of all the sufferings and pain.
In the compound gate were flags of the all the countries in the world but with the Philippine flag
much bigger and placed on top which is based on book of prophet Daniel where it is said that there will be
a kingdom on earth which will be in the Philippines that cannot be subdued by anyone forever. On top of it,
there are also two swords with the phrases Tabak ng Espiritu and Dako ng Kapayapaan on it. These
symbolize the fight against sin which, in their teachings, refer not just to personal sin but social sin. The fire
from the giant pots are the fire from the will that guides our paths. There was also a universal flag similar
with that of the Philippines but with a moon on the triangular middle which symbolizes the woman that will
establish and continue the faith as what Christ promised to His people. The white in it represents the purity
of its believers and the three stars represent the three personas. The gate basically was, as much as
possible, kept in accordance with what is written to their holy book.
They are a democratic sect which does not encourage and recruit any members. The leader,
Supremo or Suprema, which since its founding are both women, are the ones who are chosen by the whole
congregation and is not restricted with women only. They have women priests in Ciudad Mistica de Dios
who officiate their liturgical celebrations and practice optional celibacy. Unlike other religions or religious
sects, they do not impose strict rules on its members. They believe that it is up to the individual, whether a
woman or a man, on how he should act in order to be worthy of heaven. They mainly focus on spiritual
education which teaches what is beneficial to all.
They see parallelism in Christ and Rizal in terms of the role they fulfilled while they were alive.
They were both eye openers as they both made the people during their times understand what a true godly
act is. They were also healers with Rizal physically and Christ spiritually. They both showed what
knowledge a conqueror of the earth has. Like Christ, Rizal was a humanitarian who, in their belief, is guided
by the Holy Spirit. He pointed out the wrong faith and way of salvation that the Filipinos have which are
bought from the friars. Rizalist groups view nationalism as an integral part of their religiosity. They heavily
draw their inspiration from Rizals writings.
Faith is something personal and it is something you cannot force to other people. Ciudad Mistica
de Dios is one of those religious sects who respect other sects and religions and is one of the few that does
not focus on the size of their organization but on the beliefs they hold. All in all, I believed that it was an
enriching field trip that educated us lessons which cannot be taught inside the classroom.