Believers in reincarnated Rizal celebrate birth anniversary on January 6

While the nation recognizes December 30 as the anniversary of Jose Rizal's death,  a group in Pampanga is honoring another date exactly a week from it as the anniversary of his rebirth.

The Señor Ignacio Coronado Enchanted Maria Sinukuan Dr. Jose P. Rizal Followers Foundation Inc. in Arayat, Pampanga celebrates January 6 as the birth date of Apung Birhen Maria Sinukwan, whom they revere as the female reincarnation of the fallen hero. The group is one of several movements in the country that believe in the divinity of Rizal; that he never actually died, but only bid a temporary farewell until his second coming.

"We never created Rizal as a God. Rather, it was presented to us by Apu based on the mystery she started writing in the early 1950's," explained Edgardo Bacsa, the current chairman of the foundation.

"Apu is the embodiment of the primary subject of Rizal in all his poetry, essays and writings. She is the 'Inang Bayan,'" he added.

The foundation's shrine is located at the foot of Mt. Arayat in San Juan, Baño, Arayat, Pampanga. It was established 65 years ago by Apu Birhen Maria Sinukwan, whose real name was Epifania Valdejos Castillejos and who died in 1991.

According to Bacsa, a large percentage of their movement's devotees come from northern Luzon, while some come from the Visayas.

"Before, you could not put a needle between people every December 30 as we had several thousand members attending the event," he said.

According to the group, the shrine's site is holy ground. The different flags that surround the platform symbolize Rizal as a universal entity who can speak different languages. It is surrounded by steel lamp posts , similar to the ones in Luneta where Rizal was executed.

Membership has dropped over the years, which Bacsa explains as due to their wanting only "pure gold" among their flock. "Genuine Rizalista members are only those who follow the 10 commandments. As long as there are members who are true to this, we are not into quantity, " he said.

The foundation's 10 commandments are written on a tarpaulin hanging on the shrine's wall. Three are derived from the Bible's Ten Commandments.

According to Bacsa, there was a legal battle over the foundation's ownership when Castillejos died. They registered the foundation under the name Dr. Jose Rizal Followers Foundation. " We renew the registration annually and through the help of the members who offer funding, we are still intact," he said.

The primary ideology of the foundation is attaining perfection by following the 10 commandments. There is only one God, and he is Jose Rizal. There are two bibles, the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, which could only have been written by God. For them, Rizal is the ultimate reality, a being perfect in power, in goodness and wisdom. He is creator and ruler of the universe, who can speak 22 major languages and is able to write the history of the world. And since Apu Birhen Maria Sinukwan is the reincarnation of Rizal, she is the reincarnated God, who now dwells in the Golden Castle under Mt. Arayat.

The movement expects crowds to gather for Apu Birhen Maria Sinukwan's birth anniversary on Wednesday. — BM, GMA News