ni Aurelio Tolentino

1. Kahapon, Ngayon,
at Bukas
ni Aurelio Tolentino

2. Aurelio Tolentino

3. Biography
• Was born on October 13,1867 in Barrio (sub-village) Santo Cristo,
Guagua, Pampanga.
• He is youngest among three children of Leonardo Tolentino and
Patrona Valenzuela.

4. Education
• Aurelio and his brother both obtained their primera enzeñanza (primary
lessons) under the school master Pedro Serrano Laktaw.
• He then transferred to the Colegio de Latinidad, after finishing the third year of
the segunda enseñanza (second lesson), he was already well-grounded in
rhetoric, poetics and philosophy.
• He transferred to Manila and completed the requirements for his Bachelor of
Arts degree at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
• Enrolled at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) to study law, but had to stop
schooling when his father died.

5. Returned to his hometown and he taught in his old college, Colegio de Latinidad.
• He was forced to leave Pampanga after an altercation with a Spanish pharmacist.
The pharmacist called him a barbaro (barbarian), which led to Tolentino striking
him in the face.
• To escape from possible arrest because of his action, he went to Tondo and lived
there.
• After a few years, Tolentino secured the position of oficial de mesa (desk official)
at Tondo’s Court of First Instance.

6. • Became acquainted with Andres Bonifacio
• Became the Supremo of the Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang
Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK)
• He engaged in the printing and distribution of the censored La
Solidaridad and other propaganda literature.
• And eventually joined the Katipunan.

7. • He wrote the famous Tagalog verse drama, Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas, which was
played to a packed audience at Teatro Libertad in Manila on May 14, 1903.
• He married Natividad Hilario in 1908. They had four children: Cesar, Corazon,
Raquel and Leonor. Only Corazon and Raquel survived early deaths among the
four siblings.
• He and his family lived in Manila until his death in July 1915. He was buried at the
Manila North Cemetery. In 1921, his bones were transferred to Guagua, Pampanga
where they were buried at the base of a monument erected by the townspeople to
honor him.

8. Kahapon, Ngayon,
at Bukas

9. • The play was written and shown 106 years ago
• It is an anti-imperialist play attacking the new colonizers (at that time), the
Americans, while not forgiving the old ones – Mother Spain and Old China,
who want to feast on the Philippines’ wealth.
• The play was shown at Teatro Libertad in Manila on May 14, 1903 and its
focus is the triumph of Inang Bayan (Motherland) over her tormentors
Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas:
a play of struggle vs. imperialist powers

10. • In that particular scene, he throws the American flag to the ground and tramples
upon it until it is torn, then he breaks the shackles and forces the jail open. At this
point the rest of the characters shout: “Long live Freedom! Long live the
Motherland!”
• This was witnessed by some Americans among the audience, who were shocked.
• The authorities turned to arrest the other actors as well as those in the audience,
Tolentino saved them by declaring sole responsibility for the play as its writer and
director.

11. • he was accused of, he was convicted of sedition, rebellion, insurrection and
conspiracy and was imprisoned.
• In 1912 he was pardoned by then Governor-General W. Cameron Forbes
and a US $7,000 fine was meted.

12. Characters
Kalayaan : ama ni Walangtutol.
Inangbayan : ang sumimbolo sa bayang
Pilipinas.
Dilat na bulag : ang sumimbolo sa espanya.
Bagong Sibol : ang sumimbolo sa amerika.
Masunurin : ang babaeng pilipina.
Tagailog : bidang tauhan, na kumakatawan sa
Pilipinong rebolusyonaryo. (rebeldeng tauhan)
Matanglawin : ang gobyerno ng Espanya.
Malaynatin : ang gobyenor Ng Amerika.
Asalhayop : ang mapaglilong tagalog.
HaringBata : ang haring Intsik.
Walangtutol : ang Pilipinong pasibo, at anak ni
Inang Bayan.
Halimaw : ang Kastilang pari.

13. Summary
Angkahaponngayonatbukasaynag-papakitadipagsang-ayonngpagpapalawak
ngkapangyrihannapinamumunuanngisangbansasaloobatlabasngkanyangteritoryo
atNaka-pokusangtagumpayniInangBayanlabansamganangliliitsakanya.Kasamana
ditosiAsalhayopnanakipag-sabwatankayHaringbataupangipagbigayalamnaSila
TagailogaymaybalakbabakahinsiHaringbata.Ngunitngsiyaaypawingpaalisnaay
napigilansiyaniInangbayanatsinabingdakpinsiyadahilipinagbiliniAsalhayopang
kanilangkalayaan.

14. SakanilangnarinigayhinatulannilasiAsalhayopngkamatayanatnagpatuloyna
sumalakaykayHaringbata.Nangsila'ymagsilusobaymutikangmapatayniharingbata
siinagbayankundidumatingsitagailogatsinaksaksiya;nabuwalatnamataysi
haringbata.NangnamataysiharingbataaymaydumatingsinaDilatnabulagat
matanglawinnanangnanaisnasilayiligtassapgkatmayroongsakuna;dilumaonsila'y
napapayagatnag-sumpaangamitangkanilangdugoatsabaynilaitongininom.

15. The End