2. Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro
Born on November 30, 1863; was a
Filipino nationalist and revolutionalist.
He is often called "the great plebeian,"
"father of the Philippine Revolution,"
and "father of the Katipunan." He was a
founder and later Supremo ("supreme
leader") of the Katipunan movement
which sought the independence of the
Philippines from Spanish colonial rule
and started the Philippine Revolution.
He is considered a de facto national
hero of the Philippines, and is also
considered by some Filipino historians
to be the first President, but he is not
officially recognized as such.
3. Bonifacio was the son of Santiago Bonifacio
and Catalina de Castro in Tondo, Manila and was
the eldest of five children. His father was a tailor
who served as a tenyente mayor of Tondo, Manila
while his mother was a mestiza born of a Spanish
father and a Filipino-Chinese mother who worked
at a cigarette factory. As was custom, upon baptism
Andres was named for the saint on whose feast he
was born, Andrew the Apostle.
4. Trivia:
Bonifacio was a part-time actor who
performed in moro-moro plays before
he was even recognized as the “Father
of Philippine revolution.”
5. In 1892 he joined Rizal's La Liga Filipina, an
organization which called for political reform in the
colonial government of the Philippines. However, La
Liga disbanded after only one meeting as Rizal was
arrested and deported to Dapitan in Mindanao.
Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini and others revived La
Liga in Rizal's absence and Bonifacio was active at
organizing local chapters in Manila.
La Liga Filipina contributed moral and financial
support to Propaganda Movement Filipino reformists
in Spain.
6. On July 7, 1892, the day after Rizal's
deportation was announced, Bonifacio and
others founded the Katipunan (KKK), or in
full, Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang
Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan.
The secret society sought independence
from Spain through armed revolt. Within
the society Bonifacio used the pseudonym
May pag-asa.
7. Within the society, Bonifacio developed a
strong friendship with Emilio Jacinto who served
as his adviser and confidant, as well as a member
of the Supreme Council. Bonifacio adopted
Jacinto's Kartilya primer as the official teachings of
the society in place of his own Decalogue, which
he judged as inferior.
. Bonifacio, Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela
collaborated on the society's organ Kalayaan
(Freedom), which only had one printed issue.
Bonifacio wrote several pieces for the
paper, including the poem Pag-ibig sa
Tinubúang Lupà under the pseudonym Agapito
Bagumbayan.
8. The rapid increase of Katipunan activity
drew the suspicion of the Spanish authorities.
By early 1896, Spanish intelligence was already
aware of the existence of a seditious secret
society, and suspects were kept under
surveillance and arrests were made.
. On May 3, Bonifacio held a general
assembly of Katipunan leaders in Pasig where
they debated when to start their revolt.
9. Philippine Revolution:
Start of Uprising
The Spanish authorities confirmed the
existence of the Katipunan on 19 August
1896. Hundreds of Filipino suspects, both
innocent and guilty, were arrested and
imprisoned for treason.
10. Eluding an intensive
manhunt, Bonifacio called thousands of
Katipunan members to a mass gathering in
Caloocan, where they decided to start their
revolt. The event, marked by the tearing of
cedulas (community tax certificates) was
later called the "Cry of Balintawak" or "Cry
of Pugad Lawin"; the exact location and
date of the Cry are disputed.
11. The Supreme Council of the Katipunan declared a
nationwide armed revolution against Spain and called
for a simultaneous coordinated attack on the capital
Manila on 29 August.
Before hostilities erupted, Bonifacio reorganized the
Katipunan into an open de facto revolutionary
government, with him as President and commander-
in-chief (or generalissimo) of the rebel army and the
Supreme Council as his cabinet. On 28
August, Bonifacio issued the following general
proclamation:
12. “This manifesto is for all of you. It is absolutely
necessary for us to stop at the earliest possible time
the nameless oppositions being perpetrated on the
sons of the country who are now suffering the brutal
punishment and tortures in jails, and because of this
please let all the brethren know that on Saturday, the
29th of the current month, the revolution shall
commence according to our agreement. For this
purpose, it is necessary for all towns to rise
simultaneously and attack Manila at the same time.
Anybody who obstructs this sacred ideal of the
people will be considered a traitor and an enemy,
except if he is ill; or is not physically fit, in which
case he shall be tried according to the regulations we
have put in force.”
-Mount of Liberty, 28 August 1896 – ANDRÉS
BONIFACIO
14. The poem “Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa”
was a composition of Andres Bonifacio,
regarded as the Father of the Philippine
Revolution, for he led the Philippine
revolutionaries in asserting and defending the
Filipinos’ right to liberty from the Spanish
rule.
15. This passionately written work of Bonifacio was
one of his contributions to the Filipinos’ awakening
from their ill-fated plight back then. Moreover, this
particular poem was likely based on his life, his
experiences among fellow Filipinos, since in reading
the poem one would notice that Bonifacio wrote his
sentiments about the Filipinos. One of those
sentiments—or the major sentiment, at that—was
the Filipinos’ lack of nationalism. Such sentiment of
him is stated blatantly and explicitly in the opening
verse of his poem.
16. To be sure, he thought that Filipinos had
lost their sense of pride of being Filipinos. In
response, he provoked the emotions as well as
the intellects of the Filipino populace to feel
inside them, more so, realize among
themselves that there is no other country for
them but the Philippines.
17. Adding that, they should appreciate and
love their country more than anyone else,
since there are no other people who can give
love and appreciate their country except the
countrymen themselves, the Filipinos
themselves. As had Bonifacio, who ceaselessly
showed his love and patriotism to his
motherland.
18. “Love of country
is always the desire of a man with honor;
In songs, in poetry, in his writings
the greatness of the country is always the theme.”
“Ah, this is the Mother country of one's birth,
she is the mother on whom
the soft rays of the sun shine,
which gives strength to the weak body.”
