Apolinario Mabini

Conscience and Brains of the Philippine Revolution

the Sublime Paralytic

key adviser of Emilio Aguinaldo

proposed the first constitution of the Philippine Republic

born July 22, 1864 Barrio Talaga, Tanawan Batangas to Inocencio Mabini, Dionisia Maranan

died May 13, 1903

It was immediately before the proclamation of independence that a young man was brought before
Aguinaldo as his adviser. He was Apolinario Mabini. Born of very poor parents, Inocencio Mabini and
Dionisia Maranan, in Talaga, Tanawan, Batangas. Mabini studied in a school in Tanawan, then
conducted by a certain Simplicio Avelino. Much later, he transferred to a school conducted by the
famous pedagogue, Father Valerio Malabanan. He continued his studies at the San Juan de Letran and
at the University of Sto. Tomas where he received his law degree in 1894.

His dream to defend the poor led him to forsake the priesthood, which his mother wanted him to take.
Early in 1896, he contracted an illness, probably infantile paralysis, that led to the paralysis of his lower
limbs. When the revolution broke out the same year, the Spanish authorities, suspecting that he was
somehow involved in the disturbance, arrested him. The fact, however, that he could not move his lower
limbs showed the Spaniards that they had made a mistake. He was released and sent to the San Juan
de Dios Hospital.

Mabini, it must be noted, was not entirely free from nationalistic association, for he was a member of
Rizal's La Liga Filipina and worked secretly for the introduction of reforms in the administration of
government. In 1898, while vacationing in Los Baos, Aguinaldo sent for him. It took hundreds of men
taking turns at carrying the hammock he was in to bring Mabini to Kawit. Aguinaldo, upon seeing
Mabini's physical condition, thought that he must have made a mistake in calling for him to help him in
his work. What could a man in such a condition do to help him?

But when Mabini spoke, Aguinaldo's doubts vanished. There was firmness in the sick man's voice, and
Aguinaldo decided to make him his trusted adviser. From then on, it was Mabini who stood behind
Aguinaldo. Envious enemies called him the "Dark Chamber of the President", but his admirers called him
the "Brains of the Revolution".

Born of a poor family, Apolinario Mabini was always studious. He was always sad and silent and liked to
sit alone to meditate.

Mabini studied at San Juan de Letran where he got his Bachelor of Arts degree and Professor of Latin.
He also finished Law. He was a spokesman of the Congress, and a notary public.

In early 1896, he contracted a severe fever which paralyzed him for the rest of his life. He was later
called the Sublime Paralytic.

Mabini was most active in the revolution in 1898, when he became the chief adviser of Gen. Aguinaldo
during the revolution. He drafted decrees and proposed a constitution for the Philippine Republic. He
made the plans for the revolutionary government.

In 1899, he was captured by the Americans but was later set free. In 1901, he was exiled to Guam but
returned to the Philippines in 1903 after agreeing to take an oath of allegiance to the US. He took his
oath on February 26, 1903 before the Collector of Customs.

On May 13, 1903, he died of cholera in Manila.

Family

Like fellow Philippine revolutionaries Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio, lawyer Apolinario
Mabini, the first prime minister of the Philippines, did not live to see his 40th birthday. He
suffered from paraplegia (paralysis of the legs), but Mabini had a powerful intellect, and was
known during his short life as the "Brains of the Revolution" and also the "Conscience of the
Revolution."

Early Life:
Apolinario Mabini y Maranan was born on July 22 or 23, 1864 in Talaga, Tanauwan,
Batangas, about 70 km (43.5 miles) south of Manila.
His parents were very poor; father Inocencio Mabini was a peasant farmer, and mother
Dionisia Maranan supplemented their farm income as a vendor at the local market.
Apolinario was the second of their eight children.
As a child, Apolinario was remarkably clever and studious. Despite his family's poverty, the
boy studied at a school in Tanawan under the tutelage of Simplicio Avelino, working as a
houseboy and tailor's assistant to earn his room and board. He then transferred to a school
run by the famed educator Fray Valerio Malabanan.
At the age of 17, in 1881, Mabini won a partial scholarship to Manila's Colegio de San Juan
de Letran.

He once again had to work all through school, teaching Latin to younger students at three
different schools in the area. Apolinario earned his Bachelors degree and official
recognition as a Professor of Latin in 1887, and went on to study law at the University of
Santo Tomas.

Apolinario Mabini went into the legal profession in order to defend poor people. He himself
had faced discrimination from fellow students and professors, who picked on him for his
shabby clothing before they realized how brilliant he was.
It took him six years to complete his law degree, since he worked long hours as a law clerk
and a court transcriptionist in addition to his studies. Mabini earned his law degree in 1894,
at the age of thirty.

Political Activities:
While at school, Mabini supported the Reform Movement, which was a conservative group
mainly made up of middle and upper class Filipinos calling for changes to Spanish colonial
rule, rather than outright Philippine independence. It included the intellectual, author, and
physician Jose Rizal. In September of 1894, Mabini helped establish the reformist Cuerpo
de Comprimisarios, the "Body of Compromisers," which sought to negotiate better treatment
from Spanish officials.

Pro-independence activists, mostly from the lower classes, instead joined the more
radical Katipunanmovement, which was established by Andres Bonifacio. Katipunan
advocated armed revolution against Spain.
In 1895, Mabini was admitted to the bar, and worked as a newly-minted lawyer in the
Adriano law offices in Manila. He also served as the secretary of the Cuerpo de
Comprimisarios.
Early in 1896, Apolinario Mabini contracted polio, which left his legs paralyzed. Ironically,
this disability saved his life that autumn - the colonial police arrested Mabini in October of
1896 for his work with the reform movement. He was still under house arrest at the San
Juan de Dios Hospital on December 30 of that year, when the colonial government
summarily executed Jose Rizal. Mabini's polio likely kept him from the same fate.
Between his medical condition and his imprisonment, Apolinario Mabini was not able to
participate in the opening days of the Philippine Revolution. His experiences, and the

execution of Rizal, radicalized Mabini, however, and he turned his keen intellect to the
issues of revolution and independence.
In April of 1898, he penned a manifesto on the Spanish-American War, presciently warning
other Philippine revolutionary leaders that Spain would likely cede the Philippines to the US
if it lost the war. He urged them to continue to fight for independence, whether from Spain
or the US. This paper brought him to the attention of General Emilio Aguinaldo, who had
ordered the execution of Andres Bonifacio the previous year, and had been driven into exile
in Hong Kong by the Spanish.
The Americans hoped to use Aguinaldo against the Spanish in the Philippines, so brought
him back from his exile on May 19, 1898. Once ashore, Aguinaldo ordered his men to bring
the author of the war manifesto to him; they had to carry the disabled Mabini over the
mountains in a stretcher to Cavite. Mabini reached Aguinaldo's camp on June 12, 1898,
and soon became one of the general's primary advisers. That same day, Aguinaldo
declared the Philippines' independence, with himself as dictator.

Establishing the New Government:

Mabini was able to talk Aguinaldo out of ruling the Philippines as an autocrat. On July 23,
1898, under Mabini's influence, the new president modified his plans, establishing a
revolutionary government with an assembly rather than a dictatorship. Apolinario Mabini's
power of persuasion over Aguinaldo was so strong that his detractors called him the "Dark
Chamber of the President," while his admirers named him "the Sublime Paralytic."
Because his personal life and morality were difficult to attack, Mabini's enemies in the new
government resorted to a whispering campaign to slander him. Jealous of his immense
power, they started a rumor that his paralysis was due to syphilis, rather than polio. The fact
that syphilis does not cause paraplegia did nothing to clear Mabini's name. Despite these
petty attacks, however, Mabini continued to work toward fashioning a better country.
Mabini wrote most of Aguinaldo's presidential decrees. He also molded policy on the
organization of the provinces, the judicial system, and the police, as well as property
registration, and military regulations. Aguinaldo appointed him to the Cabinet as Secretary

of Foreign Affairs and President of the Council of Secretaries. Mabini also exercised
significant influence over the drafting of the first constitution for the Philippine Republic.

At War Again:
On January 2, 1899, Mabini was appointed prime minister and foreign minister of the new
government. He began negotiations with the United States on March 6, over the
Philippines' fate now that the US had defeated Spain. The two sides were already engaged
in hostilities, but had not declared war on one another. Mabini sought to negotiate
autonomy for the Philippines, as well as a ceasefire. US negotiators refused the ceasefire
condition, or a proposed armistice. In frustration, Mabini threw his support behind the war
effort, and on May 7, he resigned from Aguinaldo's government.
Aguinaldo declared war on the United States on June 2, 1899. The revolutionary
government at Cavite had to flee; once again Mabini was carried in a hammock, this time to
Nueva Ecija, 192 km (119 miles) to the north. He was captured by the Americans on
December 10, 1899, and was made a prisoner of war in Manila until the following
September.
On January 5, 1901, Mabini published a scathing newspaper article titled "El Simil de
Alejandro" (The Resemblance of Alejandro), which stated that "Man, whether or not he
wishes, will work and strive for those rights with which Nature has endowed him, because
these rights are the only ones which can satisfy the demands of his own being. To tell a
man to be quiet when a necessity not fulfilled is shaking all the fibers of his being is
tantamount to asking a hungry man to be filled while taking the food which he needs." The
Americans immediately re-arrested him, and when he refused to swear fealty to the US,
sent him into exile in Guam.
During his long exile, Apolinario Mabini wrote La Revolucion Filipina, a memoirs. Worn
down and sickly, fearing that he would die in exile, Mabini finally agreed to take the oath of
allegiance to the US.

Final Days:
On February 26, 1903, Mabini returned to the Philippines. American officials offered him a
plush government position as a reward for agreeing to take the fealty oath, but Mabini

refused. He released the following statement: "After two long years I am returning, so to
speak, completely disoriented and, what is worse, almost overcome by disease and
sufferings. Nevertheless, I hope, after some time of rest and study, still to be of some use,
unless I have returned to the Islands for the sold purpose of dying."
Sadly, his words were prophetic. Mabini continued to speak and write in support of
Philippine independence over the next several months. He fell ill with cholera, which was
rampant in the country after years of war, and died on May 13, 1903. Apolinario Mabini was
only 38 years old.

Achievements

Apolinario M. Mabini

1st Prime Minister of the Philippines

In office
January 23, 1899 May 7, 1899

President

Emilio Aguinaldo

Deputy

Pedro Paterno

Preceded by

Position established

Succeeded by Pedro Paterno

Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
January 23, 1899 December 10, 1899
Preceded by

Position established

Succeeded by Apolinario Mabini

TITULAR

Minister of Foreign Affairs

TITULAR

In office
December 11, 1899 April 1, 1901
Preceded by

Apolinario Mabini

Succeeded by Position abolished

Post restored in 1946 and later held byElpidio Quirino

Personal details
Born

Apolinario Mabini y Maranan

23 July 1864 [1]
Talaga, Captaincy General of the
Philippines

Died

May 13, 1903 (aged 38)

Manila, Philippine Islands

Political party Katipunan

Alma mater

San Juan de Letran College

University of Santo Tomas

Profession

Lawyer

Signature

Apolinario Mabini y Maranan (July 23, 1864 May 13, 1903) was a Filipino revolutionary
leader, educator, lawyer, and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of the
Philippines, serving first under the Revolutionary Government, and then under the First
Philippine Republic.
Mabini performed all his revolutionary and governmental activities despite having lost the
use of both his legs to Polio shortly before the Philippine Revolution of 1896.
Mabini's role in Philippine history saw him confronting first Spanish Colonial Rule in the
opening days of the Philippine Revolution, and then American colonial rule in the days of
the PhilippineAmerican War. The latter saw Mabini captured and exiled to Guam by
American colonial authorities, allowed to return only two months before his eventual death
in May, 1903.

Early life and Education

Mabini was born on July 23, 1864[1] in Barangay Talaga in Tanauan, Batangas.[2] He was the
second of eight children of Dionisia Maranan, a vendor in the Tanauan market, and
Inocencio Mabini, an unlettered peasant.[3]
Mabini began informal studies under the guidance of his mother, as well as Maestro Agustin
Santiesteban III, his Mentor from Davao. Because he demonstrated uncommon intelligence,
he was transferred to a regular school owned by Simplicio Avelino, where he worked as a
houseboy, and also took odd jobs from a local tailor - all in exchange for free board and
lodging. He later transferred to a school conducted by the Fray Valerio Malabanan, whose
fame as an educator merited a mention in Jos Rizal's novel El Filibusterismo.[2][3]
In 1881 Mabini received a scholarship to go to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Manila.
An anecdote about his stay there says that a professor there decided to pick on him
because his shabby clothing clearly showed he was poor. Mabini amazed the professor by
answering a series of very difficult questions with ease. His studies at Letran were
periodically interrupted by a chronic lack of funds, and he earned money for his board and
lodging by teaching children.[3]

Law Studies
Mabini's mother had wanted him to take up the priesthood, but his desire to defend the poor
made him decide to take up Law instead.[2]A year after receiving his Bachilles en Artes with
highest honors and the title Professor of Latin from Letran, he moved on to theUniversity of
Santo Tomas, where he received his law degree in 1894. [2][3]
Comparing Mabini's generation of Filipino intellectuals to the previous one of Jose Rizal and
the other members of the propagandista movement, Journalist and National Artist of the
Philippines for Literature Nick Joaquin describes Mabini's generation as the next iteration in
the evolution of Filipino intellectual development: [4]
Europe had been a necessary catalyst for the generation of Rizal. By the time of
Mabini, the Filipino intellectual had advanced beyond the need for enlightenment
abroad[....] The very point of Mabinis accomplishment is that all his schooling, all his
training, was done right here in his own country. The argument of Rizals generation
was that Filipinos were not yet ready for self-government because they had too little
education and could not aspire for more in their own country. The evidence of
Mabinis generation was that it could handle the affairs of government with only the

education it had acquired locally. It no longer needed Europe; it had imbibed all it
needed of Europe.[4]
Mabini joined the Guild of Lawyers after graduation, but he did not choose to practice
law in a professional capacity. He did not set up his own law office, and instead
continued to work in the office of a notary public. [4]
Instead, Mabini put his knowledge of law to much use during the days of the Philippine
Revolution and the Filipino-American war. Joaquin notes that all his contributions to
Philippine history somehow involved the law:
"His was a legal mind. He was interested in law as an idea, as an ideal[...] whenever
he appears in our history he is arguing a question of legality." [4]

Masonry and La Liga Filipina

Mabini joined the fraternity of Freemasonry on September 1892, affiliating with lodge
Balagtas, and taking on the name "Katabay". [5][6][7]
The following year, 1893, Mabini became a member of La Liga Filipina, which was
being resuscitated after the arrest of its founder Jos Rizal in 1892. Mabini was
made secretary of its new Supreme Council.[8] This was Mabini's first time to join an
explicitly patriotic organization.[3][5]
Mabini, whose advocacies favored the reformist movement, pushed for the
organization to continue its goals of supporting La Solidaridad and the reforms it
advocated. When more revolutionary members of the Liga indicated that they did
not think the reform movement was getting results and wanted to more openly
support revolution, La Liga Filipina split into two factions:the moderate Cuerpo de
Compromisarios, which wanted simply to continue to support the revolution, and the
explicitly revolutionary Katipunan.[3][5]
Mabini joined the Cuerpo de Compromisarios.[5]
When Jos Rizal, part of the "La Liga Filipina", was executed in December that year,
however, he changed his mind and gave the revolution his wholehearted support. [3]

Polio and eventual paralysis

Mabini was struck by polio in 1895, and the disease gradually incapacitated him until
January 1896, when he finally lost the use of both his lower limbs. [5]

1896 Revolution and Arrest

When the plans of the Katipunan were discovered by Spanish authorities, and the
first active phase of the 1896 Philippine Revolution began in earnest, Mabini, still ill,
was arrested along with numerous other members of La Liga Filipina.
Thirteen patriots arrested in Cavite were tried and eventually executed, earning
them the title of "Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite". Jose Rizal himself was accused of
being party to the revolution, and would eventually be executed in December that
year.
When the Spanish authorities saw that Mabini was paralyzed, however, they
decided to release him.[9][10]

Adviser to the Revolutionary Government

Sent to the hospital after his arrest, [11] Mabini remained in ill health for a considerable
time. He was seeking the curative properties of the hot springs in Los Baos,
Laguna in 1898 when Emilio Aguinaldo sent for him, asking him to serve as advisor
to the revolution.
During this convalescent period, Mabini wrote the pamphlets "El Verdadero
Declogo" and "Ordenanzas de la Revolucin." Aguinaldo was impressed by these
works and by Mabini's role as a leading figure in La Liga Filipina, and made
arrangements for Mabini to be brought from Los Baos to Kawit, Cavite. It took
hundreds of men taking turns carrying his hammock to portage Mabini to Kawit.
He continued to serve as the chief adviser for General Aguinaldo after the Philippine
Declaration of Independence on June 12. He drafted decrees and edited
the constitution for the First Philippine Republic, including the framework of the
revolutionary government which was implemented in Malolos in 1899.[12]:546

Prime Minister of the Philippines

Apolinario Mabini was appointed prime minister and was also foreign minister of the
newly independent dictatorial government ofAguinaldo on January 2, 1899.
Eventually, the government declared the first Philippine republic in appropriate
ceremonies on January 23, 1899. Mabini then led the first cabinet of the republic.
Mabini found himself in the center of the most critical period in the new country's
history, grappling with problems until then unimagined. Most notable of these were
his negotiations with Americans, which began on March 6, 1899. The United
States and the Philippine Republic were embroiled in extremely contentious and
eventually violent confrontations. During the negotiations for peace, Americans
proffered Mabini autonomy for Aguinaldo's new government, but the talks failed
because Mabinis conditions included aceasefire, which was rejected. Mabini
negotiated once again, seeking for an armistice instead, but the talks failed yet
again. Eventually, feeling that the Americans were not negotiating 'bona fide,' he
forswore the Americans and supported war. He resigned from government on May
7, 1899.

Philippine American War, exile, and return

The PhilippineAmerican War saw Mabini taken more seriously as a threat by the
Americans than he was under the Spanish:[13] Says National Artist for Literature F.
Sionil Jose:
"The Spaniards underestimated Mabini primarily because he was a cripple. Had they
known of his intellectual perspicacity, they would have killed him earlier. The
Americans did not. They were aware of his superior intelligence, his tenacity when
he faced them in negotiations for autonomy and ceasefire." [13]
On December 10, 1899, he was captured by Americans at Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija,
but granted leave to meet with W.H. Taft.[12]:546547 In 1901, he was exiled
to Guam, along with scores of revolutionists Americans referred to as
'insurrectos' and who refused to swear fealty to imperialist America. When Brig.
Gen. Arthur C. MacArthur, Jr. was asked to explain by the US Senate why
Mabini had to be deported, he cabled:

Mabini deported: a most active agitator; persistently

Mabini returned home to the Philippines in Feb. 1903 after agreeing to take the
oath of allegiance to the United States[12]:547 on February 26, 1903 before the
Collector of Customs. On the day he sailed, he issued this statement to the
press:

After two long years I am returning, so to speak, com

To the chagrin of the American colonial officials, however, Mabini resumed his
work of agitating for independence for the Philippines soon after he was back
home from exile.[16][not in citation given]

Death
Not long after his return, Mabini died of cholera in Manila on May 13, 1903 at the
age of 38.[12]:547

Historical Remembrance
Mabini's complex contributions to Philippine History are often distilled into two
historical monikers - "Brains of the Revolution", and "Sublime Paralytic."
Contemporary historians such as Ambeth Ocampo point out, though, that these
two monikers are reductionist and simplistic, and "do not do justice to the heros
life and legacy."[17][18]

"Brains of the Revolution"

Because of his role as advisor during the formation of the revolutionary
government, and his contributions as statesman thereafter, Mabini is often
referred to as the "Brains of the Revolution", a historical moniker he sometimes

shares with Emilio Jacinto, who served in a similar capacity for the earlier
revolutionary movement, the Katipunan.[19]

"Sublime Paralytic"
Mabini is also famous for having achieved all this despite having lost the use of
both his legs to Polio just prior to the Philippine revolution.[20] This has made
Mabini one of the Philippines' most visually iconic national heroes, such that he
is often referred to as "The Sublime Paralytic" (Tagalog:"Dakilang Lumpo").
Contemporary historians,[who?] however, point out that the title obscures Mabini's
many achievements.

Controversy about Mabini's paralysis

Even during his lifetime, there were controversial rumors regarding the cause of
Mabini's paralysis. Infighting among members of the Malolos congress led to the
spread of rumors saying that Mabini's paralysis had by caused by venereal
disease - specifically, syphilis. This was debunked only in 1980, when Mabini's
bones were exhumed and the autopsy proved once and for all that the cause of
his paralysis was Polio.[21]
This information reached National Artist F. Sionil Jos too late, however. By the
time the historian Ambeth Ocampo told him about the autopsy results, he had
already published Po-on, the first novel of his Rosales Saga. That novel
contained plot points based on the premise that Mabini had indeed become a
paralytic due to syphilis.[22]
In later editions of the book,[23] the novelist corrected the error and issued an
apology,which reads in part:

I committed a horrible blunder in the first edition of P

In the later editions, Mabini's disease - an important plot point - was changed to
an undefined liver ailment. The ailing Mabini takes pride in the fact that his

symptoms are definitely not those of syphilis, despite the rumors spread by his
detractors in the Philippine Revolutionary government.

The rise and fall of the katipunan

The failure of the reform movement was already evident in 1892 when Rizal was arrested and banished to
Dapitan. Yet the more hopeful among the middle class still hung on to the conviction that they could soften the
heart of mother Spain into granting the reforms demanded. It is for this reason that the reform movement
continued for four more years or until 1896 when the masses, led by Andres Bonifacio, were forced to take to the
field against the Spaniards. Andres Bonifacio, a man of scanty education but nevertheless highly intelligent,
founded the Katipunan on the very night that the news of Rizal's deportation to Dapitan leaked out. Unlike the
members of the middle class, Bonifacio and his plebeian associates did not dream of mere reforms. They were
interested in liberating the country from the tyranny of the Spaniards, and the only way, to their minds, to
accomplish their end was to prepare the people for an armed conflict. Thus theKatipunan was founded on a
radical platform, namely, to secure the independence and freedom of the Philippines by force of arms.

The Founding of the Katipunan

The news of Rizal's deportation shocked and surprised the people, for Rizal to them was the symbol of freedom.
That night of July 7, 1892, Andres Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, Deodato Arellano and
a few others, met secretly at a house on Azcarraga (now Claro M. Recto Avenue), near Elcano Street, Tondo,
and decided to form a new association called Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang na Katipunan nang manga Anak
ng Bayan or Katipunan for short. The men gathered around a flickering table lamp, performed the ancient blood
compact, and signed their membership papers with their own blood. It was agreed to win more members to the
society by means of the triangle method in which an original member would take in two new members who did
not know each other, but knew only the original member who took them in. Thus, original member A, for
instance, would take in new members B and C. Both B and C knew A, but B and C did not know each other. Also
agreed upon during the meeting was the payment of an entrance fee of one real fuerte(twenty-five centavos) and
a monthly due of a media real (about twelve centavos).

The Katipunan Objectives

Under the leadership of Bonifacio, the Katipunan laid down three fundamental objectives or aims: political, moral
and civic. The political objectives consisted in working for the separation of the Philippines from Spain. The moral
objective revolved about around the teaching of good manners, hygiene, good morals, and attacking
obscurantism, religious fanaticism, and weakness of character. The civic aim revolved around the principle of
self-help and the defense of the poor and the oppressed. All members were urged to come to the aid of the sick
comrades and their families, and in case of death the society itself was to pay for the funeral expenses. For the
purpose of economy however, the society saw to it that the funeral was of the simplest kind, avoiding
unnecessary expenses so common under the rule of the friars.

HISTORY OF KATIPUNAN
GAT ANDRES BONIFACIO
SUPREMO OF KATIPUNAN

The Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by Filipino anti-Spanish people
in Manila in
1892,
which
was
aimed
primarily
to
gain
independence
from Spainthrough revolution. The society was initiated by Filipino patriots Andrs
Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa, and others on the night of July 7, when Filipino
writer Jos Rizal was sentenced to banished to Dapitan. Initially, Katipunan was a secret
organization until its discovery in 1896 that led to the outbreak of Philippine Revolution. The
word "katipunan"(literally means association) came from the root word "tipon", an
indigenous Tagalog word, meaning: "society" or "gather together".[3] Its official revolutionary
name
is Kataas-taasang,
Kagalang-galangang
Katipunan
ngg
mgg
Anak
ngg
Bayan[1] (English: Supreme
and
Venerable
Society
of
the
Children
of
the
Nation, Spanish: Suprema y venerable asociacin de los hijos del pueblo). Katipunan is also
known by its acronym, K.K.K.. Being a secret organization, its members are subjected to utmost
secrecy and are expected to abide with the rules established by the society.[3] Aspirant
applicants were given standard initiation rites to become members of the society. At first,
Katipunan was only open for male Filipinos; not later then, women were accepted in the
society. The Katipunan has its own publication, Ang Kalayaan (The Liberty) that had its first and
last print on March 1896. Revolutionary ideals and works flourished within the society, and
Philippine literature were expanded by its some prominent members. In planning the revolution,
Bonifacio contacted Rizal for its full-pledged support for the Katipunan in exchange of promising
Rizal's liberty from detainment by rescuing him. On May 1896, a delegation was sent to
the Emperor of Japan to solicit funds and military arms. Katipunan's existence was revealed to

the Spanish authorities after a member named Teodoro Patio confessed Katipunan's illegal
activities to his sister the mother portress of Mandaluyong Orphanage. Seven days after the
wrong turn of history, on August 26, 1896, Bonifacio and his men tore their cedlasduring the
infamous Cry of Balintawak that started Philippine Revolution

The Katipunan Finally Starts a Revolution

The Katipunan is born
Andres Bonifacio was also a member of La Liga Filipina, although he soon lost hope in
gaining reforms though peaceful means. This feeling was especially heightened whenJose
Rizal was exiled to Dapitan. Bonifacio became convinced that the only way
the Philippines could gain independence was through a revolution.

Bonifacio then founded the Katastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipuanan ng mga Anak ng

Bayan (KKK) on July 7, 1892 in a house on Azcarraga street (now Claro M. Recto), in Tondo
Manila.
The Katipunan had colorful beginnings. As a symbol of the members loyalty, they performed
the solemn rite of sanduguan (blood compact), wherein each one signed his name with his
own blood..
The members agreed to recruit more people using the triangle system of enlistment. Each
original member would recruit tow new members who were not related to each other. Each
new member would do the same thing, and so on down the line. Members were also asked
to contribute one Real (about 25 centavos) each month in order to raise funds for the
association.
The KKK members agreed on the following objectives:
The political goal was to completely separate the Philippines from Spain after declaring the
countrys independence.
The moral goal was to teach the Filipinos good manners, cleanliness, hygiene, fine morals,
and how to guard themselves against religious fanaticism..
The civic goal was to encourage Filipinos to help themselves and to defend the
poor oppressed.
The Kataastaasang Sanggunian (supreme council) was the highest governing body of the
Katipunan. It was headed by a supremo, or president. Each province had a Sangguaniang
Bayan (Provincial Council) and each town had a Sangguniang Balangay (Popular Council).
The Leaders of the Katipunan:
Deodato Arellano -Supremo
Ladislao Diwa -Fiscal

 Teodora Plata -Secretary

Valentine Diaz -treasurer
Andres Bonifacio -controller
Jose Rizal and the Katipunan
Jose Rizal never became involved in the organization and activities of the Katipunan; but the
Katipuneros still looked up to him as a leader. In fact, Rizals name was used as a password
among the societys highest-ranking members, who were called bayani.

Andres Bonifacio had already known Rizal during his La Liga Filipina days,
although Rizal did not know Bonifacio personally Nevertheless, Bonifacio
so respected Rizals intelligence and talent that in June 1896, he sent Dr.
Pio Valenzuela to Dapitan to seek Rizals advice on the planned revolution.

Rizal told Valenzuela that the timing was not right for a revolution. The
people were not yet ready and they did not have enough weapons. He suggested that the
Katipunan obtain the support of wealthy and influential Filipinos first, in order to gain
financial assistance. He also recommended Antonio Luna as commander of its armed forces,
since Luna had much knowledge and expertise in military tactics.

Valenzuela returned to Manila on June 26 and relayed Rizals advice to Bonifacio, who
admitted that it would indeed be fatal for the Filipinos to fight without enough weapons.
However, there was no stopping the Revolution. Bonifacio ordered his men to prepare for
battle. He directed them to store enough food and other supplies. Battle plans were made
with the help of Emilio Jacinto. It was suggested that the revolutionary headquarters be
located near the seas or mountains to provide for an easy retreat, if necessary.
The Katipunan is Discovered
Rumors about a secret revolutionary society had long been in circulation, although no solid
evidence could be found to support them. The big break as far as the Spanish authorities
was concerned, came on August 19, 1896 when a KKK member, Teodoro Patio told his
sister Honoria about the existence of the Katipunan. Patio was a worker in the printing
press of Diario de Manila. Honoria was then living with nuns in a Mandaluyong orphanage.

The information upset Honoria so much that she told the orphanages Mother Superior, Sor
Teresa de Jesus, what her brother had revealed. Sor Teresa suggested they seek the advice
of Father Mariano Gil, the parish priest of Tondo.

After hearing Patios revelations, Father Mariano Gil-accompanied by several Guardias

Civiles immediately searched the premises of Diario de Manila and found evidence of the
Katipunans existence. The governor general was quickly informed. The printing press was
padlocked and hundreds of suspected KKK members were arrested. -Continue to Cry of
Pugad Lawin & Andres Bonifacio's Execution.

Brain of the katipunan

Hero of the Philippine Revolution

Emilio Jacinto

Brains of the Katipunan

wrote the Kartilya ng Katipunan

born December 15, 1875 in Trozo, Manila

died April 16, 1899 in Mahayhay, Laguna

The Filipino people have always proved
themselves bigger than their leaders... Filipino
leaders may come and Filipino leaders may
go, but not the Filipino people who will
continue treading on towards the one destiny
the God of Nation has designated for them.
Emilio Jacinto

Emilio Jacinto was only 20 when he joined the

Katipunan. He was always thinking and prudent,
but vehement and furious when he thinks he is
right. This quality was admired by Bonifacio.
He wrote for the newspaper Kalayaan under the
pen-name Dimasilaw, and was known in the
Katipunan as Pingkian.
He was known as the brain of the Katipunan and
the Revolution because he prepared and wrote
many documents including the constitution, rules
and the famous Kartilya ng Katipunan.

Influence of the
Propaganda Movement
Further information:
La Liga Filipina and Propaganda Movement

A late 19th century photograph of leaders of the Propaganda Movement: Jos Rizal, Marcelo H.
del Pilar and Mariano Ponce.

The Katipunan and the Cuerpo de Compromisarios were, effectively, successor

organizations of La Liga Filipina, founded by Jos Rizal, as part of the late 19th
century Propaganda Movement in thePhilippines. Katipunan founders Andrs
Bonifacio, Ladislao Diwa,Teodoro Plata, Darilyo Valino, Rulfo Guia, Dano Belica,
Tiburcio Liamson, and Gabrino Manzanero were all members of La Liga and
were influenced by the nationalistic ideals of the Propaganda Movement in Spain.
Marcelo H. del Pilar, another leader of the Propaganda Movement in Spain, also
influenced the formation of the Katipunan and historians believe he had a direct
hand in its organization because of his role in the Propaganda Movement and his
eminent position in Philippine Masonry. Most of the founders of the Katipunan
were free masons. The Katipunan had initiation ceremonies that were copied
from masonic rites. It also had an order of rank, similar to that of free masonry.
Rizal's Spanish biographer Wenceslao Retaa and Filipino biographer Juan
Raymundo Lumawag saw the formation of theKatipunan as Del Pilar's victory
over Rizal: "La Liga dies, and the Katipunan rises in its place. Del Pilar's plan
wins over that of Rizal. Del Pilar and Rizal had the same end, even if each took a
different road to it."

Founding of the Katipunan

Captured Katipunan members (also known as Katipuneros), who were also
members of La Liga, revealed to the Spanish colonial authorities that there was a
difference of opinion among members ofLa Liga. One group insisted on La
Liga's principle of a peaceful reformation while the other espoused armed
revolution.
On the night of July 7, 1892, when Rizal was banished and exiled
toDapitan in Mindanao, Andrs Bonifacio, a member of the La Liga Filipina,

founded the Katipunan in a house in Tondo, Manila.[5] He was assisted by his two
friends, Teodoro Plata (brother-in-law) andLadislao Diwa, plus Valentn
Daz and Deodato Arellano.[6] The Katipunan was founded along Azcarraga St.
(now Claro M. Recto Avenue) near Elcano St. in Tondo, Manila. Despite their
reservations about the peaceable reformation that Rizal espoused, they named
Rizal honorary president without his knowledge. The Katipunan, established as a
secret brotherhood organization, went under the name Kataas-taasang,
Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ngg mgg Anak ngg Bayan
(Supreme and Venerable
Society of the Children of the Nation)
The Katipunan had three aims, namely: to unite Filipinos into one solid nation: to
win Philippine independence by means of an armed conflict (or revolution); to
establish a communist republic after independence.
The rise of the Katipunan signalized the end of the crusade to secure
reforms from Spain by means of a peaceful campaign. ThePropaganda
Movement led by Rizal, del Pilar, Jaena and others had failed its mission; hence,
Bonifacio started the militant movement for independence.

Administration
The Katipunan was governed by the Supreme Council calledKataastaasang
Sanggunian or simply Sanggunian.[10] The first Supreme Council of the
Katipunan was formed around August 1892, a month followed after the founding
of the society. The Sanggunianas well as the Katipunan society was headed by
an elected president called Pangulo, only until 1895 when Bonifacio changed the
title name; followed by the secretary/secretaries called Kalihim; the treasurer
called Tagaingat-yaman and the fiscal Tagausig.[11] TheSanggunian also have its
councilors, called Kasanguni, which, the number may vary through presidencies.
Initially, the Supreme Council was headed by
Deodato Arellano, and the following as officials:

Deodato Arellano, president

Andrs Bonifacio, comptroller
Ladislao Diwa, fiscal
Teodoro Plata, secretary
Valentin Diaz, treasurer
In February 1893, the Supreme Council was reorganized, withRamon Basa as
president and Bonifacio as the fiscal. On January 1895, Bonifacio assumed the
presidency of the Katipunan but renamed his title as Supremo (High Leader). At
the outbreak of the1896 revolution, the Council was further reorganized:
Andrs Bonifacio, Supremo
Emilio Jacinto, Secretary of State
Teodoro Plata, Secretary of War
Briccio Pantas, Secretary of Justice
Aguedo del Rosario, Secretary of the Interior
Enrique Pacheco, Secretary of Finance
Marina Dizon, head of women's division
In each province where there were Katipunan members, a provincial council
called Sangguniang Bayan was established and in each town was an organized
popular council called Sangguniang Balangay. Each Bayan and Balangay had its
own set of elected
officials:Pangulo (president); Kalihim (secretary); Tagausig (fiscal);Tagaingatyaman (treasurer); Pangalawang Pangulo (vice president); Pangalawang
Kalihim (vice secretary); mga kasanguni(councilors); Mabalasig (terrible
brother); Taliba (guard); Maniningil(collector/auditor); Tagapamahala ng Basahan
ng Bayan(custodian of the Peoples
Library); Tagapangasiwa (administrator); Manunulat(clerk); Tagatulong sa
Pagsulat (assistant clerk); Tagalaan (warden);
and Tagalibot (patroller). Each Balangay were given a chance to expand their

own spheres of influence, through triangle system in order to elevate their status
to Sangguniang Bayan. Every Balangaythat did not gain Sanggunian
Bayan status were dissolved and annexed by greater provincial or popular
councils.
The towns which supported the Katipunan cause were given symbolic names,
such as Magdiwang (To celebrate) for Noveleta;Magdalo (To come)
for Kawit; Magwagi (To win) for Naic;Magtagumpay (To succeed)
for Maragondon; Walangtinag (Never-diminished)
for Indang and Haligue (Aggregate) for Imusall are in the province of Cavite.[14]
Within the society functioned a secret chamber, which was presided over by
Bonifacio, Jacinto, and Dr. Po Valenzuela. This mysterious chamber passed
judgment upon those who had turned traitors to their oath and those accused of
certain offenses penalized by Katipunan laws. Every katipunero stood in a fearful
awe of this chamber. According to Jose P. Santos, throughout the existence of
the secret chamber, about five katipuneros were convicted and sentenced to die
be by the chamber. The death sentence was handed down in the figure of a cup
with a serpent coiled around it.

Leaders
In 1892, after the Katipunan was founded, the members of the Supreme Council
consisted of Arellano as president, Bonifacio as comptroller, Diwa as fiscal, Plata
as secretary and Daz as treasurer.
In 1893, the Supreme Council comprised Ramon Basa as president, Bonifacio as
fiscal, Jos Turiano Santiago as secretary, Vicente Molina as treasurer
and Restituto Javier, Briccio Pantas, Teodoro Gonzales. Teodoro Gonzalez, Plata
and Diwa were councilors.[16] It was during Basa's term that the society
organized a women's auxiliary section. Two of its initial members were Gregoria
de Jesus, whom Bonifacio had just married, and Marina Dizon, daughter of Jos

Dizon. It was also in 1893 when Basa and Diwa organized the provincial council
of Cavite, which would later be the most successful council of the society.
The Filipino scholar Maximo Kalaw reports that Basa yielded the presidency to
Bonifacio, who was then called Supremo, in 1894 because of a dispute over the
usefulness of the initiation rites and Bonifacio's handling of the society's funds.
Moreover, Basa refused to induct his son into the organization.
It was also in 1894 when Emilio Jacinto, a nephew of Dizon who was studying
law at the University of Santo Tomas, joined the Katipunan. He intellectualized
the society's aims and formulated the principles of the society as embodied in its
primer, called Kartilla. It was written in Tagalog and all recruits were required to
commit it to heart before they were initiated. Jacinto would later be called
the Brains of the Katipunan.
At the same time, Jacinto also edited Kalayaan (Freedom), the society's official
organ, but only one edition of the paper was issued; a second was prepared but
never printed due to the discovery of the society. Kalayaan was published through
the printing press of the Spanish newspaper Diario de Manila. This printing press
and its workers would later play an important role in the outbreak of the
revolution.
In 1895, Jos Turiano Santiago, a close personal friend of Bonifacio, was
expelled because a coded message of the Katipunan fell into the hands of a
Spanish priest teaching at the University of Santo Tomas. Since the priest was a
friend of Santiago's sister, he and his half-brother Restituto Javier were
suspected of betrayal, but the two would remain loyal to the Katipunan and
Santiago would even join the Philippine revolutionary forces in the PhilippineAmerican War. Jacinto replaced Santiago as secretary.
In early 1895, Bonifacio called a meeting of the society and deposed Basa in an
election that installed Bonifacio as president, Jacinto as Fiscal, Santiago as

secretary, Molina as secretary, Po Valenzuelaand Pantaleon Torres as

physicians, and Aguedo del Rosario and Doreteo Trinidad as councilors.
On December 31, 1895, another election named Bonafacio as president, Jacinto
as Fiscal, Santiago as secretary, Molina as secretary, Po Valenzuela and
Pantaleon Torres as physicians, and Aguedo del Rosario and Doreteo Trinidad as
councilors.
The members of the Supreme Council in 1895 were Bonifacio as president,
Valenzuela as fiscal and physician, Jacinto as secretary, and Molina as treasurer.
Enrico Pacheco, Pantaleon Torres, Balbino Florentino, Francisco Carreon and
Hermenegildo Reyes were named councilors.
Eight months later, in August 1896, the fifth and last supreme council was elected
to renamed offices. Bonifacio was named Supremo, Jacinto Sectretary of State,
Plata Secretary of War, Bricco Pantas Secretary of Justice, Aguedo del Rosario
Secretary of Interior and Enrice Pacheco Secretary of Finance.

Members
A late 19th century photograph of an armed Filipino rebels, known as theKatipuneros.

Over the next four years, the Katipunan founders would recruit new members. By
the time the society was uncovered, the American writer James Le Roy estimated
the strength of the Katipunan at 100,000 to 400,000 members. Historian Teodoro
Agoncillo estimated that the membership had increased to around 30,000 by
1896. TheIlocano writer Isabelo de los Reyes estimated membership at 15,000 to
50,000.
Aside from Manila, the Katipunan also had sizeable chapters
inBatangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac andNueva Ecija.
There were also smaller chapters in Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan and
the Bicol region. The Katipunan founders spent their free time recruiting

members. For example, Diwa, who was a clerk at a judicial court, was assigned
to the office of a justice of the peace in Pampanga. He initiated members in that
province as well as Bulacan, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija. Most of the Katipuneros
were plebeian although several wealthy patriots joined the society and submitted
themselves to the leadership of Bonifacio.
Katipunero (plural, mga Katipunero) is the demonym of a male member of the
Katipunan. Katipunera (plural, mga Katipunera) refers to female members.

Andrs Bonifacio y de Castro (November 30, 1863 May 10, 1897) was a Filipino
nationalist, revolutionary leader, and the first president of the Philippine archipelago which he
preferred naming Bansa ng Katagalugan or Tagalog Republic instead of Philippinesdue to its origin
was derived from the Spaniards. He is often called "the Father of the Philippine Revolution and
Filipino Nation". He was a founder and later Supremo ("supreme leader") of the Kataas-taasan,
Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or simply and more popularly
called Katipunan, a movement which sought the independence of the Philippines from Spanish

colonial ruleand started the Philippine Revolution.[2][3] He is considered a de facto national hero of the
Philippines,[4] and is also considered by some Filipino historians to be the first President of the
Philippines (through the revolutionary government he established), but officially he is not recognized
as such.[5][6]
Bonifacio was born in Tondo, Manila, the son of Santiago Bonifacio, a native of Taguig, and Catalina
de Castro, a native of Iba, Zambales. He was the eldest of six children. His siblings
were Ciriaco, Procopio, Troadio, Esperidiona and Maxima. His father was a tailor who served in the
colonial government as a teniente mayor of Tondo, Manila, while his mother was a supervisor at a
cigarette factory in Manila and was a mestiza born of a Spanish father and a Filipino-Chinese
mother. As was custom, upon baptism he was named for the saint on whose feast he was
born, Andrew the Apostle.

Education and early life[edit]

Bonifacio learned his alphabet through his mother's sister and he was first enrolled in a private
school of one Guillermo Osmea where he learned Latin and mathematics though his normal
schooling was cut short when he dropped out at about fourteen years old to support his siblings after
both of their parents died of illnesses one year apart.
Bonifacio was blessed with good hands in craftsmanship and visual arts that he made canes and
paper fans, which he and his young siblings sold, and he made posters for business firms. This
became their thriving family business that continued on when the men of the family, Andres, Ciriaco,
Procopio and Troadio, became employed with private and government companies which provided
them decent living condition.
In his late teens, he worked as a mandatorio for the British trading firm Fleming and Company,
where he rose to become acorregidor of tar, rattan and other goods. He later transferred to Fressell
and Company, a German trading firm, where he worked as a bodeguero (storehouse keeper) where
he is responsible for warehouse inventory. Bonifacio also founded a theater company with his
friends, Macario Sakay and Aurelio Tolentino, where he was also a part-time actor performing
in moro-moro plays.
Not finishing his normal education, Bonifacio enriched his natural intelligence with self-education. He
read books about the French Revolution, biographies of the Presidents of the United States, books
about contemporary Philippine penal and civil codes, and novels such as Victor Hugo's Les
Misrables, Eugne Sue's Le Juif errant and Jos Rizal's Noli Me Tngere and El Filibusterismo.
Aside from Tagalog and Spanish, he could speak and understand English, which he learned while
working at J.M. Fleming and Co.

Marriages[edit]
Bonifacio was married twice: first to a certain Monica of Palomar. She was Bonifacio's neighbor in
Tondo. Monica died of leprosy and they had no recorded children.
In 1892 Bonifacio, a 29-year-old widower, met the 18-year-old Gregoria de Jess, through his friend
Teodoro Plata who was his cousin. Gregoria, also called Oriang, was the daughter of a prominent
citizen and landowner from Caloocan. Gregoria's parents did not agree at first to their relationship as
Andres was a freemason and freemasons were then considered enemies of the Catholic church. Her
parents eventually gave in and Andrs and Gregoria were married through a Catholic ceremony
in Binondo Church in March 1893 or 1894. The couple also were married through Katipunan rites in
a friend's house in Sta. Cruz, Manila on the same day of their church wedding.
They had one son named Andrs, Jr., born on early 1896, who died of smallpox in infancy.

Early political activism[edit]

Main article: La Liga Filipina
In 1892 Bonifacio was one of the founding members of Rizal's La Liga Filipina, an organization
which called for political reforms in Spain's 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. He would become the chief propagandist of the revived Liga.
La Liga Filipina contributed moral and financial support to the Propaganda Movement of Filipino
reformists in Spain.
Andrs Bonifacio was also a member of Freemasonry with the lodge Taliba headed by Jose Dizon;
and his pseudonym was Sinukuan, possibly taken from a Philippine mythological character Maria
Sinukuan.

Katipunan[edit]
Main article: Katipunan
On the night of July 7, 1892, the day after Rizal's deportation was announced, Bonifacio and others
officially "founded" the Katipunan, or in full, Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang[7] Katipunan ng mga
Anak ng Bayan ("Highest and Most Respected Society of the Country's Children;" Bayan can also
denote community, people, and nation).[8] The secret society sought independence from Spain
through armed revolt.[9][10] It was influenced by Freemasonry through its rituals and organization, and

several members including Bonifacio were also Freemasons.[11] Within the society Bonifacio used the
pseudonym May pag-asa ("There is Hope").[2] Newly found documents though suggest that
Katipunan has already been existing as early as January 1892.[12][13][14]
For a time, Bonifacio worked with both the Katipunan and La Liga Filipina. La Liga eventually split
because some members like Bonifacio lost hope for peaceful reform and stopped their monetary aid.
[11]

The more conservative members, mostly wealthy members, who still believed in peaceful reforms

set up the Cuerpo de Compromisarios, which pledged continued support to the reformists in Spain.
The radicals were subsumed into the Katipunan.[9] From Manila, the Katipunan expanded to several
provinces, includingBatangas, Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija.[15] Most of its
members, called Katipuneros, came from the lower and middle classes, and many of its local
leaders were prominent figures in their municipalities. [16] At first exclusively male, membership was
later extended to females, with Bonifacio's wife Gregoria de Jess as a leading member.[17]
From the beginning, Bonifacio was one of the chief Katipunan officers, although he did not become
its Supremo (supreme leader) or Presidente Supremo (Supreme President)[18]until 1895. He was the
third head of the Katipunan after Deodato Arellano and Romn Basa. Prior to this, he served as the
society's comptroller and then as its fiscal.[19][20] The society had its own laws, bureaucratic structure
and elective leadership. For each province involved, the Katipunan Supreme Council coordinated
with provincial councils in charge of public administration and military affairs, and with local councils
in charge of affairs on the district or barrio level.[6][21]
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 Po Valenzuelacollaborated on the society's
organ, Kalayaan (Freedom), which had only one printed issue. Bonifacio wrote several pieces for the
paper, including the poem Pag-ibig sa Tinubang Lup (approx. "Love for One's Homeland[22]) under
the pseudonym Agapito Bagumbayan. The publication of Kalayaan in March 1896 led to a great
increase in the society's membership. The Katipunan movement spread throughout Luzon,
to Panay in the Visayas and even as far as Mindanao.[23] From less than 300 members in January
1896,[15] it had 30,000 to 40,000 by August 1896.[23]
The rapid increase in Katipunan activity drew the suspicion of the Spanish authorities. By early 1896,
Spanish intelligence was aware of the existence of a seditious secret society, and suspects were
kept under surveillance and arrests were made. On 3 May, Bonifacio held a general assembly
of Katipunan leaders in Pasig, where they debated when to start the revolution. While some officers,
especially Bonifacio, believed a revolution was inevitable, some members, especially Santiago
Alvarez and Emilio Aguinaldo both ofCavite, expressed reservations and disagreement regarding the

planned revolt due to lack of firearms. The consensus was to consult Jos Rizal in Dapitan before
launching armed action, so Bonifacio sent Po Valenzuela to Rizal. Rizal turned out to be against the
revolution, believing it to be premature, He recommended more preparation, but suggested that, in
the event the revolution did break out, they should seek the leadership of Antonio Luna, who was
widely regarded as a brilliant military leader.[24]

Philippine Revolution[edit]
Main article: Philippine Revolution

Start of the uprising[edit]

See also: Bonifacio Plan
The Spanish authorities confirmed the existence of the Katipunan on August 19, 1896. Hundreds of
Filipino suspects, both innocent and guilty, were arrested and imprisoned for treason. [25] Jos Rizal
was then on his way to Cuba to serve as a doctor in the Spanish colonial army in exchange for his
release from Dapitan.[26][27] When the news broke, Bonifacio first tried to convince Rizal, quarantined
aboard a ship in Manila Bay, to escape and join the imminent revolt. Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto
and Guillermo Masangkaydisguised themselves as sailors and went to the pier where Rizal's ship
was anchored. Jacinto personally met with Rizal, who rejected their rescue offer.[28] Rizal himself was
later arrested, tried and executed.[26]
Eluding an intensive manhunt, Bonifacio called thousands of Katipunan members to a mass
gathering in Caloocan, where they decided to start their uprising. 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.[29][30]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 August 29. Bonifacio appointed generals to lead rebel
forces to Manila. Other Katipunan councils were also informed of their plans. Before hostilities
erupted, Bonifacio reorganized theKatipunan into an open de facto revolutionary government and
they named the nation and its government Haring Bayang Katagalugan (loosely translates to
Tagalog Republic), with him as President and commander-in-chief (or generalissimo [18]) of the rebel
army and the Supreme Council as his cabinet.[5][6][19] On August 28, Bonifacio issued the following
general proclamation:
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 ANDRS BONIFACIO [2][31]
On August 30, 1896, Bonifacio personally led an attack on San Juan del Monte to capture the town's
powder magazine and water station (which supplied Manila). The defending Spaniards,
outnumbered, fought a delaying battle until reinforcements arrived. Once reinforced, the Spaniards
drove Bonifacio's forces back with heavy casualties. Bonifacio and his troops regrouped near
Marikina, San Mateo and Montalban.[32] Elsewhere, fighting between rebels and Spanish forces
occurred in Mandaluyong, Sampaloc, Santa Ana,Pandacan, Pateros, Marikina, Caloocan,
[33]

Makati and Taguig.[32] The conventional view among Filipino historians is that the planned

general Katipunan offensive on Manila was aborted in favor of Bonifacio's attack on San Juan del
Monte,[32][34] which sparked a general state of rebellion in the area.[35] However, more recent studies
have advanced the view that the planned offensive did push through and the rebel attacks were
integrated; according to this view, Bonifacio's San Juan del Monte battle was only a part of a bigger
whole an unrecognized "Battle for Manila".[33][36] Despite his reverses, Bonifacio was not completely
defeated and was still considered a threat. Further, the revolt had spread to the surrounding
provinces by the end of August.[33][36]

Campaigns around Manila[edit]

By December 1896, the Spanish government recognized three major centers of
rebellion: Cavite (under Mariano Alvarez, Emilio Aguinaldo and others), Bulacan (under Mariano
Llanera) and Morong (under Bonifacio). The revolt was most successful in Cavite, [37] which mostly fell
under rebel control by SeptemberOctober 1896.[38]
Apolinario Mabini, who later joined the rebels and served as Aguinaldo's adviser, wrote that the
government troops in Cavite were limited to small, scattered constabularydetachments and thus the
rebels were able to take virtually the entire province.[39] The Spanish government had transferred
much of its troops from Cavite (and other provinces) to Manila in anticipation of Bonifacio's attack.
The Cavite rebels won prestige in defeating Spanish troops in set piece battles, using tactics
like trench warfare.
While Cavite is traditionally regarded as the "Heartland of the Philippine Revolution", Manila and its
surrounding municipalities bore the brunt of the Spanish military campaign, becoming a no man's
land. Rebels in the area were generally engaged in hit-and-run guerrilla warfare against Spanish
positions in Manila, Morong, Nueva Ecija and Pampanga.[38] From Morong, Bonifacio served

as tactician for rebel guerrillas and issued commands to areas other than his personal sector,
[6]

though his reputation suffered when he lost battles he personally led.[40]

From September to October 1896, Bonifacio supervised the establishment of Katipunan mountain
and hill bases like Balara in Marikina, Pantayanin in Antipolo, Ugong in Pasig and Tungko in
Bulacan. Bonifacio appointing generals for these areas, or approving selections the troops
themselves made.[18]
On November 7, 1896 Bonifacio led an assault on San Mateo, Marikina and Montalban. The
Spanish were forced to retreat, leaving these areas to the rebels, except for the municipal hall of San
Mateo where some Spanish troops had barricaded. While Bonifacio's troops laid siege to the hall,
other Katipunan forces set up defensive lines along the nearby Langka (or Nangka) river against
Spanish reinforcements coming from the direction of Marikina. After three days, Spanish
counterattacks broke through the Langka river lines. The Spanish troops thus recaptured the rebel
positions and surprised Bonifacio in San Mateo, who ordered a general retreat to Balara. [18] They
were pursued, and Bonifacio was nearly killed shielding Emilio Jacinto from a Spanish bullet which
grazed his collar.[32]
In Balara, Bonifacio commissioned Julio Nakpil to compose a national anthem. Nakpil produced a
hymn called Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan ("Honorable Hymn of the Tagalogs") and became the
official national anthem during the entire period of the revolution until it was replaced years later by
another national anthem commissioned by the new Republica Filipina government that replaced the
Haring Bayang Katagalugan.[41]

Bonifacio in Cavite[edit]
There were two Katipunan provincial chapters in Cavite that became rival factions: the Magdalo,
headed by Emilio Aguinaldo's cousin Baldomero Aguinaldo, and the Magdiwang, headed by Mariano
lvarez, uncle of Bonifacio's wife. Leaders of both factions came from the upper class, in contrast to
Bonifacio, who came from the lower middle class. After initial successes, Emilio Aguinaldo issued a
manifesto in the name of the Magdalo ruling council which proclaimed a provisional and
revolutionary government despite the existence of the Katipunan government. Emilio Aguinaldo in
particular had won fame for victories in the province. [42] The Magdalo and Magdiwang clashed over
authority and jurisdiction and did not help each other in battle. Bonifacio, as the recognized overall
leader of the revolution, was invited by the Cavite leaders to mediate between them and unify their
efforts. After multiple letters were sent to Bonifacio urging him to come, in December 1896 he
traveled to Cavite accompanied by his wife, his brothers Procopio and Ciriaco, and some troops,
including Emilio Jacinto, Bonifacio's secretary and right-hand man. Jacinto was said to be against
Bonifacio's expedition to Cavite.

In Cavite, friction grew between Bonifacio and the Magdalo leaders. Apolinario Mabini, who later
served as Emilio Aguinaldo's adviser, writes that at this point the Magdaloleaders "already paid little
heed to his authority and orders."[39] Bonifacio was partial to the Magdiwang, perhaps due to his
kinship ties with Mariano lvarez,[43] or more importantly, due to their stronger recognition of his
authority.[44] When Aguinaldo and Edilberto Evangelista went to receive Bonifacio at Zapote, they
were irritated with what they regarded as his attitude of superiority. In his memoirs Aguinaldo wrote
that Bonifacio acted "as if he were a king".[45][46] Another time, Bonifacio ordered the arrest of
oneKatipunan general from Laguna surnamed Fernandez, who was accompanying
the Magdalo leaders in paying their respect to Bonifacio, for failing to support his attack in Manila,
but the other Magdalo leaders refused to surrender him. Townspeople
in Noveleta (a Magdiwang town) acclaimed Bonifacio as the ruler of the Philippines, to the chagrin of
theMagdalo leaders, (Bonifacio replied: "long live Philippine Liberty!"). [46] Aguinaldo disputed with
Bonifacio over strategic troop placements and blamed him for the capture of the town of Silang.
[45]

The Spanish, through Jesuit Superior Pio Pi, wrote to Aguinaldo about the possibility of peace

negotiations.[45] When Bonifacio found out, he and theMagdiwang council rejected the proposed
peace talks. Bonifacio was also angered that the Spanish considered Aguinaldo the "chief of the
rebellion" instead of him.[45] However, Aguinaldo continued to arrange negotiations which never took
place.[47] Bonifacio believed Aguinaldo was willing to surrender the revolution. [47]
Bonifacio was also subject to rumors that he had stolen Katipunan funds, his sister was the mistress
of a priest, and he was an agent provocateur paid by friars to foment unrest. Also circulated were
anonymous letters which told the people of Cavite not to idolize Bonifacio because he was a Mason,
a mere Manila employee, allegedly an atheist, and uneducated. According to these letters, Bonifacio
did not deserve the title of Supremo since only God was supreme. This last allegation was made
despite the fact that Supremowas meant to be used in conjunction with Presidente, i.e. Presidente
Supremo (Supreme President) to distinguish the president of the Katipunan Supreme Council from
council presidents of subordinate Katipunan chapters like the Magdalo and Magdiwang.[44] Bonifacio
suspected the rumor-mongering to be the work of the Magdalo leader Daniel Tirona. He confronted
Tirona, whose airy reply provoked Bonifacio to such anger that he drew a gun and would have shot
Tirona if others had not intervened.[48][49]
On December 31, Bonifacio and the Magdalo and Magdiwang leaders held a meeting in Imus,
ostensibly to determine the leadership of Cavite in order to end the rivalry between the two factions.
The issue of whether the Katipunan should be replaced by a revolutionary government was brought
up by the Magdalo, and this eclipsed the rivalry issue. TheMagdalo argued that the Katipunan, as a
secret society, should have ceased to exist once the Revolution was underway. They also held that
Cavite should not be divided. Bonifacio and the Magdiwang contended that the Katipunan served as
their revolutionary government since it had its own constitution, laws, and provincial and municipal

governments. Edilberto Evangelista presented a draft constitution for the proposed government to
Bonifacio but he rejected it as it was too similar to the Spanish Maura Law. Upon the event of
restructuring, Bonifacio was given carte blanche to appoint a committee tasked with setting up a new
government; he would also be in charge of this committee. He tasked Emilio Aguinaldo to record the
minutes of the meeting and requested for it to establish this authority, but these were never done
and never provided.[50][51]

Tagalog Republic[edit]
Influenced by Freemasonry, the Katipunan had been organized with "its own laws, bureaucratic
structure and elective leadership".[52] For each province it involved, the Supreme Council coordinated
provincial councils[53] which were in charge of "public administration and military affairs on the supramunicipal or quasi-provincial level"[52] and local councils,[53] in charge of affairs "on the district
or barrio level".[52]
In the last days of August, the Katipunan members met in Caloocan and decided to start their
revolt[52] (the event was later called the "Cry of Balintawak" or "Cry of Pugad Lawin"; the exact
location and date are disputed). A day after the Cry, the Supreme Council of the Katipunan held
elections, with the following results:[52][53]

Position

Name

President / Supremo

Andrs Bonifacio

Secretary of War

Teodoro Plata

Secretary of State

Emilio Jacinto

Secretary of the Interior

Aguedo del Rosario

Secretary of Justice

Briccio Pantas

Secretary of Finance

Enrique Pacheco

The above was divulged to the Spanish by the Katipunan member Po Valenzuela while in captivity.
[52][53]

Teodoro Agoncillo thus wrote:

Immediately before the outbreak of the revolution, therefore, Bonifacio org

Milagros C. Guererro and others have described Bonifacio as "effectively" the commander-in-chief of
the revolutionaries. They assert:

As commander-in-chief, Bonifacio supervised the planning of military strate

"Presidente" Bonifacio in La Ilustracin Espaola y Americana, February 8, 1897

One name for Bonifacio's concept of the Philippine nation-state appears in

surviving Katipunan documents: Haring Bayang Katagalugan ("Sovereign Nation of Katagalugan", or
"Sovereign Tagalog Nation") - sometimes shortened into Haring Bayan ("Sovereign
Nation"). Bayan may be rendered as "nation" or "people". Bonifacio is named as the president of the
"Tagalog Republic" in an issue of the Spanish periodical La Ilustracin Espaola y

Americana published in February 1897 ("Andrs Bonifacio - Titulado "Presidente" de la Repblica

Tagala"). Another name for Bonifacio's government was Repblika ng Katagalugan (another form of
"Tagalog Republic") as evidenced by a picture of a rebel seal published in the same periodical the
next month.[52][53]
Official letters and one appointment paper of Bonifacio addressed to Emilio Jacinto reveal
Bonifacio's various titles and designations, as follows: [52][53]

President of the Supreme Council

Supreme President

President of the Sovereign Nation of Katagalugan / Sovereign Tagalog Nation

President of the Sovereign Nation, Founder of the Katipunan, Initiator of the Revolution

Office of the Supreme President, Government of the Revolution

An 1897 power struggle in Cavite led to command of the revolution shifting to Emilio Aguinaldo at
the Tejeros Convention, where a new government was formed. Bonifacio was executed after he
refused to recognize the new government. The Aguinaldo-headed Philippine
Republic (Spanish:Repblica Filipina), usually considered the "First Philippine Republic", was
formally established in 1899, after a succession of revolutionary and dictatorial governments (e.g.
the Tejeros government, the Biak-na-Bato Republic) also headed by Aguinaldo.

The Tejeros Convention[edit]

Main article: Tejeros Convention
The rebel leaders held another meeting in a friar estate house in Tejeros on March 22, 1897 on the
pretense of more discussion between the Magdalo and Magdiwang, but really to settle the issue of
leadership of the revolution.[55] Amidst insinuations that the Katipunan government
was monarchical or dictatorial, Bonifacio maintained it was republican. According to him, all its
members of whatever rank followed the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity, upon
which republicanism is founded.[18] He presided over the elections that followed, despite his
misgivings over the lack of representation by other provinces.[56] Before elections started, he asked
that the results be respected by everyone, and all agreed. The Cavite leaders voted their own Emilio
Aguinaldo President in absentia, as he was in the battlefield.[55][57][58] That revolutionary government,
now known as theRepublic of Biak-na-Bato, styled itself as the Philippine Republic or Republic of the
Philippines. It lasted just over a month. A later revolutionary government now commonly known as

the First Philippine Republic and also with Aguinaldo as President was inaugurated on January 23,
1899 as the Republica Filipina (Philippine Republic).[59] That later government is now considered to
be the first Republic of the Philippines, the present-day government of the Philippines being the fifth.
Bonifacio received the second-highest number of votes for President. Though it was suggested that
he be automatically be awarded the Vice Presidency, no one seconded the motion and elections
continued. Mariano Tras of the Magdalo (originally Magdiwang) was elected Vice President.
Bonifacio was the last to be elected, as Director of the Interior. Daniel Tirona, who had helped
distribute the ballots, protested Bonifacio's election to Director of the Interior on the grounds that the
position should not be occupied by a person without a lawyer's diploma. Tirona suggested a
prominent Cavite lawyer for the position. Hurt and angered, Bonifacio demanded an apology, since
the voters had agreed to respect the election results. Tirona ignored Bonifacio's demand for apology
which drove Bonifacio to draw his gun and again nearly shot Tirona, who hid among the people, but
he was restrained by Artemio Ricarte of the Magdiwang, who had been elected Captain-General.
[60]

As people left the room, Bonifacio declared: "I, as chairman of this assembly and as President of

the Supreme Council of the Katipunan, as all of you do not deny, declare this assembly dissolved,
and I annul all that has been approved and resolved."[60][61]
The next day, Aguinaldo surreptitiously took his oath of office as President in a chapel officiated by a
Catholic priest Cenon Villafranca who was under the authority of the Roman pope. [62]:109 According to
Gen. Santiago Alvarez, guards were posted outside with strict instructions not to let in any unwanted
partisan from the Magdiwang faction while the oath-taking took place. [63] Artemio Ricarte also took his
office "with great reluctance" and made a declaration that he found the Tejeros elections "dirty or
shady" and "not been in conformity with the true will of the people."[64] Meanwhile, Bonifacio met with
his remaining supporters and drew up the Acta de Tejeros (Act of Tejeros) wherein they gave their
reasons for not accepting the election results. Bonifacio alleged the election was fraudulent due to
cheating and accused Aguinaldo of treason due to his negotiations with the Spanish. [65] In their
memoirs Santiago lvarez (son of Mariano) and Gregoria de Jess both alleged that many ballots
were already filled out before being distributed, and Guillermo Masangkay contended there were
more ballots prepared than voters present. lvarez writes that Bonifacio had been warned by a
Cavite leader Diego Mojica of the rigged ballots before the votes were canvassed, but he had done
nothing.[18][66]
Aguinaldo later sent a delegation to Bonifacio to get him to cooperate, but the latter refused.
[67]

Bonifacio appointed Emilio Jacinto general of the rebel forces in Manila, Morong, Bulacan and

Nueva Ecija.[68] In Naik, Bonifacio met with Artemio Ricarte and others, including generals Po del
Pilar and Mariano Noriel of the Magdalo who had gone over to his side.[45] Bonifacio asserted his
leadership of the revolution with the Naik Military Agreement, a document which appointed Pio del
Pilar commander-in-chief of the revolutionary forces.[68] Bonifacio's meeting was interrupted by

Aguinaldo himself, and del Pilar and Noriel promptly returned to Aguinaldo's fold. [45] In late April
Aguinaldo fully assumed presidential office after consolidating his position among the Cavite elite
most of Bonifacio's Magdiwang supporters declaring allegiance to Aguinaldo.[69] Aguinaldo's
government then ordered the arrest of Bonifacio, who was then moving out of Cavite. [67][68]

Cry of BALINTAWAK

Cry of Balintawak
Monday 27 September 2004, by catseye

On 23 of August 1896, Bonifacio and his fellow katipuneros tore their cedulas (residence
certificate) during their revolution: "Long live the Philippines". This was marked as the
historic "Cry of Balintawak", which actually occurred in Pugadlawin. Thus it is also called
"Sigaw ng Pugadlawin".