THE PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION

(1896-1898)

The Philippine Revolution began on August 1896, when Spanish authorities discovered Katipunan, an
anti-colonial secret organization. The Katipunan, led by Andres Bonifacio was a liberationist movement
whose goal was independence from Spain through armed revolt.

The Katipunan

The arrest and exile of Jose Rizal was considered by the reformists as the end of the peaceful campaign
for reforms.

Andres Bonifacio, a self-educated man of humble origin, decided to break off from the La Liga and
founded a secret society, the Katipunan.

In full conviction the radical measures had to be employed to liberate the Philippines from the
tyrannical rule of Spaniards, Andres Bonifacio called all his supporters to attend a meeting held on the
night of July 7, 1892.

 Basically, the structure of the Katipunan was more of a governmental network comprised of
three bodies.

1. The Kataastaasang Sanggunian of the Supreme Council

2. The Sangguniang Bayan of Provincial Council

3. The Sangguniang Balangay or Popular Council

Triangle Method

Recruitment of members was done through the triangle method where a member would take in two
new members. Each one had no knowledge of the order but both knew the original member who
recruited them.

The increase in the number of membership prompted Bonifacio to divide the members into three
grades. These were:

Katipon (associate) - First degree members. Other symbols: Black hood, revolver and/or bolo.

Kawal (soldier) - Second degree members. Other symbols: green rib boned-medallion with
Malayan K inscription.

Bayani (patriot) - Third degree members. Other symbols: Red hood and sash, with green borders.

 The first flag of the Katipunan was

made by Benita Rodriguez and

Gregoria de Jesus, wife of Bonifacio.

 One of the most interesting Katipunan flags was the Llanera Flag.

It was made by General Mariano Llanera.

 That of General Pio del Pilar had an equilateral triangle with a K at each angle.

The Katipunan had three main goals.

 One was to free the Philippines from Spain with the use of force if necessary.

 Second, the full indoctrination of its members on its prime goal and to teach them to
use weapons.

 The third was on the moral or spiritual goal.

 The Women of the Katipunan

 In the middle of 1893, Bonifacio by then married to his second wife, opened the membership of
the Katipunan to patriotic women but was limited to the wives, daughters or close relatives of
the Katipuneros.

 The women’s chapter of the Katipunan was formed in July 1893.

 Only about thirty females were recorded as members.

 They helped in recruiting more members and guarded the secret documents of the society at
the risk of their lives.

 During meetings, they wore green masks and white sashes with green borders.

 When the revolution broke out, they acted as nurse and provided food for the fighting
Katipuneros.

 Among the prominent members were:

 Josefa (President) and Trinidad Rizal (Sisters of Rizal)

 Gregoria de Jesus (Vice President, wife of Bonifacio and regarded as the “Lakambini of
the Katipunan”)

 Marina Dizon (Secretary)

 Angelica Rizal Lopez (Fiscal) and Delfina Herbosa (niece of Rizal).

 Given due credit for her outstanding

humanitarian service for the Katipunan

was Melchora Aquino popularly

called Tandang Sora.

 Though aged (80 years old), she untiringly offered

her remaining strength making her house a refuge for the escaping Katipuneros.

 She fed them and nursed the wounded Filipino fighters.

 She gained recognition as the Mother of the Katipunan.

 POLICY OF REPRESSION

 Governor-General Blanco immediately placed the eight provinces where the revolution
started under military control.

 A policy of repression was soon enforced where hundreds were arrested and tortured.

 Luneta became the scene of many executions of the first Katipunan martyrs.

 Among the prominent Katipuneros executed at the Luneta were Sancho Valenzuela, Eugenio
Silvestre, Modesto Sarmiento, and Ramon Peralta.

 In Cavite, the execution of thirteen patriots on September 12 had been historically

remembered since then as the `` Los Trece Martires de Cavite’’.

 The Madrid government sent General Camilio Polavieja to replace Blanco on December 13,
1896.

 General Camilio Polavieja was an able soldier but tactless and ruthless governor-general.

 A counterpart in Bicol of the “Los Trece Martires’’ was the execution of the twelve Bicolano
rebels on January 4, 1897. This came to be called the “Twelve Bicol Martyrs”. Another
counterpart was that in Kalibo, Kapis where nineteen patriots were shot to death.

 Under Polavieja, Cavite soon became a major battlefield and fierce fighting ensued between
the rebels and the Spanish troops. By the end of March 1897, Aguinaldo suffered reverse at
the hand of Spanish troop.

POWER STRUGGLE
IN CAVITE

 The two factions in Cavite, which was headed by leaders who operated independently from
one another.

 The Magdalo Faction with headquarters at Cavite el Viejo (now Kawit) was headed by
Baldomero Aguinaldo.

 It jurisdiction included the towns of Imus, Bacoor, Perez- Dasmarinas, Silang, Mendez-Nunez
and Amado.

 The Magdiwang Faction with base at Noveleta had jurisdiction on the remaining towns of
Cavite and Suburban areas such as Batangas and Morong under the leadership of Mariano
Alvarez.

 The political differences of the two factions affected the battles fought with corresponding
reverses beginning the early days of January 1897.

 Artemio Recarte and Mariano Alvarez requested the intervention of Bonifacio to settle the
feud. Thus, the meeting ended in frustration.

 Bonifacio demanded that the said position be given to Jose del Rosario, a lawyer for Cavite .

TEJEROS
CONVENTION

Held at Tejeros San Francisco de Malabon, and presided by Bonifacio, on March 22, 1897.

 Bonifacio acceded to the Magdalo proposal on the transformation of Katipunan into a

revolutionary government and called for an election of new sets of officials, to restore goodwill
in the rank and file.

 A new set of officers for the Revolutionary Government were elected with, Emilio Aguinaldo as
president (by then not in the meeting) Mariano Trias as vice pres., Artemio Recarte for Capitan
General, Andres Bonifacio got the Director of the Interior.

 All the newly elected officers were proclaimed except for Bonifacio, because Daniel Tirona (a
Magdalo) called off the ceremony and strongly objected to the position given to Bonifacio.
 DUAL LEADERSHIP
IN THE
REVOLUTIONARY
GOVERNMENT

 In spite of Bonifacio’s declaration of the Tejeros Convention being null and void, Aguinaldo
and the rest of the newly elected officers ( all cavitenos) took their oath at Santa Cruz
Malabon (now Tanza) on March 23.

 Acta de Tejeros

 A document that Bonifacio and his men drew up.

 It denounced the anomalies of the election held on the previous day.

 Bonifacio proceeded to Naic and there formulated another document which provided for a
government other than that established at Tejeros.

 The Naic Military agreement declared Bonifacio as the head of the duly recognized Katipunan
government in the entire archipelago.

 The two revolutionary governments existed by then, each separately headed by two leaders.
From Naic, Bonifacio moved to Limbon, a barrio near the town of Indang.

 Andres, by the 34 years old, met his tragic fate.

 In retrospect, if by then he had left Cavite much earlier, the tide of events would have been
altered knowing the fact that he had much following than Aguinaldo. Also, Cavite was not at
all solid in support with Aguinaldo owing greatly to the factional leadership in Cavite. Even
after the proclamation of Aguinaldo as the new head of the revolutionary movement, the
Magdiwang faction was loyal to Bonifacio.

 The courageous fight put up by Bonifacio that shook for the first time the entire foundation of
Spanish colonial rule made his death worth remembering to all Filipinos and earned for him
the due recognition of being the Father of the Philippine Revolution.

THE STRUGGLES CONTINUE

 At the height of the war skirmishes, the colonial government experienced crisis in leadership.

 General Polavieja was replaced by Primo de Rivera, an able veteran military general who
arrived on April 23, 1897.

 With de Rivera personally in-charge of the military operations in Cavite, the revolutionary
force was pushed from one town to another.

 Although a greater part of Cavite was placed under the hands of the Spaniards, the fighting's
continued in other parts of the country.

 The revolution dragged on and made the Spaniards grew weary and tired

 Not long after, this flowed into the main chain of command that eventually forced the colonial
government to find another way to end the revolution, this time with the use of diplomacy.

The Biak na Bato Republic

In July 1897, Aguinaldo established the Biak-na-Bato Republic and issued a proclamation stating the
following demands:

▪ Expulsion of the friars and the return of the friar lands to the Filipinos.

▪ Representation of the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes.

▪ Freedom of the press and of religion.

▪ Abolition of the government’s power to banish Filipinos.

▪ Equality for all before the law.

 THE BIAK NA BATO CONSTITUTION

 Constitution based on the Cuban Constitution

 Drafted by Felix Ferrer and Isabelo Artacho

 Signed on November 1, 1897

The Constitution provided a: Supreme Council

Emilio Aguinaldo Mariano Trias

President Vice President

THE TRUCE OF BIAK NA BATO

 On December 14, 1897, created a truce between Spanish colonial Governor-General Fernando
Primo de Rivera and the revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo to end the Philippine
Revolution.

Provisions:

 That Aguinaldo and his companions would go into voluntary exile abroad.

 That Governor-General Primo de Rivera would pay the sum of P800,000 to the rebels in three
installments:

1. $400,000 (Mexican) to Aguinaldo upon his departure from Biak-na-Bato,

2. $200,000 (Mexican) when the arms surrendered by the revolutionists amounted to 800 stand,
and

3. The remaining $200,000 (Mexican) when the arms surrendered amounted to 1,000 stand, Te
Deum in the Cathedral in Manila as thanksgiving for the restoration of peace.

 That Primo de Rivera would pay the additional sum of P900, 000 to the families of the non-
combatant Filipinos who suffered during the armed conflict.

Unsung and Forgotten Heroes

Procopio C. Bonifacio

 brother of Andres Bonifacio.

 was the organizer of the Katipunan branch in kawit, cavite. He also headed the tanglaw, one
of two sections of Laong-Laan Council, a top post in the Katipunan hierarchy.

Telesforo Chuidian (1855-1903)

 He was known to be the biggest financier of the revolution. A replica of Kapitan Tiago in
Rizal’s Noli me Tangere.

Leona Florentino (1849-1884)

A poetess from Ilokandia, Leona gave the Philippines world recognition for her literary pieces
exhibited in the Exposiscion General de Filipinas held in Madrid in 1887 and another one at the
International Exposition in Paris in 1889

Espiridiona Bonifacio (1875-1956)

 She was a member of the women branch of the Katipunan who took an active role as watcher
and arms dispatcher.

Domingo Abella (1872-1897)

 A native bicolano, Domingo was among the cream of the crop of the Katipunan.