BONIFACIO AND THE KATIPUNAN

(1892 – 1896)

• The failure of the reform movement led even reformist like Marcelo H. del Pilar to think of
revolution.

• “Insurrection,” Del Pilar wrote in La Solidaridad, “ is the last remedy, especially when the people
have acquired the belief that peaceful means to secure the remedies for evils prove futile.”

• Del Pilar’s warning of insurrection no longer seemed a far – fetched idea. By 1892, the struggle
changed its course from reform to revolution.

• Upon Rizal’s arrest and exile in Dapitan, an unknown member of the Liga, Andres Bonifacio, saw
the futility of continuing the peaceful campaign for reforms.

• Bonifacio had a different idea; he would teach the people to depend on themselves for their
salvation. He wanted an organization unlike those which depended on Spanish goodwill for a
solution.

• Thus was organized the Katipunan – the revolutionary society responsible for the Philippine
Revolution of 1896.

THE FOUNDING OF THE KATIPUNAN

• On July 7, 1892, the newspaper published the news about the arrest of Rizal the previous night
and the governor – general’s order to banish him to Dapitan.

• That night, a small group of patriotic Filipinos met at a house on Azcarraga Street, Manila and
decided to create a secret society.

• These men were Andres Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, Deodato
Arellano, and one or two others.

• All of them belonged to the lower class of the society. Arellano was the most educated among
them.

• They organized a society called Kataastaasan Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng

Bayan ("Supreme and Venerable Association of the Children of the Nation").

• They performed a blood compact to seal the brotherhood.

• The members, at first, agreed that they would recruit Filipinos to become members through a
method called triangle system.

• Later, a new system of recruiting members similar to masonry was adopted to speed up the
process of enlisting members.

• It was also agreed that each member would pay a membership fee and monthly dues.

THE AIMS AND STRUCTURE OF THE KATIPUNAN

 • Andres Bonifacio, who conceived the idea of organizing the society laid down three primary
objectives of the Katipunan: civic, political, and moral.

• The civic objective was based on the principle of self – help and the defense of the weak and the
poor.

• The political objective was the separation of the Philippines from Spain, that is, to secure the
independence of the colony.

• The moral objective focused on the teaching of good manners, hygiene, and good moral
character.

The Katipunan Government

• Andres Bonifacio borrowed the structure of La Liga Filipina.

• The Katipunan had three governing bodies: the Kataastaasang Sanggunian or Supreme Council,
the Sangguniang Bayan or Provincial Council, and the Sangguniang Balangay or Popular
Council.

• There was a Judicial Council, called Sangguniang Hukuman,which passed judgment on members
who violated the rules of the Society.

• The Katipunan Assembly, on the other hand, was composed of the members of the Supreme
Council and the presidents of the Provincial and the Popular Councils.

• The Secret Chamber, composed of Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and Pio Valenzuela. The Chamber
sentenced members who exposed the secrets of the Katipunan. Usually, expulsion from the
society was the punishment meted out to erring members who could not keep secrets.

The Katipunan Elections

• When the Katipunan had enough members a set of officers elected.

• The elected officers of the first Supreme Council were the following:

• President/Supremo: Deodato Arellano

• Comptroller: Andres Bonifacio

• Fiscal: Ladislao Diwa

• Secretary: Teodoro Plata

• Treasurer: Valentin Diaz

• Chamber: A council or other body that meets for legislative or judicial purposes.

• Comptroller: title of financial officer

• Fiscal: A legal official in the treasury

• As months passed, Bonifacio observed that Arellano, being a very busy man, was not very active
in the Society. So, early in 1893 Bonifacio, through an election, moved to replace Arellano.
 • The officers of this second Supreme Council were as follows:

• Supremo: Roman Basa

• Fiscal: Bonifacio

• Secretary: Jose Turiano Santiago

• Treasurer: Vicente Molina

• Councilors: Briccio Brigido Pantas, Restituto Javier, Teodoro Plata, Teodoro Gonzales,
and Ladislao Diwa.

• Early in 1895, Bonifacio, not contented with the performance of Basa as Supremo, had himself
elected to replace Basa. He remained the Supremo of the Katipunan until the establishment of a
revolutionary government in Tejeros, Cavite.

Membership

• The Katipunan members were of three kinds: the first grade was called katipon; the second
grade was kawal; and the third grade was bayani.

• The password of the Katipon was “Anak ng Bayan”; that of the kawal was “Gom – Bur – Za”; and
that of bayani was “Rizal.”

• In order to recognize each other in the streets, a member meeting another member placed the
palm of his right hand on his breast and, as he passed the other member, he closed the hands to
bring the right index finger and thumb together.

• The Katipon (literally: Associate) which is the lowest rank, the Kawal (soldier), and

the Bayani (Hero or Patriot).

• In the meeting of the society, Katipon wore a black hood with a triangle of white ribbon having
the letters "Z. Ll. B.", corresponding to the roman "A. N. B.", meaning Anak ng̃ Bayan (Son of the
People)

• Kawal wore a green hood with a triangle having white lines and the letters "Z. LL. B." at the
three angles of the triangle, and also wore a green ribbon with a medal with the letter 
(ka) in Baybayin script above a depiction of a crossed sword and flag. The password
was Gom-Bur-Za, taken from the names of the three martyrs Mariano Gomez, Jose
Burgos and Jacinto Zamora. 
 KAWAL

• Bayani (Hero) wore a red mask and a sash with green borders, symbolizing courage and hope.
The front of the mask had white borders that formed a triangle with three Ks arranged as if
occupying the angles of a triangle within a triangle, and with the letters "Z. Ll. B." below.
Another password was Rizal. 

Color designations:

•      Katipon. First degree members. Other symbols: Black hood, revolver and/or bolo.

•      Kawal. Second degree members. Other symbols: green ribboned-medallion with

Malayan K inscription.

•            Bayani. Third degree members. Other symbols: Red hood and sash, with green borders.

The Katipunan Codes

• Bonifacio invented a system of writing which would make it difficult for the Spaniards to read
the Katipunan letters or any written communication. The first secret code invented by Bonifacio
was the following:
 • Three more Katipunan alphabets were devised by Bonifacio, the last of which was made in
Cavite in March 1897.

• The changes in the codes of the Katipunan were necessitated by the discovery of the previous
codes by the Spaniards and, later, by people considered as enemies by the Katipunan.

THE TEACHINGS OF THE KATIPUNAN

• To guide the Katipuneros in leading a highly moral life, Bonifacio prepared some sort of Ten
Commandments for the members. He called these “commandments” Katungkulang Gagawin ng
mga Anak ng Bayan (Duties of the Sons of the People)

1. Love God with all your heart.

2. Bear always in mind that the love of God is also love of country, and this, too, is love of
one’s fellowmen.

3. Engrave in your heart that the true measure of honor and happiness is to die for the
freedom of your country.

4. All your good wishes will be crowned with success if you have serenity, constancy, reason,
and faith in your acts and endeavor.

5. Guard the mandates and aims of the K.K.K as you guard your honor.

6. It is the duty of all to defend, at the risk of their own lives and wealth, anyone who runs
great risks in the performance of his duty.

7. Our responsibility to ourselves and the performance of our duties will be the example set for
our fellowmen to follow.

8. Insofar, as it is within your power, share your means with the poor and the unfortunate.
 9. Diligence in the work that gives sustenance to you is the true basis of love – love for your
own self, for your wife and children, and for your brothers and countrymen.

10. Punish any scoundrel and traitor and praise all good work. Believe, likewise, that the aims of
the K.K.K. are God – given, for the will of the people is also the will of God.

 Emilio Jacinto, Bonifacio’s close friend and right – hand man wrote the Kartilla which consisted
of thirteen teachings.
 Members of the society were expected to take the teachings to heart. Here are the important
portions of the Kartilla.
 These two writings of the two great Katipuneros constituted the teachings of the Katipunan.
 Below is the translated version of the rules in Kartilya
1. The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and reasonable purpose is a tree without a shade,
if not a poisonous weed.
2. To do good for personal gain and not for its own sake is not virtue.
3. It is rational to be charitable and love one’s fellow creature, and to adjust one’s conduct,
acts and words to what is in itself reasonable.
4. Whether our skin be black or white, we are all born equal: superiority in knowledge, wealth
and beauty are to be understood, but not superiority by nature.
5. The honorable man prefers honor to personal gain; the scoundrel gain, to honor.
6. To the honorable man, his word is sacred.
7. Do not waste thy time: wealth can be recovered but not time lost.
8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor before the law or in field.
9. The prudent man is sparing in words and faithful in keeping secrets.
10. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of woman and the children, and if the guide
leads to the precipice, those whom he guides will also go there.
11. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere playing, but as a faithful companion who will
share with thee the penalties of life; her (physical) weakness will increase thy interest in her
and she will remind thee of the mother who bore thee and reared thee.
12. What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife, children, brothers that do not unto the wife,
children, brothers and sisters of thy neighbor.
13. Man is not worth more because he is a king, because his nose is aquiline, and his color
white, not because of the high prerogative that he enjoys upon earth, but he is worth most
who is a man of proven and real value, who does good, keeps his words, is worthy and
honest; he who does not oppress nor consent to being oppressed, he who loves and
cherishes his fatherland, though he be born in the wilderness and know no tongue but his
own.
14. When these rules of conduct shall be known to all, the longed for sun of Liberty shall rise
brilliant over this most unhappy portion of the globe and its rays shall diffuse everlasting joy
among the confederated brethren of the same rays, the lives of those who have gone
before, the fatigues and the well – paid sufferings will remain. If he who desires to enter has
informed himself of all this and believes he will be able to perform what will be his duties,
he may fill out the application for admission.
THE WOMEN OF THE KATIPUNAN

• To minimize the danger of exposing the Society to women who could not be relied upon,
Bonifacio decided that only the wife, sister, daughter of the Katipunero, and a few elected
women could be eligible for membership.

• The Katipunera’s duty, aside from helping the male members in their work of propagating the
ideas and the ideal of the Society, was to make the police authorities believe that no Katipunan
meeting was being held in a house.

• Among the prominent women members of the Katipunan were:

• President: Josefa Rizal

• Vice – President: Gregoria de Jesus

• Secretary: Marina Dizon

• Fiscal: Angelica Lopez Rizal

• Gregoria de Jesus, in particular, frequently risked her life by keeping Katipunan

documents in her person at a time when the Spanish authorities were watching the
movements of the members.

THE KALAYAAN

• Bonifacio and Jacinto believed that they could easily propagate their revolutionary ideas by
having a printing press.

• Candido Iban and Francisco del Castillo, who won one thousand pesos in a lottery gave the
Katipunan the money to purchase a printing press.

• Two experienced printers, Ulpiano Fernandez and Faustino Doque, both Katipuneros, managed
the press.

• Dr. Pio Valenzuela suggested the name of the newspaper, Kalayaan.

• The newspaper, written in tagalog, came out in the middle of March 1896.

• The Kalayaan contained articles written in Bonifacio, Jacinto and Valenzuela.

• To mislead the Spanish authorities, they put Yokohama as the place of publication and Marcelo
H. del Pilar as the editor.

• They did not sign their true names for fear that Katipunan might be discovered.

• Jacinto used the pen names Pingkian and Dimas – ilaw; Bonifacio used Agapito Bagumbayan;
and Valenzuela used Madlang – Away.

• After the distribution of the Kalayaan in Pampanga, Tarlac, and in the Tagalog provinces, from
Manila in the center to Nueva Ecija on the north, and Batangas on the south, the total
membership reached about 30,000.
 • The Kalayaan had done its duty before it was destroyed by Fernandez and Duque to prevent the
Spanish authorities from confiscating it.

TWO SOULS OF THE KATIPUNAN

Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto

Andres Bonifacio

• He was born on November 30, 1863 in a small nipa house on what is now Azcarraga Street near
the present Manila Railroad station.

• His parents, Santiago Bonifacio and Catalina de Castro, belonged to the lower middle class.

• His mother, Catalina was Spanish – Chinese of Filipino origin from Zambales, and worked at a
cigarette factory.

• His father, Santiago was a tailor, a boatman, and a former municipal official of Tondo.

• Bonifacio’s parents died while he was in his teens. As such, he had to support the family which
consisted of himself, his brothers, Ciriaco, Procorpio, and Troadio, and his sisters, Espiridiona
and Maxima.

• He sold canes and paper fans in his early years. Because of his poverty, he was not able to finish
the equivalent of grade four today.

• He worked as a messenger of J.M. Fleming and Co., an English trading firm; and later, as an
agent of the German trading firm, Fressl and Co.

• At night, he read newspapers and books, which were all written in Spanish. He taught himself to
read and write in this language, and in time he became literate in Spanish.

• Unlike Rizal and other reformists who were anti – friar but not anti – colonial rule as a whole,
Bonifacio was anti – friar and anti – Spanish. He hated all Spaniards, whether they were friars,
civil employees, or officials. To him, they were all the same : greedy, immoral, cruel, and lazy.

• The Revolution of 1896 was, therefore, the Katipunan Revolution, for it was the Katipunan that
sowed the seeds of the national independence in the minds of the masses.

• As a founder and later as supremo of the Katipunan, Bonifacio may be rightly regarded as a
leading thinker of the Revolution of 1896.

Emilio Jacinto

• The twin soul of Bonifacio in the Katipunan.

• Born in Tondo, Manila on December 15, 1875, Jacinto also lived a hard life when he was young
like Bonifacio.

• His father died early which compelled his mother to send him to his uncle’s house for support.

• He first studied at San Juan de Letran and later transferred to the University of Santo Tomas
where he studied Law.
• As a young man of about eighteen, Jacinto heard about the Katipunan and immediately joined it
leaving his studies.

• Jacinto was serious – minded, humble, intelligent and industrious.

• Like Bonifacio, Jacinto believed that the people, the masses, could be reached only through their
own language, so they both wrote in Tagalog.

• It is for this reason that Bonifacio and Jacinto succeeded in uniting the people behind them.

• When the Revolution broke out, he fought side by side with Bonifacio. Later, Bonifacio assigned
him to lead the rebels in Laguna. He died in Mahayhay, Laguna on April 6, 1899, at the young
age of twenty – four.