CHAPTER 10

BONIFACIO AND THE KATIPUNAN (1892 TO 1896)

The failure of the reform movement led even a reformist like Marcelo H.
Del Pilar to think of revolution. Insurrection, 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. With Rizal’s
La Liga Filipina nipped in the bud, 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 to Dapitan, an unknown member of the Liga,
Andres Bonifacio, saw the futility of continuing the peaceful campaign for
reforms. Whether moderate or radical, he knew Spain would not listen to
the demands of men like Rizal, Del Pilar, Lopez Jaena, and others, who
did not believe in armed revolution as a remedy to the evils existing in the
Philippines.

Bonifacio had a different idea; he would teach the people to depend on

themselves for their salvation. He wanted an organization unlike
thosewhich depended on Spanish goodwill for a solution. He established a
society whose aims ere opposed to the aims of the reformist societies, and
one that as ready for revolution. Thus, as 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 news about the arrest of Rizal
the previous night and the governor-general order to banish him to
Dapitan. That night, a small group of patriotic Filipinos met at a house of
Azcarraga Street, Manila (now Claro M. Recto Avenue), and decide to
create a secret society. These men were Andres Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata,
Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, Deodato Arellano, and one of two others. All
of them belonged to the lower class of society, Arellano as the most
educated among them.

They organized society called Kataastaasan Kagalanggalangang

Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK or Katipunan) or Supreme and
Venerable Association of the Sons of the People. The founders of the
Katipunan performed the blood compact ritual to show their patriotism and
love of things that were Filipino. The blood compact was an ancient
Filipino custom of sealing friendship or brotherhood (kapatiran).

The members at first agreed that they would recruit the Filipinos to
become members through a method called triangle system. For example,
member Jose would Recruit Pedro and Juan to become members. This
new members knew Jose but they did not know each other. This method
was used to minimize the danger of discovery by the Spanish authorities.
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 Kapatiran: civic, political, and
moral. The civic objectives as 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 objectives focused on teaching of
good manners, hygiene, and good moral character. The Katipunan
members or katipuneros were urged to help sick comrades and their
families. In case of death, the society paid the funeral expenses. Hence,
there was a damayan among its members.

THE KATIPUNAN GOVERNMENT

Bonifacio had seen and attended the only meeting of the La Liga Filipina.
He took note of this society’s structure and when he founded the
katipunan he borrowed the structure of the Liga. 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. The supreme council was the highest of
these governing bodies, followed by the Provincial Council and the
Popular Council. Respectively, they were the equivalent of the central
government, the provincial government, and the municipal government.

There was a judicial council, called Sangguniang Hukuman, which

passed judgement 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 Popular
Councils. There was also a 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

The triangle method of getting new member was slow and ineffective. As a
result, there were only about 100 new members taken into the Society by
the end of 1892. It was, therefore agreed that all members should be
allowed to get as many new members as circumstances permitted.
Consequently, the membership of the society increased in a few months. It
was then thought that because the katipunan had enough members, a set
of officers would be elected. The elected officers of the first supreme
council were the following: Deodato Arellano, president or supremo;
Andres Bonifacio, comptroller, Ladislao Diwa, fiscal; Teodoro Plata,
secretary; and Valentin Diaz, treasurer.

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. Roman Basa was elected
in Arellanos place. The officers of this second supreme council were as
follows: Roman Basa, supremo; Bonifacio, fiscal; Jose Turiano Santiago,
secretary; and Vicente Molina, treasurer. The elected councillors were
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 as Kawal; and the third was Bayani. The
password of the katipon was Anak ng Bayan, that of the Bayani as Rizal.
In order to recognize each other in the streets, a member upon meeting
another member would place the palm of his right hand on his breast, and
as he passed the other member he would close his hand and bring his
index finger and his thumb together.

THE KATIPUNAN CODES

Because the danger of discovery of the society as always present,

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:

Spanish Equivalent in Spanish Equivalent in

Alphabet the Katipunan
Alphabet
A Z
B B
C C
D D
E Q
F H
Alphabet the Katipunan
Alphabet
M V
N I
O C
P P
Q E
R R
G G S S
H F T T
I R U M
J L V M
K K w W
L J X U
LL N Y Y

Three more Katipunan alphabets were devised by Bonifacio, the last of

which were 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 the people considered as enemies by the
Katipunan.

THE KATIPUNAN FLAGS

Aside from the secret codes, Bonifacio also wanted a flag to be used by
the members as a symbol of their unity. Consequently, he requested
Benita Rodriguez, to make a flag for the Katipunan. With the help of
Bonifacio’s wife, Gregoria De Jesus, a flag as made. It consisted of a
rectangular piece of red cloth with three letters K arranged horizontally in
the middle. This was declared the official flag of the katipunan. However, it
was changed a few weeks after the revolution broke out in August 1896.
The new official flag consisted of a red rectangular piece of cloth with a
white sun and eight white rays in the middle. Inside the circle representing
the sun as the letter K in the ancient Tagalog script. Bonifacio had his own
personal flag. It consisted of a red rectangular piece of cloth with a white
sun with an indefinite number of white rays in the center. Below the sun
were the three K’s arranged horizontally.

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). These teachings may be described as a
Decalogue. Emilio Jacinto, Bonifacio’s friend, close friend and right hand
man, wrote the Kartilla which consisted of thirteen teaching. Members of
the Society were expected to take the teachings to heart. Here are the
important portions of the Kartilla. These to writings of the two great
Katipuneros constituted the teachings of the Katipunan.

1. Life which is not consecrated to a lofty and sacred cause is like a tree
without a shadow, if not a poisonous weed.
2. A good deed that springs from a desire for personal profit and not from
a desire to do good is not kindness

3. True greatness consists in being charitable, in loving ones fellowmen

and in adjusting every movement, deed and word to true reason.
4. All men are equal, be the color of their skin black or white. One may be
superior to another in knowledge, wealth, beauty, but cannot be
superior in being.

5.6. He who is noble prefers honor to personal gains; he who is mean

prefers personal profit to honor.To a man with a sense of shame, his word
is inviolate.
7. Dont fritter away time; lost riches may be recovered, but time lost will
never come again
8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor.
9.An intelligent man is he who cautious in speech and knows who to
keep the secrets that must be guarded.
10. In the thorny path of life, man is the guide of his life and children; if
he who guides moves toward evil, they who are guided likewise move
toward evil.

11. Think not of woman as a thing merely to while away time with, but
as a helper and partner in the hardship of life. Respect her in her
weakness, and remember the mother who brought you into this world
and who cared for you in your childhood.
12. What you do not want done to your wife, daughter and sister, do not
do to the wife, daughter and sister of another.
13. The nobility of a man does not consist in being a king, nor in the
highness of the nose and the whiteness of the skin, nor in being a
priest representing God, nor in the exalted position on this earth, but
pure and truly noble is he who though born in the woods, is posses of
an upright character, who is true to his words; ho has dignity and
honor; ho does not oppress and does not help those ho oppress; who
knows ho to look after and loves the land of his birth.

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 ones 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
endeavour.
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 on the performance of
his duty.
7. Our responsibility to ourselves and the performance of our
duties will be example set for our fellowmen to follow.

8.9. Insofar as it is within your power, share your means with the poor and
the unfortunate. Diligence in the work that gives sustenance to you is the
true basis of love, love of 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.

THE WOMEN OF THE KATIPUNAN

Bonifacio wanted to involve the woman in the Katipunan without putting it

in danger of discovery. So he suggested that women be taken in as
members 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 Katipuneros, and a few selected women
could be eligible for membership. The strict requirement compelled the
women members to keep the secrets of the Katipunan. The Katipuneras
duty, aside from helping the male members in their or of propagating the
ideas and ideal of the society, as to make the police authorities believe
that no katipunan meeting as being held in a house. The women engaged
in dancing and singing in full view of the people on the street. While the
Katipuneras were doing this, the male members were holding a meeting in
a room behind the sala, where the women are singing and dancing. In this
way, the authorities were not able to detect the meetings of the Katipunan
in places designated by Bonifacio.

Among the prominent women members of the Katipunan were Josefa

Rizal, president; Gregoria de Jesus, vice president; Marina Dizon,
secretary; and Angelica Lopez Rizal, Rizal’s niece, as fiscal. 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. However, the organization
had no money to purchase a printing press. Two experienced printers,
Ulpiano Fernandez and Faustino Duque, both Katipuneros managed the
press. Dr. Pio Valenzuela suggested the name of the newspaper,
kalayaan. After weeks of preparation the newspaper, written in Tagalog,
came out in the middle of March 1896. The Kalayaan contained articles
written by 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. Jacinto’s Pahayag
(Manifesto) and Bonifacio’s poem, Pag ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa (Love of
Country) were published in the only issue of the Kalayaan. They did not
sign their true names for fear that the Katipunan might be discovered.
Likewise, they did not like the Spanish authorities to run after them.
Jacinto used the pen names Pingkian and Dimas Ilaw; Bonifacio used
Agapito Bagumbayan; and Valenzuela used Madlangaway.

As Bonifacio and Jacinto thought, the Kalayaan easily influenced many

Filipinos to become members of the Society. In January 1896, the total
membership did not exceed 300. But after the distribution of the alayaan in
Pampanga, Tarlac, and in the Tagalog provinces, from manila in the
centers of 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 as destroyed by Fernandez and Duque to prevent the Spanish
authorities from confiscating it. The fiery pen, revolutionary spirit, and
political ill of the tandem Bonifacio Jacinto in the newspaper proved
effective in unifying the people towards kalayaan (freedom and
independence).

TWIN SOULS OF THE KATIPUNAN

Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto

Bonifacio and Jacinto both believed that the time had come to change
strategy and tactics. The Katipunan with revolutionary aims, was a totally
different society from the La Liga which worked for radical reforms using
evolutionary or peaceful means. The Katipunan aimed to make the
Philippines a free country by force of arms.
It’s founder, Andres Bonifacio, 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
brother, Ciriacio, Procopio, and Troadio, and his sister, Espiridiona and
Maxima. He sold canes and paper pans 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, Fressel 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. One of the books he read was the original
Spanish version of Rizal’s Noli me Tangere and later El Filibusterismo. He
also read books on the French Revolution of 1789. When Rizal was
executed on December 30, 1896, Bonifacio felt sad and angry. He felt sad
because a great Filipino was executed; and he felt angry with the
Spaniards because of what they did to Rizal and his cause to fight for
justice and liberty.

Unlike Rizal and other reformist who were 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, immortal, cruel and lazy. His
poems in Tagalog, especially Tapunan ng Lingap and Ang mga
Cazadores, attacked the Spaniards furiously. He called the Spaniards
“white castle”. His poem “Huling Hibik ng Pilipinas” openly called for
independence from colonial rule.

The Revolution of 1896 was, therefore, the Katipunan revolution, for it was
the katipunan that sowed the seeds of national independence in the minds
of the masses. As founder and later as Supremo of the Katipunan,
Bonifacio may be rightly regarded as a leading thinker of the Revolution of
1896.

Bonifacio found a twin soul in the Katipunan—the young and intelligent

Emilio jacinto. Born in Tondo, Manila on December 15, 1896 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. Bonifacio came love this young
man who was serious-minded, humble, intelligent, and industrious.
Bonifacio warmed up to him and a deep friendship developed between the
two. The two of them greatly influenced the katipunan.

Jacinto, like Bonifacio, wrote in Tagalog, the language of the masses,

except for one poem in Spanish, A Mi Patria (to my country). 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. This was where the reformist failed
because they wrote for the intellectuals and Spaniards who read only in
Spanish, more than in any of the Philippine language. Jacinto wrote such
pieces as the Kartilla, Liwanag at Dilim, Pahayag, Sa mga Kababayan,
and others. 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.