Lesson 7: CHALLENGES TO SPANISH AUTHORITY

Early resistances in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The early uprisings were from Luzon. These
were attempts to regain lost freedom and authority over their kingdom and territory. Manila was
probably the earliest to stage an uprising. Lakan Dula was friendly with Legazpi and his men and
he helped Martin de Goiti in the conquest of Central Luzon provinces. As repayment, Legazpi
exempted him and his descendants from the payment of tribute and polo y servicio. Gov. Gen.
Guido de Lavezares lifted the exemption. Lakan Dula resented this. In the attack of Limahong on
Manila, Lakan Dula revolted against the Spaniards and they retreated to Navotas. Juan de Salcedo,
grandson of Legazpi and Father Geronimo Marin persuaded Lakan Dula to lay down arms in
exchange of his and his descendants’ exemption from tribute and polo y servicio. Lakan Dula
believed them and ordered his men to return to their homes in peace. They were even given gifts
of silk and gold.

The Tondo Conspiracy

A group of Filipinos in Tondo formed a secret society whose purpose was to regain their freedom.
Magat Salamat, Agustin de Legazpi, Juan Banal, Pedro Balingit and many others plotted to have
a Christian Japanese ally bring Japanese weapons and soldiers to the Philippines to drive away the
Spaniards to make Agustin de Legazpi King of the Philippines. This may be a good plan but it was
aborted because of spies who reported it to Spanish authorities. Leaders were arrested and executed
while those implicated were banished to Mexico.

The Revolt of Magalat

Magalat led natives of Cagayan against the Spaniards. Spanish soldiers were sent but the Ilocanos
fought bravely. Spaniards hired a Filipino assassin to murder Magalat. The plan succeeded.
Cagayan became quiet.

Ladia’s Conspiracy
Pedro Ladia, claiming to be a descendant of Lakan Dula, instigated a revolt in 1643 against the
Spaniards of Malolos, Bulacan. He wanted to be the King of the Tagalogs. The friar curate of
Malolos learned of the plan and dissuaded the town people from believing Ladia. He urged them
to remain faithful to the Catholic Church and the King of Spain. He also notified the authorities of
Ladia’s activities. Ladia was arrested, sent to Manila where he was executed.
The Revolt of Maniago (1660)
Francisco Maniago, leader of the Kapampangans, declared war against the Spaniards. He sent an
emissary to the governor general in order to make peace and make the following demands:
1. Governor general to pardon all those who participated in the revolt
2. Kapampangans to receive ₱200,000 as payments for rice which the Spaniards seized from
them; ₱14,000 as down payment and remainder to be paid in installment
3. Kapampangans to continue to cut timber as required by forced labor but would be given
sufficient time. The governor general acceded and Maniago laid down his arms. It was
considered a success in the sense that Maniago was able to air his people’s grievances and
get what they wanted.

The Revolt of Malong

In 1660, Andres Malong, a native of Binalatongan, led the people of Lingayen against the
Spaniards for their maltreatment with regard to polo y servicio. Malong was so successful that he
proclaimed himself King of Pangasinan. He appointed officials under him and urged people of
surrounding provinces to take up arms against Spaniards. He sent soldiers to Ilocos, Cagayan and
Pampanga thus weakening his position. He was pursued, defeated, captured and executed. In 1762,
Juan dela Cruz Palaris, led the people of Binalatongan, Dagupan, Calasiao, Santa Barbara,
Mangaldan, San Jacinto, Malasiki, and Paniqui over the imposition of tribute. This lasted for a
year and came to be known as the Palaris Revolt.

Revolt of Bancao (1622)

Bancao was befriended by Legazpi, became a Catholic and served a loyal subject of the Spanish
King. Later, he returned to the religion of his forefathers. He convinced a lot of natives to go back
to their original faith. The natives stopped going to church. The friar curate hated Bancao for this
and sought the help of the governor of Cebu. This led Bancao to incite his people to rise in arms.
Hundreds of Filipino soldiers under Spanish officers defeated Bancao, who died fighting.

The Revolt of Sumuroy

The people of Palapag, Samar gathered under Agustin Sumuroy to revolt against leaving their
homes and being separated from their families. The friar curate of Palapag was killed and the revolt
spread to Mindanao, Camarines and Albay. Sumuroy fought bravely against the forces sent by the
governor general. He chose the mountains as a natural fortress and withstood the enemy attacks.
In 1650, a strong army contingent was sent. Hewas defeated, captured and executed. Tapar led
uprisings in Oton, Panay. Dagohoy, who just like Tapar, wanted to return to the religion of their
ancestors. Dagohoy’s rebellion proved to be one of the longest rebellions in our history lasting
from 17441829. He had his own government in the mountains with some 20,000 followers obeying
his orders and practicing their own faith.

More Rebellions in Luzon

The succeeding rebellions were clearly economic in nature. Diego and Gabriela Silang led a
widespread revolt in Ilocos Sur on the issue of the right to engage in the galleon trade by Indios.
Likewise, in 1807, the Basi revolt in Ilocos Norte erupted over the issue of government monopoly
on the production, pricing, and sale of basi, a favorite local wine among the Ilocanos.

Resistance in the Interior and Mountainous Parts

In the Cordillera region, a maingel (warrior-leader and expert in headhunting) leads the tribal
communities. Trade and commerce with the lowlanders existed but on a limited basis among the
locals. Attempts at expeditions failed due to the fierce resistance by the taong bundok. Lumads –
another term for those who remained non- Christian and non-Muslim long after the colonization.

The Moro Wars in the South

The colonization and Christianization of the Muslim (called Moros by the Spaniards) was the
longest, bloodiest and also the most frustrating for the Spaniards. They remained unconquered and
unconverted until the end of Spanish rule. The first encounter took place in Cebu between Martin
de Goiti and a group of Bornean traders in 1569. Manila in 1571-1572 could hardly be called a
Muslim kingdom. The connection between Islamized Brunei and Manila was more by ties in
marriage and economic or commercial transaction rather than religious. Thus, no sultanate ever
evolved in Manila or in the Visayas. Islam penetrated the South early and spread throughout
Mindanao.
It was logical therefore, that ties between Brunei and the sultanates would continue despite the
Spanish conquest of Manila. Troops had to be sent three times to Borneo to stop their trading
activities and military aid to Manila. However, succeeding military expeditions by the Spaniards
at Sulu and Maguindanao failed. Sultan Kudarat united Maguindanao and Sulu as a confederacy
forcing the Spaniards to finally withdraw from the place and instead focus on Luzon. Muslims
even carried out raids in the Visayas and Luzon for slaves or bihag they needed. After Sultan
Kudarat’s death in 1671, these raiding activities slackened. The two sultanates again engaged each
other in battles over the issue of trade and supremacy in the area. By 1716 to 1747, Spain came
back in steamboats equipped with more powerful cannons thus allowing them to build forts in
Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. They also brought Jesuits for mission work in Mindanao.
Muslims entered into a treaty with Gov. Gen. Urbiztondo in 1851. They made some compromises
in the treaty but with no actual surrender of territory within the realm of the sultanate. They
continued to resist the Spaniards. The Moros may have been forced to give up part of Palawan and
Sabah on a lease basis during the brief British occupation of the Philippines but until the end of
Spanish rule in 1898, they remained sovereign. How were the Muslims able to do this?
1. The Spanish force lacked the number and military capacity to break through the Moro kuta
(defense forts);
2. Mindanao is far from Manila, the center of power and governance;
3. Spaniards were more preoccupied in several fronts with wars or resistances from other
places; and
4. All followers of Islam united against the Spaniards.

Reasons for the General Failure of the Revolts

1. The revolts lacked coordination.
2. The Filipinos had no leader of great ability.
3. The Filipino rebels had insufficient arms.
4. There was no feeling of unity and nationalism among Filipinos.
5. Many Filipinos were more loyal to the Spaniards especially the friars than to their
countrymen.

Chinese Presence
Among the early foreign contacts of the ancient Filipinos, the Chinese appeared to be the most
constant and steady visitors. They interacted with the Filipinos, adapted to the local ways, and
eventually married native women.
To the Spaniards, the Chinese were Sangleys (traders who came and went with no intention of
conquest and colonization). They started to get alarmed by the Chinese presence in 1574, when
the famous Chinese commander Limahong came with his ships and bombarded Intramuros and
Malate. Martin de Goiti died. Limahong was forced to leave and headed to Lingayen, Pangasinan
because of the combined forces of Lakan Dula and the Spaniards. He was pursued by Spanish
Filipino forces but they managed to escape.
Despite the Chinese threat on the Spaniards, the Chinese merchants remained inside Intramuros
because their wares and goods like chocolates, candles, shoes, and bread as well as services like
carpentry were in great demand. The Sangleys rapidly grew in number so they were forced to stay
on a limited space called parian. In a sense, this is the precursor of the country’s Chinatown. The
government also passed laws allowing the Chinese to live in the provinces to spread them out.
All sorts of taxes were imposed on the Chinese which became abusive and oppressive. These
provoke them to rebel. Chinese uprisings erupted in Tondo and Quiapo but these were easily
quelled by the SpanishFilipino force. To scare the Chinese, their leader Eng Kang was beheaded
and his head was put on public display. This only caused the revolts to spread from Manila to
Makati, Taytay, Antipolo and the provinces. Again, Spanish-Filipino force stopped these
rebellions at the cost of 23,000 Chinese lives and great loss to their properties and businesses.
Several decrees were passed for their expulsion but these too failed because the Chinese had
controlled the source of livelihood and even the daily needs of both Spaniards and Filipinos. Their
presence became a necessity for everyone’s comfort and convenience. Thus, from 150 Chinese
living around Manila upon the arrival of Legazpi in 1571, the Chinese reached 100,000 during the
Revolution of 1896.
 Lesson 9: THE BEGINNINGS OF FILIPINO NATIONALISM
Certain events and developments in the 1800s to 1900s led to a further awakening of the people’s
consciousness as a nation with common grievances against Spanish colonialrule. These events
included
1. The British invasion in the colony that exposed Spain’s vulnerability;
2. The Silang and Palaris revolts that demonstrated the capability of the regions to unite and
expel the Spaniards from their territory;
3. The united Basi revolt in the north against Governor-General Basco’s tobacco and wine
monopolies;
4. The opening of foreign ports and the Suez Canal that allowed entry of advanced
technology and liberal ideas from the Americas and Europe
5. The secularization movement led by Indio and mestizo secular priests to fight for the right
to administer parishes that were held by Spanish regular priests.

BRITISH INVASION AND OCCUPATION

In 1761, Spain and France entered into a treaty of alliance against England’s ambition for
supremacy. During the Seven Years’ War in Europe between France and England, Spain was
naturally drawn into the conflict. The British sent an expedition from India, which at that time was
a colony of England, to the Philippines to occupy and seize it from Spain. Archbishop Manuel
Rojo was acting governor-general when the British, with 6,000 men including Sepoys (Indian
soldiers) from Bombay, bombarded Intramuros, Malate, Ermita, and Bagumbayan (now Luneta)
on September 22, 1762. Unprepared from such a decisive attack, the Spaniards with their Filipino
soldiers tried desperately to defend Intramuros, particularly the walls of San Diego and San
Andres. Their cannons were no match to the superior cannons and weapons of the English.
Archbishop Rojo surrendered Manila and Cavite while Simon Anda, a magistrate of the Audiencia,
escaped to Pampanga to continue the resistance. The British took over the reins of the government
and guaranteed the safety of Spanish officials, the community, and property.

THE SILANG AND PALARIS REVOLTS

The Spanish defeat in the hands of the British opened the eyes of the Filipinos to the impermanence
of Spanish rule in the country and to the fact that it could be challenged by force of arms. In the
same year, 1762, Diego Silang, an Ilocano from Ilocos province rose in revolt. He demanded the
expulsion of Spaniards and Spanish mestizos from Ilocos. He was successful at first and was able
to expel the Spanish provincial governor and many Spaniards from Vigan. He then declared
himself ―King of the Ilocos. The British, impressed by Silang’s victories, tried to win him over
to their side by sending him gifts and promising to make him governor of the province if he
conspired with the British against the Spaniards. Silang accepted their offer but the alliance ended
when he was killed by an assassin. His wife, Gabriela, took over the leadership and carried on the
fight courageously but she was later captured and hanged, along with 100 followers.
That same year, 1762, Juan de la Cruz Palaris led a widespread revolt in Pangasinan, demanding
for the end to the payment of tributes and countless abuses by the Spanish officials. The revolt,
which started in Binalatongan, spread to the towns of:
• Bayambang
• Paniqui (then a part of Pangasinan)
• Dagupan
• Calasiao
• Santa Barbara
• Mangaldan
• San Jacinto
• Malasiki
Palaris, having been inspired by the recent success of the British invasion of Manila, succeeded in
inciting the people to revolt. He ignored the friar-curates who tried to pacify him. For more than a
year, Palaris dominated the province. Upon the conclusion of the war with France andSpain, the
British left in 1764. Spain, now rid of Gabriela Silang, sent 3,000 Ilocano troops to Pangasinan to
quell the revolt. Palaris was defeated and died in battle.
BASI REVOLT
These widespread revolts alarmed the Spanish authorities. Not long after, economic reforms were
introduced. In 1807, some 10,000 rebels in Ilocos revolted against the government monopoly of a
locallyproduced wine from sugarcane called basi. The Basi revolt, as it was called was among the
bloodiest uprisings ever recorded during this time.

LAISSEZ-FAIRE AND THE OPENING OF PORTS

Laissez-faire or ―let-alone policy‖ in commercial and trading venture by the Europeans soon
caught the interest of the Spanish king. This policy gave full freedom to private individuals and
firms to engage in economic activities without much interference from the government. This also
allowed for the entry of foreign firms into the country. The King opened Manila to foreign traders.
With the coming of foreign products and businessmen, the economic isolation of the Philippines
was ended.

THE RISE OF THE FILIPINO MIDDLE CLASS

It was inevitable that with material progress, social changes would follow. Somehow, the fruits of
the mestizos, particularly the Spanish and Chinese mestizos. The inquilinos or the tenants in the
haciendas and their families began to accumulate wealth. Together, they constituted the middle
class – a group below the aristocratic Spanish officials, families and religious orders but higher or
above the masses, the Indios.
As members of the middle class, they were able to send their children to colleges and universities
in Manila and even to Europe. The ilustrados (wealthy and highly-educated Filipinos) composed
the middle class. The term Filipino, needs to be clarified at this stage. The term actually applied
only to insulares (Spaniards born in the Philippines). Españoles or peninsulares are the Spaniards
born in Spain but working and residing in the country. The rest were either mestizos or Indios.
Belonging to the middle class also meant changing their former lifestyle, clothing, houses, forms
of amusement and cultural activities to those that were similar or closer to what Spaniards and
Europeans did and maintained, which were comfortable and expensive. By contrast, the Indios
lived in poverty and ignorance, and suffered more discrimination.

TWO EVENTS FORESHADOWED THE DEVELOPING CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE

MASSES AS A DIFFERENT RACE AND CLASS IN SOCIETY.
1. Tagalog publication of Florante at Laura in 1838 by Francisco Baltazar or Balagtas.
There was reference for the first time to the country as oppressed and in need of freedom
as expressed in the following lines: Sa loob at labas ng bayan kong sawi Kaliluha’s siyang
nangyayaring hari Kagalinga’t bait ay nalulugami Ininis sa hukay ng dusa’t pighati.

2. Revolt of Apolinario dela Cruz or Hermano Pule (King of the Tagalogs) in Tayabas in
1841. He started the Confradia whose aim was to revive the ancient catalonan teachings
within the Catholic Church. Only Indios were admitted to the confraternity whose
membership spread fast to nearby Laguna province. The government lost no time in
suppressing their activities. Pule and his followers won some of the encounters. However,
with Filipino soldiers as reinforcements coming from Manila, the rebels were
overwhelmed. Pule was captured and shot. His body was quartered. His head was hung in
front of his house in Lucban and the legs and arms were put in cages and hung in the town
of Tayabas (Quezon).

THE EDUCATION OF SOME FILIPINOS

The Spaniards founded many colleges for men and women exclusively for the Spaniards and the
Spanish mestizos. These included:

• San Juan de Letran,

• San Jose,
• San Felipe
Schools for women included:
• College of Santa Potenciana
• Santa Isabel College
• Santa Rosa College
It was not until the second half of the 19th century that these colleges, including the University of
Santo Tomas, admitted natives. As a result, many well-to-do Filipinos were able to send their
children to these schools.
A good number of these children became lawyers, physicians, pharmacists, teachers, land
surveyors, and merchants. They later on asked for reforms in the Spanish administration in the
Philippines. As the Spaniards feared, it was the ilustrados who asked for embarrassing questions
about Spanish misdeeds, incompetence, inefficiency, greed and corruption. Most dangerously,
they pushed the idea of the Indios with equal rights as the Spaniards in the country.

THE OPENING OF THE SUEZ CANAL

The Suez Canal was opened in 1869. This resulted in the shorter route and travel time between
Spain and the Philippines. As a result, many Spaniards with progressive ideas migrated to the
Philippines. Among them were exiled creoles (criollo; Spaniard born in Mexico or any part of the
Americas during the colonial period) whose subversive ideas and activities advocated freedom and
liberties.
Later on, they influenced some educated Filipinos and soon both were asking the government to
introduce changes in the administration of the colony. Another effect of the shorter distance was
the influx of progressive books and periodicals to the country. Filipino intellectuals learned
Locke’s theory of revolution, and Rousseau’s Social Contract Theory. They learned that people
could overthrow a government that is not working for their good of the governed (Locke’s Theory
of Revolution).
Likewise, they realized that a government is an agreement between the ruler and the ruled to
govern for the welfare of the ruled (Rousseau’s Social Contract Theory). Other liberal ideas that
Filipinos learned included the following: equality before the law, freedom of speech, freedom of
religion, freedom of assembly, protection of human rights, representation in the legislature, and
sovereignty of people. As a result, many Filipino intellectuals started to wonder at the deplorable
conditions of the country. They began discussing potential issues and started clamoring for reforms
in the government.

LIBERALISM IN THE PHILIPPINES

In 1868, a revolution took place in Spain. Revolutionists were against the autocratic reign of Queen
Isabel II. When they won, Queen Isabel was forced to flee to France and the Republic of Spain
was born.
The fall of Queen Isabella and the triumph of liberalism in Spain in 1868 resulted in the
appointment of Carlos Maria Dela Torre as governor-general in 1869. With his assumption into
office as the chief executive of the country, Dela Torre put into practice the liberal principles of
the revolutionists in Spain. He lived simply and avoided luxury by dismissing the halberdiers
(guards) of his palace. He walked the streets of Manila in civilian clothes. This was something new
at that time, because in the past, governors wore their military uniforms, complete with medals
and ribbons on most occasions. To express satisfaction and joy for the leadership of Dela Torre,
some Filipinos serenaded him on the night of July 12, 1869 (Liberty Serenade of 1869). This
development was something the friars then did not like. For the first time, the Filipinos were
allowed to talk about freedom and democracy openly.
During his term of office, freedom of speech and of the press as guaranteed by the Spanish
Constitution was recognized. He abolished the censorship of the press, abolished flogging as a
punishment, and he solved the agrarian unrest in Cavite. He was considered to be the best governor
general the Philippines ever had. As a consequence of his liberal policy, Father Burgos and other
Filipino clergy were motivated to work for the Filipinization of parishes throughout the country.

THE RETURN OF AUTOCRACY

With the restoration of the Spanish monarchy in 1870 and the return of conservatism in Spain,
Dela Torre was removed from office and replaced by the reactionary (opposed to progress or
reform) Rafael de Izquierdo, who boasted that he came to the Philippines with a cross in one hand
and a sword in the other. This boast was not an empty promise. Immediately, he reversed the
reforms of Dela Torre. The friars and the monarchists among the Spaniards became his loyal
supporters.

THE SECULARIZATION CONTROVERSY

Priesthood during the Spanish period was composed of two classes:
1. Regular priests – those who belonged to the religious orders (Augustinians, Dominicans,
Recollects, and the Franciscans).
2. Secular priests – not members of any religious order.

Regulars have a mission to fulfil, i.e., to convert non-Christian people to Christianity. After
fulfilling this, they would leave and go to another area to make converts. In the Christianized areas,
churches or parishes were built which the seculars administered. In the Philippines, friars not only
made converts but they also occupied parishes. As such, they were called friar-curates. This is
because there were very few seculars during the 1st century of Spanish rule. Later on, when some
natives studied priesthood and became seculars, the friar-curates refused to vacate the parishes.
This refusal led to a controversy between the seculars and regulars. This started when the seculars
asked for their right to administer the parishes. At first, the Spanish archbishop and some governors
supported their demand and a few Filipino seculars became parish heads. Later, however, they
remained neutral. Early 19th century, the controversy became more heated when a decree was
passed denying the native clergy the right to administer the parishes occupied by the regulars
The government even gave the parishes run by Filipino seculars to Spanish regulars. This led to
the campaign called secularization. Later, it was called Filipinization because of its racial
overtone. The seculars felt that the position as parish head was being denied to them because they
were not Spaniards and thus considered to be inferior to the regulars. Initially, the leader of the
secularization was Father Pedro Pablo Pelaez, a Spanish mestizo. After his death, he was
succeeded by another Spanish mestizo, Father Jose A. Burgos.
CAVITE MUTINY
The relationship between regulars and seculars grew from bad to worse. The regulars blamed the
seculars by saying that the latter were not ready to administer parishes. This caused greater enmity
between them. At the height of the secularization controversy, the Cavite mutiny occurred on
January 20, 1872, involving a number of workers and some marine detachment. This mutiny was
caused by the revocation of the privilege of shipyard workers to be exempted from forced labor
and from paying tribute by Gov. Gen. de Izquierdo. The mutineers included Indios, mestizos, and
criollos. They were led by La Madrid. They killed some Spanish soldiers and officers in the fort.
An expedition to Cavite was sent to put down the rebellion. The leaders and participants were
arrested and later shot to death. The government, believing it to be a rebellion ordered the arrest
of Filipinos and mestizo who were allegedly behind it. Among those arrested were:
• Fathers Jose Burgos • Pedro Dandan • Agustin Mendoza
• Mariano Gomez • Toribio del Pilar • Jose Guevara
• Jacinto Zamora • Mariano Sevilla

THE EXECUTION OF GOMBURZA

The priests Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were jailed in Fort Santiago before they were tried for
rebellion. Priests, both regular and secular, were allowed to see them. During the trial, the
government failed to prove convincingly that the accused were really connected with the January
Cavite mutiny. The governor general promised to present documents to prove that the three priests
were guilty of rebellion which to many was actually a mutiny (open revolt against authority,
especially by servicemen against officers). But he never presented any document and to this day,
no document had been found to show that Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were, in any way,
connected with the mutiny. Nevertheless, they were sentenced to death by garrote.
On February 17, 1872, the three priests marched from Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan Field
(Luneta). It is said that Zamora lost his mind and silently accepted to be garroted. He, together
with Burgos and Gomez maintained their innocence until the end. While they were being executed
one by one – first, Zamora, then Gomez, and lastly Burgos, – the witnesses of the event took
off their hats and knelt to pray for the souls of the innocent priests.
The Spaniards who were present, thinking that the Filipinos were preparing to rise in revolt, fled
towards the city. The importance of the execution of the three priests rested on the fact that the
Filipinos who witnessed the execution began to think and feel as Filipinos, not as Ilocanos,
Tagalogs, Visayans, Bicolanos, and others. They suspected that because they belonged to a
different race, the Spaniards, who had always felt superior over the Filipinos, took them for beasts
of burdern. From this day forward, they began to feel the necessity for unity.
Rizal who was eleven years old that time, would later dedicate his second novel, El Filibusterismo
(The Rebel) to the memory of the three martyred priests. He wrote:
―The church, by refusing to degrade you, has placed in doubt the crime that has been imputed to
you; the Government, by surrounding your trials with mystery and shadows causes the belief that
there was some error, committed in fatal moments; and all the Philippines, by worshipping your
memory and calling you martyrs, in no sense recognizes your culpability. In so far, therefore, as
your complicity in the Cavite Mutiny is not clearly proved, as you may or may not have been
patriots, and as you may or may not cherished sentiments for justice and for liberty, I have the
right to dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to combat…
The execution of Gomez, Burgos and Zamora may have halted the secularization movement but
not its advocacy for Filipinization of the parishes. The Spanish government with its cruel measures,
continued to frighten the Filipinos into submission. Nevertheless, the seeds of Filipino nationalism
had been planted on fertile ground.
 Lesson 10: THE CAMPAIGN FOR REFORMS
The violent events of 1872 led to significant developments in colonial Philippines. A campaign
for reforms was developed. There was a clamor for assimilation of the Philippines as a province
of Spain. The wealthy and educated Filipinos started to air their complaints through peaceful
means such as writings, speeches, organized societies, artworks, etc. Ignored and refused by the
authorities of Spain, many reformists returned home, for more serious goals as embodied in Rizal’s
La Liga Filipina.

THE REFORM MOVEMENT

Reasons for the discontent of Filipinos:

• The masses remained poor and burdened with heavy taxes.

• The wealthy and educated were discontented by the abuses of the Spaniards and they were
not free to air their complaints or even allowed to participate in the administration of the
government.
• There were threats of persecution for those who would oppose or criticize Spanish rules.
As a result, the educated and the wealthy left for Spain where there was freedom. There, they
studied and worked for the introduction of reforms in the Philippines. This reform movement is
called the Propaganda movement and it began in 1882 and lasted to the early months of 1892.
*Propaganda – publicity intended to spread ideas or information

It was a peaceful campaign for reforms geared towards changing the political and social order in
the country under Spanish rule. Among the reforms sought by the reformists who came under the
ranks of Filipino ilustrados were the following:
• Assimilate the Philippines as a province of Spain Philippines will be represented in the
Spanish lawmaking body called the Cortes.
• Filipinos would become Spanish citizens with equal rights and privileges by all Spanish
citizens
• Filipinos would not be treated cruelly by the friars and Spanish Civil authorities
The great triumvirate (a group of three individuals sharing authority and power) of the Filipino
reformists were:
1. Graciano Lopez Jaena
2. Jose Rizal
3. Marcelo H. Del Pilar
The other reformists were Jose Ma. Panganiban, Antonio Luna, Mariano Ponce, Eduardo de
Lete and a few others. They were all young men who went to Europe to study. In the course of
their studies, they involved themselves in the cause of their country.
THE TRIUMVIRATE GRACIANO LOPEZ JAENA
(The Great Orator) Graciano Lopez Jaena was born in Jaro, now a part of Iloilo City, on
December 18, 1856. His parents were Placido Lopez and Maria Jacobo Jaena. He studied at the
Seminary of Jaro but later on, he changed his mind to become a physician instead. Seeing the
injustices, immorality and greed of the friars and civil officials, he wrote a long story about a friar
named Fray Botod. The friars hated him for it. He went to Manila to escape persecution and
continue his studies. But the Spanish authorities harassed him, which compelled him to secretly
sail for Europe in 1880. He studied medicine in Spain but later on gave it up and devoted his time
and energy to writing articles. He founded the fortnightly newspaper La Solidaridad (Solidarity)
and became its first editor. It became the propaganda arm of the Filipino reformists in Spain.
Copies were sent secretly to the Philippines.

AIMS OF THE LA SOLIDARIDAD

• To fight reaction
• To stop all the efforts to keep the Philippines a backward country
• To extol (praise) liberal ideas
• To defend progress
Lopez Jaena wrote articles favorable to Filipinos and delivered speeches defending them from the
cruel charges of Spanish writers like Pablo Feced and Wenceslao E. Retana, who were anti–
Filipino. He called the Philippines, ―Pearl of the Orient in his every speech. He also called the
Philippines ―a piece of the palpitating heart of Spain.
The Demands of the Filipino Reformist Presented by Jaena Representation in the Spanish Cortes
• The right to vote
• Freedom of speech, of assembly and of press
• Freedom of commerce Removal of the friars from the Philippines
• Education of the people Reforms in the jails of the country
• Abolition of the diezmos prediales or the tithe (1/10 of the produce of the land)
Lopez Jaena suffered from hunger and illness, and on January 20, 1896, he died of tuberculosis in
Barcelona, Spain.

JOSE RIZAL (The Great Thinker and Writer)

The most brilliant of the Filipinos during his time, Rizal was born in Calamba, Laguna on June 19,
1861. He studied at Ateneo Municipal and later at the University of Santo Tomas. He went to
Europe to continue his studies. He observed early in life how the Spaniards maltreated the
Filipinos. He saw, too, how the Spanish authorities ordered his aging mother to walk from Calamba
to the town of Sta. Cruz, the capital of the province, because of a false charge made against her by
Spanish provincial officials. This made him swore to work for the freedom of his country. In 1882,
he went to Spain to study medicine with the help of his uncle and elder brother, Paciano. He also
studied several languages such as French and German. At the age of twenty-six, he wrote his first
novel, Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not).This novel expose the defects of the Spanish
administration of the Philippines, the greed and immorality of the friars and the superstition of the
Filipinos. and immorality of the friars and the superstition of the Filipinos.
Next, he wrote his second novel, El Filibusterismo (The Rebel), which was a sequel of the first
novel. Rizal expressed his political ideas in this novel and predicted the coming of the revolution.
Although very much disappointed with the lack of response from the Spanish government, he did
not want the Philippines to revolt. At that time, Filipinos are not yet prepared. He wanted, first of
all to educate the people so that they would know how to discharge their duties correctly and
faithfully.
Rizal wrote poems, essays, and articles showing his love of country. Because of his attacks on the
civil and ecclesiastical authorities in the Philippines, they hated him and worked for his arrest.
They found concrete evidence when he returned to the Philippines and founded La Liga Filipina.
He was first banished to Dapitan, Zamboanga and lately tried by a military court that sentenced
him to be shot to death. He was executed at Bagumbayan Field (Luneta/ Rizal Park) on December
30, 1896

MARCELO H. DEL PILAR (The Great Political Analyst and Journalist)

Marcelo was called the ―greatest journalist produced by the purely Filipino race‖ even by his
Spanish enemies. He was born at the barrio of Cupang, Bulacan, Bulacan, on August 30, 1850. He
studied at the College of San Jose and later at the University of Santo Tomas, where he finished
his law studies in 1880. In this same year he began his campaign against the abuses of the friars
and civil officials. He founded the Tagalog – Spanish newspaper, Diariong Tagalog, which
although short-lived, published suggestions on how to improve the administration of the country.
In 1888, he secretly left for Spain to avoid arrest. A year later, he became the editor of La
Solidaridad and became its guiding spirit. He not only edited the newspaper, but he also wrote
many articles and editorials. Two of his famous books were La Soberania Monacel en Filipinas
(Monastic Sovereignty in the Philippines) and La Frailocracia Filipina (Frailocracy in the
Philippines). Unlike Rizal and the other reformists, he wrote in the language of the masses.
Due to his heavy work and lack of proper food, Del Pilar contracted tuberculosis. He wanted to
return to the Philippines because he believed that the campaign for reforms was a failure and that
it was time to shift to revolutionary action. He died on July 4, 1896

THE PRO-FILIPINO SOCIETY

In 1882, Filipinos organized the Circulo Hispano-Filipino (The Spanish-Filipino Circle). This
society published the newspaper Revisita del Circulo Hispano-Filipino (Journal of the
Spanish-Filipino Circle).This is to bring to the attention of the Spanish authorities in the Spain
the conditions in the Philippines and to work for the introduction of reforms. This newspaper and
society did not last long because of lack of financial support and lack of leadership.
Another society was formed. This is the Asociacion Hispano-Filipina, which was inaugurated in
1889. Like the Circulo, it was composed of Filipinos and Spaniards who sympathized with the
Filipino cause. The aspiration of this association was ―to work for the material and moral
improvement of the Philippines. Some of its aims were as follows:
1. The abolition of diezmos prediales and the sanctorum (the tax being paid assupport to the
church)
2. The comulsory teaching of Spanish in all schools in the Philippines
3. Radical reforms in the University of Santo Tomas
4. Abolition of flogging as a form of punishment
5. The establishment of agricultural banks
6. Tax and other reform
This society lived longer than the Circulo but it never realized its goals because the Spanish High
officials in Spain were too busy with state problems.

FREEMASONRY AND ITS ROLE

During the last two decades of the nineteenth century, Freemasonry (Masonry) was popular in
Europe, even in Spain. The reformists, including Rizal, Lopez Jaena, Del Pilar and others, decided
to join Masonry not only to win friends among the Spanish Masons, but also because of its anti-
friar character.
*Masonry is a secret society of an international fraternity for mutual help, having an elaborate
ritual and system of secret signs and associated with free-thinking and libertarian beliefs.
Lopez Jaena was very active in Masonry. He thought of bringing together all Filipino Masons
when he founded the lodge, Revolucion, in Barcelona 1889. The following year, another lodge,
La Solidaridad (not to be confused with the newspaper) was founded in Madrid. Unity among
Filipinos in Spain was maintained by this Masonic lodge. In time, Filipino Masons thought to
establish lodges in the Philippines.
Early in 1891, the Masonic lodge Nilad in Manila was established. The following are the aims of
the organization:

• To work for freedom and prosperity of the Philippines

• To work for good government
• To ask for representation in the Spanish Cortes
• Establish the Philippines as a province of Spain
By May 1893, there were thirty-five Masonic lodges in the country, of which, nine were on Manila.
Even women founded their own Masonic lodge, Walana. The prominent women Masons included
Josefa and Trinidad (sisters of Rizal), Rosario Villaruel, Marina Dizon, Valeriana Legaspi,
Romualda Lanuza, Sixta Fajardo, and Purificacion Leyva. The Masons were anti-friar who wanted
these friars to be shipped back to Spain. It can be said that practically all the members of the reform
movement were Masons.
LA LIGA FILIPINA
In 1892, Rizal returned to the Philippines. He proposed the establishment of a civic society, La
Liga Filipina. In meeting held on the night of July 3, 1892, Rizal and a group of patriotic Filipinos,
including Andres Bonifacio, founded La Liga Filipina. The following officers were elected:
• Ambrosio Salvador – president
• Agustin dela Rosa – fiscal
• Bonifacio Arevalo – treasurer
• Deodato Arellano – secretary
AIMS OF THE LIGA
• To unite the whole archipelago into one strong body
• To give mutual protection of all members in case of necessity
• To encourage agriculture, commerce, and education
• To defend members against any kind of violence and injustice
• To study and apply reforms
• To carry out these aims, the society was to be governed by a supreme council, a
provincial council, and a popular council.
The members of the society were to pay a monthly due of ten centavos for the following
causes:

• To support a member or his son without financial means but with ability and industry;
• To support the poor against the rich and powerful;
• To give financial help to any member who suffered losses;
• To open stores and shops which would sell goods to members at low prices; and
• To introduce machines in order to promote industries;

The society was civic in nature, but even then, the Spanish authorities considered it dangerous
because they saw it as an organization capable of uniting the Filipinos for self-sufficiency and
defense. On the night of July 6, the governor general ordered the arrest of Rizal. He was detained
in Fort Santiago pending deportation to Dapitan, Zamboanga. As a consequence of his arrest, La
Liga Filipina died a natural death. Some members tried to revive it, but it only lasted for a few
months. With the death of the revived Liga, the members quarreled among themselves. Some of
them founded another patriotic society, the Cuerpo de Compromisarios( Body of Compromisers)
but this too, did not last long. All the patriotic societies that were founded to work for reforms did
not last very long. They all failed in their mission.
WHY THE REFORM MOVEMENT FAILED
Some laws beneficial to the Philippines were passed, such as the Maura Law of 1893, which
provided for the reorganization of local government; the law for the compulsory teaching of
Spanish in all schools; and laws introducing reforms in the judiciary. However these laws were
not implemented. They were, therefore, dead laws.
4 reasons why the reform movement failed:
1. Spanish high officials in Spain were too busy with their own problems to listen to the
collective voice of the reformists.
2. Reformists did not have the necessary financial means with which to make their
campaign effective Most of the patriotic Filipinos had no money to finance such a big
project.
3. Reformists themselves were not united. There were jealousies among them. The unity
of the Filipinos was once endangered by the rivalry for leadership between Rizal and
Del Pilar. There were quarrels.
4. Friars in the Philippines had influential friends and supporters in Spain. These
supporters opposed the introduction of reforms in the Philippines.
 Lesson 11: BONIFACIO AND THE KATIPUNAN
The failure of the reform movement led even a 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 the peaceful means to secure the remedies for evils prove futile. Upon Rizal’s arrest
and exile at Dapitan, an unknown member of the Liga, Andres Bonifacio, saw the futility of continuing the
campaign for reforms. He would teach the people to depend on themselves for their salvation.

THE FOUNDING OF THE KATIPUNAN

After the news about the arrest of Rizal circulated, a small group of patriotic Filipinos met at the house on
Azcarraga Street, Manila (now Claro M. Recto Avenue), and decided to create a new society. These men
were Andres Bonifacio, Teodora Plata, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, Deodato Arellano, and one or two
others. All of them belonged to the lower class of society.

They organized a society called Kataastaasan Kagalanggalang na 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.
It was to seal friendship or brotherhood (kapatiran). The members, at first, agreed that they would recruit
members through the method called triangle system. For example, member Jose would recruit Pedro and
Juan to become members. These 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

Bonifacio laid down three primary objectives of the Katipunan:
1. Civil
– principle of self-help and the defense of the weak and the poor;
2. Political
– separation of the Philippines from Spain: secure the independence of the colony; and
3. Moral
– focused on the teaching of good manners, hygiene, and good moral character. Katipuneros were
urged to help sick comrades and their families. In case of death, the Society paid the funeral
expenses. Hence, there was damayan among its members.

The Katipunan Government Bonifacio

Took note of La Liga Filipina’s structure and when he founded the Katipunan, he borrowed the
structure of the Liga. The Katipunan had three governing bodies:

1. Kataastaasang Sanggunian (Supreme Council) – highest; central government

2. Sangguniang Bayan (Provincial Council) – provincial government
3. Sangguniang Balangay (Popular Council) – municipal government 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 Popular Councils. There was also 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 was slow and ineffective resulting to only about 100 new members by the end of 1892.
It was then agreed that all members should be allowed to get as many new members as circumstances
permitted. The membership increased in a few months that it was thought that the 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 (title of a financial officer)
• Ladislao Diwa – fiscal (legal official in the treasury)
• Teodoro Plata – secretary
• Valentin Diaz – treasurer

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

• Roman Basa – supremo

• Andres Bonifacio – fiscal
• Jose Turiano Santiago – secretary
• Vicente Molina – treasurer

The elected councilors were Briccio Brigido Pantas, Restituto Javier, Teodoro Plata, Teodoro Gonzales,
and Ladislao Diwa. Early in 1895, Bonifacio was not contented with the performance of Basa as supremo
of the Katipunan. Hence, he 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 following are the three kinds of Katipunan members together with their passwords:

First Grade: Katipon (member) – Anak ng Bayan

Second Grade: Kawal (soldier) – GomBurZa
Third Grade: Bayani (patriot) – Rizal

In order to recognize each other in the streets, a member, uponmeeting 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 was 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:
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 Katipunan Flags a side
from the secret codes, Bonifacio also wanted a flag to be used as a symbol of their unity. He requested
Benita Rodriguez to make a flag for the Katipunan. With the help of his wife, Gregoria de Jesus, a flag was
made. It is consisted of a rectangular piece of cloth with three white letter K’s arrange horizontally in the
middle. This was declared as 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 was the letter K
in the ancient Tagalong 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 arrange horizontally.

THE WOMEN OF THE KATIPUNAN

Bonifacio wanted to involve the women of the Katipunan without putting it in danger of discovery. 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 a
Katipunero, and a few selected women could be eligible for membership. This strict requirement is to
compel women members to keep the secrets of the Katipunan. Aside from propagating the ideas and ideals
of the Society, the Katipunera’s duty is to make the police authorities believe that no Katipunan meeting
was being held in a house. The women are engaged in dancing and singing in full view of the people on the
street while the male members were holding a meeting in a room behind the sala. Among the prominent
women members of the Katipunan were:

• Josefa Rizal (President)

• Gregoria de Jesus (Vice President)
• Marina Dizon (Secretary)
• Angelica Lopez Rizal (Fiscal) – Rizal’s niece

THE KALAYAAN
Bonifacio and Jacinto believe that they could easily propagate their revolutionary ideas by having a printing
press. However, the organization has no money to purchase a printing machine. Fortunately, two Visayan
patriots from Kalibo, Capiz gave the money to purchase a printing press. They were Candido Iban and
Francisco del Castillo, who one thousand pesos in a lottery. The printing press was purchased for four
hundred pesos and transferred to Bonifacio’s house. Jacinto purchased some templates to be used in printing
the Katipunan newspaper. Other templates were stolen from a Spanish 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. The newspaper, written in Tagalog, came out in the middle
of March 1896. Kalayaan contained articles written by Bonifacio, Jacinto, and Valenzulela. To mislead the
Spaniards, 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 use their true names to prevent discovery. They used pen names:
• Jacinto – Pingkian, Dimas-ilaw
• Bonifacio – Agapito Bagumbayan
• Valenzuela – Madlang-away
The Kalayaan easily influenced many Filipinos to be members of the Katipunan. In January 1896, the total
membership did not exceed 300 but after the distribution of the Kalayaan, membership reached about
30,000. The Kalayaan had done its duty before it was destroyed by Fernandez and Duque to prevent the
Spanish authorities form confiscating it. The fiery pen, revolutionary spirit and political will of the tandem
BonifacioJacinto in the Kalayaan proved effective in unifying people towards freedom and independence.

TWIN SOULS OF THE KATIPUNAN

Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto. Bonifacio and Jacinto believed that it was time to change strategy
and tactics. The Katipunan aimed to make the Philippines a free country by force of arms.

Its founder, Andres Bonifacio, was born on November 30, 1863 in a small nipa hut on what is now called
Azcarraga Street near the present Manila Railroad station. His parents, Santiago Bonifaco and Catalina de
Castro, belonged to the lower middle class. Bonifacio’s parents died while he was just in his teens. As such
he had to support himself, his brothers Ciriaco, Procopio and Troadio, and his sisters, Espiridiona and
Maxima. He sold canes and paper fans in his early years. Because of poverty, he was not able to finish the
equivalent of grade four today. He worked as a messenger for 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 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 El Filibusterismo. He also read books about the French Revolution of 1789. When Rizal was executed
on December 30, 1896, he felt sad because a great Filipino was executed and angry because of what they
did to Rizal and his cause to fight for justice and liberty.

Bonifacio was anti-friar and anti-Spanish. He hated all Spaniards. To him they were all greedy, immoral,
cruel and lazy. 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. 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, 1875, Jacinto also lived a hard life. 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 University of Santo Tomas where he studied Law. As a young man of about eighteen, Jacinto
heard about the Katipunan and immediately joined it living his studies. Bonifacio came to love this young
man who was serious-minded, humble, intelligent, and industrious. Jacinto also wrote in Tagalog except
for one poem in Spanish, A Mi Patria (To My Country). He and Bonifacio believed that the people, the
masses, could only be reached only through their own language, so they both wrote in Tagalog. It is for this
reason that Bonifacio and Jacinto were able to unite the people behind them.

Jacinto also wrote pieces as the Kartilla, Liwanag at Dilim, Pahayag, Sa Mga Kababayan, and others. He
served as an adviser to the Supremo. When the revolution broke out, he fought side by side with Bonifacio.
After the death of Bonifacio, Jacinto continued the fight. He was wounded in a battle in Laguna and captured
but he was released after he convinced the Spanish soldiers he was a spy in their service when he showed
them a military pass issued to a man he killed several months ago. He went into hiding and he planned to
continue his law studies at the Literary University of the Philippines. This plan was discontinued when he
was assigned to lead the rebels in Laguna against the Americans. He established his headquarters in the
town of Majayjay, Laguna where he unfortunately, contracted malaria. He died on April 6, 1899, at the
young age of twenty-four.
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.

1. Love God with all of 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 risk
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.

THE KARTILYA OF THE KATIPUNAN

Emilio Jacinto wrote the Kartilya which consisted of thirteen ―teachings. ‖ It is the ―best known of all
Katipunan texts‖ and it is the ―only document set in print by the Katipunan prior to August 1896 that is
known to be still extant(existing)‖. The Kartilya was printed as a small pamphlet that was distributed to the
members of the Katipunan. It was derived from the Spanish cartilla which was the primer used for grade
schools during Spanish period. Hence, it served as the primary lessons of the members of the Katipunan.

Mga Aral nang Katipunan ng mga A.N.B.

1. Ang kabuhayang hindi ginugugol sa isang malaki at banal na kadahilanan ay kahoy na walang lilim,
kundi damong makamandag
2. Ang gawang magaling na nagbubuhat sa pagpipita sa sarili, at hindi sa talagang nasang gumawa
ng kagalingan, ay di kabaitan.
3. Ang tunay na kabanalan ay ang pagkakawang gawa, ang pagibig sa kapua at ang isukat ang bawat
kilos, gawa’t pangungusap sa talagang Katuiran.
4. Maitim man at maputi ang kulay ng balat, lahat ng tao’y magkakapantay; mangyayaring ang isa’y
higtan sa dunong, sa yaman, sa ganda...; ngunit di mahihigtan sa pagkatao.
5. Ang may mataas na kalooban inuuna ang puri sa pagpipita sa sarili; ang mayhamak na kalooban
inuuna ang pagpipita sa sarili sa puri.
6. Sa taong may hiya, salita’y panunumpa.
7. Huag mong sasayangin ang panahun; ang yamang nawala’y magyayaring magbalik; nguni’t
panahong nagdaan na’y di na muli pang magdadaan. Value of time
8. Ipagtanggol mo ang inaapi, at kabakahin ang umaapi.
9. Ang taong matalino’y ang may pagiingat sa bawat sasabihin, at matutong ipaglihimang dapat
ipaglihim.
10. Sa daang matinik ng kabuhayan, lalaki ay siyang patnugot ng asawa’t mga anak; kung ang umaakay
ay tungo sa sama, ang patutunguhan ng iaakay ay kasamaan din.
 11. Ang babai ay huag mong tignang isang bagay na libangan lamang, kundi isangkatuang at karamay
sa mga kahirapan nitong kabuhayan; gamitan mo ng buongpagpipitagan ang kaniyang kahinaan, at
alalahanin ang inang pinagbuhata’t nagiwisa iyong kasangulan.
12. Ang di mo ibig na gawin sa asawa mo, anak at kapatid, ay huag mong gagawin saasawa, anak, at
kapatid ng iba.
13. Ang kamahalan ng tao’y wala sa pagkahari, wala sa tangus ng ilong at puti ngmukha, wala sa
pagkaparing kahalili ng Dios wala sa mataas na kalagayan sa balat nglupa; wagas at tunay na mahal
na tao, kahit laking gubat at walang nababatid kundiang sariling wika, yaong may magandang asal,
may isang pangungusap, may dangalat puri; yaong di napaaapi’t di nakikiapi; yaong marunong
magdamdam at marunong lumingap sa bayang tinubuan.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION (Agoncillo)

Teachings of the Katipunan of the Sons of the People

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 one’s 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, and beauty, but cannot be superior in being.
5. He who is noble prefers honor to personal gains; he who is mean prefers personal profit to honor.
6. To a man with a sense of shame, his word is inviolate.
7. Don’t 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 is cautious in speech and knows how to keep the secrets that must be
guarded.
10. In the thorny path of life, man is the guide of his wife and children; if he who guides moves to evil,
they who are guided likewise move towards evil.
11. Think not of woman as a thing to while away time with, but as a helper and a partner in the hardships
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 his nose and the
whiteness of the skin, nor in being a priest representing God, nor in the exalted position in this
earth, but pure and truly noble is he who, though born in the woods, is possessed of an upright
character; who is true to his words; who has dignity and honor; who does not oppress and does not
help those who oppress; who knows how to look after and loves the land of his birth. *The teachings
are followed by a form to be filled out with name, hometown, age, occupation, status and address.
The Kartilya concludes with a brief undertaking to be signed by the person who intends to join the
association.