Rizal:

History
● Dr. Jose Rizal was arrested on JULY 6, 1892 , tried, and sentenced to death by a
Spanish court martial after being implicated as a leader of the Philippine Revolution.
● December 30, 1896, accounts exist reconverted to Catholicism following several
hours of persuasion by the Jesuit priests. A few hours before he was shot, Rizal
signed a document stating that he was a Catholic and retracted all his writings
against the church and the document he signed was known as "The Retraction".
Moreover, Rizal's retraction letter was discovered by Father Manuel Garcia, C.M. in
1935 at the Catholic hierarchy's archive in Manila.
● Rizal's views as he was growing up was greatly influenced by his older brother,
Paciano Rizal.
● When Rizal wrote his novel "Noli Me Tangere" in Spain, his title was deeply inspired
by his medical knowledge. He explained that it actually means "The Social Cancer"
referring to a type of cancer that is so terrible the infected could not bear to be
touched, which is similar to how his country is suffering in a type of a Social Cancer
that no one dares to cure.
● In 1892, Rizal founded La Liga Filipina which aims for an equal treatment of
Filipinos and Spanish people through political reforms. One of its prominent
members is Andres Bonifacio who later founded the KKK after the disbandment of
the La Liga Filipinas.
● 4 days after founding the La Liga Filipinas, Rizal was arrested and was sentenced to
a 4-year exile in Dapitan. He was supposed to be sent to Cuba as a military doctor
after 4 years of exile.
Retraction Controversy
The controversy surrounding the Retraction centers on its authenticity and significance.
Some historians argue that the document is a forgery or was coerced from Rizal, while
others view it as evidence of his supposed conversion to Catholicism and acceptance of the
Spanish colonial authorities.

Views on the Retraction

1. RAFAEL PALMA

Rafael Palma was born on October 24, 1874. He was a Filipino politician, lawyer, writer,
educator and a famous freemason. He was the author of Biografia de Rizal, a work on the
life of the national hero which won a literary contest in 1938 sponsored by the
Commonwealth Government. The story of Rizal's alleged retraction is found in chapter 32
and 33 with his analysis in the latter chapter.

2. FR. VICENTE BALAGUER

He was one of the Jesuit priests who visited Rizal's last hours in Fort Santiago and claimed
that he managed to persuade Rizal to denounce masonry and return to the Catholic fold.
Balaguer was totally unaware that Rizal had written "Mi Último Adiós" on the eve of his
execution. Balaguer allowed no time for Rizal to write the poem.

Aguinaldo:

Emilio "Emiong" Aguinaldo y Famy

-Birthplace: Kawit Cavite

-Died in: Quezon City (due to coronary thrombosis at the age of 94)

-The first President of the Philippines

(January 23, 1899-March 23, 1901)

Early Life

He received his basic education from his great-aunt, and later on attended his town's
elementary school.

Took up his secondary course education at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran, but he stop
due to the death of his father and also to help his mother manage their farms.

Trinidad Famy

-Mother of Emilio

-Known as Kapitana Teneng

-A former cigarette maker, and became a teacher and diretctress of the factory

Carlos Aguinaldo

-Father of Emilio

-Former Mayor of Kawit, Cavite in 1878

-Came from a wealthy Family

Hilaria Del Rosario

 ● First wife of Emilio Aguinaldo
● They had 5 children, Miguel, Carmen, Emilio Jr., Maria and Cristina.
● Hilaria organized the Hijas de la Revolucion (Daughters of the Revolution)
● organized Filipino Red Cross under the inspiration of Mabini.
● Died due to Pulmonary Tubercolosis

Doña Maria Agoncillo

● Second wife of Emilio Aguinaldo

● Niece of the first former Filipino Diplomat, Don Felipe Agoncillo
● Provided nursing care to Filipino soldiers during the revolution.
● President of the Filipino Red Cross branch in Batangas

ISSUES OF AGUINALDO

1. He did not investigate the (alleged) rape of Bonifacio’s wife

A member of the War Council asked Aguinaldo to investigate the incident which is Mariano
Noriel.

Unfortunately for de Jesus, Aguinaldo never investigated nor punished the offending
officers

2. He ignored Luna’s advice for guerrilla warfare only to use it in the end.
- Guerilla Tactic of Luna: Suprise attack to be build in Quezon province
- Two months before the Philippine-American War broke out, Antonio Luna had
proposed turning the Philippine army into a guerrilla force because he knew that the
Filipinos had no chance against the better-armed Americans in open set-piece
battles. On the other hand, by resorting to protracted guerrilla warfare, he believed
that the Filipinos could wear out the enemy long enough to convince the American
public to recall their soldiers back home.
- Luna even enlisted the help of Apolinario Mabini to try and convince Aguinaldo;
however, the latter rejected Luna’s proposal because he thought that a sovereign
nation should fight a conventional war. Four months later and just as Luna had
predicted, the Americans annihilated countless Filipinos in conventional warfare,
consequently forcing Aguinaldo to order his men to resort to guerrilla tactics.
3. He let Luna’s killers go unpunished.
- Instead, a commission designated by Aguinaldo cleared the killers (and himself)
from any culpability. The commission’s report blamed Luna for openly insulting the
guards and officers stationed to protect the president’s house. Incidentally,
 Aguinaldo also had all Luna’s men disarmed and his officers arrested, tortured, or
even killed in order to suppress any revolts by the deceased general’s troops

FACTS ABOUT AGUINALDO:

1. He actually confessed in a letter to having ordered Bonifacio’s execution.

- In his letter bearing his signature, Aguinaldo said that while he initially commuted
the brothers’death sentence to banishment, he was prevailed upon by his generals
Mariano Noriel and Pio del Pilar who were part of his Council of War to carry out the
execution for the country’s sake. “Kung ibig po ninyong magpatuloy ang
kapanatagan ng pamahalaang mapanghimagsik, at kung ibig ninyong mabuhay pa
tayo, ay inyo pong bawiin ang iginawad na indukto sa magkapatid na iyan,” they
told him. In reply, Aguinaldo said: “Dahil dito’y aking binawi at inutos ko kay
Heneral Noriel naipatupad ang kahatulan ng Consejo de Guerra, na barilin ang
magkapatid, alang-alang sa kapanatagan ng bayan.
2. He sent a telegram to Luna.
- The document was dated June 4, 1899–the day before Luna faced his death in the
hands of the Kawit Brigade. the telegram was addressed to Dagupan, received at the
San Fernando, Pampanga Station at 8:35 a.m., and was delivered in Tarlac by
horseback. It has a clipped portion on the upper right corner, which signifies that
the recipient, Luna, has received the message.
- It was not the only telegram sent by Aguinaldo that summons Luna to go to
Cabanatuan, however. Nakpil, citing Teodoro Cada’s account (the telegram operator
at that time), said four telegrams were sent “in quick succession and to various
telegraph points [around Tarlac] to ensure the messages’ certain delivery.” In other
words, Aguinaldo wanted to make sure that Luna would appear in Cabanatuan to
face his death.
3. He had a nascent dictatorial streak.
- Six days after the proclamation of independence, Aguinaldo issued a proclamation
formalizing the creation of a dictatorial government responsible for assessing the
needs of the country. The Dictatorial Government would last for only five days.
Upon the advice of Apolinario Mabini, Aguinaldo issued a subsequent proclamation
abolishing it and establishing a revolutionary government instead. Aguinaldo’s title
was changed from Dictator to the President of the Revolutionary Government and
Captain-General of its army. According to Mabini, this was done in order to prevent
other provinces from viewing Aguinaldo’s dictatorial authority with suspicion.
4. He was betrayed and captured.
- during the american time, after the end of the spanish american war, aguinaldo
went into hiding, after rebelling against the americans. hot on his trail was the
 american general frederick funston. aguinaldo was betrayed by the macabebe scouts
leading to his capture.
- at the time of the japanese occupation of the philippines during world war ii some
filipinos collaborated with the japanese and turned against their fellow filipinos.
- He was captured by the Macabebe squad
5. Emilio Aguinaldo never waved the Philippine flag during the proclamation of
independence.
- Actually, it was Jose Rizal’s distant relative, a lawyer named Ambrosio Rianzares
Bautista, who read the Act of the Declaration of Independence in the late afternoon
in front of an open window. In fact, Aguinaldo added the balcony only sometime in
1919 to 1921.
- Also, while it was Aguinaldo who unfurled the flag, it was Bautista who ended up
waving it in front of a jubilant crowd.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

1. Folklore says that Emilio has a friend Kapre in his mansion.

2. His only recorded speech in 1929

Bonifacio

Father and Mother of Andres Bonifacio

Catalina De Castro - employed in a cigarette-rolling factory.

Santiago Bonifacio - a tailor, local politician, and boatman who operated a river-ferry.

Facts about Andres Bonifacio

Who really killed Bonifacio?

- Aguinaldo released a letter saying he was indeed the one who ordered the
execution of Bonifacio and his brother Procopio.

Bonifacio was hacked to death with a bolo

- On May 10, 1897, the execution team led by Lazaro Makapagal brought the
Bonifacio brothers to the bushy mountain of Maragondon.But according to Gen.
Guillermo Masangkay, one of Makapagal’s men admitted that while Procopio was
shot to death, Andres was stabbed using a bolo

He made his first declaration of independence inside a cave

- While the image of Andres Bonifacio and his followers tearing up their cedulas
in the Cry of Balintawak (Pugadlawin) is undoubtedly etched in the minds of
 Filipinos, little-known is the fact that the Supremo made his first declaration of
independence a more than a year before the actual outbreak of the
Revolution.

Bonifacio as a theater actor

- Prior to the founding of Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio was a part-time theater
actor who appeared in several moro-moro plays. He often played the role of
Bernardo Carpio, a fictional character in Tagalog folklore. Other notable
historical figures who were talented thespians include Aurelio Tolentino and
Macario Sakay.

Bonifacio was self-educated

- Although Bonifacio only finished today’s equivalent of Grade 4, the Supremo was
anything but illiterate.
- Thanks to his father who was a highly-paid tailor at that time, Bonifacio was able to
learn how to read and write with the help of a tutor.
- Historian Ambeth Ocampo revealed that Andres Bonifacio grew up to be a voracious
reader. Included in his reading list are History of the French Revolution, The Bible,
and Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, among others.

His favorite food

- According to Milagros S. Enriquez’s Kasaysayan ng Kaluto ng Bayan, Bonifacio’s
favorite home-cooked meal was “nilitsong manok sa zaha.” It is prepared by
wrapping the chicken in banana and sampaloc leaves before grilling it in charcoal. It
is then served with a sarsa made from chicken liver and lemongrass.
- also had her own favorite: the “pinatisang alimango,” made by cooking blue or mud
crabs in fish sauce (patis) to make the aligue extra saucy.
- Other well-loved Katipunan dishes include nilasing na manga, pinalundag na bulig
and pindang ng kalabaw.

His only existing photograph

- Mention “Andres Bonifacio” and most people, students even, will imagine a man in
his early thirties wearing camisa de chino and red shorts.
- The history reveals that Bonifacio’s only existing photograph is the one in which he
wears a coat and tie.

Bonifacio once dressed as a woman

- Armed with his legendary bolo, Andres Bonifacio was about to pass through a
Guardia Civil checkpoint in Balintawak. To conceal his identity, he decided to wear
woman’s clothes.
- Bonifacio eventually outsmarted the Spanish soldiers, but his weapon–allegedly
destroyed during the Liberation of Manila–has never been found.

He fought with a revolver, not a bolo

- Bonifacio was something of a warrior, that’s for sure. But just to set the record
straight, Bonifacio preferred to use a gun to take up arms against his enemies—quite
different from the statue displayed at Manila’s Liwasang Bonifacio.
 - It showed in many instances, such as during the Battle of San Juan, or during the
time when he tried to kill Daniel Tirona at the Tejeros Convention. In fact,
Bonifacio—in his correspondence with other high-ranking Katipunan
members—repeatedly mentioned and emphasized the use of firearms.

Establishment of Katipunan
● In 1892, Bonifacio joined Jose Rizal's organization La Liga Filipina, which called for
reform of the Spanish colonial regime in the Philippines.
● After Rizal's arrest and deportation, Bonifacio and others revived La Liga to maintain
pressure on the Spanish government to free the Philippines.
● Along with his friends Ladislao Diwa and Teodoro Plata, however, he also founded a
group called Katipunan.
● In 1895, Bonifacio became the top leader, or Presidente Supremo, of the Katipunan.
● Under Bonifacio's leadership in 1896, Katipunan grew from about 300 members to
more than 30,000.

Philippine Revolution
● Over the summer of 1896, the Spanish colonial government began to realize that the
Philippines was on the verge of revolt.
● On August 19, authorities tried to preempt the uprising by arresting hundreds of
people and jailing them under charges of treason.
● Bonifacio kicked off the revolt by leading thousands of his followers to tear up their
community tax certificates, or cedulas.
● Bonifacio named himself president and commander-in-chief of the Philippines
revolutionary government, declaring the nation's independence from Spain on August
23.
Attack on San Juan del Monte
● Bonifacio himself led an attack on the town of San Juan del Monte, intent on
capturing Manila's metro water station and the powder magazine from the Spanish
garrison.
● Elsewhere, other Katipunan groups attacked Spanish troops all around Manila.
● By early September, the revolution was spreading across the country.

Rivalry With Aguinaldo

● Aguinaldo's faction in Cavite was in competition with a second rebel group headed by
an uncle of Bonifacio's wife Gregoria de Jesus.
● As a more successful military leader and a member of a much wealthier, more
influential family, Emilio Aguinaldo felt justified in forming his own rebel government in
opposition to Bonifacio's.
● To Bonifacio's shame, he not only lost the presidency to Aguinaldo but was appointed
to the lowly post of secretary of the interior.

Trial and Death

● After Emilio Aguinaldo "won" the rigged election at Tejeros, Bonifacio refused to
recognize the new rebel government.
 ● Aguinaldo had Bonifacio and Procopio tried for treason and sedition.
● On May 10, 1897, both Procopio and Bonifacio were likely shot dead by a firing
squad on Nagpatong Mountain.
● Some accounts say that Bonifacio was too weak to stand, due to untreated battle
wounds, and was actually hacked to death in his stretcher instead.

Legacy
● As the first self-declared president of the independent Philippines, as well as the first
leader of the Philippine Revolution, Bonifacio is a crucial figure in Filipino history.
● However, his exact legacy is the subject of dispute among Filipino scholars and
citizens.
● Jose Rizal is the most widely recognized "national hero of the Philippines," although
he advocated a more pacifist approach to reforming Spanish colonial rule.
Untold Story of Andres Bonifacio's Execution

The execution of the Bonifacio brothers in Marogondon marked a new change

in the Philippine Revolution, leading to the Pact of Biak-na-Bato and Aguinaldo's
exile to Hong Kong. The story of Bonifacio's trial and execution is well-known, but
some details still remain unclear.

Two Boys Falling Out

● The conflict ultimately started after the events of the Tejeros Convention.
● Meanwhile, Aguinaldo was surprised he was even elected President.
● He was busy in Silang when word came that he won an election.
● Bonifacio made his way to Naic with 40 other generals, including some of Aguinaldo's
men, to further denounce the results of Tejeros, creating the Naic Military Agreement.

The Arrest at Indang

● By this time, Aguinaldo had finished consolidating his power base among the Cavite
elite, giving him the confidence to act.
● Armed with allegations of Bonifacio burning down a village and ordering the burning
of a church in Indang, he decided to exercise his prerogative as President and arrest
Bonifacio, dispatching Agapito Bonzon and Jose Ignacio Paua to arrest the Supremo.
● A few shots were fired, and Bonifacio was shot in the arm by Bonzon and stabbed in
the neck by Paua.
● Andres Bonifacio’s wife, Gregoria de Jesus, was raped by Bonzon. Bonifacio, starved
and wounded, was carried in a hammock to Naic, where Aguinaldo waited.

From Exile to Execution

● Aguinaldo, not wanting to further anger any of Bonifacio's supporters and not seeing
the threat of a living Bonifacio, commuted his sentence to exile.
● The two brothers, Andres and Procopio, were taken to the mountains of
Marogondon, near Mount Nagpatong and Mount Buntis.
● The execution party was led by Lazaro Makapagal (ancestor of Diosdado Macapagal
and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo), who shared multiple accounts of the execution with
contemporaries.
 ● Armed with a written letter from Aguinaldo, Makapagal read the sentence out loud.
● In any case, the brothers were buried in shallow graves on the mountain.

Ghosts of the Revolution

● Bonifacio's death marked a clear shift in the Katipunan and the Philippine Revolution
in general.
● Bonifacio, Supremo, the Great Proletarian, was born of the masses and connected
with the Katipunan's nationalist and anti-colonial struggle.
● The change in leadership transformed the aims of the revolutionary movement and
essentially doomed it to failure.
● At its core, the revolutionary movement was an anti-colonial and anti-feudal struggle
led by the masses through its leader, the Supremo Andres Bonifacio.