THE KATIPUNAN

The Who?
Andres Bonifacio
Emilio Jacinto
Emilio Aguinaldo
• “That is enough!” thought Bonifacio after the
shocking news of Rizal’s exile to Dapitan.
• “Insurection”, Del Pilar wrote in La
Solidaridad, “is the last remedy, especially
when the people have acquired the belief that
peaceful means to secure the remedies for
evils prove futile.
• Their goal was transformed from assimilation
to separation and then independence
 Founding of the Katipunan
• Founded on the night of July 7, 1892.
• Azcarraga St. (Claro M. Recto St.)
• Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng
mga Anak ng Bayan
• Supreme and Most Honorable Society of the Children
of the Nation
• Suprema y Venerable Asociacion de los Hijos del
pueblo
• Founder: Andres Bonifacio, with the aid of his friends:
– Teodoro Plata
– Ladislao Diwa
– Deodato Arellano
– Valentin Diaz
 The aims of the Katipunan
• Political- Separation from Spain
• Moral- Good Morals, good hygiene
• Civic- Selp Help and defence of the
poor and the oppressed.
• To unite the Filipinos into one solid
nation
• To fight for Philippine independence
from Spain. The Katipunan prepared
the country for an armed revolution to
regain the country’s lost freedom.
 Kataastaasang Sanggunian (Supreme Council)
for the whole country
Consisted of a president, a fiscal, a secretary, a treasurer, and a comptroller.

Sangguniang Bayan (Provincial Council)

for every province.

Sangguniang Balangay (Municipal Council)

for every town.

Sangguniang Hukuman (Judicial Council)

It decided cases involving treachery among the members and quarrels between them.
Secret initiation of the Katipunan

• A candidate for membership was first

blindfolded and entered a secret room. In
the room there was a table with a lamp, a
skull, and a bolo. The blindfold was removed
from his eyes. He was given a test on the
history of the Philippines to show that he
knew the Spaniards had oppressed the
Filipinos. He had to pass other tests on his
patriotism, courage and sincerity.
KATIPUNAN MEMBERSHIP
• Originally the KKK recruited new
members by means of TRIANGLE
SYSTEM
– An original member would recruit two new
members who did not know each other.
– Example: Bonifacio formed the first
triangle with Diwa and Plata
• They also agreed that they would pay
a membership fee amounting to one
real fuerte (twenty-five centavos) and a
monthly due of media real (twelve
centavos).
Membership in the Katipunan
First Grade: Katipun (associate)
Their password was “Anak ng
They wore black mask. Bayan (Sons of the People).”

Second Grade: Kawal (Soldier)

They wore green mask.

Their passwords was
“GOM-BUR-ZA.”

Third Grade: Bayani (Patriot)

They wore red mask.
Their password was
“Rizal.”
Katipunan Flags
The katipuneros
Andres Bonifacio
• The Great Plebeian
• Born in Tondo on
November 30, 1863, the
first child of poor parents.
• Named after St. Andrew the
patron saint of Manila.
• He had three brothers and
two sisters:
– Ciriaco
– Procopio
– Espiridiona
– Troadio
– Maxima
• His parents died when he was 14
years old.
• He supported his siblings by selling
bamboo canes and paper fans in the
city streets.
• He also worked as a warehouse
keeper in a mosaic tile factory in Sta.
Mesa.
• He worked first as a messenger and
was promoted as an agent in Fleming
and Company but he transferred to
Fressell and Company for a higher
wage.
• He started his education in the
school of Guillermo Osmeña, a
private primary school in Tondo.
• He educated himself by extensive
reading of good books and learning
Spanish by self-study.
• Monica – first wife of Bonifacio who
died because of leprosy
• Gregoria de Jesus – second wife of
Bonifacio whom he had a son
named Andres who died because
of smallpox.
Emilio Jacinto
• Brains of the Katipunan
• Born in Trozo (Tondo),
Manila on December 15,
1875.
• His father died shortly
after he was born so he
was adopted by his uncle
Don Jose Dizon
• Obtained the Bachelor of Arts’
degree in Colegio de San Juan de
Letran
• Studied Law in UST but was not
able to finish it.
• Remained loyal to Bonifacio even
after his death.
• He died on April 16, 1899 at the
age of 23 years old because of
Malaria.
 Officers (first election) August
1892
Deodato Arellano President

Jose Rizal Honorary

President
Andres Bonifacio Comptroller/Auditor

Ladislao Diwa Fiscal

Teodoro Plata Secretary
Valentin Diaz Treasures
 Officers (Second election)
February 1893
Roman Basa President

Andres Bonifacio Comptroller/Auditor

Andres Bonifacio Fiscal

Jose Turiano Santiago Secretary
Vicento Molina Treasures
 3rd Election Dec 1895
• Supremo – Andres Bonifacio
• Secretary of State – Emilio Jacinto
• Secretary of War – Teodoro Plata
• Secretary of Justice – Briccio Pantas
• Secretary of Interior – Aguedo del
Rosario
• Secretary of Finance – Enrique
Pacheco
• Every member of the Katipunan
adopted a symbolic name:
– Andres Bonifacio – May Pagasa
– Emilio Jacinto – Pingkian
– Artemio Ricarte – Vibora
– Emilio Aguinaldo – Magdalo
• Women also joined the Katipunan.
To be admitted in the women’s
section, one had to be a wife,
daughter, or sister of a Katipunero to
ensure the secrecy of the movement.
• When a secret meeting was being
held, the female Katipuneros
pretended it was a party by singing
songs and dancing.
 Qualifications for Female
Members
• Wife of a Katipunero
• Daughter of a Katipunero
• Sister of a Katipunero
• Any close relative of a Katipunero
Prominent Katipuneras

• Gregoria de Jesus –
wife of Bonifacio and
was called Lakambini
of the Katipunan.
 Sisters of Rizal
Josefa Rizal Trinidad Rizal
Melchora Ramos y Aquino
• Tandang Sora (January
6, 1812 – March 2,
1919)
• Mother of the
Katipunan
• She fed the
Katipuneros and
nursed the wounded
patriots
• Later she was arrested
by the Spanish
authorities and was
exiled in Marianas.
Literature of the Katipunan
• Emilio Jacinto – youngest and greatest
writer of the Katipunan
• His pen name was Dimas-Ilaw
• He wrote the following:
– A la Patria – his poetical masterpiece
– Liwanag at Dilim – a series of essays on
human rights, liberty, equality of men, labor,
and love of country.
– Kartilya ng Katipunan – contains the
teachings of the KKK.
 Decalogue (Ten
Commandments of Katipunan)
• Bonifacio wrote a decalogue or 10
commandments titled Katungkulang
Gagawin ng mga Anak ng Bayan
(Duties to be Observed by the Sons of
the Country) to lay down the
guidelines for good citizenship.
• He also wrote a patriotic poem Pag-
ibig sa Tinubuang Bayan (Love for
Country)
 Kalayaan
• Newspaper of the
KKK
• Realizing the value of
the printed word,
Bonifacio and his
friends established a
printing press and an
organ of for the
society.
Isabelo delos Reyes
• The printing pres was
purchased from him.
• The money used to
by the printing press
was donated by two
Visayan katipuneros:
– Francisco del Castillo
– Candido Iban – whose
ticket won the lottery.
Jose Rizal and the Katipunan
• From the time that Rizal was
banished in Dapitan in July of
1892, he has devoted himself to
helping the people in Dapitan.
• Bonifacio tried hard to convince
Rizal to support the armed revolt,
because he believed that if Rizal
would give his approval, that would
enable the reluctant ilustrados to
support the cause of the
Katipunan.
• Pio Valenzuela – was sent by
Bonifacio in Dapitan to convince
Rizal to give his approval.
• Rizal – believed that it was
foolishness to fight the Spaniards
without sufficient arms and funds.
– He suggested that the Katipuneros
wait for sometime before the launching
of an armed struggle.
• Even so, he suggested as to why not
attract the influential and wealthy
Filipinos to the cause to ensure the
success of the revolution. He also
suggested ANTONIO LUNA to be
appointed as their MILITARY LEADER

• Valenzuela came back to Manila and

reported the results of his mission,
Bonifacio admitted that it would be
fatal for them to start a revolution
without enough weaponry with which
to fight the enemy.
• Paciano Rizal – Jose Rizal’s older
brother supported Bonifacio.
• Bonifacio – hang Rizal’s portrait in
their headquarters.
The Katipunan and Japan
• The Katipunan sought Japan’s aid in
the coming revolution.
– In May 1896, a Katipunan delegation,
headed by Bonifacio and Jacinto, secretly
contacted a visiting Japanese naval
officer of the cruiser Kongo, and the
Japanese consul at a Japanese bazaar
and requested Japanese aid against
Spain.
– Moritaro Tagawa – a Japanese married
to Filipina from Bocaue, Bulacan acted as
interpreter.