Bonifacio was born of poor parents in Manila and had little formal education,

working as a messenger and warehouse keeper before becoming involved in

revolutionary activity. He was, however, well-read. Unlike the nationalist
poet and novelist José Rizal, who wanted to reform Spanish rule in the
Philippines, Bonifacio advocated complete independence from Spain. In
1892 he founded the Katipunan in Manila, modelling its organization and
ceremony on that of the Masonic order. The Katipunan at first grew slowly,
but by 1896 it had an estimated 100,000 members and branches not only in
Manila but also in central Luzon and on the islands of Panay, Mindoro, and
Mindanao. Its members were mostly workers and peasants; the urban middle
class supported reform rather than revolution.
In August 1896 Bonifacio led the long-planned insurrection on Luzon; but his
forces were defeated by Spanish troops, and he was forced to retreat to
Montalban in the north, while Emilio Aguinaldo, one of his lieutenants,
carried on resistance. As the Spanish systematically routed the insurrectos, it
became increasingly clear that Bonifacio was an ineffective military leader.
In March 1897 a convention at Tejeros named Aguinaldo, rather than
Bonifacio, president of a new Philippine republic. Refusing to recognize the
convention, Bonifacio tried to establish his own rebel government. In April
1897 Aguinaldo had Bonifacio arrested and tried for treason; he was executed
by a firing squad.