The KKK

and
The “Kartilya ng Katipunan”
 The Kataastaasan Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng
mga Anak ng Bayan or katipunan is arguably the most
important organization formed in the Philippine history.
A united Filipino nation that would revolt against the
Spaniards for the total independence of the country from
Spanish.
 Previous armed revolt had already occurred before the
foundation of the Katipunan, but none of them envisioned
a unified Filipino nation revolting against the colonizers
 For example, Diego Silang was known as an Ilocano who took up
his arms and led one of the longest running revolts in the country,
however was mainly concerned about his locality and referred to
himself as El Rey de Ilocos ("The King of Ilocos”).
 The imagination of the nation was largely absent In the aspirations of the
local revolts before Katipunan. On the other hand, the propaganda
movements led by the ilustrados like Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano
Lopez Jaena, and Jose Rizal did not envision a total separation of the
Philippines from Spain, but only demanded equal rights, representation and
protection from the abuses of the friars.
 In the conduct of their struggle, Katipunan created complex structure and a
defined value system that would guide the organization as a collective aspiring
for a single goal. One of the most important Katipunan documents was the
Kartilya ng Katipunan. The original title of the document was "Manga [sic] Aral
Nang [sic] Katipunan ng mga A.N.B." or "Lessons of the Organization of the
Sons of Country." The was written by Emilio Jacinto in the 1896. Jacinto was
only 18 years old when he joined the movement. He was a law student at the
Universidad de Santo tomas Despite his youth, Bonifacio recognized the value
and intellect of Jacinto That upon seeing that Jacinto's Kartilya was much better
than the Decalogue he wrote, he willingly favored that the Kartilya be distributed
to their fellow Katipuneros Jacinto became the the organization and to took of the
charge of the short-lived printing press of the Katipunan. On 15 April 1897
 Bonifacio appointed Jacinto as a commander of
the Katipunan in Northern Luzon. Jacinto 22
years old. He died of Malaria at a young age of
24 in the town of Magdalena, Laguna.
 The Kartilya can be treated as the Katipunan‘s
code of conduct. It contains fourteen rules that
instruct the way a Katipunero should behave,
and which specific values should he uphold.
Generally, the rules stated in the Kartilya can be
classified into two. The first group contains the
rules that will make the member an upright
individual and the second group contains the
rules that will guide the way he treats his fellow
men.
Below is the translated version of the rules
in Kartilya:
 The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and reasonable
purpose is a tree without a shade. if not a poisonous weed.
 good for personal gain and not for its own sake is not virtue.
 To do lt is rational to be charitable and love one's fellow
creature. and to adjust one's conduct. acts and words to what is
in itself reasonable.
 Whether our skin be black or white, we are all born equal:
superiority in knowledge. wealth and beauty are to be understood.
but not superiority by nature
 The honorable man prefers honor to the scoundrel, gain to honor.
 To the honorable man, his word is sacred.
 Do not waste thy time: wealth can be recovered but not time lost.
 Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor before the law or in the
field.
 The prudent man is sparing in words and faithful in keeping secrets.
 On the thorny path Of life, man is the guide of woman and the children. and
if the guide leads to the precipice. those whom he guides will also go there.
 Thoumust not look upon woman as a mere plaything, but as a faithful
companion who will share with thee the penalties of life: her (physical)
weakness will increase thy interest is her and she will remind thee of the
mother who bore thee and reared thee.
 What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife. Children, brothers and sisters.
that do not unto the wife, children, brothers and sisters of thy neighbor.
 Man is not worth more because he is a king, because his nose is aquiline, and his color
white. not because he is a priest a servant of God. nor because of the high prerogative
that He enjoys upon earth. but he is worth most who is a man of proven and real value.
who does good. keeps his words. Is worthy and honest: he who does not oppress nor
consent to being oppressed, he who loves and cherishes his fatherland. though he be born
in the wilderness and know no tongue but his own.
 When these rules Of conduct shall be known to all. the longed. for sun of Liberty shall
rise brilliant over this most unhappy portion of the globe and its rays shall diffuse
everlasting joy among the confederated brethren of the same rays, the lives of those who
have gone before, the fatigues and the well-paid sufferings will remain. If he who desires
to enter has informed himself of all this and believes he will be able to perform what will
be his duties, he may fill out the application for admission.
As the primary governing document, which determines the rules of conduct in the Katipunan,
properly understanding the Kartilya will thus help in understanding the values, ideals, aspirations,
and even the ideology of the organization.

Analysis of the "Kartilya ng Katipunan"

 Similar to what we have done to the accounts of Pigafetta. this primary source also needs to be
analyzed in terms of content and context. As a document written for a fraternity. whose main
purpose is to overthrow a colonial regime. we can explain the content and provisions of the
Kartilya as a reaction and response to certain value systems that they found despicable in the
present state of things that they struggled against with. For example the fourth and the
thirteenth in the Kartilya are an invocation of the inherent equality between and among men
regardless of race, occupationor status. In the context Of the Spanish colonial era Where the
indios were treated as the inferior Of the White the Katipunan saw to it that the alternative
order that they-wished to promulgate through their revolution necessarily destroyed this kind
of unjust hierarchy.
Moreover. one can the values upheld in the document as consistent With the burgeoning rational and
liberal ideals in the eighteenth and nineteenth century. Equality. tolerance. freedom, and liberty were
values that first emerged in the eighteenth century French Revolution. which spread throughout
Europe and reached the educated class of the colonies. Jacinto, an ilustrado himself. certainly got an
understanding of these values. Aside from the liberal values that can be dissected in the document.
we can also decipher certain Victor-san and chivalrous values in the text. For example. various
provisions in the KartiIya repeatedly emphasized the importance of honor in words and in action.
The teaching of the Katipunan on how women should be treated with honor and respect. while
positive in many respects and certainly a significant stride from the practice of raping and physically
abusing women. can still be telling of the Katipunan's regard for women in relation to men. For
example, in the tenth rule the document specifically stated that men should be the guide of women
and children. and that he should set a good example. otherwise the women and the children would be
guided in the path of evil. Nevertheless. the same document stated that women should be treated as-
companions by men and not as playthings that can be exploited for their pleasure.
 In the contemporary eyes, the Katipunan can be criticized because of these
provisions. However, one must not forget the context where the organization
was born. Not even in Europe or in the whole of the West at that juncture
recognized the problem of gender inequality. Indeed, it can be argued that
Katipunan's recognition of women as important partners in the struggle, as
reflected not just in Kartilya but also in the organizational structure of the
fraternity where a 'omen's unit was established. is an endeavor advanced for
its time. Aside from Rizal's known Letter to the Women of Ma1010S, no same
effort by the supposed cosmopolitan Propaganda Movement was achieved
until the movement's eventual disintegration in the latter part of the 1890s
 Aside from this. the Kartilya was instructive not just Of the Katipunan's conduct
toward other people, but also for the members' development as individuals in their
own rights. Generally speaking, the rules in the Kartilya can be classified as either
directed to how one should treat his neighbor or to how one should develop and
conduct one's self. are essential to the success and fulfillment of the Katipunan's
ideals. For example, the Kartilya's teachings on honoring one's word and not wasting
time are teachings directed toward self-development, while the rules on treating the
neighbor's wife, children, and brothers the way that you want yours to be treated is an
instruction on how Katipuneros should treat and regard their neighbors.

All in all, proper reading of the Kartilya will reveal a more thorough understanding
of the Katipunan and the significant role that it played in the revolution and in the
unfolding of the Philippine history, as we know it