III.

Early Start of Katipunan

A. The Katipunan Newspaper
To propagate the teachings of the Katipunan, the Katipuneros planned to establish a printing press.
They lacked the sufficient funds to purchase even a small printing press which was enough to satisfy the
Katipunans objective to widen their influence. Fortunately, two Katipuneros from Visayas, Candido Iban
and Francisco del Castillo, who came back from Australia had one thousand pesos. They won the large
amount of money from the lottery, and they used it to buy the small printing press of Bazar El Cisne,
which was priced at four hundred pesos by its owner, Antonio Salazar. The printing press was transferred
to Andres Bonifacios house which is presently located in Oroqueita Street near Zurbaran.
The printing press lacked many types, especially the type of the letter a, which is used most of the
time in Tagalog. Emilio Jacinto was interested in the press so he borrowed twenty pesos from his mother,
Josefa Dizon, and with it, he bought some types from Isabelo de los Reyes, who was a part of the
propaganda movement. Inspite of this, some of the other types were still lacking and without them the
printing press couldnt print anything. Four Katipuneros working at Diario de Manila, a popular printing
establishment during that time, stole types from the said Spanish-owned periodical. The four Katipuneros
gave the types to Dr. Pio Valenzuela who suggested that the printing press be moved to his place at No. 36
(until recently No. 408) Lavezares Street, San Nicholas. Pio Valenzuela asked the help of Ulpiano
Fernandez, a printer in the printing plant of the daily El Comercio, and Faustino Duque, a student of San
Juan de Letran.
Dr. Pio Valenzuela suggested that the name of the newspaper be Kalayaan which Emilio Jacinto and
Andres Bonifacio approved. The editor of the Kalayaan newspaper is Emilio Jacinto but it was agreed
upon that the name of Marcelo H. del Pilar was to be used in the printed newspaper. The place of printing
was also changed to Yokohama to fool the Spanish authorities and to keep the Katipunan a secret. The
first issue of the Kalayaan which was approximately nine by twelve inches in size had two thousand
copies which was distributed throughout Luzon (i.e. Manila, Cavite, Morong, Caloocan, Malabon) . The
first copy of the first issue was printed on January 18 1896.
The first issue of the Kalayaan contained an editorial of Marcelo H. del Pilar (it was, in fact,
written by Emilio Jacinto). The editorial greeted the people and wished them solidarity and
independence. The first issue also had articles written by Pio Valenzuela, Emilio Jacinto and Andres
Bonifacio. One of them was Valenzuelas Catuiran?. It narrated the cruelties of the Spanish priest and
civil guards of San Francisco del Monte (presently located in Quezon city) on a helpless village
lieutenant. The newspaper also included Jacintos Manifesto which urged Filipinos to revolt against the
Spaniards to assure their liberty. Andres Bonifacios poem entitled Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa was also
in the newspaper. It showcased his poetic capabilities. The poem had twenty eight stanzas and four lines
each stanza. The poem encouraged Filipinos to love the country. Emilio Jacinto, Andres Bonifacio, and
Pio Valenzuela used the pen names Dimas-Ilaw, Agap-ito Bagumbayan, and Madlang-Away, respectively.
Emilio Jacinto planned and prepared a second issue of the Kalayaan which only contained his works.
The Spanish authorities suspected that the periodical was in or around Manila so they raided places like
No. 6 (until recently No. 712) Clavel Street, San Nicholas which was the location the printing press at that
time. Before the Spanish authorities could lay hold of the printing press, Ulpiano Fernandez and Faustino
Duque had already destroyed it. Thus, the second issue of the Kalayaan wasnt printed and didnt come
out.
With the help of the Kalayaan, masses mostly from Central Luzon became aware of their rights and
duties to their country. Hundreds of people also nightly joined the Katipunan in towns like San Juan del
Monte, San Felipe Neri, Pasig, Pateros, Mariquina, Caloocan, and Malabon. This resulted to an increased
number of Katipunan members. From around three hundred members, the Katipunan reached an

approximate number of thirty thousand members. These people were ready to face the risks of the
Philippine revolution.
B. Preparation for the Struggle
While Dr. Pio Valenzuela was sent by Andres Bonifacio to Jose Rizal in Dapitan to talk about the
revolution, the Katipunan began preparations in case the secrecy of the Katipunan was fully revealed
(before the bloody revolution exploded). Bonifacio wanted to be ready and didnt want to be taken by
surprise so he ordered the manufacture of bolos. Bolos werent enough against the Spaniards since they
had Remingtons and Mausers which were kinds of rifles. Pio Valenzuela told Andres Bonifacio that the
Japanese warship Kongo, led by Admiral Kanimura, anchored in Manila Bay. Andres Bonifacio had a
cordial interview with Admiral Kanimura. Bonifacio asked help from the admiral, but Kanimura refused
to commit his country to the revolutionary plans of the Katipunan. Andres Bonifacio realized that the best
help they could get was by helping themselves so he ordered two Katipuneros, Tito Miguel and Roman
Ramos, who were working in the Maestranza (the Cavite Artillery or arsenal) to steal rifles and pistols
from the arsenal. This resulted to an increased number of weapons the Katipunan had. These weapons
were hidden from the Spanish authorities to prevent the discovery of the Katipunan. Inspite the increased
possession of weapons, the quantity of such weapons was not sufficient to start a revolution.
Referenfces:
1. Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa ni Andres Bonifacio n.d., Viewed 07 July 2016,
<http://allschoolassignments.blogspot.com/2008/11/pag-ibig-sa-tinubuang-lupa-ni-andres.html>.

2. Agoncillo, TA 2012, History of the Filipino People, C & E Publishing, Inc., Quezon City.