Andrés Bonifacio Monument

(Caloocan City)

Submitted by:
Bautista, Bryan
Bonete, Carl John
Carsula, Florence
Deza, Melanie
Estrella, Rajannah
Olavidez, Florenz
Ombal, Jonniel
Paguia, Erika
Rodaje, John Derick
Taday, Dennis

Submitted to:
Mrs. Adela J. Luat
 Andrés Bonifacio Monument
(Caloocan City)

Introduction
The Andrés Bonifacio Monument, commonly known simply as Bonifacio
Monument or Monumento, is a memorial monument in Caloocan,
Philippines which was designed by the National Artist Guillermo Tolentino
to commemorate Philippine revolutionary Andrés Bonifacio, the founder and
Supremo of the Katipunan. Andrés Bonifacio fought for independence from
the politically and socially ruthless colonial rule by Spain. The monument 45
feet (14 m) in height with symbolic images and other features known as the
"Cry of Balintawak" is acclaimed as one of the best monuments in the
world.
The monument is located in South Caloocan at a round about crossing of
four roads, namely Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), MacArthur
Highway, Samson Road and Avenida Rizal, the old road leading to Manila.
The Bonifacio Monument recalls the Philippine Revolution which was
spearheaded by Andrés Bonifacio who had urged his men to raise against the
colonial rule of Spain. His call to take arms against the Spanish rule was
given on 23 August 1896, which is widely known as "Cry of Pugad Lawin.

The cornerstone was formally laid by Aurora Quezon, the wife of Filipino
Senate President and later President Manuel L. Quezon. The monument,
which was created under the orders of American Governor-General Frank
Murphy, was inaugurated on 23 October 1933. It was inaugurated by the
Speaker of the House, with much fanfare in a colourful function led by three
women from Luzon (of the Women’s College), Visayas (of the Institute of
Women), and Mindanao (of the Centro Escolar de Señoritas/Center for
Women) with other women representing the eight provinces of Manila,
Cavite, Batangas, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, and Laguna
which had participated in the revolution of 1896.

Landmarks, such as the Bonifacio Monument, are reminders of our past that
made us what we are today. Landmarks do not feed us physically for sure.
But man doesn’t live by bread alone, for he has a soul that searches for
identity and belonging. The monument is a proud reminder of the greatness
of our bloodline we all belong to, and of the victorious revolution we waged
in 1896-1898. To neglect these national treasures is like forgetting our own
personal past and genesis—amnesia—and forgetting the heroes of 1896 is
like forgetting the sacrifices of our own parents. If we would lose the
landmarks of our past, how would we ever know where we are, and where
we are going as a nation?

As we gaze upon the Supremo and the men and women around that obelisk,
let us think about the sacrifices of those before us who did not sleep in the
dark of night, those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their
children—for us. They want us to carry on with what they had fought for,
not by the bolo in a time of revolution, but simply by being productive and
vigilant citizens, just like the Supremo more than a hundred years ago. As if
we can hear him call on us from those bronze figures once again with his
words from the Dekalogo ng Katipunan: "Ang pagsusumikap at pagpipilit na
kumita ng ikabubuhay ay nagpapahayag ng tunay na pagmamahal sa sarili,
sa asawa, anak, kapatid, at kababayan." (Diligence in the work that gives
sustenance to thee is the true basis of love -- love for thine own self, for
thine wife and children, for thine brothers and countrymen.) The monument
as a reminder of how a working class hero made a difference, and how we
can too.
Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro

Digital Restoration and manipulation of Carlo Caacbay

Andres Bonifacio (1863-1897), a Filipino revolutionary hero, founded

the Katipunan, a secret society which spearheaded the uprising against the
Spanish and laid the groundwork for the first Philippine Republic. "father of
the Philippine Revolution," and "father of the Katipunan."
Andres Bonifacio was born in Tondo, Manila, on Nov. 30, 1863. He grew up
in the slums and knew from practical experience the actual conditions of the
class struggle in his society. Orphaned early, he interrupted his primary
schooling in order to earn a living as a craftsman and then as clerk-
messenger and agent of foreign commercial firms in Manila. Absorbing the
teachings of classic rationalism from the works of José Rizal, Victor Hugo's
Les Miserables, Eugène Sue's The Wandering Jew, books on the French
Revolution, and the lives of the presidents of the United States, Bonifacio
acquired an understanding of the dynamics of the sociohistorical process.
This led him to join the Liga Filipina, which Rizal organized in 1892 for the
purpose of uniting and intensifying the nationalist movement for reforms.
When the Liga was dissolved upon the arrest and banishment of Rizal,
Bonifacio formed the Katipunan in 1892 and thus provided the rallying point
for the people's agitation for freedom, independence, and equality. The
Katipunan patterned its initiation rites after the Masonry, but its ideological
principles derived from the French Revolution and can be judged radical in
its materialistic-historical orientation. The Katipunan exalted work as the
source of all value. It directed attention to the unjust class structure of the
colonial system, the increased exploitation of the indigenous population, and
consequently the need to affirm the collective strength of the working
masses in order to destroy the iniquitous system.

When the society was discovered on Aug. 19, 1896, it had about 10,000
members. On August 23 Bonifacio and his followers assembled at
Balintawak and agreed to begin the armed struggle. Two days later the first
skirmish took place and a reign of terror by the Spaniards soon followed.

Conflict split the rebels into the two groups of Magdiwang and Magdalo in
Cavite, on Luzon. Bonifacio was invited to mediate, only to be rebuffed by
the clannish middle class of Cavite. Judging Bonifacio's plans as divisive
and harmful to unity, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, the elected president of the
provisional revolutionary government, ordered the arrest, trial, and execution
for "treason and sedition" of Bonifacio and his brothers. On May 10, 1897,
Bonifacio was executed.

Contrary to the popular view, the cause of Bonifacio's tragic death at the
hands of other Filipino rebels cannot be solely attributed to his own personal
pride. Rather, the correlation of class forces and the adventurist tendency of
Bonifacio's group led to his isolation and subsequently to Aguinaldo's
compromises with the American military invaders.
Building Representation

Guillermo Tolentino, National Artist in Sculpture

The Bonifacio Monument, which was sculpted by Guillermo Tolentino in

1933, an obelisk, rises to a height of 45 feet (14 m); the obelisk is made up of five
parts representing five aspects of the society, "Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang na
Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Highest and Most Venerable Association of
the Sons of the Nation)". It is crowned by a figure with wings representing
triumph. Below the vertical pylon 20 figures cast in bronze have been molded over
an octagonal shaped plinth, plus one angel of peace at the top.
The octagon represents the eight provinces who fought against Spain and also
represents eight rays of the Katipunan flag. The plinth is raised in three steps, each
step representing the three centuries of Spanish rule. These figures are a
representation of the people of Philippines, who faced inequality, agony and
suppression under the colonial rule which eventually ended in an armed revolution
in 1896. The main central image of the monument holds a bolo, a machete, in the
right hand and a gun in the other hand. At the back of the central figure a flag of
Katipunan in an unfurled state is depicted. A remarkable feature of the molded
images of the human figures is the classic style with detailing marked by realistic
expressions reflecting the revolutionary spirit with an "upright head and body" and
with arms spread on the sides. The central obelisk is surrounded by pools of water.
he monument has become Caloocan City's most famous landmark. To get you
started, here is a brief synopsis of how the historical landmark created.
Bonifacio Monument

The monument has become Caloocan City's most famous landmark.

Andres Bonifacio Monument is a mural commemorate to the lifework of Gat.
Andres Bonifacio. It was created by Guillermo E. Tolentino, one of the National
Artists of the Philippines. The construction of national monument for Andres
Bonifacio was led by former Katipuneros, particularly Bonifacio’s friend and
comrade, Guillermo Masangkay. On February 23, 1918, Act No. 2760 was passed
by the Philippine Legislature approving the erection of a national monument in
memory of Andres Bonifacio. Eight years later, on 29 August 1930, a jury created
to select the best design for a monument to honor the Great Plebeian convened. It
was headed by Architect Andres Luna de San Pedro and was composed of sculptor
Vicente Francisco and Architect Tomas Mapua. Painter and Director of the UP
College of Fine Arts Fabian dela Rosa was supposed to preside in the deliberation
but later declined to ensure fairness when he learned that one of his colleagues
from his college was one of the competitors.

The site of the monument in Caloocan was aptly named "monumento" by the
people themselves, and for a long long time it was the landmark for traveller’s
from the north that they’re entering Manila through the MacArthur Highway.
That’s why the sight of the monument gives a feeling of journey’s end, until the
North Luzon Expressway and Castrillo’s The Resurrection replaced monumento as
Manila’s gateway from the north. Today, because it has become part of the daily
lives of the people of Caloocan, it seems that the monument is being neglected and
only a few people notice the beauty and ponder on the significance of the
monument. But recently, the monument caught attention once again in 2002, when
its transfer to faraway Tala in the same city was proposed by Mayor Rey Malonso
to give way for the Light Rail Transit Extension. This move was prevented by a
resolution by the National Historical Institute, signed by its chairman Ambeth
Ocampo, which reminds everyone that the Bonifacio Monument is a national
shrine and that transferring it would be against the law.

History
A Great Plebeian
Before the 1930s, there was no monument impressive enough to honor the Great
Plebeian, as Bonifacio was called. Though Bonifacio had been long recognized as
one of the greatest heroes of the Philippines, it was only in 1921 when he was
given formal recognition. On February 9 of that year, the Philippine legislature
enacted Act No. 2946 proclaiming November 30 of each year as Araw ni
Bonifacio (Bonifacio Day) and observing it as a national holiday.

Some historians theorize the Bonifacio Monument must have been placed in
Caloocan – the third most populous city in the country with a population of nearly
1.5 million, according to the 2010 census — because the area was the center of
activities for the Katipunan, the secret militant society that launched the Philippine
Revolution during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines.

They say it was in a house in Caloocan where secret meetings were held by
Bonifacio and his men, and it was within the city's perimeters where the very first
armed encounter took place between the Katipunan and the Spaniards.

Today, Caloocan, one of the cities and municipalities that comprise the Metro
Manila region (National Capital Region) in the Philippines, has become a major
residential area inside Metro Manila.The word Caloocan comes from the Tagalog
root word “lo-ok;” “kalook-lookan” (or kaloob-looban) means "innermost area."
The city borders many other cities such as Quezon City, Manila, Malabon,
Navotas, Valenzuela and San Jose Del Monte Bulacan in the north.

On the wall of Pamitinan Cave in Rodriguez, Rizal, where a reburial of his bones
was done years back, was the line Bonifacio wrote in May, 1896: “Sumapit dito
ang mga anak ng bayan. Humahanap ng kalayaan (The sons of the Country came
here, searching for freedom).”

Historians say that when the Katipuneros launched the revolution on Aug. 24,
1896, Bonifacio said to his fellow Katipuneros: “Kalayaan o kamatayan? Mga
kapatid! Ang Kalayaan ay kinukuha sa dulo ng patalim! (Freedom or Death?
Brothers, freedom is secured by force!)”. But enemies of the revolution denied
Bonifacio the opportunity to fulfill his vision for the country. They killed him in
early 1897. A few years after his death, his kin and friends began to honor
Bonifacio and observed his death anniversary on April 23, 1901, at his birthplace
in Meisic, Tondo, Manila.

On this occasion, the poet laureate Cecilio Apostol delivered his poem “Un Heroe
del Pueblo,” extolling Bonifacio as one of the true heroes of the Filipino people.
This annual celebration of Bonifacio’s death anniversary was capped by the
launching of a fund-raising campaign to erect a monument in his honor.

Where does the monument stand?

Caloocan city's most celebrated landmark is the monument of Katipunan Supremo
Andres Bonifacio, which is located at the northern terminal point of the Epifanio
de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) where it meets Rizal Avenue forming an area that is
popularly called “Monumento area”.

Impotance
The Bonifacio Monument recalls the Philippine Revolution which was
spearheaded by Andrés Bonifacio who had urged his men to raise against the
colonial rule of Spain. His call to take arms against the Spanish rule was given on
23 August 1896, which is widely known as "Cry of Pugad Lawin. " The lasting
relevance of the monument is a reflection of the continuing importance to the
people of the life and heroism of Manong Andres himself.