The Kartilya ng Katipunan was a collaboration of Emilio Jacinto and Andres

Bonifacio. But, Jacinto developed most of the concepts written on it so he was

considered as the author of the book. Furthermore, the Kartilya ng Katipunan served
as a guide that was given to the new members of Katipunan and to those who aspire to
be a part of this organization. There were a total of 13 sections written on this book
that every Katipuneros must keep in mind along their way.
1. Ang buhay na hindi itinalaga sa isang dakilang adhikain ay punong kahoy na
walang lilim, kundi man damong makamandag. Humans do not exist for
nothing. In the middle of a man’s journey, he will find his essence--the reason
behind his existence. With that, every human being must live life as if it is the
last. Example is dying in order to save the country for the sake of the future
generation. Death is indeed scary. But, if you have offered your life for
something that is honorable, your existence and purpose is not wasted at all.
2. Ang gawang magaling na nagbubuhat sa pagpipita sa sarili at hindi sa
talagang nasang gumawa ng kagalingan, ay di kabaitan. Ang tunay na
kabanalan ay ang pagkakawang-gawa, ang pag-ibig sa kapwa at ang isukat
ang bawat kilos, gawa’t pangungusap sa talagang katuwiran. Being humane
shall be done by every human. The world is already cruel and is full of thorns that
not everyone could handle. Being genuine in all aspects is what people need at
this point of time. Helping one another to combat the dark sides of the world is a
clear manifestation that humanity will always save the day.
3. Maitim man o maputi ang kulay ng balat, lahat ng tao’y magkakapantay;
mangyayaring ang isa’y higtan sa dunong, sa yaman, sa ganda; ngunit di
mahihigtan sa pagkatao. Humans are different in so many ways. There are
certain times when a man’s views and traits differ to someone else. Thus, despite
of these diversities, we are all human. We breathe the same air and we live in the
same planet. With that, we must always show kindness and compassion to our
fellows despite of our differences. At the end of the day, what is inside of a
person will matter more than anything else.
4. Ang may mataas na kalooban, inuuna ang puri kaysa pagpipita sa sarili; ang
may hamak na kalooban, inuuna ang pagpipita sa sarili kaysa puri. Pride is
dangerous because once it reached a person’s soul, it is hard to be mindful with
your mistakes. You will never learn how to apologize--the reason why you will
 lose the few, yet the best people in your life. Thus, if a person knows to
acknowledge its mistakes, it will grow into the best version of itself.
5. Sa taong may hiya, salita’y panunumpa. Every individual must keep the word of
honor in their sleeves at all times. Each word that comes out from our mouth is
our responsibility. Therefor, we must always remember that words are powerful
and promises are ought to be kept.
6. Huwag mong sayangin ang panahon; ang yamang nawala’y mangyayaring
magbalik; ngunit panahong nagdaan na’y di na muli pang magdadaan. In
other words, time must never be taken for granted. Every second matters and
every minute counts. The value of time must be greater compared to other
luxuries that can only give you an hour of happiness. If we are going to apply this
section to the reality, we must value our parents, especially in this time of
pandemic. We are all distracted with distance learning and to other issues.
However,, we must also set some time to spend with our parents because as we
grow, they are getting older.
7. Ipagtanggol mo ang inaapi at kabakahin ang umaapi. The past left fragments
of bloody nightmares. The present, on the other hand, has the traces of what
happened yesterday. People living with greed and abusing the powerless must be
taught a lesson. Those who live in the dark deserves to see the beauty of the
world without hesitations through the help of the real heroes with pure intentions.
8. Ang taong matalino’y may pag-iingat sa bawat sasabihin; at matutong
ipaglihim ang dapat ipaglihim. In this section, it simply indicated that a person
with the right mind knows what to say when everything turned upside-down.
Moreover, they know how to keep secrets. Personally, I find it rude to expose
someone’s story knowing that it is not mine to tell. In conclusion to that, it is
better to remain silent and let people deal with their own issues.
9. Sa daang matinik ng kabuhayan, lalaki ay siyang patnugot ng asawa’t mga
anak; kung ang umaakay ay tungo sa sama, ang patutunguhan ng inaakay ay
kasamaan din. Life is indeed a book where we encounter fruitful successes and
bittersweet failures. Usually, children tend to follow the footsteps of their parents,
particularly their father, thinking that it will lead them to a bright future. But, if
parents chose the dark path with thorns on their way and their children happened
to follow them, the worse is yet to come. With that, we must follow the lead of
 our parents if it is for the betterment of us. If otherwise happens, it is best to
educate and inform them and lead them to the right path.
10. Ang babae ay huwag mong tingnang isang bagay na libangan lamang, kundi
isang katuwang at karamay sa mga kahirapan nitong kabuhayan; gamitin mo
nang buong pagpipitagan ang kanyang kahinaan at alalahanin ang inang
pinagbuhata’t nag-iwi sa iyong kasanggulan. This section tackled about
picturing women as the equal of men. Indeed, men dominated the past. They were
more privileged compared to their opposites. The fact that respecting and
honoring women was stated in this book is the call of respect that must be applied
even until today.
11. Ang di mo ibig gawin sa asawa mo, anak at kapatid, ay huwag mong gagawin
sa asawa, anak at kapatid ng iba. In connection with the previous section, this is
a reminder that men must honor and respect every women. In return, the women
who has the same blood and flesh as them will get what they deserve, too.
12. Ang kamahalan ng tao’y wala sa pagkahari, wala sa tangos ng ilong at puti ng
mukha, wala sa pagka-paring kahalili ng Diyos, wala sa mataas na kalagayan
sa balat ng lupa: wagas at tunay na mahal na tao, kahit laking-gubat at
walang nababatid kundi sariling wika; yaong may magandang asal, may isang
pangungusap, may dangal at puri; yaong di napaaapi’t di nakikiapi; yaong
marunong magdamdam at marunong lumingap sa bayang tinubuan. Living a
luxurious life does not define the purity of a human in terms of being a citizen of
the country it belongs to. Being patriotic and nationalistic measures how far can a
person go in showing its love to the land of his/her birth.
13. Paglaganap ng mga aral na ito at maningning na sumikat ang araw ng mahal
na Kalayaan dito sa kaaba-abang Sangkapuluan at sabugan ng matamis
niyang liwanag ang nangagkaisang magkalahi’t magkakapatid ng ligayang
walang katapusan, ang mga ginugol na buhay, pagod, at mga tiniis na
kahirapa’y labis nang natumbasan. The final section of the Kartilya ng
Katipunan is a clear and simple reminder that hardships do not last forever. Our
struggles today will soon be a reason to laugh, knowing that we experienced such
things which made us stronger later on. We just have to follow the flow of fate
with a mixture of sweet efforts to witness a tomorrow that is filled with the fruits
of our hard work.
Source: http://www.philippinemasonry.org/kartilya-ng-katipunan.html