Andres Bonifacio

Andres Bonifacio (November 30,1863 – May 10,1897)

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Part 1

Andres Bonifacio was born on November 30, 1863 to Santiago Bonifacio

and Catalina de Castro in Tondo located in Manila Philippines. He was a Filipino revolutionary
hero who founded the Kataastaasan Kagalanggalang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan
(KKK) or Katipunan a secret society devoted to fighting the Spanish occupation of the
Philippines. He was the first one to have a clear vision of what a Filipino nation should be—The
Father of the Filipino Nation. He would later be known as Supremo; destined to change the
history of the Filipino people.
Bonifacio was not born and raised a plebeian, his mother was half-Spanish and he was privately
tutored by a certain Guillermo Osmeña. But things became tough for him when his parents died
when he was 14 years old forcing him to quit his studies and look after his 5 younger brothers
and sisters. He earned a living as a craftsman and seller of canes and fans and then he became
clerk and agent for a foreign commercial firm, Fleming and Company. In spite of his lack of
formal education, he taught himself to read and write in Spanish and Tagalog, and was actually
so good at it that he later got a job as a clerk-messenger for the German trading firm Fressel and
Company. It was said that Bonifacio was interested in Western classic rationalism and read the
works of Victor Hugo, Jose Rizal, and Eugene Sue. He had a deep interest in reading books on
the French Revolution and the lives of the presidents of the United States and acquired a good
understanding of the socio-historical process. Although it must be argued that the main thing that
made his later organizing activities successful would be his savvy to appropriate local
consciousness and ancient Filipino concepts to the Katipunan—Inang Bayan, sandugo, kapatiran,
kaginhawaan, and katimawaan or kalayaan. His passion for changing the plight of his
countrymen under colonialism encouraged him to join La Liga Filipina. La Liga Filipina was
organized in July 3, 1892 by Jose Rizal with the purpose of uniting the people under “one
compact homogenous body” which is the nation, instituting reform, education and cooperation,
building the nation in the grassroots.

Rise of the Katipunan

Four days after the establishment of the Liga, July

7,1892, the arrest and banishment of Jose Rizal the day before made it practically nonexistent as
an organization. Andres Bonifacio along side Ladislao Diwa, Teodoro Plata and others decided
to continue the struggle and formed the Kataastaasan Kagalanggalang ang Katipunan ng mga
Anak ng Bayan (KKK) or Katipunan at the home of Deodato Arellano in Calle Azcarraga,
Manila. A small room lit only by a table lamp they signed a solemn compact with blood drawn
from their forearm to symbolized the birth of the Katipunan the sandugo was not just a blood
pact but a pledge to love each compatriot as brothers and sisters as the ancients did when they
consolidate the bayan—kapatiran.
Only when people have mabuting kalooban (good intentions, thus the Kartilya) for each other,
will true kaginhawaan (total well-being) and kalayaan (freedom) be attained. Thus it must be
said that the Katipunan was not just a mere organization that wanted to unite the people to topple
the Spanish Empire, but wanted a true unity of mind and hearts among the Tagalogs (Taga-ilog,
river people, referring to peoples/mga bayan from the whole archipelago) under one Inang Bayan
seeking the enlightened and straight path, an original Filipino concept of the nation. After two
previous Supremos, the humble founder of the Katipunan Andres Bonifacio finally agreed to be
Supremo of the Katipunan.

An Excursion to the Mountains

As a theater actor himself, Bonifacio had a favourite character to play—Bernardo Carpio, the
mythical Tagalog king trapped in between two mountains who will soon be freed to fight and
free the people from the bondage of colonialism. On Good Friday of 1895, he went to the caves
of Mt. Tapusi, Montalban, Rizal with his men. They wrote through charcoals on the walls of the
caves “Naparito ang mga Anak ng Bayan, hinahanap ang Kalayaan. Mabuhay ang Kalayaan.”
(The Sons of the People came here searching for freedom. Long live freedom!) Definitely, it was
not a coincidence why he chose that time place for this, a declaration of independence: The
Katipunan will be the Bernardo Carpio who will free Inang Bayan. They are willing to sacrifice
their lives for the altar of freedom.
Mt. Tapusi, Montalban