The Katipunan

Perez, Marela Allysa B.

BSMLS – 2A
 The Katipunan was Born
• On July 7, 1892, upon learning that 
Dr. Jose P. Rizal was to be deported and
that his works were to be banned in the
country, a secret council was convened in
No. 72 Azcarraga Street. In attendance
were Andres Bonifacio, Deodato
Arellano, Valentin Diaz, Teodoro Plata,
Ladislao Diwa, Jose Dizon, and a few
others, all members of La Liga Filipina, a
progressive organization founded by Rizal.
The men assembled came to the
agreement that a revolutionary secret
society must be founded, and thus
the Kataastaasang Kagalang-Kagalang
na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng
Bayan was born.
http://malacanang.gov.ph/4304-the-founding-of-the-katipunan/
• The Katipunan had colorful beginnings. As
a symbol of the member’s loyalty, they
performed the solemn rite of sanduguan
(blood compact), wherein each one signed
his name with his own blood..
Objectives:

• Political, moral, and civic.

• They advocated for freedom from the yoke
of Spain, to be achieved through armed
struggle. They also saw it as their personal
responsibility to help the poor and the
oppressed, and to teach them good
manners, hygiene, and morality.
Political Goal
• The political goal was to completely
separate the Philippines from Spain after
declaring the country’s independence.
Moral Goal
• The moral goal was to teach the Filipinos
good manners, cleanliness, hygiene, fine
morals, and how to guard themselves
against religious fanaticism.
Civic Goal
• The civic goal was to encourage Filipinos to
help themselves and to defend the poor
oppressed.
Recruitment Method:
• Triangle Method
• New recruits to the secret society
underwent a rigorous initiation process,
similar to Masonic practices.
• The final rites involved the neophyte signing
the oath of membership in his own blood,
usually drawn from a cut made by a scalpel
to the left forearm (Sanduguan).
• The organizational structure of the
Katipunan entailed three ranks of
membership, with new members starting
out as “katipon,” then moving up to “kawal”
and eventually to “bayani.”
• Members were to pay an entrance fee of
one real fuerte, a unit of currency equal to
1/8 of a silver real peso, as well as monthly
dues and other fees paid exclusively to the
Benefit Fund and collected at every session
or meeting.
THE PLAN FOR A REVOLUTION
• May 3, 1896
– an important meeting was held that concluded
with a plan to rescue Rizal from Dapitan to lead
the revolution. The task was assigned to Dr. Pio
Valenzuela. 
– Unfortunately, Rizal expressed his opposition to
the idea of launching an unprepared revolution
against a strong nation protected by well-armed
defense force.
– In the end, he urged that if the revolution is
inevitable, the revolutionary members should
seek the help of the rich and influential people to
convince them to support the cause of the
revolution.
• He also suggested that the service of
Antonio Luna be secured by the
organization because of his military
expertise and affiliation with rich and
influential Filipinos.
THE DISCOVERY OF THE
KATIPUNAN
• The quarrel between two employees of the
printing shop publishing Diario de Manila
resulted in the discovery of Katipunan. 
• This happened after Apolonio dela Cruz
was given a P2 raise in salary and Teodoro
Patiño was not given any.
• A heated argument sparked between them
which led Patiño to confide the secrets of
the Katipunan to his sister Honoria at the
convent where she was staying, her tearful
reaction attracted the attention of one of the
nuns, Sor Teresa de Jesus.
• The nun in turn, persuaded Patiño to tell
everything he knew to Fr. Mariano Gil, the
parish priest of Tondo. 
• After hearing the revelations, Fr. Gil
contacted the authorities and urged them to
raid the printing shop. 
• Documents, oaths signed in blood, receipts
and ledgers related to Katipunan were
confiscated from the shop.
Cry of Pugadlawin
• News about the discovery of the Katipunan
spread to Manila and nearby suburbs, and
Andres Bonifacio immediately called for a
general meeting.
• Various wings of the Katipunan gathered at
the house of Juan Ramos in Pugadlawin on
August 23, 1896.
• Ramos was the son of Melchora Aquino,
also known as “Tandang Sora” and was
later acknowledged as the Mother of the
Katipunan."
• After the discovery of the Katipunan,
Spanish authorities made several arrests to
identify their members.
• Bonifacio and his fellows were planning a
nationwide revolt. This led to an event
called the ‘Cry of PugadLawin’, where
revolutionaries took part in a mass tearing
of cedulas (community tax certificates)
shouting, Mabuhay ang Pilipinas,
symbolizing their fight against Spain.
Katipunan in Cavite
• Cavite soon became the center of the
Revolution.
• The Katipunan divided into two councils,
namely the Magdiwang and Magdalo.
• To settle the leadership dispute, the Tejeros
Convention was established. This assembly
of officials was intended to unite the two
factions and elect officers for the
revolutionary government.
• After a makeshift election, Bonifacio lost to
Aguinaldo and leadership was turned over
to him.
• Bonifacio was given the role of Director of
the Interior, but his qualifications were
questioned. Under this further scrutiny he
left the assembly – Aguinaldo took oath as
President the following day.
A rival government
• Bonifacio soon set out to Naic, Cavite,
where he established a rival government
against Aguinaldo. Newly recognised as the
leader of the revolution, he issued a coup
d’etat against Aguinaldo’s government.
Upon learning this, Aguinaldo ordered the
official arrest of Bonifacio.
• Bonifacio was captured and found guilty of
sedition and treason by the War Council.
They were soon executed near
Maragondon.
• Aguinaldo and his fellows soon established
the Republic of Biak-na-Bato and drafted
the first constitution.
• They came up with a pact that called for an
end to the revolution, which was positively
favored by the Spanish Governor-General.
The pact’s agenda included: the surrender
of weapons to revolutionaries, amnesty,
exile for leaders, and payment to the
revolutionaries worth $400,000 USD.
• While the Spanish kept their word, other
revolutionary generals took arms – the
Philippines was still not independent.
The arrival of the Americans and
the Declaration of Independence
• April 1898 marked the second phase of
the Philippine Revolution. After a US Navy
warship exploded and sunk in Havana
harbor, the Americans declared a war
against Spain known as the Spanish-
American War.
• The US Navy’s Asiatic Squadron, led by
Commodore George Dewey, sailed to
Manila and defeated the Spanish Navy. In
just a few hours all Spanish ships were
destroyed and the US gained control of the
Philippine capital.
• Meanwhile, Aguinaldo became friendly with
the United States. He met with a US consul
who advised him to cooperate with the
Americans. And so, from his exile in Hong
Kong, Bonifacio eventually returned to the
Philippines and resumed the attacks
against the Spanish authorities.
• And on June 12, 1898, Aguinaldo declared
the country’s independence and the birth of
the Philippine Republic. From his balcony in
his house in Kawit, Cavite, the 
Philippine flag was unfurled. The
Philippines’ National Anthem, “Lupang
Hinirang” was first heard by the Filipino
people.
Sources:
• http://malacanang.gov.ph/4304-the-foundin
g-of-the-katipunan/
• http://www.kasaysayan-kkk.info/docs.memb
.kartilya.htm