AL ELLEMA

We mark once more the 161st birthday of our national hero, the Great Plebian, Gat Andres Bonifacio y de Castro. He is one of the six children of the spouses Santiago Bonifacio and Catalina de Castro. Born in Tondo, Manila on the 30th day of November 1863, he would later become a Filipino revolutionary and the Father of the Philippine Revolution. He is a nobleman who is considered the founder of the Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan. Its flag had the abbreviation KKK that was founded in his birthplace Tondo, Manila. It was a revolutionary movement that fought to achieve independence from the Spanish empire through an armed revolution.

It was founded at Calle Azcarraga, San Nicolas, Manila on July 7, 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Andres C. Bonifacio, Deodato Arellano, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, Jose Dizon and Teodoro Plata. The revolution was a secret society that was founded shortly after the arrest and deportation of Jose Rizal to Dapitan in Zamboanga del Norte in Mindanao. It fought the Spanish regime but was later discovered by the Spanish authorities in August 19, 1896. It had a membership that reached thirty thousand revolutionaries based on documents that were found by historians placing its inception sometime in January 1892 but became active in July of that year.

The revolution fought with bolos and native weapons against the superior arms of the Spaniards. The Philippine revolution lasted until the Pact of Biak na Bato created a truce signed on December 14, 1897 in San Miguel, Bulacan by the revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo and colonial Spanish Governor General Fernando Primo de Rivera to end the Philippine Revolution. Eventually, the Cry of Pugad Lawin took place where the katipuneros tore their cedulas on 23 august 1896 and shouted mabuhay ang pilipinas mabuhay ang Katipunan. The uprising of the Katipunan later on became a full scale-revolution against spain.

The Katipunan was dissolved on March 22, 1897, after the Tejeros Convention, a meeting between Katipunan factions. The convention resulted in the creation of a new revolutionary government that took over the Philippine Revolution. The Tejeros Convention was held in San Francisco de Malabon, Cavite (now General Trias). The meeting was attended by factions of the Katipunan, the Magdiwang and Magdalo. The Magdalo faction argued that the Katipunan should be replaced by a revolutionary government because it was a secret society.

The Magdiwang faction, led by Andrés Bonifacio, argued that the Katipunan should remain because it had its own constitution, laws, and governments. Emilio Aguinaldo, who led one of the factions of the Katipunan, ultimately unseated Bonifacio and took over the revolution. Aguinaldo had Bonifacio arrested and charged with treason, and Bonifacio was executed on May 10, 1897. It is well to note that Gat Adres is the hero whose day is marked on his birthday, others are remembered on their death anniversary of the renowned poor boy.
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