Andrés Bonifacio
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Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (November 30, 1863 – May 10, 1897) was one of the chief leaders of the revolution of the Philippines against Spanish colonial rule, the first revolution in Asia against European colonial rule.
Early life
He was born to an indio (native) father and a Spanish mestiza mother in Tondo, Manila. Though his father was a cabeza de barangay (leading barangay official), he was orphaned at a young age. According to some stories, he peddled canes and fans to support his family.
Later he worked as a clerk in foreign firms. He married twice - his first wife was one Monica, but she died of leprosy. According to some stories, he read books about the French Revolution, Les Miserables, and the novels of local reformist and future national hero Jose Rizal, among others. He was a Freemason. He also joined Rizal's La Liga Filipina (Philippine League), a society that called for reforms in Spanish rule. However, the Liga proved ineffective and Rizal was arrested and deported to the island of Dapitan.
The Katipunan
On the night of July 7, 1892 (the eve of Rizal's arrest, in fact), Bonifacio founded the Katipunan, a revolutionary secret society which would later spark the Philippine Revolution of 1896 against Spanish rule. In this period, he met his second wife, Gregoria de Jesus, who became a rebel leader in her own right. His right-hand man was Emilio Jacinto. Within the society, Bonifacio's codename or nom de guerre was Maypagasa (He who hopes).
With the establishment of the Katipunan, Andrés Bonifacio became popularly known as the Father of the Revolution. In the organization, he eventually held the title of Supremo.
He wrote the patriotic poem, Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa (loosely, Love for the Motherland), which saw print in the first and only issue of the Katipunan periodical, Kalayaan (Freedom), edited by Jacinto. Allegedly, he also made the first translation of Jose Rizal's final poem, Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell) into Tagalog.
Just before the Revolution broke out, he formed a revolutionary government called the Republika ng Katagalugan (Tagalog Republic), with him as President and the members of the Katipunan high council as his cabinet. "Tagalog", in this sense, was a term used to refer to the Philippines as a whole, not the ethnic group.
Downfall
While Bonifacio's personal campaigns were less than successful, the revolutionaries in Cavite had greater success, led by officers coming from the upper classes, including the celebrated Emilio Aguinaldo. Thus, they sent out a manifesto calling for a revolutionary government of their own, disregarding Bonifacio's leadership.
A council comprising of Bonifacio's men and the Magdalo and the Magdiwang, two locally-based rival Katipunan factions, held a convention in Tejeros, Cavite to establish a unified front and settle the issue of leadership of the revolutionary movement. The Magdalo faction was led by Baldomero Aguinaldo, cousin to Emilio Aguinaldo. In the elections, the Cavitenos voted their own Emilio Aguinaldo President. Bonifacio, due to the lack of a power base in the province, was voted Director of the Interior.
However, a member of the Magdalo faction, Daniel Tirona, questioned Bonifacio's qualifications for high office, declaring him uneducated and unfit for the position. Bonifacio was slighted, all the more so since he had previously asked that the results of the election be respected by all. Invoking his authority as Supremo, he declared the results of the Tejeros Convention as null and void and left in a rage. Later he wrote to Jacinto about his misgivings about the whole matter, as he suspected Tirona of spreading black propaganda against him and fixing the ballots (as some other leaders also suspected).
He decided to regroup his forces and tried to return to the province of Morong (now Rizal), where he had a strong base and support. Tried by a moot court 'in absentia' by the Aguinaldo faction, he was condemned as a traitor and given the death penalty. An arresting party of Magdalo soldiers caught up with Bonifacio in the town of Indang and a skirmish ensued in which Bonifacio was wounded and his brother Ciriaco killed. He and his other brother, Procopio, were captured and were subsequently executed by firing squad on May 10, 1897 at Mt. Nagpatong. Co-patriots of the Revolution regarded this an ugly blot laid at Aguinaldo's door, though in fairness Aguinaldo originally wanted them banished instead.
After many years, Bonifacio's remains were exhumed, but were believed destroyed during World War II.
Controversy
In Philippine historiography, there are many different views of Bonifacio. Some, like Renato Constantino, see him as a champion of the masses (though he himself belonged to the lower middle class) who was slighted by ambitious members of the upper class. Others like Gregorio Zaide, favor Aguinaldo and company over him. Glenn May even holds that his role as a national hero was largely invented. Also, there is debate whether he should be considered the first Philippine President instead of Aguinaldo and the national hero instead of Rizal.
Today
Bonifacio's birthday on November 30 is celebrated as Bonifacio Day (Filipino: Kaarawan ni Bonifacio) and is a public holiday in the Philippines.
There are many monuments to Bonifacio across the nation, with the most famous being two sculptures, one by Napoleon Abueva and the other by Guillermo Tolentino, both National Artists.
In current Philippine currency, he is depicted in the 10-peso bill (currently out of production) and 10-peso coin, along with fellow patriot and Aguinaldo man Apolinario Mabini.
In film
Bonifacio was portrayed by Julio Diaz in Bayani (Hero), a feature film loosely based on his life directed by experimental auteur Raymond Red, and a educational television series also named Bayani. In Jose Rizal, a film about the national hero, he was portrayed by Gardo Verzosa.References
- Ocampo, Ambeth. Bones of Contention: The Bonifacio Lectures
- Agoncillo, Teodoro. The Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan
- Constantino, Renato. The Philippines: a Past Revisited
Further reading
- Full book on Google
External links
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