Here is an excerpt of my book, " Bagong Istorya: Great Stories in Philippine History" about August 29 and why we should always remember it.
Chapter 14
1896, the Holy Cause
∞
1896 started on a rather relatively cool and normal Wednesday morning. It was a leap year. Many Filipinos, including the Chinese, believe that year to be unlucky. Leap years, they say, are turbulent years, usually marked by physical as well as political changes.
The view was widely shared, even among Katipuneros. A year ago, their organization was nearly exposed. Suspicious Spanish authorities made several inquiries about the secret society. Rumors of an arms buildup were a-float, and these did not escape the attention of the authorities. More than these though, reformists based in Hongkong and in Europe heightened their activities, with some of them, even presenting themselves as “diplomatic missions” to Japan, ostensibly to get valuable support from the Japanese empire.
Shortly following a major purge in the organizational ranks of the secret society, recruitment and building of new chapters continued. Members of the Supreme Council led by the Supremo, Jacinto and Valenzuela inaugurated new chapters throughout Manila and nearby towns. A succession of balangays was promoted to Sangguniang Bayans.
On such balangay in the town of Mandaluyong got that distinction on January 5. It was a Sunday, a Feast day of the Three kings, when Bonifacio and the rest of the Supreme Council arrived in the house of Rogelio Borja (“Magiliw”), a mechanic and active Katipunero.[i]
Around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, seven members[ii] of the Council inducted Borja as the new Council President along with Julian Enriquez (“Bituin”), another one by the pseudonym “Bakal” and “Dupil” who became the treasurer. Four other Katipuneros led by Romualdo Vivencio, a Capitan de barangay who later established the Balangay Kidlat at Sapa based in Balakbak Mandaluyong and Katipuneros with nom de guerre of “Bato-Balani”, “Araw” and “Bato were elected councilors.
The Supreme Council then went to Malabon on 2 o’clock in the afternoon the next day to again, establish another Sangguniang Bayan called “Dimahipo”. Four Katipuneros led by a cloth manufacturer by the name of Adriano Jesus (“Mapilit”) were inducted as the leaders of the council. Jesus served as head while Eugenio Goson, (“Madarag”) became Secretary along with Isabelo Reyes (“Laot”) as Treasurer. Goson and Reyes both worked as “tabaquero” at the El Oriente Factory in Malabon. A Katipunero by the nom de guerre “Tala” meanwhile, served as Fiscal.
Those who were not elected officers organized two other balangay: one in Tinageros (Tenejeros) codenamed “Tangulan” and the other one, “Masikap” in the district of Tambobong. Damaso Huat (“Tubig”) led the Tangulan branch along with Katipuneros with the nom de guerre “Sinukuan”, “Ugong” and “Matuid”. Meanwhile, Gregorio Coronel (“Leon”), another cloth manufacturer like Adriano Jesus was elected president of the newly formed “Masikap” branch, along with Katipuneros with the nom de guerre “Dayap” as secretary, “Maghusay” as Fiscal and a certain Balbino Ignacio (“Bomba”) as treasurer. When Coronel was elevated to the Katipunan Supreme Council, Ciriaco Antonio replaced him as President.
A month later, the first branch of the Katipunan outside Manila was established. Dr. Pio Valenzuela, along with Jacinto, travelled to the town of Polo, in the province of Bulacan. There, at 8 o’clock in the evening, the two inducted the first members of the Balangay of “Huaran”. Braulio Flamenco (“Patung”), a recruit of Jeronimo Cristobal (Secretary of the Katipunan branch “Diamond”), was elected president. Crispiniano Agustines and Faustino Duque were elected Fiscal and secretary, respectively, while a certain “Kamumo” acted as collector. [iii]
Dulumbayan as first Katipunan “headquarters”
The Supreme Council held another meeting on a Friday, February 21, 1896, inside Bonifacio’s house in Santa Cruz. Seven of the ten-man Council was present. Molina, Carreon and Hermenegildo Reyes were indisposed. This meeting formally establishes Bonifacio’s house as the Katipunan’s “nerve center” or headquarters.
Due to the growing number of Katipuneros, it was agreed that the Council held its meetings on a regular basis, always 8 o’clock and always on the first and third Sundays of every month. Every member of the Council was also given specific tasks to ease the workload of the Secretario.
Aguedo del Rosario was elected to assist Jacinto in the organization’s paperwork, along with Francisco Carreon who was to serve as writer and recorder. Jose Trinidad and Balbino Florentino will each serve as administrative assistants. Pantaloon Torres, meanwhile and Hermenegildo Reyes will both serve as Warden and Guard, respectively, since they were once customs officers. [iv] Officers were also tasked to prepare reports and submit them to the Council. The Council also agreed to reconvene the Supreme Assembly on March 22.
On March 8, the Supreme Council oversaw the establishment of two branches based on profession, not on territoriality. The balangays, “Tagailog” and “Pandayan” were established, with members inducted based on their professions. Those who earn their living along the Pasig river were integrated into the balangay “Tagailog” and others in Pandayan. These balangays were put under the administration of the Sangguniang Bayan Mahiganti. [v]
A week before the Supreme Assembly at Mandaluyong, the Supreme Council again met in the house of Bonifacio. There, it was agreed that the organization establish a “Basahang Bayan”, a public library to be managed by Francisco Carreon. The Council also reminded members of their obligations to contribute towards the building of the library, either donating their own books or just donate some money. It was also advised that those who will attend the Assembly bring with them 40 kualta for food and assemble infront of Bonifacio’s house at around 7 o’clock in the morning. [vi]
The Kalayaan
When Dr. Pio Valenzuela accepted the dual position of Fiscal and managing editor of the Kalayaan, he told Bonifacio that the printing press need to be moved from the Supremo’s house in Zurburan to his house along Calle de Lavezares in San Nicolas. By the middle of January, the hand press was transferred. The Council planned to release the first issue on January. It was not until March that the first and probably the last issue, was published.
Valenzuela served as the paper’s main editor, along with Jacinto. However, to fool the Spanish authorities, the Katipuneros used the name of Marcelo H. Del Pilar as editor and it carried a false masthead. A student from Letran by the name of Faustino Duque and Ulpiano Fernandez, a part-time printer at El Comercio helped Valenzuela in the printing of the paper and other Katipunan literature.
After Valenzuela’s appointment as the physician of the Katipunan, Jacinto took over the role as main editor. Jacinto edited the materials after his pre-law classes in the University of Santo Tomas. Since the press had Germanized alphabet, it lacked some Tagalog letters. To solve this, Jacinto asked his mother, Josefa Dizon, to buy some types of these characters. Most of the types however, were purchased from Isabelo delos Reyes and taken from Diario de Manila by employees of the paper who were also Katipuneros.
The typesetting of the paper was so laborious that it took eight pages of typesets, two months to complete. Valenzuela said 2,000 copies were printed which was disputed by Epifanio delos Santos. According to him, only 1,000 copies were printed: 700 were distributed by Bonifacio, 300 by Aguinaldo and some 100 by Valenzuela himself.
The first issue was a hit. Several copies were passed on by the Filipinos. It published Andres Bonifacio’s poem, Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa, Valenzuela’s Catuiran and a supposed editorial by del Pilar which Jacinto actually wrote. There were also works that exposed Spanish abuses and promoting patriotism. Kalayaan spread like wildfire in Manila, and nearby provinces of Cavite, Morong, Kalookan and Malabon. Jacinto decided to release a second issue which would contain only his works.
American writer James Le Roy estimated the strength of the Katipunan by this time at around 100,000 to 400,000 members. Agoncillo, had a more modest estimate—only 30,000 by 1896. Ilocano writer Isabelo delos Reyes however said that membership rose to 50,000 before formal skirmishes with the Spanish forces began.
Treachery continues
The purge last November 30 1895 did not end the rumors, especially regarding fund mismanagement. Accusations against the Supremo and members of the Supreme Council spread among the ranks, leading several branches to question the Katipunan leadership. Remnants of the Sangguniang Bayan Laong Laan re-grouped and established an alternative organization called Binhing Payapa. The organization attracted several Katipunan activists, including the brother of Katipunan founder, Teodoro Plata. Bonifacio had to act and he acted fast.
In a letter written personally by Bonifacio dated January 25, 1896, [vii] Hermogenes Plata (“Kidlat”), and brother of Teodoro, was expelled and declared guilty of treachery.
According to the letter, Plata tried to separate Balangay Katutuhanan, a Katipunan branch in Tondo, of which he served as Fiscal from the Katipunan. A customs clerk living in Calle Salinas in San Nicolas, Plata reportedly mishandled the funds of the branch. He probably sided with several others like Tomas Remigio in establishing a counter-movement called Binhing Payapa.
The Council likewise tried to end rumors of fund misuse by allowing heads of different branches to inspect the funds kept by the society. This was also the first time that the Supreme Council exposed how they manage the organizational funds.
“ In line with the fifth order given by the Supreme Assembly at its meeting on December 24, 1895, and given the pressing need to put that order into effect, the Supreme Assembly has decided after careful consideration (i) that all sections should send to the Supreme Council the fees paid by members upon their admission to the society and upon their promotion to the rank of Soldier of Distinction; (ii) that together with this money the sections should also send details of the members who paid the fees, specifying their name, alias, place of birth, place of residence, situation (presumably meaning marital status), occupation and date of admission to the society; (iii) the money collected will be hidden in a metal chest owned by Kap. Maniangat [Vicente Molina], and this chest will be kept in the house of Kap. Dimasayaran [Pio Valenzuela] because it is not unusual for a physician to own a metal chest, called a talega; (iv) on the first day of every month each section should send three members to inspect this money in order to refute the slanderous accusation that there is disorderliness in the K.K.K., and also to ensure the money is not taken by a renegade for his own purposes. Note: The three members assigned to inspect the money should be different individuals every month.
Fourth [sic]: Since the Supreme Council has a duty to ensure that the whole Katipunan is completely clean, especially with in relation to money, six members of the Council will inspect the money of all the sections every three months.
Fifth: The real representatives of the sections on the Supreme Assembly are the section presidents, but sections that are far distant may appoint members who live closer to represent them. Any member may be appointed in this way, from the chiefs and councillors of the Supreme Council to an ordinary member from a branch or provincial unit. If a section president cannot attend a Supreme Assembly meeting for any unforeseen reason, he should assign one of his fellow leaders to take his place. Note: As stated, the sections should be represented on the Supreme Assembly by their respective presidents; this means that the presidents of the Provincial Councils or their proxies who live in Manila are the representatives of all the sections under their jurisdiction. The presidents of the Popular Councils here in Manila, and the presidents of Popular Councils not affiliated to any Provincial Council, and the branches not affiliated to any Popular Council, have a right to attend. “[viii]
After this letter, no other instance where members ever asked about the management of the funds. It was clear that the monies collected had two natures: those held in trust by the Supreme Council and those being kept in the collective units. The funds are those collected as “butaw” or personal tithes of the members and those collected from members who bought Katipunan documents.
Fourth: The printed documents used by the Katipunan are priced as follows: the manifesto given to those who wish to join the society [the "Kartilya"], 4 kualta per copy; the application form, 1 kualta per copy; the oath to be sworn upon initiation into the society, 1 kualta per copy; the questions to be considered in the room of reflection, 1 kualta per copy; and the list of points to be borne in mind when recruiting members, 1 kualta for two copies.
The society collected monies from the new members to probably cover the costs of printing the materials. Monthly membership fees were collected by the Sanggunians. A portion went to the national organizational coffers of the Supreme Council.
The Supreme Assembly
The meeting called for March 22, 1896 was the third such meeting of the Assembly. The first one happened on November 30 when the members tried to resolve organizational issues and rumors against the Supremo and the Council. Another meeting was held on Christmas eve of 1894 in the house of Bonifacio and that of the election held on New Year’s day, 1896 again in Bonifacio’s house in Dulumbayan.
The meeting began at 10 o’clock in the morning, although members already assembled there as early as 7 o’clock. “Talisay”, a Katipunero, and possibly a government employee and Liborio de Guzman (“Makahiya”), president of the Sikat branch, served as hosts. Back then, Mandaluyong served as the Katipunan’s hotbed, second only to Manila. The town had at least twenty four active Balangays.
Organizational issues were discussed. Two main issues were resolved: the establishment of a mutual benefits fund for needy members and publication of Katipunan “decrees” in an Official Gazette. There was also an indication that active members of the Council who lent their professional services, be given their fees or allowances. One such member, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, reportedly asked that the society pays for his services as the official physician of the Katipunan.
What these records show was an attempt by the Katipunan to become a full-pledged government or a fully functioning mutual benefits society, dispensing medical, legal, educational even a micro lending system. In all indications, this document actually showed that the Katipunan has entirely morphed into an active revolutionary government as early as March 1896, with its own headquarters, a security group headed by Carreon and a medical team led by Valenzuela. [ix]
Four days later, Pio Valenzuela, Aguedo del Rosario and Pantaleon Torres presided over the inauguration of a new Sangguniang Bayan in the town of Pasig.
The balangay “Nagbangon” was transformed into a Sangguniang Bayan with a tailor, Eulalio Santiago, “Magaling”as president and a former Teniente Mayor, Francisco dela Paz (“Timog”) as secretary. Francisco Espinosa (“Nagbago”) was elected treasurer, along with a Katipunero by the pseudonym “Yantok” as Fiscal. Councilors elected were “Kakawate”, “Habagat”, “Magingat” and “Mabato”. A Balangay, codenamed Pinaglabanan, was established, with a Katipunero under the pseudonym “Halo” elected petty president.[x]
Other branches were established in Manila and other provinces, including those in the province of Cavite.
The Founding of the Magdalo
Roman Basa y Esteban (“Liwanag”) was just a clerk of the Comandancia General de Marina when he joined the Katipunan. A distinguished member of the La Liga Filipina (known for the moniker “Baesa Bata”), Basa hailed from San Roque town in Cavite. He was born poor, son of Mariano Basa and Dorotea Esteban. His early years were spent studying in a school run by Spanish military friars. When he finished schooling, he went to Manila and got the job at the Comandancia. He immediately was promoted from an assistant to a clerk for his industriousness.
While in Manila, Basa stayed in a house along Calle Asuncion in San Nicolas, with his kababayan, Ladislao Diwa (“Baliti”). Basa and Diwa were both born in San Roque, and their fathers were even named alike. [xi]While Basa studied under the strict tutelage of the military priests, Diwa went to Colegio de San Juan de Letran and later studied for the priesthood at the University of Santo Tomas. Diwa abandoned the priesthood because of the strenuous objections of his father. He then shifted to law.
At that time, Basa was very active in the Propaganda Movement, distributing propaganda materials like the La Solidaridad, along with Andres Bonifacio. It was possible that Basa introduced Diwa to Bonifacio, who later recruited him to the Masonic lodge Taliba. Diwa finished his law studies and became a clerk in the district court of Quiapo, Manila.
When Rizal went back and established the La Liga Filipina, Basa, together with Diwa and Bonifacio, joined the association. Diwa was elected secretary of the La Liga council in Trozo Tondo, under the presidency of Bonifacio.
After Rizal’s arrest, Diwa, together with Bonifacio established the Katipunan. Diwa then recruited his kababayan, Basa and another one by the name of Atty. Teodoro Gonzales (“Bathala”), affiliated with the Monroy law office.[xii] Gonzales was a graduate of the Universidad de Santo Tomas and possibly, a classmate of Diwa. On November 9, three months after the founding of the secret society, Basa joined his kababayan and got the pseudonym “Liwanag” or “Light”.
A year later, Basa, together with Gonzales, was elected Supremo and councilor of the Katipunan, respectively. Diwa served as Councilor. With his kababayan as Supremo, Diwa accepted a job as a clerk in the district court of Pampanga. There, Diwa actively recruited for the Katipunan. Hundreds joined, Filipinos from the provinces of Bulacan, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija. One of them, Francisco Macabuhos, would become one of the most successful revolutionary generals in Philippine history.
Basa was a close friend of Jose Turiano Santiago[xiii] who later betrayed the society. [xiv] As Supremo, Basa abolished the Triangle method of recruitment and pave the way for the establishment of the women auxiliary force. He then tasked Santiago to recruit members and establish councils throughout Luzon.
It was Basa, together with Santiago Alvarez, who established a provincial council of the Katipunan in the province of Cavite. In his memoirs, Alvarez claims to have recruited Emilio Aguinaldo into the secret society.
When Basa was ousted as Supremo, and later expelled from the Katipunan in 1895, he had basically planted the seeds of dissent against the leadership of Bonifacio. Basa’s accusations of Bonifacio’s funds mismanagement stuck until 1896.
Together with his friend and god-son, Jose Turiano Santiago, they spread malicious rumors against Bonifacio and his leadership style. They were against Bonifacio’s way of managing the organization, especially the policy of Bonifacio of helping needy Katipuneros.
Their accusations, however, were unsubstantiated. No concrete evidence was presented that Bonifacio even dipped his fingers on the Katipunan funds. Probably, what they hated about Bonifacio was his cavalier treatment of the funds.
Believing that the Katipunan is more of a brotherhood than a formal association, Bonifacio allowed needy Katipuneros to lend money from the organizational funds. These rumors spread like wildfire among the different Katipunan chapters. It caused demoralization in several chapters, including those of Dimasalang and Ilog Pasig. Bonifacio was never tried for this.
Basa’s direct challenge to Bonifacio’s leadership was the first time in the organization’s history. It took two years before a very serious challenge again cropped up, this time, from Basa’s province mates in Cavite. Was there a connection between Basa and the Magdalo members?
The entry of Emilio Aguinaldo
Santiago Alvarez, founder of the Magdiwang in Cavite, claims in his memoirs that he was instrumental in the recruitment of Emilio Aguinaldo, the petty Katipunan president who succeeded Bonifacio at the height of the revolution.
The seventh of eight children of a gobernadorcillo, Emilio was himself a Capitan of his hometown Kawit, like his father, Carlos a few years hence. The Aguinaldos were members of Cavite’s wealthy Chinese mestizo elite families. At the age of 28, Miong, as what he was popularly called, was elected cabeza de barangay of Binakayan, the most prosperous town of Cavite El Viejo. He held this post for eight years while making a living as a trader involved in inter-island shipping. In January 1, 1895, he was designated Capitan municipal of Cavite El Viejo.
That very day, Aguinaldo was also secretly initiated as a member of Logia Pilar no. 203, a Masonic lodge, at the residence of Cayetano Topacio. Aguinaldo became a charter member of the lodge which was headed by Juan Castaneda, together with his brother Baldomero, Pantaleon Garcia, Jose Elises, Mariano Tagle, Luis Virata, Estanislao Villanueva, Doroteo Paredes, Sixto Sapinoso, Ignacio Bella and Benedicto Ilano. [xv]
A year later, Aguinaldo married Hilaria del Rosario, a pretty Cavitena.
On March 14, Santiago Alvarez went to the house of Jacinto Lumbreras, a Katipunero along Calle San Jacinto in Binundok, Manila. He was with his brother-in-law, Emilio Aguinaldo and his friend, Raymundo Mata. Both were interested in joining the Katipunan.[xvi]
In the evening, Aguinaldo and Mata were taken to the house of Bonifacio on Cervantes street, in San Ygnacia in the district of Bambang, in Manila. It took hours before the Katipuneros finally inducted Aguinaldo and Mata into the organization. Nine days before his birthday on March 23, 1896, Aguinaldo was initiated as a member of the Katipunan and assumed the nom de guerre “Magdalo” in honor of his town’s patron saint, St. Mary Magdalene.
On Holy Thursday of April 2, 1896, the Supremo, along with Pio Valenzuela and Emilio Jacinto went to the town of Noveleta, in the province of Cavite. There, at around 7 o’clock in the evening, the Magdiwang branch was established. Santiago Alvarez (“Apuy”), a distant relative of Gregoria de Jesus, wife of the Supremo was elected president along with Pascual Alvarez (“Bagong-Buhay”) as Fiscal, a member called “Mabalasik” as secretary and “Mabuti” as treasurer. [xvii]
A day later, the Supreme Council, led by the Supremo Andres Bonifacio, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Emilio Jacinto, Santiago Alvarez and Pantaleon Torres went to the house of new recruit Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit. The visit, according to Alvarez, was to establish another Katipunan branch in Kawit.
Kawit, it was later learned, had a sizeable number of Masonic members after Aguinaldo established a lodge there a year before. When Bonifacio arrived, a huge procession of Katipunan recruits, mostly Masonic members under Aguinaldo, visited the Capitan’s house to join the secret society.
At around 9 o’clock in the evening, just as the Founders were about to induct members of the first Magdalo branch, Alvarez and Supremo heard shouts of a fire in Manila. True enough, as soon as the Supremo ascended the stone bridge to the east of Aguinaldo’s house to look across the bay to Manila, he saw a huge conflagration. Bonifacio felt dismayed and fell limp against the stone wall. He felt certain that his house and his furniture had all gone in flames. [xviii] Nonetheless, they proceeded to induct the members and established the Magdalo branch, after the town’s patron saint, St. Mary Magdalene. [xix]
Aguinaldo (“Magdalo”) was named president of the branch, together with Silvestre Legaspi (“Panahun”) as Fiscal, Benigno Santi (“Mabangis”) as secretary and Candido Tria Tirona (“Sukat na”) as treasurer.
Afterwards, the founders then proceeded to Noveleta to spend the night there. Santiago Alvarez said the Supremo decided to go to Noveleta because they had to ferry out of Cavite the morning after.
When they went back to Manila two days later, the Supremo again called for a meeting. There in the house of Pio Valenzuela in Manila, the Katipunan leaders led by Bonifacio, Jacinto, Francisco Carreon (“Silanganan”), Hermenegildo Reyes (“Talibong”), Pantaleon Torres (“Bulalakaw”), Balbino Florentino (“Silang”) along with “Subiang” and the leader named “Dinalitiwan” agreed to publish a strongly worded condemnation of the fire and set up a fund to help members affected by it. [xx]
Katipuneros believed that the fire was not accidental, but arson committed by the Spanish secret service. The group also agreed to hold a stage play in Teatro Colon on the second and third day of May to help raise funds for members affected by the fire. Members of the Katipunan Malabon branch were the only ones who refused to join the stage play since they directly contributed funds to the organization.
Preparations for Revolt
While Filipinos were celebrating and feasting on the eve of Corpus Christi, a very important day in the liturgical calendar, Bonifacio called on his fellow Katipuneros to a secret meeting. It was the second day of May, 1896, the start of an annual pilgrimage to the Virgin of Peace and Good Voyage in Antipolo.
The Supremo told the Katipuneros that they need to gather at around 4 o’clock at the foot of the suspension bridge in Quiapo, Manila. Salvador Alvarez, one of those informed of the meeting, called on Emilio Aguinaldo to join him.[xxi] Aside from Aguinaldo, other heads of the Magdalo group attended including Benigno Santi, a school teacher in Kawit and Raymundo Mata, Aguinaldo’s trusted aide.
The Supremo met the rest of the members of the Supreme Council[xxii] in Quiapo and from there, they sailed together in five bancas. They went upriver, traversing the snaky path of the Pasig river.
When they reached the boundary that separated Mandaluyong and Pandacan, the Katipuneros disembarked on the right bank of the Beata River, which joins the Pasig between Santa Ana and Pandacan. Capitan Ramon Bernardo (“Balago”), a mechanic and leader of the Katipuneros in Pandacan, welcomed the group. Bernardo treated his fellow Katipuneros with a sumptuous dinner in his house, mostly seafood. They ate hastily and proceeded back to their bancas.
The flotilla was soon joined by other bancas from Santa Ana, Mandaluyong, San Pedro de Macati, Pateros, Taguig and Pasig. Advance guards in several bancas masqueraded as peddlers of sweetmeats, a clever ruse since it was the feast day of the Virgin of Antipolo. More than sixty heads of various Katipunan branches throughout Manila and other towns joined the flotilla.
Around 9 o’clock in the evening, the group then reached the spot called Sapang Nabas. A few meters away at the western bank of the Bitukang Manok river, they disembarked near the eatery of a certain old woman named Fausta. They were met by members of the Sangguniang Magbangon and Santolan of Pasig led by Valentin Cruz (“Gugol”). Years before, in 1892, the first members of the Katipunan led by Eulalio Santiago (“Magaling”) established the first Katipunan chapter in Barrio Magbangon, Pasig.
The old woman’s place was an excellent meeting place, due to a canopy of bamboo trees that provided excellent cover. Before the Supremo can even start the meeting, it began to rain. From just mere trickles, the rain turned into an outpour. Valentin Cruz, who also serves as the Cabeza de Barangay in the Mestizo district, invited the Supremo to hold the meeting in his house instead. The Supremo agreed. The group then walked in the rain, through the rice fields and past the Pasig Cathedral church.[xxiii] They reached the house of Cruz at Barangay San Nicolas at around nine in the evening. [xxiv]
Inside, Cruz’s wife offered their guests some food and cups of steaming barako. After eating their meals and sharing some light banter, the Supremo rose up from his seat and called the meeting to order. It was a little past midnight of a stormy Sunday, the feast of Corpus Christi.
There, in the light of candles lit, the Supremo announced in a firm voice, that the revolution has started. Bonifacio told the Council that the Spanish authorities had begun hunting members of the secret society. The recent fire which gutted most of the houses of the Katipuneros was not accidental.
The Supremo likened the situation as that of a pregnant woman who had to deliver prematurely. He told the assembly that the secrecy of the Katipunan has been “compromised” and the authorities were keeping them and their movements under close surveillance. Bonifacio then urged the assembly to vote, whether they will launch the revolt or not.
It was, at this point, that Aguinaldo took the floor and pointed out the lack of weapons, ammunitions and preparations for the revolt. He then proposed that the day of the uprising be cancelled for the time being. Aguinaldo, eye witnesses say, was concerned by the lack of arms. Aguinaldo proposed that the time for the revolt be suspended when the chances of success were far better.
The Supremo countermanded Aguinaldo and reminded the assembly that the issue was not about weapons, but whether to fight the Spaniards or not. At this point, Santiago Alvarez, took the floor and reminded everyone of the consequences of such an undertaking. Alvarez said the assembly should consider what his father, Mariano (“Mainam”) experienced in the terror of 1872.
Pio Valenzuela, meanwhile, rose to the floor and proposed to go to Japan and buy arms and ammunition to support the uprising. He recommended that the Katipunan solicit funds for this.
Silence then fell among the members of the assembly. It was, at this point that Aguinaldo again took the floor and moved that the decision be deferred until after the Katipuneros had obtained the counsel of Dr. Rizal in Dapitan. The suggestion was met with popular approbation. The Council unanimously agreed to send Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Rizal’s old friend, to Dapitan.
The Katipuneros knew how valuable Rizal’s support was. First, Rizal was still the Most Venerable Worshipful of the Luzung lodge of the Gran Oriente Espanol. His support would formally tie the Masons together with the Katipunan into one revolutionary force, strong enough to counter the Spanish army. Rizal’s support would likewise, persuade members of the Compromisarios led by Mabini and Salvador to join the secret society.
Second, Rizal’s popularity would lend credence to the Katipunan as a revolutionary movement and would increase the chances of getting valuable financial support from the Ilustrados.
Valenzuela was advised to take Raymundo Mata, a Katipunero under Aguinaldo, with him as he has failing eyesight.[xxv] Mata will serve as a clever ruse. The meeting ended at around 5 in the morning.
After this historic meeting, plans were drafted to address the weapons problem. Bonifacio ordered the manufacture of bolos. He also ordered a contingent of Katipuneros led by Tito Miguel and Roman Ramos to conduct an arms robbery in the Spanish arsenal. Despite these, the Katipunan still lacked enough weapons to defeat the Spaniards.
It was then that Bonifacio and the Katipuneros thought of seeking the assistance of Japan who had just defeated the Chinese forces in 1895. For many Filipinos, the victory of Japan against China was interpreted as something positive. Many Filipinos, including Bonifacio, thought that Japanese assistance could turn the tide of the revolution.
Soliciting Japanese support
A reformist by the name of Doroteo Cortes was tasked to solicit funds from wealthy Filipinos and companies. These funds were then sent to Jose Maria Basa who was Rizal’s friend and based in Hongkong.
Reports that the Spanish Guardia Civil had already discovered the Katipunan prompted many reform minded Filipinos to support the secret society. Many believed that the discovery would actually prompt the authorities to engage the Katipuneros in a battle. The reformist movement believed that violence would break out before the end of 1896. The movement had no choice but to support the Katipunan and help the movement solve its arms problem.
In the summer of 1896, a “diplomatic mission” was sent to Japan to negotiate for political, military and financial aid. This group, which included Cortes, Isabelo Artacho, Jose Basa and Jose Ramos,[xxvi] met with some Japanese politicians. They were supported by other Filipino reformists, particularly Antonio and Juna Luna, Faustino Villarreal, his daughter Rosario and a physician by the name of Zamora. [xxvii]
The mission was successful. Japan committed itself of recognizing the Filipino state once independence was achieved. There was also an arms deal which involved the purchase of 100,000 rifles and an unspecified volume of ammunitions. These weapons were partially paid for in advance while the balance was to be amortized over a number of years. The commission also petitioned Japan to send a military squadron to assist the revolutionaries which were then preparing for a possible battle with the Spaniards before the end of 1896.
The commission immediately communicated this to the revolutionaries in Manila. This explains why Bonifacio believed that Japan would really send weapons before August of that year, the expected day of the uprising.
In the middle of May, Pio Valenzuela informed the Katipuneros that the Japanese cruiser Kongo had docked in Manila. Thinking that this could be the “squadron” the Cortes commission was talking about, the Supreme Council led by Bonifacio immediately sought a meeting with Japanese admiral Kanimura.
Together with some Council members, Bonifacio met the Japanese consul and Kanimura at the second floor of the Bazar Japones, a popular restaurant in no. 18 Plaza del Padre Moraga in Binondo. [xxviii]
The Katipuneros, together with Bonifacio saluted Kanimura upon meeting him. After a few pleasantries, the Katipuneros handed Kanimura a manuscript written by Jacinto and addressed to the Emperor of Japan, setting forth the Filipinos’ desire for aid and assistance of Japan towards the independence of the country from Spain. They also offered him a picture and some native fruits. Bonifacio made his intentions known to the admiral through a Japanese interpreter Jose Monitaro Tagawa, Japanese friend of Valenzuela and married to a Filipina based in Bocaue Bulacan.[xxix]
Kanimura received the Katipuneros like a gracious host, even offered the Katipuneros some iced drinks and coffee. [xxx] He, however, politely refused to accept the documents, limiting himself to taking a copy of it and promising to show it to the Emperor. The Admiral was non-committal.[xxxi] There was no order from the Emperor of Japan. Besides, the Kongo just saw combat service in the 1st Sino-Japanese war of 1895 at the battles of Lushunkou, Weihaiwei and Yalu river[xxxii] and the reason why the Japanese cruiser docked in Manila was for rest and recreation. The Katipuneros failed to get the arms that day due to lack of funds. [xxxiii] Nevertheless, Bonifacio still hoped that the Japanese would really send the required weapons before the 29th day of August, the date of the uprising.
Besides, despite persistent denials made by the Japanese government, there were indications that the Japanese community based in Manila did provide assistance to the revolutionaries. In a letter dated May 27, 1896, plans were suggested for a banquet to be held in honor of Japanese residents of Manila who helped the organization. [xxxiv] There was no concrete information though, how these residents contributed towards the revolution. This could probably be just a psy-war tactic employed by Bonifacio to counter a possible rejection of the Katipunan’s plans by certain Ilustrados, particularly of Rizal.
On the last day of May, Bonifacio again called for a meeting. The Supremo instructed his fellow Katipuneros to gather first infront of the La Insular tobacco factory beside the Binondo church in Manila and wait for the arrival of two boats.
When local Katipunero heads from Pateros, Laguna, Manila and Morong arrived, they then sailed upriver towards the vicinity of Taguig. There in an old and abandoned Spanish lighthouse, members of the Council led by the Supremo, his brother Procopio and Valentin Cruz again held a meeting. [xxxv] Bonifacio urged his fellow Katipuneros to recruit more members for the revolution which he expected to happen. He also probably took the occasion to tell them of his meeting with the Japanese and the success of the Cortes mission to the Emperor of Japan.
Buoyed with optimism, the Katipunan recruitment efforts went on high gear. Katipunan Councils would sponsor dances, beauty contests and other festive gatherings as a ruse to cover their secret meetings and spread propaganda among the people. Recruiters also used the new fangled bicycles to good use. They used it to go around nearby provinces outside of Manila, faster than trekking or walking. By the middle of June, the ranks of the Katipunan swelled by the thousands.
Valenzuela’s meeting with Rizal
On the fifteenth day of June 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, together with Raymundo Mata and a guide by the name of Rufino Mugos, boarded the steamer Venus for his trip to Dapitan. Six days later, Valenzuela arrived at Dapitan and was met by Dr. Rizal himself.
After a nice supper with the famed doctor, Valenzuela revealed to Rizal what he and other fellow Katipuneros decided to do. Valenzuela told Rizal of the plan of the Katipunan to rise in revolt against Spain. Before they do so, Valenzuela said that the Katipunan wants his blessing.
Upon hearing what Valenzuela said, Rizal’s only answered, “ hwag, hwag! Iya’y makasasama sa bayang Pilipino!” Rizal’s objection was not as violent as often described by some historians. What he told Valenzuela was just based on his two baseless presumptions: the people are not ready for a massive revolt and two, arms and funds must first be gathered before raising the cry of revolution. Since Rizal was then thousands of kilometers away from Manila, he was not as privy as what Valenzuela is as far as the gains of the Katipunan was concerned. Second, and quite possibly, Rizal did not know that the organization is on the brink of discovery due to its massive recruitment efforts.
When Valenzuela heard of Rizal’s objection, the doctor then proposed to rescue him. For the second time, Rizal objected. The good doctor said that he did not want to break his word before the Spanish Governor general. Instead, Rizal advised Valenzuela to solicit revolutionary funds by persuading wealthy Filipinos to join the cause of the revolution and elect Antonio Luna, an elite army officer, as the Katipunan’s war general. Upon hearing of Rizal’s suggestions, the two broke out into a heated argument. Valenzuela then decided to leave the next day instead of staying for a month as originally planned.
As soon as Valenzuela arrived, the Supreme Council called for a meeting. The meeting was held in the Parola, a lighthouse on the shore of Laguna de Bai. To disguise the meeting, the Katipuneros held a picnic.
It was there where Valenzuela told the Katipuneros of Rizal’s objection to the premature launching of the revolution. Valenzuela said Rizal objected about was the lack of preparations and arms. The good doctor then told Bonifacio to solicit funds from wealthy Filipinos and procure arms and ammunitions from a friendly country. However, most agreed that the Katipunan would launch the revolt on a Saturday, the 29th of August 1896.
A dismayed Bonifacio tried to hide what Valenzuela disclosed, but even prior to the meeting, Katipuneros already knew what Rizal told his old friend in Dapitan. Mata, an accomplice and possibly the “spy” of Aguinaldo who accompanied Valenzuela in the meeting, told other members of the society about what Rizal said. The news quickly spread. It affected the flow of funds to the Katipunan.
It nevertheless did not dampen the spirits of the Katipuneros, especially those in the Supreme Council. With or without the assistance of Rizal, the revolutionaries were determined to launch it on the last day of August, 1896. Recruitment went on a steady pace.
On a Sunday, June 21, three members of the Supreme Council led by Bonifacio arrived in the town of Santa Ana, east of Manila. At around one o’clock in the afternoon, Bonifacio personally presided over the inauguration of the Sangguaniang Bayan of Kasilawan led by Narciso Tibay (“Santol”), a local compositor at the Imprenta delos Amigos del Pais as president, “Apuy” as Fiscal, “Matigas” as secretary and Valentin Matabagdal (“Walang Takut”) as treasurer. [xxxvi]
Several balangays within the territorial jurisdiction of Kasilawan were established. This includes Agapan in the Barrio of Lamayan (a Katipunero by the name of “Nagtangol” serves as head), Matatag in the barrio of San Roque (“Salamin” elected as Pangulo) and Tagisan (“Araru” is president) in the barrio of Suaboy.
The discovery of the Katipunan
It is wrong to say that the Spanish authorities discovered the secret society only in mid-July 1896. As early as 1893, suspicions have already been circulating among the coffee shops of Manila. Authorities, however, underestimated it. Since most Spanish authorities were themselves Masons, they thought that the Katipunan was just a recruitment vehicle meant to expand the ranks of the Masonic lodges in Manila and outlying provinces. They did not believe that the Filipinos intend to launch a revolt. It would be foolhardy, the Spaniards thought, judging from the brutality the Spanish military inflicted on insurgents in 1872.
By 1895 and with the distribution of the Kalayaan on March 1896, the authorities took a different stance. By the looks of it, it seems that the Katipunan was of a different character. Reports reaching them from their spies within the organization, like Eleuterio Guzman and even Marcelo Badel as early as 1895, points to a very serious recruitment effort meant really to establish an army of dissenters. Likewise, reformist activities in Madrid, Hongkong and Japan intensified. The Ilustrados created numerous “diplomatic missions” particularly with the Japanese imperial regime, ostensibly focused on eliciting support for arms and international recognition in the event of a successful war for independence.
The appearance of the Kalayaan and reports of massive arms manufacturing verified the Spanish suspicions that the Filipinos are gearing up for a serious showdown against them.
On July 5, 1896, a Spanish lieutenant of the guardia civil by the name of Manuel Sityar reported that several Filipinos in Pasig were engaged in the manufacture and smuggling of arms and the recruitment of people. Sityar reported this to Governor General Ramon Blanco. On August 13, Friar Agustin Fernandez, the curate of the town of San Pedro Makati wrote to Don Manuel Luengo, the Civil governor of Manila, denouncing anti-Spanish meetings in his parish.
Six days after Fernandez’ letter, Spanish authorities finally validated their earlier fears.
There were three conflicting versions of the same story. Alvarez, in his memoirs, say that the authorities actually discovered the Katipunan sometime in mid-July. According to Alvarez, two Katipuneros working for the Diario de Manila, had a misunderstanding. Apolonio dela Cruz, a treasurer of the Maghiganti council in Tondo works as a foreman for the company. He had a spat with another foreman, a certain Teodoro Patino, who was in charge of supplies and equipment. Patino, according to Alvarez, is not a Katipunero. He was the protégé of the shop manager Lafon.
Patino knew the activities of the Katipuneros working at the company. Since 1895, Patino never spoke about those activities to Lafon. Patino and dela Cruz, maintained a very cordial or “civil” relationship.
The “spat” began when Lafon announced that he’ll be giving a salary increase of about two pesos to either foremen. This sparked a rivalry between the two. The spat became serious when dela Cruz reportedly sent a poison letter to Lafon, which charged Patino with stealing supplies. When Patino learned of dela Cruz’ letter, a scuffle between the two ensued which resulted to a vicious fistfight among the workers.
Lafon immediately closed the shop and left the store by calesa. The shop manager, however, came back at around 6 o’clock. Lafon was with a lieutenant of the Veterana Civil. They forced open dela Cruz’s locker. What they found shocked them: paraphernalia of the Maghiganti council, a set of stamps, a primer of the Katipunan, membership oaths, receipts, ledgers and worse, a list of members. The lieutenant immediately reported what he saw to his superiors and at around 10 in the evening, a massive crackdown happened.
Another version, this time, involves Patino’s sister, Honoria. According to this account, there was no fistfight. Patino learned about the poison letter but instead of confronting dela Cruz, he went home feeling very intense about what happened. In this story, Patino himself was a Katipunero.
When he got home, Teodoro felt that he had to share what happened to his sister, Honoria, who was then an inmate nun at the Mandaluyong orphanage. He then went to the orphanage and told Honoria what happened including the secrets of the Katipunan. It was the afternoon of August 19, 1896.
Shocked with what she heard, Honoria cried. Sor Teresa de Jesus, mother portress of the Orphanage, saw
Honoria crying so she approached the noviate. Honoria revealed what her brother told her. At around 6:15 in the evening of that same day, Sor Teresa called Teodoro and told him to confess everything he knew about the Katipunan to Father Manuel Gil, the cura paroko of Tondo. A devout Catholic, Teodoro told everything to Gil, including the existence of a lithographic stone hidden in the press room of the Diario de Manila, which was reportedly used to print receipts of the society. Aside from the stone, Teodoro also told Gil of the existence of membership forms, a photo of Dr. Jose Rizal and several daggers being kept by employees of the company in their lockers.
Gil immediately sought the assistance of the Guardia Civil. They went and searched for the Katipunan paraphernalia inside the press room of the Diario. There, they also searched and found Apolonio dela Cruz in possession of a dagger used in Katipunan initiation rites as well as a list of members. Dela Cruz was immediately placed under arrest along with several other employees of the Diario de Manila.
Gil then went to the residence of Governor-General Blanco and denounced what he said was a plot against Spanish rule in the Philippines. Blanco immediately ordered a crackdown and arrested dozens of people, including innocent civilians. They were hauled to Fort Santiago. This is the official version of how the Katipunan was discovered.
Agoncillo, in his book “Revolt of the Masses” had a different version. Agoncillo agreed that a misunderstanding on wage increase ended Patino’s relationship with a fellow Katipunero Apolonio dela Cruz. Teodoro then revealed this misunderstanding to Honoria his sister. Like in the official version, Sor Teresa saw Honoria upset and the girl telling all to her madre portera. Sor Teresa then directed Teodoro to tell everything to Father Gil.
On August 19, Patino told everything to Gil. Father Mariano along with Lafon and possibly several members of the Guardia Civil, then, went to the printing shop. They discovered the lithographic stone. They then opened the lockers of the workers. One particular one, the locker of Policarpio Turla was forced open. They found a dagger, rules of the society and other documents. Gil and Lafon then turned these over to the Guardia Civil. A crackdown ensued. At least 500 men were arrested and charged with treason.
In the 1920s, a third version cropped up this time, a confession made by Jose Turiano Santiago. A close friend of Bonifacio but was expelled in 1895, Turiano said Teodoro Patino was actually ordered by Bonifacio to reveal to his sister and eventually to Father Gil the existence of the Katipunan. This was done to hasten the revolution and pre-empt any objection from the Katipuneros.
Anyway, whatever the true version is, the fact remains that as early as mid-July or August, the Spanish authorities already knew about the Katipunan and has, in fact, waged a crackdown against its members.
The Assembly in Caloocan and the Founding of the First Philippine Government
On August 21, the Supreme Council, who was in hiding in the province of Rizal, decided to call for a General meeting. Alvarez, in his memoirs said, the meeting was held in the house of Vidal Acab, a Katipunero in Caloocan. (Several accounts place this meeting on August 23, 1896 at the house of Captain Silverio Baltazar, president of the Sangguniang Bayan Dalisayan in Caloocan).
Most of the members of the Supreme Council were present: Bonifacio, Jacinto, Aguedo Del Rosario, Ramon Bernardo, Romualdo Vicencio, Teodoro Plata, Pantaleon Torres, Jose Dizon and a certain Katipunero by the name of Ariston de Jesus. Captain Silverio Baltazar, a former Corporal of the Spanish army was also present. Baltazar’s cuadrillos served as guards and lookout.[xxxvii]
There, in that secret meeting, the Katipuneros talked about the recent arrests and the imminent uprising. The meeting however, lasted only for an hour. Fearing that the authorities would discover the meeting, Baltazar proposed for a change of venue.
The group decided to go to the house of Apolonio Samson, president of the Balangay Karitas. A farmer, Samson’s house was in the middle of a rice field in Barrio Kangkong, which was an hour’s walk. Upon reaching Samson’s house, the Katipuneros rested for the night.
At around 5 in the morning of August 22, Bonifacio instructed some Katipuneros to act as guards. The Katipuneros set up a detachment at the boundary of Balintawak and another one in the North. The Supremo then asked Jacinto to draft a letter informing all S.B. leaders to go to Barrio Kangkong. Bonifacio wanted to know what the thoughts of the other Katipunero chairmen.[xxxviii] He also told Jacinto to ask them to bring their treasurers because the Council was running short of funds.
Three hundred Katipuneros responded to the Supremo’s call, all armed with their trusty bolos, knives, spears, a dozen rifles with one trusty hunting gun owned by a Lieutenant Manuel. Most of those who attended thought that the Supremo was to call for the uprising that day.
The Supremo was restless. He confided to Jacinto his fear that probably one of their couriers had already been intercepted by the authorities. With the steady flow of Katipuneros converging in the site, it would just be a matter of hours before the authorities discover what they were planning to do. Bonifacio decided to again move. He decided to go to Bahay Toro.
In the morning of August 23, the Katipuneros proceeded to the house of Melchora Aquino at Bahay Toro. More than five hundred Katipuneros converged in the house of the cabeza de barangay. On that day, Bonifacio received at least 100 bolos from Apolonio Samson. The bolos were manufactured in Meycauayan Bulacan under the strict supervision of Arcadio de Jesus. [xxxix] More Katipuneros arrived from different districts and parts of Manila and other provinces. By this time, recounted Alvarez, the Katipuneros had reached a thousand.
Around 10 o’clock of August 24, Bonifacio called a general meeting of all Katipuneros present. Seated in the long table inside Aquino’s barn alongside the Supremo were Supreme Council members , Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Jacinto, Teodoro Plata, Briccio Pantas, Enrique Pacheco, Ramon Bernardo, Pantaleon Torres, Francisco Carreon, Vicente Fernandez and others.
The council agreed that the time has come to liberate the country, starting with Manila, on midnight of August 29. Bonifacio’s brother in law, Teodoro Plata, initially disagreed but after the entire council had voted in favor of revolt, he acquiesced. Four members of the council were designated as brigadier generals: Aguedo del Rosario, Gregorio Coronel, Ramon Bernardo and Vicente Fernandez.[xl]
All of these designated generals never had any military or combat experience. Yet, the Supremo gave them the leeway to form their armies and plot the capture of Manila from Spanish control. A preliminary plan was crafted though.
According to Alvarez, the capture of Manila was to be launched under the cloak of the night. Del Rosario, Fernandez and Bernardo were to charge against Spanish troops in Intramuros. Del Rosario was to enter the walled city via Tondo, while Fernandez was to pass thru San Marcelino. Bernardo, meanwhile, has to use the Rotunda.
The meeting lasted for two hours. After the adjournment of the meeting, the Katipuneros shouted “Long Live the Sons of the People!” [xli] This collective burst of emotions was later interpreted by historians as the “first cry of the revolution.”
What was significant in this meeting was the formal establishment of a revolutionary government headed by no less than Bonifacio.
The Battle at Pasong Tamo
About 2 o’clock, the next day, August 25, a Katipunero sentry spotted a contingent of Spanish civil guards and carabineros of the national police approaching their location. A Spanish lieutenant by the name of Manuel Ros was leading the group of about 30 men when they chanced upon the Katipuneros.
The order to defend their position was issued. The Katipunero who had a rifle opened fire. A brief skirmish ensued. The Spanish had to retreat, overwhelmed by the huge number of Katipuneros, who were only armed with bolos, a few rifles and their trusted anting-antings. [xlii] Upon their retreat, a nineteen year old man who was hiding during the firefight was hit. Accounts say, it was a Katipunero by the name of Simplicio Acabo, cabeza de barangay of Dulong Calzada, who got killed.
Bonifacio, reports say, had to fire back to allow his men to escape with their wounded comrade. This first successful engagement buoyed the spirits of the Katipuneros. Inspite of their inferiority in arms, they succeeded in repulsing an enemy attack.
On the morning of August 26, Bonifacio ordered that food be prepared early, both for breakfast and possibly provisions for a journey. Bonifacio told the men that shortly after breakfast, they would head to Sampalukan. Bonifacio’s decided to abandon Balara and Pasong Tamo and head to a safer place. He then appointed Gregorio Tapalla, a former bandit and prison escapee to lead the army.
A Katipunero known by the name of Matandang Leon, Tapalla is a member of the Katipunan branch in San Francisco de Malabon. He was a very loyal Katipunero, yet a drunkard. Upon the recollection of Alvarez, Tapalla was drunk when he led the Katipuneros forward. He was so drunk, he splattered mud over Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s face, nearly blinding him. [xliii]
At around 7 in the morning, the Katipuneros chanced upon a group of Spanish guardia civil. The guards were just about 200 meters away from the Katipuneros who were at that time, armed only with bolos and a few rifles. The guards asked to see the Supremo. The Guardia Civil was trying to trick the Katipuneros by claiming that they, themselves, were Katipuneros.
Bonifacio and Valenzuela walked towards the Guardia Civil and asked them what they want. Immediately, the Guardia Civil pounced on the two, trying to collar and arrest them. A melee ensued. Surrounded and flanked on all sides by the enemy, the Katipuneros broke ranks. Most scampered in all directions, all were trying to escape. Some who failed were shot.
While in the process of escaping, the Supremo left a valise containing the flag and some funds of the Katipunan. Tapalla, who was behind the Supremo, recovered the valise. The contents of the valise were divided among the retreating Katipuneros. Suddenly, according to Alvarez, a cannon fusillade exploded behind them, hitting Leon in the back. Tapalla died instantaneously. The flag was dropped again but was recovered by Katipuneros from Bago Bantay.
At around noon, the group of the Supremo rested in a place between Krus-na-Ligas and Balara. Bonifacio ordered Genaro delos Reyes to inform other Katipuneros in Mandaluyong of what happened. The Supremo then asked Genaro to send them food and clothes. It was raining very hard and the group was exhausted and terribly wet.
Genaro arrived before dawn at his house. He, together with Nicolas de Guzman broke the sad news to Laureano Gonzales, president of the Makabuhay chapter in Mandaluyong. Provisions were prepared. Donations of clothes, money and food were collected. Gonzales tasked Jose Reyes and Genaro to send these to the Supremo. They left at 9 o’clock in the morning of August 27.
Upon reaching the long stretch of road in San Juan, Reyes fell terribly ill. Genaro went ahead. When he reached Krus-na-Ligas, he was told that the Supremo had already left.
Despite the torrential rain, Genaro pushed forward and came to a place called “Ulat”. There, he met a farmer. He asked where the Supremo was. When he made a Katipunan sign, the farmer led him to a small dilapidated hut in the middle of a thick grove of banana trees. There, he saw the Supremo and the rest of the Supreme Council members. [xliv]
It was there that the Supremo revealed what he planned to do. He told the Council that they must retreat to Mount Tupasi, where the Supremo planned to make the mountain hideout, the base of the revolution. Genaro, however, reminded the Supremo that Katipunan forces, especially in Mandaluyong were ready and waiting for him to lead them to victory. [xlv]
The Hagdang Bato Cry of Independence
The Supremo had no choice but to proceed to Mandaluyong. The Supremo and the rest of the Katipunan leadership arrived on August 27. They stayed in the house of Tininting Maldo in Hagdang Bato. Maldo’s hut was on the top of a small hill, which is now the place where the Manila archbishop’s palace is. There, the Supremo and the rest of the Katipunan leadership retired for the night, heavily guarded by armed Katipuneros.
According to Dr. Zeus Salazar, Bonifacio made the hill called Mt. Balabak in Hagdang Bato as his “mountain of liberty”. There, he led the Katipuneros in planning an attack in Manila. Bonifacio and his Supreme Council members decided that all Katipunan balangays were to attack the Spanish capital on August 29, where all would rise up in revolt. [xlvi]
“This manifesto is for all of you. It is absolutely necessary for us to stop at the earliest possible time the nameless oppositions being perpetrated on the sons of the country who are now suffering the brutal punishment and tortures in jails, and because of this please let all the brethren know that on Saturday, the 29th of the current month, the revolution shall commence according to our agreement. For this purpose, it is necessary for all towns to rise simultaneously and attack Manila at the same time. Anybody who obstructs this sacred ideal of the people will be considered a traitor and an enemy, except if he is ill; or is not physically fit, in which case he shall be tried according to the regulations we have put in force. Mount of Liberty, 28th August 1896 - ANDRÉS BONIFACIO”[xlvii]
A day before the nation-wide revolt, the Katipuneros from Mandaluyong headed by Laureano Gonzales prepared for the coordinated attack. Valentin Cruz, head of the Pasig Katipunan branch expects 15 Remington rifles from civil guards who were Katipuneros. The Sumikat chapter had only bolos, daggers, spears, one rifle and one Remington. The Liwanag chapter headed by Liborio de Guzman had only managed to get bladed weapons and two Remington guns, while those who belong to the Manalo chapter of Adriano Gonzales possessed only bladed weapons.
The Katipuneros secured additional weapons by smuggling some out from the Mandaluyong friar estate house. Three guns and ammunition, one firelock, two Remingtons, one rifle and bullets were gathered.
After the inventory of their weapons, Bonifacio distributed the firearms to his men who already swelled into a thousand by this time. The Supremo also gave written instructions to Jacinto to be sent to different Katipunan councils in Manila, Cavite and Nueva Ecija.[xlviii]
The August 29 Attack
On the morning of August 29, the Katipunan leadership rose early and called for an assembly of all Katipuneros. Valentin Cruz met the group. It was a Saturday morning when the group reconsolidated their other forces throughout Manila and nearby provinces.
Based on the account of Valentin Cruz, Bonifacio reportedly reminded the Katipuneros of their supreme duty to God, Country and society. He then asked everyone to fight. The assembly responded with an uproar.
The Supremo then asked everyone to pull out their cedulas. The Supremo pulled his cedula and before the cheering crowd, Bonifacio shouted “Mabuhay ang Kalayaan!” while he and the rest of the Katipunero tore their cedulas to pieces. It was a very emotional moment. After this, the Katipuneros went to their respective towns, prepared for the uprising which will happen at midnight.
At exactly 9 o’clock in the evening, the church bell pealed thrice, the awaited signal for the revolt.
The Pasig Uprising
At nightfall, Pasig Katipuneros from the barrios of Pineda, Bagong Ilog and Ugong crossed the San Mateo river to Maybunga. Led by General Cruz, they joined other Katipunan forces from Santolan, Rosario, Maybunga, Palatiw, Sagad, Poblacion, Pinagbuhalatan, Bambang, Kalawaan, Buting and several others from other towns.
Cruz then gave the final battle instructions to the Katipuneros who were then armed only with scythes, bolos, spears, and a few rifles. Despite being poorly armed, everyone was determined to fight the Spaniards to the death. More than 2,000 Katipuneros responded to the call for an uprising.
It was not a surreptitious gathering. Fact was, the troops were on the streets, cheered on by the townsfolk who were reportedly in a fiesta mood. Most of them gathered at Plaza de Paz (now Plaza Rizal).
When the Spaniards heard that the Katipuneros had already gathered and determined to kill them, many Spaniards hid in several houses and some Guardia Civil led by their commander, Manuel Sityar, went inside the Immaculate Concepcion church to hide. They made the church as a garrison. Sityar asked his men to take a last stand at the church tower.
The battle started when one of the Spanish snipers, securely positioned in the church tower, hit a Katipunero from Bagong Ilog. The man died instantaneously.
Incensed, the Katipuneros charged. They attacked the Tribunal and the Guardia Civil headquarters. They easily occupied these two places, abandoned by frightened Guardia civil and Spanish civil authorities. Manuel Sityar, the commander of the Guardia Civil surrendered a few minutes unto the firefight.
It was the first battle victory of the Katipuneros. And it was sweet. The Katipuneros confiscated seventeen de piston rifles and three Remingtons. What’s even sweeter---the Spanish soldiers, despite their superior firepower, failed to defeat the Katipuneros.
The Cries of the Revolutionarios
Emboldened by the twin victories in Pasig and Mandaluyong, the Supremo then led a force of 800 Katipuneros and attacked the gunpowder storehouse in San Juan del Monte. The planned attack in Manila was abandoned since Valentin Cruz’s forces already attacked the Spanish forces in Pasig.
Bonifacio might have thought that Cruz action in Pasig had compromised the planned massive Manila attack. This explains why he shifted tactic—from attacking the whole of Manila, into just an attack of the San Juan del Monte arsenal.
The attack was well-planned. It was strategic. Bonifacio knew how important the storehouse was as a Spanish military post. Arms confiscated there could provide the Katipuneros more firepower.
Bonifacio was given the information that the storehouse was just being defended by around 100 men. What he did not know was the defenders were fully armed and trained artillerists and infantrymen.
Nonetheless, the Supremo ordered the attack. From Mandaluyong, the Supremo led the army together with Jacinto and from Santa Mesa, another Katipunan contingent led by Sancho Valenzuela, a rope maker. Both groups reached the polverin at about 4 o’clock in the morning of August 30.
Meanwhile, a contingent of Katipuneros stationed in Santa Mesa headed by General Bernardo was attacked by the Spaniards. The Katipuneros fought bravely and chased the Spaniards down the Santa Mesa river, where they were ambushed by Katipuneros led by Ricardo Losada. The intense battle ended at 8 o’clock in the morning, with the Spaniards retreating, but both sides suffering heavy casualties.
Bonifacio decided to join Bernardo. As they pass the village called Ermitano, they were fired upon from inside the reservoir compound at the place called Vista Alegre. The retreating Spaniards who engaged the troops of Bernardo encountered Bonifacio’s group.[xlix]
Armed only with bolos, bamboo spears and a few guns, the Katipuneros charged and caught the Spanish soldiers by surprise. In the initial attack, the Katipuneros killed the Spanish commander and an artillery man. The remaining Spaniards were forced to retreat to the nearby El Deposito, a water reservoir.
The Katipuneros charged when they took sight of the fleeing Spanish soldiers. Unknown to them, it was a trap. The Spaniards sent a frantic call for reinforcements. General Bernard Echaluse of the Spanish 73rd Regiment were waiting and immediately engaged the Katipuneros in a brutal fire-fight.
Stunned by the fast overturn of events, the Katipuneros regrouped in Santa Mesa. There, the Katipuneros engaged the Spaniards in hand-to-hand combat. Though the Katipuneros had superior numbers, many of them got killed due to the superiority of arms and training by the Spanish forces.
In no time, the Katipunero lines were soon flanked by the mobile Spanish cavalry. When they found themselves surrounded by the enemy at all points, the Katipuneros quickly broke ranks and retreated. Some of the Katipuneros tried to cross the San Juan river but were killed by volleys of gunfire from Spanish gunboats.
Others went upstream where they engaged the Spanish cavalry in a brutal hand-to-hand combat. Around a hundred Katipuneros tried to cross the river using bancas, but upon reaching the opposite bank, were ambushed by Guardia civil.
After the dust had settled, 153 Katipuneros and two Spanish soldiers lay dead. Around 200 Katipuneros were captured, 57of whom were shot the following day at the Luneta and four more on September 4, 1896. Bonifacio and the rest of his men retreated to Balara. [l] Some dead Katipuneros were discovered inside the Cordeleria de Penafrancia, the rope factory owned by Sancho Valenzuela in Bacood, Santa Mesa.
Sancho Valenzuela, a known Bonifacio associate was captured with three other Katipuneros. They were executed by firing squad in Bagumbayan.
Despite their initial defeat, the bravery of those who fought at San Juan del Monte emboldened more Filipinos to fight for independence. The Battle of San Juan del Monte initiated a series of simultaneous uprisings in Santa Mesa, Pandacan, Pateros, Taguig, San Pedro de Macati, Calookan, Balic-Balic, San Francisco de Malabon, Kawit and Noveleta in Cavite.
Organized groups of armed Katipuneros stormed Spanish positions in Mandaluyong, Sampaloc, Santa Ana, Pandacan, Pateros, Marikina, Calookan, Macati and Taguig. [li]
In Balintawak where the seat of the newly established Revolutionary government was, intense fighting ensued between the Katipuneros and the Spanish forces. Most battles however, gravitated in San Juan del Monte and Sampaloc, while at the South of Manila; a thousand strong rebel forces attacked a small force of Guardia Civil. In Pandacan, hundreds of Katipuneros attacked the parish church. [lii]
Forces of Bonifacio then retreated to Marikina where they again attacked Spanish forces in San Mateo and Montalban. Bonifacio made Balara as his temporary war camp. From there, he led Katipuneros in attacking the Spanish forces. In one battle, Bonifacio nearly lost his life when he shielded Emilio Jacinto from a Spanish bullet which grazed his collar. Despite these reversals, Bonifacio was still considered a formidable threat and an excellent military leader. [liii]
Meanwhile, towns in Cavite particularly San Francisco de Malabon, Noveleta and Kawit rose in revolt. A 2,000 strong force led by Mariano Llanera also attacked the Spanish garrison and for three days, occupied the town of San Isidro before being repulsed.
On the eve of August 29th, the Magdiwang council led by Mariano Alvarez, the municipal Capitan of Noveleta was preparing for the assault on Spanish lines. They sought the help of two well-known Cavite outlaws, the brothers Hipolito and Hermogenes Sakilayan to enlist more men and collect more weapons. [liv]
When the Magdiwangs failed to see the signal from Bonifacio, some of the Katipuneros expressed their desire to attack the Spanish garrison. Alvarez, however, prevailed them.
On August 30, the fires of revolt engulfed eight provinces. This prompted Governor General Blanco to declare a state of war against Katipuneros in Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Pampanga, Tarlac, Laguna, Batangas and Nueva Ecija. The revolt could have been more successful had the Spanish not discovered the expected massive defection of around 500 Filipino native soldiers in Marawi in Mindanao.
Blanco’s proclamation also encouraged clemency to those who will surrender themselves to the authorities within 48 hours after the publication of the proclamation. Among those who surrendered was Dr. Pio Valenzuela, one of the founding fathers of the Katipunan.[lv]
Over at Cavite, an endless delegation of Katipuneros came and urged Mariano Alvarez to start the revolt. Alvarez cautioned them to wait for Bonifacio’s signal. [lvi]
When Bonifacio failed to give them the signal, Alvarez decided to start the uprising in Cavite. At around 2 o’clock of August 31, Alvarez presided a meeting of Katipunan leaders together with Artemio Ricarte. Afterwards, the Katipuneros stormed the municipal building and the Spanish garrison in Noveleta.
The Katipuneros fought bravely and defeated the Spanish troops. The assault yielded twenty eight guns. After the battle, Alvarez sent his emissary Bernabe Diaz to Aguinaldo and urged him to take immediate action.
Curiously, however, Aguinaldo remained silent. [lvii] His silence was deafening, a sign which Apolinario Mabini would later wrote, showed how the Magdalos regard Bonifacio. As early as 1896, the Magdalos paid little heed nor respected the authority of Bonifacio over them. [lviii]
As the fires of revolt rages in Manila, and other provinces such as Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna, Cavite and Batangas, Governor General Blanco declared martial law. More than 170 people were arrested and thrown into the prisons of Fort Santiago. Fifty nine of the prisoners were found dead the following morning while the rest were paraded to Luneta and shot. [lix]
On September 4th, Sancho Valenzuela and Modesto Sarmiento, Katipuneros who were arrested in the San Juan del Monte attack, were executed in Luneta. Valenzuela had to be shot twice.[lx]
On September 9, Katipuneros attacked the town of San Roque, close to the town of Cavite. They burned parts of the town. [lxi] Three days later, thirteen Cavitenos, among them three rich hacienderos, a teacher, a schoolmaster, a doctor and a merchant were brutally executed. [lxii]
In Bulacan, revolutionary forces suffered a humiliating defeat in the hands of the Spaniards. Artillery forces were sent to pound Katipunan positions in the town of Bulakan. Katipunan General Anacleto Enriquez and his valiant men were flanked by the Spaniards and were forced to hide in the Church of San Rafael.
Revolt also broke out in Cavite, with several Katipunan sympathizers arrested and shot at the Fort San Felipe.
As the Katipunan-inspired revolt spread out in different places throughout the archipelago, the Spanish colonial government prepared and called for reinforcements. General Blanco orders his available troops, numbering around 3,000, to concentrate in the defense of the capital. He also called for volunteers to number 6,000 armed men.[lxiii]
As soon as the first week of October arrived, a battalion of Spanish marines arrived on board the mail streamer Cataluña. These marine soldiers known as the Ejercito Expedicionario arrived in Manila which consisted of 22 officers and 895 men under the command of Colonel Juan Herrera. They headed for Intramuros. They strengthened the fort. They augmented the Guardia Civil Veterana which only had three regiments with a total manpower of 155 Spanish officers and 3,530 natives. The Guardia Civil guarded the Spanish barracks and were deployed as soldiers and policemen.
Another force, this time from the SS Monserrat arrived with more Spanish troops. [lxiv] Meanwhile, another streamer, the SS Manila left the city with 300 Filipinos who were ordered banished to the Chafarinas Island, Ceutra and other African penal settlements. [lxv] On October 14, 1896, 151 suspected rebels were deported in the Spanish colony of Fernando Po in Africa while others were thrown in the islands of Micronesia and Palau.
Many Filipinos were either arrested or shot on sight by Spanish troops. As the Spanish increased their repression, the more Filipinos resisted.
On October 5, General Marasigan attacked and laid a 3-day siege of Balayan, Batangas. Marasigan, a distinguished member of the Magdiwang Council, however, failed to defend the city from returning Spanish troops. He had to give up after Magdalo council members refused to help him. [lxvi]
This lay bare the animosity between the two groups which arose a month ago, on the 17th of September when the Magdiwangs and the Magdalos nearly came to blows after the Magdalos disrespected the Magdiwangs. [lxvii]
Six days after the Marasigan siege, Spanish troops forced their way to Nasugbu Batangas where they fired mercilessly on the hapless town folk. No one was spared, even livestock. Magdiwang council members who were hiding in the town led by Colonel Luciano San Miguel were ambushed by Spanish troops. Most of the Katipuneros were massacred in a brutal hand-to-hand combat. Only San Miguel and a handful escaped. [lxviii]
These defeats, however, did not deter the advancing Katipunan troops. Victories were reported in various parts of the archipelago, from the farthest towns in the Ilocos to the hinterlands of Mindanao.
The People had awakened and on the verge of successfully getting their first taste of revolutionary victory.
In Bicol, several prominent Filipinos were arrested, bound and subsequently shot at Bagumbayan. Among those arrested were Francisco Roxas, Telesforo Chuidian and Jacinto Limjap. No incriminating evidence was found against Roxas, but despite this, he was nonetheless, executed.
Roxas was executed with Numeriano Adriano, José Dizon, Domingo Franco, Moises Salvador, Luis Enciso Villareal, Braulio Rivera, Antonio Salazar, Ramon P. Padilla, Faustino Villaruel and Eustaquio Mañalak. Also executed with the group were Lt. Benedicto Nijaga and Corporal Geronimo Medina, both of the Spanish army.
On November 19, General Mariano Llanera and his troops smashed a locomotive train and five coaches of the Manila-Dagupan English railway. This attack paralyzed the entire provincial railway system. [lxix]
Sensing that they are losing the initiative of the war, General Camilo de Polavieja was ordered to replace the ineffective Governor General Ramon Blanco. At this stage of the war, Polavieja had a highly effective general by the name of Lachambre with 500 troops. Polavieja commandeered a total of 12,000 Europeans and 6,000 native auxiliaries. [lxx]
The Spanish immediately planned the attack of Cavite, which was then largely controlled by the Katipuneros. Battles were fought at Naic, Maragondon, Perez Dasmarinas, Nasugbu, Taal, Bacoor, Noveleta and other places. Imus, the rebel stronghold, was attacked and torched to the ground. Silang, a heavily fortified rebel fort, was defended to the man by the Katipuneros. After hours of fighting, most in hand-to-hand combat, the Katipuneros were repulsed. The retreating Katipuneros went as far as Santa Cruz, Laguna. [lxxi]
Despite these, Katipuneros fighting in other places, especially those in Rizal and Morong were successful in defeating the Spaniards. The Spanish authorities, sensing defeat and vulnerable to rebel attacks, intensified their harsh oppression of the Filipinos, especially in Manila and environs. The plan was to strike fear among the hearts of the Filipinos. It did not work.
The fatal mistake came when the Spaniards arrested Dr. Jose Rizal. Rizal was imprisoned in Fort Santiago, along with several other Katipunan leaders. On December 30, he was paraded before a huge throng of Filipinos. As he was being led to the spot where he would be executed, Filipinos prayed. Some cried, while others silently watched as Rizal’s hands were being tied in his back. Several shots were fired and Rizal slumped, bloodied, and dead. As he fell, shouts of revolution echoed throughout the archipelago. His death did not stop the rampage and cries of liberation among the Filipinos.
[i] Jacinto, Emilio. "Record of meeting held on 5 January 1896, in Mandaluyong." In Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.85.
[ii] Those who attended were Andres Bonifacio, Pio Valenzuela, Emilio Jacinto, Hermenegildo Reyes, Balbino Florentino, Jose Trinidad and Pantaleon Torres see Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.85.
[iii] Supreme Council Record of meeting held on February 1, 1896, in Polo see Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.20
[iv] Supreme Council Record of meeting held on February 21, 1896 see Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.81
[v] Supreme Council Record of meeting held on March 8, 1896 see Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.21
[vi] The Supreme Council Record of meeting held on March 15, 1896 see Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.80.
[vii] Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.42
[viii] Loc sit.
[ix] The Supreme Assembly Record of meeting held on March 22, 1896, in Mandaluyong see Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.79
[x] Supreme Council Record of meeting held on March 29, 1896, in Pasig see Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.18
[xi] Diwa’s father was named Mariano Diwa. Mariano is a wealthy Mestizo married to Cecilia Nocon.
[xii] Gonzales served as Procopio Bonifacio’s counsel in the Tejeros trial.
[xiii] Basa stood as wedding sponsor in the marriage of Jose Turiano Santiago and Marina Dizon, the leader of the Katipunan auxiliary corps.
[xiv] Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.47. Santiago reportedly made certain malicious accusations against the Katipunan before the family of Dr. Jose Rizal.
[xv] http://www.freewebs.com/pilarlodge3/
[xvi] Santiago V. Alvarez, The Katipunan and the Revolution: the memoirs of a general, translated by Paula Carolina Malay (Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1992), p. 4.
[xvii] Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.19.
[xviii] Accounts of Santiago Alvarez in Alvarez, (1992), p.8.
[xix] Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.23
[xx] Jacinto, Emilio, and Andres Bonifacio. "Record of meeting held on 5 April 1896." In Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.86.
[xxi] Alvarez, p. 9.
[xxii] According to accounts, these are some of the attendees: Emilio Aguinaldo, the president of the Cavite chapter of the Katipunan, Santiago Alvarez, Benjamin Santi, Pio Valenzuela, Bonifacio, and other members of the Council. Curiously though, Aguinaldo, at this time, was not a member of the Supreme Council and his participation is pretty suspicious.
[xxiii] The Immaculate Concepcion church, which was the seat of the Catholic diocese of Pasig. It is about 0.3 kilometers away from San Nicolas.
[xxiv] Testimony of Pio Valenzuela y Alejandrino, September 2, 1896, reproduced in Appendix L in Minutes of the Katipunan (Manila: National Heroes Commission, 1978), pp.144-5; Emilio Aguinaldo, Mga gunita ng himagsikan (Manila: n.pub., 1964), pp.42-4; Santiago V. Alvarez, The Katipunan and the Revolution: the memoirs of a general, translated by Paula Carolina S. Malay (Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1992), pp.9-13; Valentin Cruz, “Ang aking autobiografia” [Typescript, Guillermo Masangkay Papers, Main Library, University of the Philippines, Diliman]; and Dean Carlos Tech, “Was Bonifacio tortured to death?”, Philippine Daily Inquirer, February 8, 1998. Tech’s article is based in part on the personal recollections of Valentin Cruz, whom he interviewed in October 1956. The accounts differ as to the precise date of the meeting, but Alvarez is probably correct in remembering that it started late in the evening of Sunday, May 3, 1896 and carried on through the night.
[xxv] At the time, Mata was just 40 years old and nearly blind. Archivo General Militar de Madrid, Caja 5393, legajo 5.3; Teodoro A. Agoncillo, The Revolt of the Masses: the story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1956), p.117.
[xxvi] Juan del Castillo, (Memoirs of the Philippine Revolution) Translated manuscript found in the collection of the National Historical Institute, p. 201.
[xxvii] Dr. Augusto V. de Viana, The Filipino View of Japan —a Survey from the Spanish Period to World War II, from Ad Veritatem Vol. 8, No. 2 (March 2009),p.488.
[xxviii] No. 18 Plaza del P. Moraga, district of Binondo, city of Manila, owned by Shintaro Fukuchi and Tzunetsu Ito of Yokohama City, Japan.
[xxix] Zaide, Gregorio F. (1957). Philippine Political and Cultural History: the Philippines Since the British Invasion. II (1957 Revised ed.). Manila: McCullough Printing Company, p.159.
[xxx] St Clair, p. 215.
[xxxi] Teodoro A. Agoncillo, Revolt of the Masses (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1954), pp. 132-133.
[xxxii] See Chesneau, Roger and Eugene M. Kolesnik (editors), All The World's Fighting Ships 1860-1905, Conway Maritime Press, 1979 reprinted 2002, ISBN 0-85177-133-5 and Jentsura, Hansgeorg. Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869-1945. Naval Institute Press (1976). ISBN 087021893X.
[xxxiii] Zaide (1957), p. 160.
[xxxiv] Supreme Council Notice to members of the Kataastaasang Kapisanan, May 27, 1896 see Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.27
[xxxv] Jocelyn Uy, “Taguig lighthouse Katipuneros’ Rubicon”, Philippine Daily Inquirer, November 30, 2006. Uy reports that local historians in the towns of Pasig and Taguig believe that one or more important Katipunan meetings were held at the parola, the lighthouse at the mouth of the Napindan River (a tributary of the Pasig) in Laguna de Bay, so it is possible that this was the venue for the Assembly meeting on May 30-31.
[xxxvi] The Supreme Council Record of meeting held on June 21, 1896, in Sta.Ana see Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.57
[xxxvii] Alvarez, p. 17.
[xxxviii] Alvarez, p. 18.
[xxxix] Alvarez, p. 19.
[xl] Alvarez, p. 20.
[xli] Ibid.
[xlii] Alvarez, p. 20.
[xliii] Alvarez, p. 21.
[xliv] Alvarez, p. 23.
[xlv] Alvarez, p.258.
[xlvi] Salazar, Zeus (1994), Agosto 29-30, 1896: ang pagsalakay ni Bonifacio sa Maynila, Quezon City: Miranda Bookstore.
[xlvii] Salazar, Zeus (1994), Agosto 29-30, 1896 : Ang pagsalakay ni Bonifacio sa Maynila, Quezon City: Miranda Bookstore, p. 107.
[xlviii] Alvarez, 260-261; St. Clair, 51
[xlix] Alvarez, 50-51; Sawyer, 84; St. Clair, 51)
[l] Alvarez, 29
[li] Agoncillo, Teodoro C. (1990) p. 173.
[lii] Ibid.
[liii] Guererro, Milagros; Encarnacion, Emmanuel; Villegas, Ramon (1996), "Andres Bonifacio and the 1896 Revolution", Sulyap Kultura (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) 1 (2): 3–12, http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/articles-on-c-n-a/article.php?i=5&subcat=1.
[liv] Alvarez, 34
[lv] St. Clair, 271
[lvi] Alvarez, 34
[lvii] Alvarez, 38-39;Sawyer, 85
[lviii] Mabini, Apolinario (1969), "CHAPTER VIII: First Stage of the Revolution", in Guerrero, Leon Ma., The Philippine Revolution, National Historical Commission.
[lix] Younghusband, 15;Fernandez, 26
[lx] Foreman, 369; Sawyer, 85
[lxi] Sawyer, 85
[lxii] Younghusband, 15-16; Sawyer, 85
[lxiii] Fernandez, 25
[lxiv] Sawyer, 85-86
[lxv] Foreman-1899, 522
[lxvi] Alvarez, 54
[lxvii] Alvarez, 49-50
[lxviii] Alvarez, 54
[lxix] Foreman-1899, 524
[lxx] Foreman-1899, 527
[lxxi] Foreman-1899, 527-528
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you very much for reading my blog. You inspired me. But if you intend to put your name "anonymous", better not comment at all. Thanks!