Who is Andrs Bonifacio? Why is it important to know him?

People who revere him as a hero know little about his

life, much less his death. November 30, his birth date is celebrated as a Philippine national holiday. Why is there an
ongoing, oversimplified debate between Bonifacistas versus the Rizalistas?
Learning about Andrs Bonifacio will help us see the connection between our lives as Filipino Americans today and
the historical events of the 19th century, especially during Bonifacios time.
Andres Bonifacio, declared a national hero has an impressive monument by Guillermo Tolentino on EDSA Circle,
showing him brandishing a bolo and leading a rabble of plebeians known as the Katipuneros. There is another, less
imposing, monument formerly found in Balintawak. That historic monument is now inside the University of the
Philippines Diliman campus in front of Vinzons Hall. Balintawak is supposedly the place where Bonifacio first tore
his cedula as a protest against the injustices of the Spanish regime. The cedula was a personal head tax used as an
identification card.
Bonifacio was born in Tondo, Manila on November 30, 1863. He was orphaned early and he raised his younger
brothers and sisters. He made a living selling homemade fans and walking sticks. In todays world, I would call it a
family-run cottage business. A sister, when asked about this vending experience said they managed a good
business. Some of their bastones or canes were high-end, costing about 100 pesos each in 1870s pesetas.
Who should be the legitimate Philippine National Hero? Rizal or Bonifacio? Are you a Bonifacista or a Rizalista?
Andres found work in a British trading firm, Fleming and company as a messenger-agent clerk,corregidor, or tax
appraiser. Later he worked for a German trading firm, Fressell and Co., and was assigned to its industrial
warehouse or bodega. This is where our textbooks began calling him, in a disparaging manner,
a bodeguero, whereas his occupation was listed as a mandatorio or attorney.
He never went to secondary school because he took over the family responsibility at a young age. However, he was
a self-determined, self-educated man. He taught himself English and was well readHistory of the French
Revolution, Les Miserables, Eugene Sues The Wandering Jew, The Count of Monte Cristo, the Lives of American
Presidents. He read the La Solidaridad, Rizal's annotated version of the Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas by Morga
and Noli me Tangere. Rizals El Filibusterismowas almost a blueprint for Bonifacios KKK revolution.
Bonifacio was greatly influenced by Rizals political views. He considered Rizal a real patriot and joined the
latters La Liga Filipina in July 1892. With Rizal exiled to Dapitan, Bonifacio organized a secret society, the KKK. The
initials stood for Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (the highest, the most
respected Association of the Nations Children). This organizations aim was to rise in armed revolt against the
Spanish colonial power and to win freedom and independence for the country. Bonifacio wrote a constitution
called the Kartilya, patterned after Rizals La Liga Filipina. He realized the need to wrest control of the government
from the oppressive hands of the Spaniards.

The Katipunan was supported by the local masses mostly from Tondo (his bailiwick), Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and
Tarlac. Soon, the organization, operating like a cell, grew in strength exponentially. The other members did not
know who the other partners were, and they swore to secrecy knowledge of any actions or plans against the
authorities.
However, by 1896 the organizations growth became overwhelmingly unwieldy. Thus, the tentacles of the religious
orders were able to reach them through the Catholic sacrament of the confession. A religious manang, a

Katipuneros wife, confessed to a priest at the confessional the plan of a revolt by the end of August. The
Agustinian priest quickly alerted the Spanish government, and scores of Katipuneros were arrested.
A coordinated pincer attack had been planned (from Tondo and Cavite), but with the discovery of the Katipunans
strategy, the actual revolution date was advanced and staged earlier than planned.
So, in Balintawak, Caloocan, on August 23, the cry was proclaimed. It was not a cry literally. It was a symbolic
metaphor. El Grito de la revolucion, the shout, now taught to schoolchildren as the Cry of Balintawak.
Bonifacio staged the gesture of defiance when the opportunity came, a media event as it were. He tore up
his cedula on August 23, 1896 to signify freedom from oppression. The leader of the Philippine Revolution was
catapulted onto the national scene, the icon, a commonly dressed revolutionary leader, raising a Philippine bolo in
one hand and a torn cedula in the other.

The Katipuneros (Source: wikipedia.org)

It was also the beginning of the recognition of the identity Filipinono longer Indio. Filipinos began to see
themselves as a nation and aspired to fight Spain as a nation. Earlier revolts had been attempted to redress specific
injustices. This time, the people stopped looking at Spain as the mother country and considered Filipinas as their
motherland or Inang Bayan.
In the first encounter with the Civil Guards, Bonifacio lost the element of surprise and thus lost the battle
of Pinaglabanan (where the battle was fought). Historian Ambeth Ocampo, with tongue-in-cheek, called the
place Pinagtalunan (where the battle was lost).
However, in Cavite, a faction developed between two rival parties. The Magdiwang, a group loyal to Bonifacio and
the Magdalo, headed by Aguinaldo, the mayor of Kawit and a Katipunan leader who had successfully won battles
with the Spanish. Bonifacio, as head of the organization, (the Katipunan called him Supremo,) went to Cavite to
patch up the rift. However, he was trapped by circumstances and fell victim to turf mentality. Aguinaldos men
would not follow his orders and were very disrespectful and dismissive of his title and office.
Aguinaldos men saw Bonifacio as a usurper of the leadership post in Cavite. A general assembly was held,
elections were rigged and Bonifacio was voted out as the Katipunan leader. Bonifacio declared the elections
fraudulent. He and his brother Procopio were arrested, brought to the hilly town of Maragondon and assassinated
by officials of Aguinaldos faction. They were buried in a shallow grave under an alibangbang tree on May 10, 1897.
He was 34.
The Significance of the Revolution
Without the revolution, which the Katipunan espoused, there would be no red sun with eight shining yellow rays in
the Philippine national flag. Many revolts had transpired during the colonial period in many localities. In the past,
the Pampangos and the Nueva Ecijanos were always on the side of Spain. What was different with Bonifacios
revolutionary effort through the Katipunan was that eight provinces joined the revolt of the Tondo masses. It was
the Katipunan that united the provinces and made the message of independence and freedom resound clear over
Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Manila, Bulacan, Tarlac, Pampanga and Nueva Ecija (eight rays in the Philippine sun.)

Today, Emilio Aguinaldos legacy is clouded by his high-handed order to his trusted officer, Colonel Agapito
Bauson, nicknamed Yntong, to execute Procopio and Andres. Gregoria de Jesus, Bonifacios 21-year-old widow was
taken to a hut near the place of execution. The residents were ordered to leave, and Yntong forced himself on
Aling Oryang. Aguinaldo could have ordered an investigation on the accusation of rape, but he never did.
It is true that at the execution of Rizal in Bagumbayan on December 30, 1898, rumors were rife that the
Katipuneros would invade the grounds and kidnap Rizal to set him free. Three regiments of armed guards
and Guardia Civiles therefore lined Bagumbayan. Rizal was notified of the plan, but he objected: If there is only
one person who will die during the encounter, I will agree. But if ever two people are killed, I will refuse any aid.
(See Ambeth Ocampos Bonifacio Lectures).
Now, the raging question: Who should be the legitimate Philippine National Hero? Rizal or Bonifacio? Are you a
Bonifacista or a Rizalista? Historian Ambeth Ocampo is of the opinion that arguing for Bonifacio as the "better"
hero on the grounds that he, not Rizal, began the Philippine Revolution is moot since Rizal inspired Bonifacio, the
Katipunan and the Revolution. Even prior to Rizal's banishment to Dapitan, the Filipino people already regarded
him as a national hero (he had been elected as honorary president by the Katipunan). Leon Ma. Guerrero notes
that while Rizal did not give his blessing to Bonifacio because he believed revolution was premature, he did not
condemn the aim of independence per se. Teodoro Agoncillo believed that Bonifacio should not replace Rizal as
national hero, but they should be honored "side by side."
In early dawn on December 30, 1896, Rizal received his mother, sisters and his wife Josephine Bracken in his cell to
say their final good-byes. He gave Josephine a book, Kempers The Imitation of Christ. Then he handed her an
alcohol burner. Turning to sister Trining, he said in English: There is something inside. It was his last poem now
known as Mi Ultimo Adios.
Immediately, Trinidad had the poem copied and sent safely to Jose Basa in Hongkong where it could be published
and circulated. Bonifacio obtained a copy and was the first one to translate the whole poem into Tagalog. It was
distributed to all the members of the Katipunan. At that time, in 1898, the Katipuneros numbered around five
million. The Katipuneros recited that poem in the battlefield. It was Bonifacios translation that made Mi Ultimo
Adios accessible to the common masses.
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/andres-bonifacio-the-other-national-hero
Penlope V. Flores, Ph.D. is a Professor of Education Emeritus at San Francisco State University. Her main interest
is in "Tracing the Footsteps of Jose Rizal in Europe." She is building a Rizaliana library in San Francisco where
scholars and researchers can have free access to her collection.

Background:Bonifacio
In the mere sense of finding our true national hero, we must first rewind and go back to our history. For what is
now happening in the present is the result of our past. We ask ourselves why there is a need to rethink who
ournational hero should be. The answer is simple. For in the past, we uncover the events that led to this decision.
The situation at that time resulted in the conflict that we are tackling today. The decision of whether it
is Rizal orBonifacio would forever be debated upon. One thing is for sure these two men stood up for what they
believed in using the best possible way that they knew how to, and given the current situation that they were
faced with.

Since both come from different backgrounds, yet both managed to make a difference in our countrys fate. So
should there be a clear cut comparison of who is the better hero of the two? First though, one must take a closer
look at the lives and contributions of Rizal andBonifacio
ANDRES BONIFACIO
- was born in a shack in Tondo, Manila on November 30, 1863.
- At the age of 14, his father and mother died, forcing him to quit his studies and to look after his younger brothers
and sisters
- made wooden canes and paper fans, which he sold in the streets.
- completed only what we call grade four
- learned how to read and write by himself.
- the books he read were Rizal's novels, the lives of presidents, Victor Hugo's Le Miserables, the ruins of Palmyra,
and the French Revolution. Those books prodded his spirit of rebellion and gave him impulse to organize
the Katipunan.
- Bonifacio presided the conference to establish theRepublic of the Philippines
- Emilio Aguinaldo was elected President, Mariano Trias, Vice-President and Bonifacio
- Daniel Tirona questioned Bonifacio's qualifications, and Bonifacio was offended.
- Bonifacio moved to Naic, Cavite and started to form his own government and army.
- Aguinaldo sent men to arrest him, but Bonifacioresisted arrest and was wounded. He faced a trial for acts inimical
to the existence of the new government and was given the deathAguinaldo's men executed him in the mountains
of Maragondon, Cavite on May 10, 1897.
- Bonifacio, who got insulted during the Tejeros Convention for his lack of diploma, was fluent enough in Spanish to
translate Jose Rizal's Mi Ultimo Adiosin Tagalog. He also wrote the head-stirring poem,Pagibig sa Tinubuang Lupa,
and most probably, was well-versed in French and English

Background:Rizal
In the mere sense of finding our true national hero, we must first rewind and go back to our history. For what is
now happening in the present is the result of our past. We ask ourselves why there is a need to rethink who
ournational hero should be. The answer is simple. For in the past, we uncover the events that led to this decision.
The situation at that time resulted in the conflict that we are tackling today. The decision of whether it
is Rizal orBonifacio would forever be debated upon. One thing is for sure these two men stood up for what they
believed in using the best possible way that they knew how to, and given the current situation that they were
faced with.
JOSE RIZAL
- was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11 children (2
boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished families.
- At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write, he already
showed inclinations to be an artist.
- at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of "excellent" from the Ateneo
Municipal de Manila
- he sailed for Spain where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. On June 21, 1884, at the
age of 23, he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine and on June 19,1885, at the age of 24

- Having traveled extensively in Europe, America andAsia, he mastered 22 languages.

- Wrote daring novels: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo which exposed the injustices of Spainin
the Philippines.
- he was committed to Fort Santiago
- After a mock trial, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association.
- December 30, 1896, Rizal was shot in Bagumbayan
Contradiction
So in essence, refering to the last post, there are also a lot of Filipinos in our past who qualify as heroes. One of
them is Andres Bonifacio. It would be interesting to look and compare Bonifacio with our national hero Rizal. Their
views and opinions were truly different from each other, giving way for us to challenge which of the two would be
a better national hero. First point, if one looks at the national hero of other countries, they would find that their
heroes were the leaders of theirRevolution. We have Che Guevarra for Argentina, George
Washington for America, and Ho Chi Minhof Vietnam just to name a few. SO why then does our country have a
national hero that was not a leader of theRevolution? Clearly if this were the case, then Andres Bonifacio would be
our national hero. He was theFather of the Philippine Revolution. Instead, we have a hero that was actually against
the revolution.Rizal wanted nothing but for the Philippines to beequals with Spain. He did not want to be free from
it. He felt that the country was not yet ready to beindependent. In other words, his plan of attack was different. On
the other hand, Bonifacio created theKatipunan in goal of freeing the whole nation fromSpanish rule, whether it
meant
having
to
use
physical
means
of warfare.
Even
before
he
started
theKatipunan movement, Bonifacio sent Pio Valenzuela to Dapitan, where Rizal was exiled. This was in hopes of
convincing Rizal or
rather
asking
for
his
blessing
to
start
the revolution.
However, Rizal
We have to focus on what separated the strategy of our two heroes here. In the first place, Rizal was an
educatedilustrado. Any educated man during that time would not revert to physical violence in order to
beindependent of the mother nation. Instead, he would choose reform. This was evident in Rizals novels, saying
that being liberated was different from being independent. In other words, he felt that the countrys status could
improve even without being free fromSpain. Actually, what Rizal really wanted was for thePhilippines to be a
province of Spain. Warfare was certainly not his style; it was education. He felt that onceFilipinosSpain would find
no use in colonizing the country, and therefore would jus opt to leave us alone. This was quite logical for
the Philippines economy was booming at that time. Bonifacio, on the other hand, was a self educated man. This
man experienced what the normal indio felt at that time. He was the bravest of them all who decided to stand up
against the Spaniards. It is a shame, however, that this man died in the arms of his own brothers. That internal
conflict between himself and Aguinaldo caused his untimely death;Bonifacioindependence from Spain. Had he
died during one of the battles against Spain, then it would have been a totally different story. There would have
been more reason for Bonifacio to be a national heroside by side to Rizal. turned the offer down. were educated,
then did not live to witness the countrys.

What makes a national hero?

Adopted by the Technical Committee of the National Heroes Committee on June 3, 1993
1. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for the nations freedom. Our
own struggle for freedom was begun by Bonifacioand finished by Aguinaldo, the latter formally declaring
the revolutions success. In reality, however, arevolution has no end. Revolutions are only the beginning. One
cannot aspire to be free only to sink back into bondage.
2. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system or life of freedom and order for a nation.

Freedom without order will only lead to anarchy. Therefore, heroes are those who make the nations
constitution and laws, such as Mabini and Recto. To the latter, constitutions are only the beginning, for it is the
people living under the constitution that truly constitute a nation.
3. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation.
4. A hero is part of the peoples expression. But the process of a peoples internalization of a heros life and works
takes time, with the youth forming a part of the internalization.
5. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations.
6. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but of the entire
process that made this particular person a hero.
SPONSORED HERO?
Rizal is our national hero. However, one can ask how he became our national hero. It is a known fact that it
wasEmilio Aguinaldo who declared the first Rizal day. Some arguments have been made that Rizal is anAmericansponsored hero. This is partly true; however, one has to realize that Rizal has been considered the idol even before
theAmericanPhilippines. Rizal was considered as the sort of godfather and the soul of the Revolution. His name
was used as a password during their meetings. in addition, Rizal was the honorary president of theKatipunan. So
the question arises of whether or not there is truth to the American support to push this matter. If one thing is for
sure, it was the Americanswho instilled this fact to the Filipinos. They could have simply stated and enforced for
another national hero.But yet, they stuck with Rizal. Why? Rizal was areformer, and not a separatist. Of course
theAmericans would favor a hero who would not contest their policies on the country. In, addition, it wasGovernor
Taft who thought of the idea of thePhilippines having a national hero. He pitched the idea to his
fellow Americans and to conservativeFilipinos Philippine Commission was made up of conservative ilustrados.
When we say conservative, there is no doubt that Rizal would win the battle for the prestigious title of national
hero.
Rizalandbonifacio.blogspot.com