THE TRUE DECALOGUE, BY APOLINARIO MABINI

Expounding on the ideals that Mabini believed the Philippine Revolution should have had, he
wrote El Verdadero Decalogo in his humble hut in Los Baos in May 1898. Aguinaldo
authorized its continued publication, together with Mabinis proposed constitution. (Part of
the commemoration of the sesquicentennial of Apolinario Mabinis birth.)
First. Love God and your honor over all things: God, as the source of all truth, all justice and all
activity; your honor, the only power that obliges you to be truthful, just and industrious.
Second. Worship God in the form that your conscience that God speaks to you, reproaching you for
your misdeeds and applauding you for your good deeds.
Third. Develop the special talents that God has given you, working and studying according to your
capabilities, never straying from the path of good and justice, in order to achieve your own
perfection, and by this means you will contribute to the progress of humanity: thus you will
accomplish the mission that God himself has given you in this life, and achieving this, you will have
honor, and having honor, you will be glorifying God.
Fourth. Love your country after God and your honor, and more than you love yourself, because your
country is the only paradise that God has given you in this life; the only patrimony of your race; the
only inheritance from your ancestors; and the only future of your descendants: because of your
country you have life, love and interests; happiness, honor and God.
Fifth. Strive for the happiness of your country before your own, making her the reigning influence for
reason, justice and work; if your country is happy, you and your family will also be happy.
Sixth. Strive for the independence of your country, because you alone can have a real interest in her
aggrandizement and ennoblement, since here independence will mean your own freedom, her
aggrandizement your own perfection, and her ennoblement your own glory and immortality.
Seventh. In your country, do not recognize the authority of any person who has not been elected by
you and your compatriots, because all authority comes from God, and as God speaks to the
conscience of each individual, the person chosen and proclaimed by the consciences of all the
individuals of a whole town is the only one that can exercise real authority.
Eighth. Strive that your country be constituted as a republic, and never as a monarchy: a monarchy
empowers one or several families and lays the foundation for a dynasty; a republic ennobles and
dignifies a country based on reason, it is great because of its freedom, and is made prosperous and
brilliant by dint of work.
Ninth. Love your neighbor as you love yourself, because God has imposed on him and on you the
obligation to help one another, and has dictated that he does not do unto you what he does not want
you to do unto him; but if your neighbor is remiss in this sacred duty and makes an attempt on your
life, your freedom and your priorities, then you should destroy him and crush him, because the
supreme law of self preservation must prevail.
Tenth. Always look on your countryman as more than a neighbor: you will find in him a friend, a
brother and at least the companion to whom you are tied by only one destiny, by the same
happiness and sorrows, and by the same aspirations and interests.
Because of this, while the borders of the nations established and preserved by the egoism of race
and of family remain standing, you must remain united to your country in perfect solidarity of views
and interests in order to gain strength, not only to combat the common enemy, but also to achieve all
the objectives of human life.

The Teachings of the Katipunan

1. A life that is not dedicated to a noble and divine cause is like a tree without a shade, if not, a
poisonous weed.
2. A deed that is motivated by self-interest or self-pity and done without sincerity lacks nobility.
3. True piety is the act of being charitable, loving one's fellowmen, and being judicious in
behavior, speech and deed.
4. We are all equal, regardless of the color of their skin; While one could have more education,
wealth or beauty than the other, none of them can overpass one's identity.
5. A person with a noble character values honor above self-interest, while a person with a base
character values self-interest above honor.
6. To a [person] that respects, his/her word is a pledge.
7. Do not waste your time; lost wealth can be retrieved, but time lost is lost forever.
8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor.
9. A wise man is someone who is careful in all that he says; learn to keep the things that need
to be kept secret.
10.In the thorny path of life, the man leads the way and his wife and children follow; If the leader
goes the way of evil, so do the followers.
11. Never regard a woman as an object for you to trifle with; rather you should consider her as a
partner and a friend in times of need; Give proper considerations to a woman's frailty and
never forget that your own mother, who brought you forth and nurtured you from infancy, is
herself such a person.
12.Do not do to the wife, children and brothers and sisters of others what you do not want
others to do to your wife, children and brothers and sisters.
13.A (person's) worth is not measured by his/her status in life, neither by the length of his nose
nor the fairness of skin, and certainly not by whether he is a priest claiming to be God's
deputy. Even if he is a tribesman/tribeswoman from the hills and speaks only his/her own
tongue, a (person) is honorable if he/she possesses a good character, is true to his/her
word, has fine perceptions and is loyal to his/her native land.
14.When these teachings shall have been propagated and the glorious sun of freedom begins
to shine on these poor islands to enlighten a united race and people, then all the loves lost,
all the struggle and sacrifices shall not have been in vain.