Andres Bonifacio

Andres was born on the feast of St. Andrew from whom his parents derived his
name, on November 30, 1863. He attended the school of Guillermo Osmena from
Cebu but finished only primary grades.
Orphaned at the age of 14, he and his five brothers and sisters made canes and
paper fans, which they sold to meet their basic needs. He was employed as a clerkmessenger in the British firm Fleming and Co.,where he learned English. He then
worked as an agent for the German firm Fressel and Co. To further educate
himself,he avidly read such books as Robespierres The French Revolution,Hugos Les
Miserables, and Rizals Noli and Fili. He founded the Katipunan on July 7,1892, and
became its Supremo(Supreme Leader). A year later, he married Gregoria de Jesus
who became the secret societys Lakambini(Muse). The society had expanded
rapidly by 1894. After the authorities, Bonifacio gathered his men in Pugad Lawin,
Balintawak, on August 29, 1896. The next day, Gov. General Ramon Blanco declared
martial law. In Cavite, Emilio Aguinaldo proposed to transform the Katipunan into a
revolutionary government under his Magdalo faction. At the Tejeros Assembly,
March 22, 1897(called to resolve the leadership issue), Bonifacio lost to Aguinaldo
as president and he and his Magdiwang faction ignored the election results. On their
way to Indang, Cavite, they were overtaken by Aguinaldos men, charged with
sedition by a military court, and sentenced to death. Bonifacio was executed in the
mountains of Maragondon with his brother Procopio on May 10, 1897.
Although many unpleasant comments and unsavory remarks where made
against Bonifacio by some unenlightened critics about his educational and personal
background, because unlike Rizal, Del Pilar, and others, he did not attend formal
schooling, Bonifacio had a very sensible educational philosophy.
It is true that he was unable to go through formal education because of
poverty, but he was not uneducated. His biography reveals that he was a lover of
wisdom and a virtual bookworm. He might have been poor financially, but never
mentally. As a matter of fact, if one will sternly scrutinize the documents that
Bonifacio had written, one will realize the vast riches of his wisdom.
Furthermore, in collaboration with his buddy, Emilio Jacinto, Bonifacio
promulgated the Kartilya which became the basic teaching of the Katipunan and all
its members sworn to follow.

KARTILYA

1. A life that is not dedicated to a noble cause is like a tree without a shade or
a poisonous weed.

2. A deed kacks nobility if it is motivated by self-interest and not by a sincere

desire to help.
3. True piety consists of being charitable, loving ones fellow men, and being
judicious in behavior, speech, and deed.
4. All persons are equal, regardless of the color of their skin. While one could
have more schooling , wealth, or beauty than another, all that does not make
one more human than anybody else.
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 of honor, his/her word is apledge.
7. Dont waste time;lost wealth can be retrieve, but time lost is lost forever.
8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor.
9. The wise person is careful in all he/she has to say and is discreet about
things that need to kept secret.
10. On the thorny path of life, the man leads the way and his wife and
children follow.If the leader goes the way to perdition, so does the followers.
11. Never regard a woman as an object for you to trfle with ; rather you
should consider her as a partner and helpmate. Give proper consideration to
a womans frailty and never forget that your own mother, who brought you
forth and nurtured you from infancy, is her self such a person.
12. Dont do to the wife, children and brothers and sisters of others what you
do not want done to your wife, children, and brothers and sisters.
13. A mans worth is not measured by his station in life, neither by the height
of his nose nor the fairness of skin,and certainly not by weather he is a priest
claiming to be Gods deputy . Even if he is a tribesman from the hills and
speaks only his own tongue, a man is an honorable man if he possesses a
good character is true to his word, has find perceptions , and is loyal to his
native land.
14. When these teachings shall have been propagated and the glorious sun
of freedom begins to shine on these poor islands to enlightened a united race
and people, then all the lives lost all the struggles and sacrifices will not have
been in vain.

Submitted by: Ruth Tubal

Kreeza Mae Sangil