Conogana, Joseilyn B.

BSA 2-5
Kartilya ng Katipunan was primarily written by Andres Bonifacio. Emilio Jacinto later
made revisions creating a new rulebook known as Decalogue. It served as a guidebook for
newcomers those people who are willing to join the group. Emilio Jacinto was born on December
15, 1875 in the district of Trozo in Tondo, Manila. He was the son of Mariano Jacinto, a
bookkeeper, and Josefa Dizon. Living the life of poverty, Jacinto still managed to get a good
education. He developed a love of reading and improved his skills in Spanish when he studied law
in the University of Santo Tomas. He joined the Katipunan in 1894 at the age of 18 and took the
symbolic name Pingkian. He wrote the Kartilya as well as the oath of the Katipuneros. He served
the Katipunan in different capacities such as secretary, fiscal, editor and later was appointed
General by Bonifacio in 1897. After the death of Bonifacio in Cavite in 1897, he continued the
fight against the Spaniards even after the truce following the pact of Biak-na-Bato. And he died
because of Malaria in Majayjay on april 6,1899.
The original version of Kartilya of Katipunan has 14 paragraphs that contains the values
that a Katipunero should have. Each paragraph is unique in such a way that they tackle different
aspects of a person’s life.
1. The first tenet highlights the importance of living a purpose-driven life. A Katipunero who does
not have a purpose lives a useless life.
2. The second rule is all about doing the right thing. A deed carried out for the sake of fame is not
worthy of praise.
3. The third tenet shows what kindness really means. True act of kindness for a Katipunero is in
the love and service he renders to other people and not the other way around.
4. The fourth tenet highlights equality. Every Katipuneros are treated equally no matter what race
or educational background he has.
5. The fifth shows what honor should mean for a Katipunero. A true Katipunero values honor more
than his personal interest.
6. The sixth tenet is all about being a man of word. A Katipunero who has a sense of shame must
be a man of his word.
7. The seventh rule gives importance to time. A Katipunero must give importance to time. For the
Katipunan, a time that is lost will never be back.
8. The eighth tenet is all about fighting for what is right. A Katipunero must protect the weak and
fight those who oppress the weak.
9. The ninth tenet highlights the importance trust. A Katipunero is careful with what he says and
keeps the things that must be kept secret.
10. The tenth principle is all about being able to lead a family. A Katipunero must lead his family
to the right path. If the leader is consumed by evil, so does his followers.
11. The eleventh principle is all about women. A Katipunero must give importance to a woman.
He must not see her as an object, nor a past time. That whenever a Katipunero sees a woman, he
will remember his mother who nurtured him.
12. The twelfth principle gives importance to every actions that one has to make. A Katipunero
must not do the things that he does not want to be done to him or to his family.
13. The thirteenth principle is about having the right character. A Katipunero’s life is not measured
by what is his status in life nor with the things that he possesses. Instead, it is in his character and
his love for the native land.
14. The last tenet, shows a glimpse of what the author desire. It shows the sense of hopefulness for
the motherland and that all the sacrifices made is not all for nought.
The Kartilya of the Katipunan
1. A life that is not consecrated to a large and holy greatness is a tree without shade, if not a
poisonous weed;
2. Good work that comes from selfish desires and not from a true desire for excellence is not
kindness.
3. Real piety is hard work and love for fellowmen, and measuring each action, labor and speech
by true Reason.
4. Whether one’s skin be black or white, all people are equal; it may be that each is superior in
knowledge, wealth, beauty but there is no superiority in human dignity.
5. One who has a high inner spirit, puts honor, goodness and virtue before self-interest; one who
has a lowly inner spirit puts self-interest before honor, goodness and virtue.
6. To the person with shame, his or her word is sacred.
7. Do not waste time: wealth can be lost and recovered; but time that already passes will not pass
again.
8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor.
9. The intelligent person is one who is careful in all that he or she says; and learns to keep secret
that which should deb kept in confidence.
10. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of woman and of children; if the guide leaded to
evil, the destiny of those being led is also evil.
11. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything, but as a partner and sympathetic
companion in the hardships of this life; in your strength, consider her weakness, and remember the
mother who birthed thee and reared thee.
12. What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife, children, and siblings, do not do unto the wife,
children, and siblings of others.
13. The value of a person is not in being sovereign, not in an aquiline nose or in a white face, it is
not in the priestly SUBSTITUTE FOR GOD, nor is it in the high station one has in life. Pure and
truly highly esteemed, beloved and noble is the person even if he or she was raised in the forest
and speaks nothing but his or her own language; who has beautiful behavior, and only one sentence
(which is) honor and virtue; who does not oppress others or allow one’s self to be oppressed; who
knows how to be sensitive and knows how to cherish the land of his birth.
The Kartilya was the moral and intellectual foundation used to guide the actions of
Katipuneros. Upon joining the Katipunan, members were required to read the Kartilya and adhere
to its code of conduct. Changing the way people thought and acted was paramount to the early
Katipuñeros; they understand that was the only way to truly change the Philippines for the better.
Play-acting as and implicitly referencing the Katipunan without fully understanding their political
and moral context and goals essentially degrades the breadth of what they were trying to achieve.
Understanding context helps explain the hows and whys of developments on a local and national
level.
Kartilya ng Katipunan was meant to guide us in living our everyday life its fullest. More
importantly, it highlights the importance of having the right attitude towards other people.