Readings in Philippines History
Submitted by: Sirach Anne Magbanua, Angela Facturan, Theodore Sanchez, Ana Flor Moises, Florido Moises
Emilio Jacinto’s
“Kartilya ng Katipunan”
Background of the Author
Historical Context of the
Document
Known as the “Brain of the Katipunan”, Emilio Jacinto was
born in Trozo, Tondo, Manila, on Dec 15,1875. He was the
son of Mariano Jacinto and Josefa Dizon. He was fluent in
both Spanish and Tagalog, but he spoke more in Spanish. He
studied in the Universidad de Santo Tomas, but did not finish
college and at 20 joined the Katipunan. Because he was very
brilliant, he became the advisor on fiscal matters and
secretary to Andres Bonifacio. He also edited and wrote for
the Katipunan newspaper “Kalayaan”–Freedom in Tagalog.
He wrote in the newspaper under the pen name Dimasilaw,
and in the Katipunan he was called Pingkian. Emilio Jacinto
was the author of the Kartilya ng Katipunan. After Andres
Bonifacio’s death, he continued fighting the Spaniards. Dr.
Jose Rizal and Marcelo H. Del Pilar inspired him to be a
good writer during his time. He used Dimes Haw as his pen
name. He also wrote A la Patria, which he based from Dr.
Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios.
He was seriously injured in one bloody encounter that
resulted to his death on April 16,1899 in Majayjay, Laguna at
a young age of 24.
The Katipunan was founded by Andres Bonifacio and their
goal was to unite and prepare the people for an armed conflict
in order to liberate the country from the tyranny of the
Spaniards. The moral & civic objective of the Katipunan
revolved around the teachings of good manners, hygiene,
good morals, self-help and defense of the poor and oppressed.
The Kartilya made by the Katipunan are:
1. The life that is not consecrated to a lofty and
reasonable purpose is a tree without a shade, if not a
poisonous weed.
2. To do good for personal gain and not for its own sake
is not virtue.
Readings in Philippines History
Submitted by: Sirach Anne Magbanua, Angela Facturan, Theodore Sanchez, Ana Flor Moises, Florido Moises

3. It is rational to be charitable and love one's fellow

creature, and to adjust one's conduct, acts and words
to what is in itself reasonable.
4. Whether our skin be black or white, we are all born
equal: superiority in knowledge, wealth and beauty
are to be understood, but not superiority by nature.
5. The honorable man prefers honor to personal gain; the
scoundrel, gain to honor.
6. To the honorable man, his word is sacred.
7. Do not waste thy time: wealth can be recovered but
not time lost.
8. Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor before
the law or in the field.
9. The prudent man is sparing in words and faithful in
keeping secrets.
10. On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of woman
(“parents”) and the children, and if the guide leads to
the precipice, those whom he guides will also go
there.
11. Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything,
but as a faithful companion who will share with thee
the penalties of life; her (physical) weakness will
increase thy interest in her and she will remind thee of
the mother who bore thee and reared thee.
12. What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife,
children, brothers and sisters, that do not unto the
wife, children, brothers and sisters of thy neighbor.
13. Man is not worth more because he is a king, because
his nose is aquiline, and his color white, not because
he is a priest, a servant of God, nor because of the
high prerogative that he enjoys upon earth, but he is
worth most who is a man of proven and real value,
who does good, keeps his words, is worthy and
honest; he who does not oppress nor consent to being
oppressed, he who loves and cherishes his fatherland,
though he be born in the wilderness and know no
tongue but his own.
14. When these rules of conduct shall be known to all, the
longed-for sun of Liberty shall rise brilliant over this
unhappiest portion of the globe and its rays shall
Readings in Philippines History
Submitted by: Sirach Anne Magbanua, Angela Facturan, Theodore Sanchez, Ana Flor Moises, Florido Moises
Analysis of the important
historical information found
in the document
Contribution of the
document in understanding
the grand narrative in
Philippine History
Relevance of the document
in contemporary times
diffuse everlasting joy among the confederated
brethren of the same rays, the lives of those who have
gone before, the fatigues and the well-paid sufferings
will remain. If he who desires to enter (the Katipunan)
has informed himself of all this and believes he will
be able to perform what will be his duties, he may fill
out the application for admission.
The Kartilya comprises fourteen principles that detail not
only the visions and advocates of the Katipunan, but for an
egalitarian and morally sound Filipino nation.
For the Katipunan members, such as Emilio Jacinto, the ideas
of Right and Light, Katwiran and Kaliwanagan, were of the
greatest importance. The document embodies the morals
made and followed by our heroes who fought to liberate this
land. The document contains oaths and orders to be followed
by all of the members. Anyone who disobeys the
commandments will be punished depending on the violations
they commit. The teachings of the Katipunan incorporates
virtues, discplines, and morality that modern Filipinos portray
today.
The Kartilya ng Katiupunan was the moral and intellectual
foundation used to guide the Katipuneros and lays out the
rules and principles that needed to be obeyed upon joining
the secret society. It is one of the few recorded documents of
the Philippine Revolution that survived today, and hence
provides a perspective to modern generations on how this
code contributed to understanding our history and how it
shaped the present.
The relevance of the Kartilya ng Katipunan to the
Contemporary time is that the people were made aware that
the Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society in
which its primary goal was for the country to gain
independence from Spain through a revolution. Kartilya ng
Katipunan laid out the group's rules and principles (consisting
14 rules and principles) for their people and comrades to fully
understand and follow their objectives. Through this
document, the Filipinos were encouraged that there were
intellectual and moral revolutionaries fighting for the nation’s
independence.