The Philippine Revolution against over three centuries of Spanish domination began with Andrés

Bonifacio, leader of the Katipunan, a liberalist movement that sought independence for the Philippines
from Spanish colonial rule.

The Katipunan was an offshoot from José Rizal’s La Liga Filipina, a movement that sought to bring about
political reform in the colonial government of the Spanish. Rizal had been deported just after his
organization was formed with their first meeting.

A photo engraving of Andrés Bonifacio (1863-1897), founder of the Katipunan, Philippine revolutionary
society from February 8, 1897 issue of La Ilustración Española y Americana, a Spanish-American weekly
publication

After a few years had passed with virtually no changes in the constitution, Bonifacio and others lost all
hope of any peaceful reform being brought about by La Liga Filipina. Abandoning the organization
altogether, they concentrated their efforts into the Katipunan to bring about a revolution with the use of
violence and arms. The organization consisted of both male and female supporters, including Bonifacio’s
wife, who led the female faction.

Bonifacio recognized the strategic importance of the city of Manila and resolved to take control of it,
convinced that once he did the residents, being fed up with Spanish rule, would support his cause.
However, this plan was foiled before it got off the ground as a result of a conflict between two
Katipuneros, one of whom spilled the beans about the plot to the Spanish friars.

The traitor was one Mariano Gil who, along with other friars, had previously been trying to get the
Spanish Governor to take action regarding his suspicions of a revolution.

A late 19th century photograph of armed Filipino revolutionaries, known as the Katipuneros.1898

Without concrete proof, the Governor merely saw their suggestions as accusations and could do nothing
about it. The parish priest of Tondo reported his findings to the owner of the Diary de Manila, the
printing press where the two Katipuneros worked, and on searching the place they found the
paraphernalia used in printing Katipunan documents and other items proving the existence of the
Katipunan, it was August 19, 1896.

A series of arrests of Katipuneros in Manila followed and several Filipinos were jailed or imprisoned.
Amongst them were some wealthy and prominent Filipinos, some of whom were innocent.

Rizal’s execution in what was then Bagumbayan.1896

Jose Rizal was tried and executed later at the old Bagumbayan field on December 30. With the hunt for
Katipunan members still ongoing, Manila had become a dangerous place for them. As many as five
hundred arrests had been made and many fled the city for fear of been captured, tortured or killed.

José Rizal
Bonifacio was not amongst those captured, however. He and many others had escaped to Pugadlawin,
and in a meeting at the house of Juan Ramos on 23 August 1896, Bonifacio urged his followers to tear
into pieces their Cédulas (residence certificates) as a sign of revolt against the Spanish government.

The men, highly motivated by the killings and arrest of their members in Manila, tore up the documents
and let out the cry “Long live the Philippines,” which is known as the Cry of Pugadlawin in Philippine
history.

Bonifacio Monument Photo by Mello47 CC BY SA 3.0

It was decided that all their supporters in the surrounding towns be alerted of the impending strike on
Manila which would take place on 29 August. To this effect, Bonifacio released a manifesto on the 28 th:

“This manifesto is for all of you. It is absolutely necessary for us to stop at the earliest possible time the
nameless oppressions being perpetrated on the sons of the people who are now suffering the brutal
punishment and tortures in jails, and because of this please let all the brethren know that on Saturday,
the revolution shall commence according to our agreement.

Philippine Revolution: Flag of the Katipunan featuring the society’s acronym KKK in white in a line in the
middle of a field of red.

For this purpose, it is necessary for all towns to rise simultaneously and attack Manila at the same time.
Anybody who obstructs this sacred ideal of the people will be considered a traitor and an enemy, except
if he is ill or is not physically fit, in which case he shall be tried according to the regulation we have put in
force.”

The first battle of the Philippine Revolution took place on 30 August 1896 at San Juan del Monte with a
thousand men behind Andrés Bonifacio. On the eve of the 29 th, they attacked civil guards present at
San Felipe Neri, a city located east of Manila, who on seeing the mob surrendered their weapons and
were taken captive.

El Depósito, taken in 1900.

The Katipuneros had little in the way of ammunition; generally equipped with bolo knives, they also had
a few guns with them. By the early hours of the morning of the next day, Bonafacio’s army had been
joined with two fresh groups of Katipuneros, about four hundred in number.

After gathering the weapons obtained from two successful encounters with civil guards, Bonifacio and
his men began their attack on El Polvorin, a Spanish depot located in San Juan del Monte where they
were met by Spanish Infantry and gunmen armed with German Mauser rifles.

Cry of Pugad Lawin Photo by Mikelaagan CC By SA 3.0

However well armed this Spanish contingent was, they suffered the loss of two of their soldiers, one of
whom was the commander in charge. This and the intimidating number of Katipuneros behind Bonifacio,
who it seemed was always able to evade capture, caused them to retreat to the Manila Water Works
Deposit office that was situated nearby while they awaited reinforcements.

The Kaptipuneros advanced towards the building in hopes of eliminating what was left of the Spanish
resistance and claiming victory over San Juan Del Monte. It wasn’t long before shots of the 73 rd Jolo
regiment of Spanish cavalry, led by General Bernado Echaluce y Jauregui, struck the bodies of the Filipino
comrades, leaving over a hundred dead and two hundred captured.

Bonifacio and his army was no match for the Remington Rolling Block Rifle wielders that swarmed the
terrain. The bodies of Kaptipuneros littered the streets, some in gutters and others on the road.

Emilio Aguinaldo as a Field marshal during the battle.1899

Bonifacio once again evaded capture and retreated with other survivors to the Pasig River. Even though
defeated, his actions triggered a series of rebellious uprisings against Spanish rule around the country.

The seeds of a revolution that had been sown deep into the hearts of the Filipinos brought about new
leadership under the person of Emilio Aguinaldo in the Cavite region, who led more successful
campaigns against the Spanish.

However untrained, the revolutionaries showed real bravery and courage in their fight for freedom.
Every last Sunday of the month of August is celebrated every year in the Philippines to mark the Cry of
Pugadlawin and the birth of the Philippine Revolution.

The Cry of Balintawak

Weapons which were hoarded piece by piece were stolen from the arsenals of the army, purchased from
Chinese merchants and bought from corrupt soldiers. By August,1896, the time has come for Bonifacio
to immediately prepare the beginning of the armed insurrection. However, during those very days the
authorities received more and more information about suspicious subversive activities. According to
another version, it was a female member of the Katipunan , who out of orthodox loyalty, imparted
during confession the information about the preparations for the uprising, whereupon the priest did not
waste time warning the authorities without even worrying about the protection of secrets divulged in
the confessional.

Bonifacio and the "Katipunan" were then forced by the circumstances to take action. They had to attack
or risk the annihilation of their organization. On August 26, Bonifacio assembled the leaders and
hundred of comrades-in-arms in the hills of Balintawak north of Manila. In an emotion-laden ceremony,
the fighters tore their residence certificates to symbolize the termination of their loyalty to Spain while
shouting the battle cry: "Long live Philippine independence!" The event went down in Philippine history
as the "Cry of Balintawak" and is regarded as the starting signal for the Philippine revolution. Today, a
monument marks this site which shows a Philippine peasant swinging the "bolo", the national variation
of the machete.

The next day, Bonifacio issued the call for a general revolt in the whole country. The first encounter
between the revolutionaries and the Spanish troops was staged in San Juan del Monte, today a suburb of
Manila. Faced with force much superior than theirs, Bonifacio had to retreat but the fire of the
revolution could no longer be controlled.

One city after the other rose in revolt under the flag of the "Katipunan", which was actually a red flag
with "KKK," the initials of the organization. After a few days, the center of the revolution shifted to
Cavite, where 24 years earlier, the mutiny, which ended with the execution of the three innocent priests,
broke out. In Cavite, however, the uprising was led by Emilio Aguinaldo, a man who would become the
symbol of the successful revolution and the establishment of the Philippine republic. Eight years younger
than Rizal and a son of a middle class peasant, Aguinaldo was not able to finish his education. He had to
support the family by farming and retail trade after the death of his father. Aguinaldo joined the
"Katipunan" in 1894 and a year later, became the mayor of his hometown like his father before him.

Within a short period of time, Aguinaldo turned out to be a military genius. He was able to defeat the
Spanish troops decisively in several battles. Apparently, the governor-general underestimated the
fighting power and enthusiasm of the revolutionaries. He placed eight provinces under Martial Law and
tried to avenge the defeats with terrorism, mass arrests and killings without respite, the confiscation of
the properties of the rebels, and immediate execution by the firing squad, without the benefit of court
proceedings, on mere suspicions that one has supported the rebels with information and food.

Subsequently, differences of opinion which, in the first place, were unheeded by the Spaniards, arose in
the camp of the revolutionaries. These finally led to a power struggle between Bonifacio and Aguinaldo.
The fight ended in May,1897. Bonifacio was condemned and executed for betraying the revolution. The
motives for this tragedy have since then been interpreted in different ways. It seems, Bonifacio had
fulfilled his role as initiator and organizer of the revolution. He wanted to adhere to the traditional
methods of the secret brotherhood; the faction of Aguinaldo championed the disbandment of the
'Katipunan' and its replacement by a revolutionary government. Others perceive in this duel the
difference of opinions between classes: the proletarian element, represented by Bonifacio, and
Aguinaldo, who is considered the representative of the middle class and the intelligentsia, which was
increasingly supporting the revolution and leaving its bourgeois stamp. Last but not the least, personal
reasons cannot be precluded. The military victories of Aguinaldo made him a national hero, a key figure
of the revolution, while Bonifacio receded into the background more and more, robbed of the fruits of
the uprising which he has laboriously prepared. Nevertheless, up to this day, Bonifacio is looked upon as
the father of the revolution, the first democrat who had faith in the masses and who conveyed the idea
of the xevolution to the people, which till that time was limited to a small group of emancipated
individuals.

According to changing military success, the revolutionaries transferred their headquarters to the
mountain fort of Biak na Bato, in the province of Bulacan, north of Manila, where in November 1897, the
first republic was proclaimed under the presidency of Aguinaldo. It may not have had a long life span,
but it certainly had a great political significance. Because six weeks later, an unprecedented document,
the pact of Biak na Bato, in which the colonial power and the revolutionaries agreed on peace, was
concluded. Signed by Governor-General Primo de Rivera and General Aguinaldo, the pact was the
documentary admission of both sides that they were not in a position to change the stalemate situation
created and to win over the enemies. The revolutionaries discontinued the battle and surrendered their
weapons. In return for it, the leaders were granted safe conduct to an exile in Hongkong; general
amnesty was proclaimed and an indemnity of a total of 1.7 million pesos, as well as a series of reforms,
was promised the revolutionaries.

The grotesque situation became clear when Aguinaldo and his loyal followers marched across the
country to their ship and were honored by the people as national heroes. Both sides were then to prove
guilty of a breach of the peace pact. The Spaniards persecuted numerous revolutionaries despite the
amnesty, paid only a fraction of the indemnification and did not think of carrying out the reforms
promised. Likewise, by no means did the revolutionaries surrender all their arms and they deposited a
portion of the Spanish indemnification in a Hongkong bank in order to use it for the preparation of the
next uprising. Time and again there would be hostile encounters between the armed forces of both
sides. Spaniards, as well as Filipinos, probably knew that the peace afforded just a breather in the
undecided battle. What certainly neither side might have surmised was that the hour of death of the
Spanish rule in the Philippines would strike just a year later and Aguinaldo would return triumphantly to
his native land as an ally of the USA.

Rizal would live through the beginning of this revolution at the end of the year of 1896. Before he sets
out for his second - and, as it would turn out to be, his last - homecoming, in the years 1891 to 1892, the
debate between the two friends about the problem of Rizal's home begins. Blumentritt turns out to be
vehemently against it. He sees the danger of what Rizal considers a duty. "Do not go to the Philippines
now," the professor writes, "rather go to Madrid where in these wretched times you can render better
services, than in Calamba, to your fatherland as well as to your family."
This discussion regarding Rizal's plans continues for almost a year and ends with Blumentritt warning his
friend urgently and angrily in what seems to &thron;e a premonition again: "I do not at all agree with
your going to the Philippines now. You expose yourself to the greatest dangers and your fatherland
needs your great mind and your freedom." He says, he is looking forward to a better time for Rizal, the
fights in the home country and abroad are not futile. He says, Rizal should wait till a favorable
opportunity arises when Rizal could assume his place in the Philippines. In the meantime, he could
render valuable work by publishing a Tagalog dictionary and this work alone - together with the

Noli - would immortalize his name "not only to your people and to your fatherland" but also to the
whole world.

Rizal would hear nothing of this. "I must return to the Philippines, life will be a burden to me. I must give
the example of not fearing death even if it is frightful ... " Rizal intimates that one of his followers (in the
Philippines) allegedly complained about those who agitate in safety in a foreign country while the
fighters at home are in constant danger. At thirty, Rizal is an old battle-weary man who - with a
suspicious foreboding at least in those days and weeks before his final home-coming - has reconciled
himself with his destiny: "I shall meet my fate; if I die, then you shall remain. But life in Europe is
impossible for me. Dying is better than living miserably..."

Once more Rizal communicates, describes how his native land draws him; he would like to embrace his
parents and brothers and sisters. Nevertheless, his friends advise him against it, in the same manner as
Blumentritt, whom he would like to see once again: "If only I had the means for it, then I would have
gone to you, in order to be able to embrace you for the last time, because it seems to me that I shall
never see you again. My future stands before me, dreadfully desolate ... "

Did Rizal go to his doom deliberately and voluntarily? Did he want to be a martyr? In any case, his next
letter will already come from the steamer "Melbourne" from the Mediterranean and on November 20,
1891, Rizal arrives in Hongkong. There he is to learn that his father, two sisters and a brother have been
banished from their hometown of Calamba. His blind mother succeeds in escaping to Hongkong. With
his usual cleverness, Rizal is able to make both ends meet swiftly. He puts up his practice as ophthalmic
surgeon and is soon the recognized specialist for the British and Portuguese colonists as well as for
hundreds of Chinese, whom he treats free of charge when they cannot afford to pay.

Soon he is able to tell Blumentritt that his father and brother are able to go to Hongkong as well.
Everything seems to turn out for the better. Blumentritt is happy for his friend: "The letter I received
from you today is pleasant. At last you have gathered all your loved ones around you." And Rizal,
likewise, in good humor answers: "All of us, my parents, sisters and brothers, are living peacefully
together here, far from the persecutions which they suffered in the Philippines." He writes that his
parents are very contented with the English government (in Hongkong), that they want to die there and
no longer want to return to the Philippines where life is unbearable.

For all that, Rizal can find no peace. He thinks of the settlers in his hometown of Calamba who are
oppressed and driven away. Again and again, he talks of those who are persecuted because they read his
books, are acquainted with him, or correspond with him. He feels responsible for their sufferings, he
feels guilty for living safely in a foreign country. And despite all warnings, Rizal decides to return home.
His family is horrified.

Rizal disembarks in Manila on june 26, 1892 after leaving behind two letters, again with some foreboding
- one to his family and friends, the other one to the Philippine nation - both of which should be opened
after his death. In this letter to his family and friends, he asks his family for forgiveness for the sorrows
he has caused them. It seems to emerge plainly from the second letter that Rizal, not without pride and
satisfaction, seems to have resolved, if necessary, to set a signal for patriotism and liberation through his
martyr s death.

Was it naiveté or self-confidence that Rizal conducts himself in Manila in no way like a conspirator, rather
like an altogether normally repatriated citizen, if not perhaps a guest of honor? He puts up at the
"Orient", the best hotel in the city. He receives and visits friends and well-known personalities; he pays
his respects to the governor-general himself. The next day, Rizal finishes a lightning tour through the
provinces in order to, as he will later say, find out how his books were received, how he stands, what the
people think about the political solution. Having returned from the trip, Rizal's activism reaches its peak
with the creation of a union which he calls Liga Filipina. The following were stated as objectives of the
Liga: the realization of the unity of the entire archipelago, the mutual protection against violence and
injustice, the development of training for industry and trade, and the study and realization of reforms. It
can be gathered from the somewhat vague formulations that the Liga was dedicated to the furtherance
of national unity, self-defense against governmental encroachments, professional preparation for
independence and for the fight for reforms.

In spite of all the practical import, the

Liga is surrounded by something mystical, which is reminiscent of the freemasons. It was organized in
the form of a pyramid: the local councils formed the base, the heads in turn formed the supreme
council. Although it was said in the statutes that anyone who had the interest and the welfare of the
fatherland at heart can be a member, in the internal directives, however, absolute obedience, strictest
secrecy and obligation to inform the leaders were required of every member.

The establishment of the Liga meant a turning point for Rizal, a break with the past, a new beginning.
The shy, somewhat naive physician, poet, philosopher, scientist, suddenly became an agitator. He who
had always rejected any form of organization, now travelled through provinces, held meetings, spoke to
the masses in their national language, received leading personalities for conferences in his house. Rizal is
hailed in 1892 differently from the way he was hailed five years ago: as a renowned man with an
illustrious name, as author of his books, as a contributor to the Solidaridad . Everywhere, he reiterates
the formula comprehensible to the masses: Unity, organization, nationalism! A parallelism with Sun Yat
Sen, a contemporary of his who was five years his junior, is foisted into our minds; Sun Yat Sen who
formulated the essential elements of the Chinese revolution with his slogan of the three basic precepts
of the people. "San-Min-Tsu-I" - nationalism, democracy, people's welfare. The Manchu dynasty was
overthrown through the revolution which he led in 1911 and the first republic set up. Since the Liga had
just a short life span, its significance lies perhaps more in the fact that it was established at all and that
Rizal, its Nestor, treaded on new paths with it. Rizal's spectral and almost operetta-like appearance lasted
for 21 days only. On July 6, 1892, he is put under arrest by Governor-General Despujol himself and
brought to Fort Santiago. Eight days later, Rizal is on the way to his place of exile, Dapitan, which is
located in the northern coast of Mindanao, the southernmost of the islands of the archipelago.

And so it was hardly just a coincidence that the Katipunan was set up on July 7, exactly a day after Rizal
was arrested. Bonifacio had, after all, been himself a member of the Liga and knew Rizal from several
meetings. The arrest and banishment of Rizal apparently convinced the founder of the Katipunan that
the peaceful efforts towards the realization of reforms were finally exhausted and only a violent solution,
the revolution, could lead to changes.

The "Cry" of Pugadlawin

The news of the discovery of the Katipunan spread throughout Manila and the suburbs. Bonifacio,
informed of the discovery, secretly instructed his runners to summon all the leaders of the society to a
general assembly to be held on August 24. They were to meet at Balintawak to discuss the steps to be
taken to meet the crisis. That same night of August 19, Bonifacio, accompanied by his brother Procopio,
Emilio Jacinto, Teodoro Plata, and Aguedo del Rosario, slipped through the cordon of Spanish sentries
and reached Balintawak before midnight. Pio Valenzuela followed them the next day. On the 21st,
Bonifacio changed the Katipunan code because the Spanish authorities had already deciphered it. In the
afternoon of the same day, the rebels, numbering about 500, left Balintawak for Kangkong, where
Apolonio Samson, a

Katipunero, gave them food and shelter. In the afternoon of August 22, they proceeded to Pugadlawin.
The following day, in the yard of Juan A. Ramos, the son of Melchora Aquino who was later called the
"Mother of the Katipunan", Bonifacio asked his men whether they were prepared to fight to the bitter
end. Despite the objection of his brother-in-law, Teodoro Plata, all assembled agreed to fight to the last.
"That being the case, " Bonifacio said,

"bring out your cedulas and tear them to pieces to symbolize our determination to take up arms!" The
men obediently tore up their

cedulas, shouting "Long live the Philippines!" This event marked the so-called "Cry of Balintawak," which
actually happened in Pugadlawin.