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Submitted to: Ms. Janice Conde

Being a president is not an easy job. As a president, one should ensure the
safety and well-being of his fellow countrymen. He has to maintain peace
and order within the scope of his land. He has the responsibility of protecting
and his country.

The case for Andres Bonifacio as the first Philippine president

Published August 25, 2013 4:06pm
By CARMELA G. LAPEA, GMA News
As children are taught in school, Andres Bonifacio is the father of the Philippine revolution. Still,
there are those who believe he had another role in Philippine history as the country's first
president. Bonifacio, often portrayed with a bolo in hand, is most known for leading the
Katipuneros' revolt against the Spanish colonizers. However, he died not in battle but under
orders from another Katipunero, Emilio Aguinaldo, who is currently recognized as the first
Philippine president. Aguinaldo won in a snap election during the Tejeros Convention between
the Magdiwang and Magdalo two rival factions of the Katipunan. The belief that Bonifacio
should be recognized as the first President of the Philippines is based on his position as Supremo
of the Katipunan revolutionary government from 1896 to 1897. "From that point on, the
Katipunan ceased to be a mere revolutionary organization into a revolutionary government. Ang
unang pambansang pamahalaan sa Pilipinas," historian Xiao Chua said.
On August 24, 1896, Andres Bonifacio convened the Kataastaasang Kapulungan (Supreme
Council), declaring an armed revolution against Spain. It was in the same meeting that they
established the Katipunan as a national government, and held an election of officials to lead the
army and the nation. The Katipunan was more than a secret revolutionary society; it was,
withal, a Government. It was the intention of Bonifacio to have the Katipunan govern the whole
Philippines after the overthrow of Spanish rule," Gregorio F. Zaide, who wrote a history of the
Katipunan, was quoted in an article by historians Milagros C. Guerrero, Emmanuel N.
Encarnacion, and Ramon N. Villegas. Bonifacio referred to the country as Haring Bayang

Katagalugan ("Sovereign Tagalog Nation"), Guerrero wrote in "Reform and Revolution,

Kasaysayan: The History of the Filipino People 5." In letters addressed to Emilio Jacinto in
1897, Bonifacio's titles and designations included Ang Kataastaasang Pangulo and Pangulo ng
Haring Bayang Kataluganhis concept of the Philippine nation. Bonifacio defined "Tagalog" as
the term for all Filipinos, and not only those who spoke the language. In referring to the nation as
Katalugan, Bonifacio went against the colonial "Filipinas." Should the Katipunan revolutionary
government be recognized, this would predate the Tejeros Convention on March 22, 1897.
Bonifacio arrived at the meeting, which was intended to resolve the issues between the two
groups. However, Aguinaldo wanted to dissolve the Katipunan and establish a revolutionary
government. "Iyon ay isang masasabi mong maneobra para matanggal na si Bonifacio sa
puwesto. Habang andoon ang Katipunan hindi siya matatanggal. So pinalitan nila ang agenda,"
UP Manila professor Danilo Aragon said in "Case Unclosed: Ang Lihim ng 1897". Snap
elections were held, and Aguinaldo was voted president. Meanwhile, Bonifacio was voted as
Director of Interior. Daniel Tirona, a Magdalo, protested Bonifacio's election, claiming he was
not qualified for the job. Insulted, Bonifacio, who presided over the election, declared the
assembly dissolved. The next day, Bonifacio and other Magdiwang members created the Acta de
Tejeros, a document stating they did not adopt the election results of the convention. "Yung klase
ng trapo politics na mayroon tayo ngayon, ay nagsimula pa noong panahon pa nila Aguinaldo sa
Tejeros Convention. Nandoon na yung lokohan, panlalait sa mga kandidato na walang pera,"
Aragon said. On May 10, 1897, Bonifacio and his brother Procopio were killed under orders
from Aguinaldo, who issued a statement 50 years later saying he had authorized the death
sentence as advised by members of the Council of War. A photo of Aguinaldo's statement dated
March 22, 1948 was published in Teodoro Agoncillos "Revolt of the Masses." "Kawawa si
Bonifacio, dahil parang hindi siya binigyan ng tamang respeto bilang nagtatag ng Katipunan at
nagsimula ng rebolusyon," Villegas said in "Case Unclosed". Aguinaldo ordered the
commutation of the death sentence, but was convinced otherwise. The brothers were killed in the
mountain of Maragondon, Cavite, and reports say Bonifacio's wife Gregoria De Jesus was raped
by one of Aguinaldo's men. Aragon said De Jesus searched for Bonifacio in the mountains for
one month, because she had not been told that her husband was already dead. "Kung binuhay mo
din si Bonifacio manggugulo naman siya. Kung na sa sitwasyon ka nung kampo ni Aguinaldo,
hindi mo rin siya puwedeng hayaan na buhay," Villegas said.

The eldest child of a tailor and a factory worker, Bonifacio was able to reach the equivalent of
second year high school and took care of his five siblings after their parents died. In 1892, he
joined La Liga Filipina, which was founded by Jose Rizal. In the same year, he established the
KKK (Kataastaasan Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan). With Rizal's exile
to Dapitan, La Liga Filipina collapsed. Meanwhile, the Katipunan grew over the next few years,
and the revolution was launched in August 1896. Apart from historians, others have pushed for
Bonifacio's recognition as the first president, including Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at
Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) and Bonifacio's own kin. "Para sa kanya, ang kalayaan
ay nangangahulugan ng kaginhawaan. Magkakaroon lang ng kaginhawaan ang mga mamamayan
kung ikaw ay malaya sa kahirapan, malaya sa kamangmangan, malaya ka sa pangaapi," Josua
Mata, secretary general of Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) and co-convenor of SENTRO
said. Meanwhile, Bonifacio's descendant Gregorio said they want to correct what is wrong.
"Bilang apo ni Bonifacio, natural gusto naming itama kung ano ang mali. Not for anything else,
because para yung susunod na henerasyon at nabasa nila na ito ang tama, alam nila kung ano ang
gagawin nila," he said. But while the National Historical Council of the Philippines is open to
such petitions, they maintain that Bonifacio was not the first President. "We do not think of him
as the first President, but rather we think of him as the leader of the Katipunan. Because for one
reason, we do not yet have a government to call our own at that time," said commission member
Bryan Anthony Paraiso. "It does not diminish his contribution to Philippine history," Paraiso also
said. BM, GMA News
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/323562/lifestyle/the-case-for-andres-bonifacio-as-thefirst-philippine-president

Andres Bonifacio: The Philippines' first president?

Published November 30, 2013 6:04pm
By AMANDA FERNANDEZ, GMA News
Andres Bonifacio, considered the father of the Philippine revolution against Spain, may soon
find his "rightful place" in the country's history after all. Calls to rewrite the history of the

Philippine revolution intensified during the commemoration of Bonifacio's 150th birth

anniversary. While he is recognized for his contribution to the Philippine revolution, his
supporters, who have long seen him as underappreciated, stressed that Bonifacio may have had
another role in Philippine history.
On Tuesday, the Manila City government passed a resolution urging President Benigno Aquino
III and Congress to recognize Andres Bonifacio as the first president in the Philippines. A
resolution authored by Manila councilor John Marvin "Yul Servo" Nieto, stressed that Bonifacio
founded the first national government of the Philippines and served as president from August 24,
1896 "until his tragic death on May 10, 1897." Citing original documents attested to by
historians, the resolution argued "the Katipunan, under Bonifacios leadership, ceased being a
secret society and was forced to come out in the open as a revolutionary government with its
own laws, bureaucratic structure and elective leadership." The resolution said Bonifacios
presidency was also further acknowledged in contemporary Spanish publications. "For instance,
in the February 8, 1897 issue of the La Ilusraction Espaola y America, an article on the
Philippine Revolution appeared, accompanied by a portrait of Bonifacio in a black suit and white
tie, with the caption 'Andres Bonifacio/Titulado (Presidente) de la Republica Tagala,'" it added.
Councilor Nieto, in a phone interview with GMA News Online Friday evening, said it's about
time the national government "corrects" history by declaring the Manila-born hero as the
country's first president. On August 24, 1896, Bonifacio convened the Kataastaasang
Kapulungan (Supreme Council), declaring an armed revolution against Spain. He also
established the Katipunan as a national government and held an election of officials to lead the
army and the nation. "The Katipunan was more than a secret revolutionary society; it was,
withal, a Government. It was the intention of Bonifacio to have the Katipunan govern the whole
Philippines after the overthrow of Spanish rule," Gregorio F. Zaide, who wrote a history of the
Katipunan, was quoted in an article by historians Milagros C. Guerrero, Emmanuel N.
Encarnacion, and Ramon N. Villegas. However, at the Tejeros Convention on March 22, 1897,
Emilio Aguinaldo wanted to dissolve the Katipunan and establish a revolutionary government,
UP Manila professor Danilo Aragon said in "Case Unclosed: Ang Lihim ng 1897", noting that
the Katipunan had to be dissolved to remove Bonifacio from his position. Snap elections were
held, and Aguinaldo was voted president. Meanwhile, Bonifacio was voted as Director of

Interior. Daniel Tirona, a member of the Magdalo faction of the Katipunan, protested Bonifacio's
election, claiming he was not qualified for the job. Insulted, Bonifacio, who presided over the
election, declared the assembly dissolved. The next day, Bonifacio and other members of the
Magdiwang faction created the Acta de Tejeros, a document stating they did not adopt the
election results of the convention. On May 10, 1897, Bonifacio and his brother Procopio were
killed under orders from Aguinaldo, who issued a statement 50 years later saying he had
authorized the death sentence as advised by members of the Council of War.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/337749/news/specialreports/andres-bonifacio-thephilippines-first-president

A question of heroes: Aguinaldo vs Bonifacio

By: Constantino C. Tejero - Staff Writer / @Inq_Lifestyle
04:29 AM August 31, 2015
It started with an invitation. Bonifacio was invited by Cavite leaders ostensibly to mediate the
rivalry between two provincial chapters of the Katipunan, the Magdalo and the Magdiwang
factions.
Bonifacio was partial to the latter as it recognized his authority more. The former was chiefly
composed of the Cavite elite, its name the nom de guerre of Aguinaldo, derived from Mary
Magdalene, patroness of Aguinaldos hometown Kawit, whom he considered the patroness of the
revolution.
Bonifacios secretary and right-hand man, Emilio Jacinto, had advised him against this expedition
to Cavite. The firebrand that he was, Bonifacio went, anyway, with wife Gregoria, his brothers
Procopio and Ciriaco, Jacinto and some troops.
Aguinaldo met him in Zapote. Later in his memoirs, Aguinaldo wrote he was irritated with
Bonifacio because he acted as if he were a king.

The two disputed military strategies and, more seriously, Aguinaldos alleged negotiations with the
Spaniards, which could compromise the revolution.
(Bonifacio had no record of political compromises. Aguinaldo, an astute politician, most certainly
had, from the Spanish to the Americans to the Japanese.)
Also, Aguinaldo had issued a manifesto proclaiming a provisional revolutionary government, in
effect denying the existence of the Katipunan government, which had a constitution, laws and local
governments.

The Tejeros Convention on March 22, 1897, was meant to resolve issues over who should lead the
revolution. It started reasonably enough, until it descended to the usual politicking.
The pro-Aguinaldo faction argued he had led a string of victories in Cavite, mostly turning points
in the revolution, whereas Bonifacio met mostly defeats in Manila and environs. The pro-Bonifacio
faction countered that major Spanish forces were concentrated in Manila, while Cavites battles
were no more than skirmishes with the constabulary in streets and alleys.
There was the classic political mudslinging. Rumors were spread Bonifacio had stolen Katipunan
funds and his sister was a priests mistress. Most fantastic was the rumor he was an agent
provocateur paid by the friars to foment unrest.
There was that disease of regionalism, one historian calls Cavitismo. Aguinaldos adviser
Apolinario Mabini noted later: All the electors were friends of Don Emilio Aguinaldo and Don
Mariano Trias, who were united, while Bonifacio, although he had established his integrity, was
looked upon with distrust only because he was not a native of the province.
And there was the prototype of dagdag-bawas, the rigged ballot boxes, as testified to by some.

Aguinaldo won the elections, of course.

But after a violent incident with the insulting Daniel Tirona, Bonifacio, being Presidente Supremo
of the Katipunan Supreme Council, declared the results null and void and dissolved the assembly.
The following day, Aguinaldo was said to have surreptitiously taken his oath of office as
president in a chapel officiated by a priest (contradicting the Mason affiliation of the Katipunan).
And this despite his Captain-General Artemio Ricartes declaration that he found the elections
dirty or shady and not in conformity with the true will of the people.
On their way out of Cavite, Bonifacio reportedly burned down a village in Indang and tried to burn
its church when the townsfolk refused to feed them.
Aguinaldo ordered him arrested. He was stabbed in the neck by Maj. Jose Paua; brother Ciriaco
was shot dead; and wife Gregoria was said to have been raped by Col. Agapito Bonzon.
Bonifacio and brother Procopio were charged with sedition, treason and conspiracy to assassinate
Aguinaldo. They were taken for trial to Naic, Aguinaldos headquarters. When his men tried to
rescue them, they were taken to the remoter town of Maragondon.
In the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Maragondon, a small door in the apse at right of
the high altar led to the sacristy with a dank, airless side room that served as the cell where
Bonifacio and Procopio were incarcerated during the trial. His bed is still there (though only the
legs are original).

It was a mock trial held in the house of Teodorico Reyes (now a museum). All those in the jury
were Aguinaldos men. All pieces of evidence were flimsy. And Bonifacio was not allowed to face
his accusers. Sentence: death.

Aguinaldo commuted the sentence to banishment to the mountain of Pico de Loro. Apparently he
was prevailed upon by his generals, Mariano Noriel and Pio Del Pilar, to withdraw the
commutation, to preserve unity.
On May 10, 1897, ostensibly on the way to exile, while in a sugarcane field about 4 kilometers
from the poblacion, Procopio was shot, or bayoneted (as one account says).
The half-starved and wounded Andres carried prone on a hammock, allegedly tried to escape,
and was stabbed and hacked to death by five men, led by Gen. Lazaro Macapagal, on the foothills
of Mount Nagpatong, where now stands the Bonifacio Shrine and Monument, one of the towns
major tourist destinations.
The official story says the brothers died by firing squad and were buried in shallow graves marked
by twigs. Some claim they were left unburied.
Many consider the incident villainous, a handiwork of the Cavite elite. Mabini considered the
execution an assassinationthe first victory of personal ambition over true patriotism.

The sordid affair cost Aguinaldo the votes when he ran against Manuel L. Quezon for the
presidency in the 1935 Commonwealth elections.
Had Bonifacio moved out of Cavite on time, there would have been a twist in the course of our
history. As Supremo Presidente of the Katipunan government, he could have turned the tables on
Aguinaldo, prosecuted him for treason, and called for him to stand on trial.
The political rivalry is often interpreted by some as the classic class struggle between the elite and
the masses.
Aguinaldo, whose family belonged to the Cavite principalia, represented the upper class.
Bonifacio, whose father was a tailor who served as teniente mayor of Tondo and his mother a
cigarette factory supervisor, belonged to the lower middle class.

Most historians seem to sympathize with Bonifacio, as obviously do most Filipinos. For decades
now we have been celebrating a Bonifacio Day (Nov. 30), but we dont recall any Aguinaldo Day.
Inviting Bonifacio to Cavite and entrapping him there recalls Macbeth inviting his king to his
home and killing him while asleep.
Whatever his virtues and despite the significance of his role in our history, apologists for
Aguinaldo cannot live down this narrativejust like the apologists for Ferdinand Marcos cannot
live down the story of martial law because it is already embedded in racial memory.