Katipunan and the Revolution: Memoires of a General
Santiago Alverez
-(July 25, 1872- October 30, 1930)
-only childof revolutionary general Mariano Alvarez and Nicolasa Virata
-born in Imus but raised in Novelata, Cavite
-known as “Kidlat ng Apoy” (Lightning of Fire) because of his inflamed bravery and participation in the battle of
Dalahican.
Katipunan and the Revolution: Memoires of a General
- This memoire was published in Sampaguita, a Tagalog weekly, in 36 installments (July 24,1927- April 15,
1928)
- Translated by Paula Carolina Malay
Content of the Memoires
-Magdiwang honored Santiago Alvarez as the captain or the head of the army
- General Artemio Ricarte was a Lieutenant General
-Most Venerable Supreme Society (Kataas taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan)
March 14, 1896 – Santiago Alvarez accompanied Emilio Aguinaldo and Raymundo Mata (were prominent
townsmen of Kawit, Cavite) to Manila for their initiation into the Katipunan secret society.
-at 7 oclock in the evening, they reached the the Bonifacio’s house located at Cervantes St. (Rizal Avenue) in the
San Ygnacio Bambang
-During the initiation, they pledge to destroy oppression by signing their name in their own blood.
-April 6, 1896 – Emilio Aguinaldo asked Santiago Alvarez to see Andres Bonifacio again to learn more about the
katipunan
- Emilio met a rude man, Ramon Padilla
- Bonifacio sent Dr. Pio Valenzuela and Jose Dizon to the house of Ramon Padilla for redress to the dishonor
hehad showed ti Emilio
-April 1896, at 9 in the morning, Andres Bonifacio accompanied by Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Emilio Jacinto, and
Panteleon Torres, arrived in the town of Novelata, Cavite province to establish a provincial council of a katipunan.
-the council came to known as Magdiwang council
- the ff: were its officers:
Pres. -Mariano Alvarez
Secretary - Pascual Alvarez
Treasurer. -Dionisio Alvarez
Prosecutor. - Valentin Salud
Seargeant at arms. - Benito Alix
Directors. -Nicolas Ricafrente, Adriano Guinto, Emeterio Malia, Valeriano Aquino
-Septenber 28, 1896 on Saturday, Captain General Apoy and General Vibora prepared to go to the field to
inspect the fortification to the west along the Cavite-Batangas border.
Kataastaasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan
- Known as K.K.K or Katipunan, dedicated to national independence through armed evolution.
- Katipunan was a result of failure of the reform movement in the Spain which Filipinos attempted to demand
dreform for the Philippines from the Spanish government.
- It was founded on JULY 7. 1892 at Azcarraga street (now Claro M. Recto in Tondo, Manila) by Andres
Bonifcio with Teodoro Plata, Ladislaw Diwa, Valentin Diaz, and Jose Dizon.
- Secret revolutionary society
- Deodato Arellano (1st President of the katipunan) 1892
- Followed by Roman Basa (1893)
- Andres Bonifacio (Supremo) 1895
Objectives of K.K.K
Political: Philippine independence or separation of Philippines from Spain
Civic: Defend the oppressed and develop self-help
Moral: Teaching good moral values, teachings of cartilla among Katipuneros.
-Katipunan recruits its members by means of Triangle method in which an original member would recruit two members
who did not know each other but only knew the original members who took them in.
-Before a person becomes member of Katipunan, they need to answer several questions that would test their sincerity
and honesty in joining the organization.
-if a person passed the test, they would sign their membership paper with their own blood.
-more than a secret society, the Katipunan was a government itself.
-in each province, there was a Sangguniang Bayan (provincial council), and in each tow, a sangguniang balangay
(popular council), judicial power resided in a secret chamber called sangginiang hukuman (judicial council)
Three Grades of Membership
Level of membership Name Password
1st Katipon (associate) Anak ng bayan
2nd Kawal (soldier) Gomburza
3rd Bayani (patriot) Rizal
-there were also women of the katipunan, but they were not required to sign with their own blood. To be admitted in the
women section, one had to be wife, daughter, or sister of a katipunero to ensure the secrecy of the ovement.
-Gregoria de Jesus (wife of Andres) whowas called as Lakambini of Katipunan, Benita Rodriguez, (Restituto Javiers wife),
and Josefa and Trinidad (sisters of Rizal)
- another step taken by the katipunan to propagate its teachings was the establishment of printing press.
-under Emilio Jacinto’s supervision, printed the Kalayaan, the organof the katipunan or the official newspaper to
disseminate the ideals of the society. Emilio Jacinto edited the Kalayaan
- he also wrote the Kartilya, the primer of the Katipunan, serves as the bible of the katipunan
- Emilio Jacinto became the chief theoretician and adviser of Bonifacio and later earned for him the title, BRAINS OF THE
KATIPUNAN.
- by the middle of 1896, as the katipunan was busy preparing for a revolution, hints about its existence reach the Spanish
authorities.
- the katipunan was finally discovered on August 19, 1896 when Teodoro Patiño, a member of the katipunan betrayed the
secrecy of it to Father Mariano Gil, an Augustinian parish curate.
- in Cavite, there were katipunan councils- the Magdalo Council, headed by Baldomero Aguinaldo (Emilio’s cousin) and
the Magdiwang headed by Mariano Alvarez (Gregoria de Jesus uncle)
The Magdalo faction believed that with the outbreak of revolution, the katipunan had ceased to be a secret society and
therefore should be replaced by a new one.
-the Magdiwang insisted that there was no need to create a revolutionary government because the katipunan was actually
a government with constitution by-laws recognized by everyone.
-in the convention held on March 22, 1897 at Tejeros, San Francisco de Malabon, Cavite.
Result of the election (March 22, 1897)
President – Emilio Aguinaldo
V – Pres – Mariano Trias
Captain General – Artemio Ricarte
Director of war – Emilliano Riego de Dios
Director of Interior – Andres Bonifacio
-Daniel Tirona, a Magdalo, protested Bonifacio’s election saying that his position should be occupied by a lawyer. He
suggested a Caviteño lawyer, Jose Del Rosario for the post.
-Bonifacio was insulted.
8 provinces which join the uprising against Spaniards
- Manila
- Cavite
- Batangas
- Laguna
- Nueva Viscaya
- Tarlac
- Pampanga
- Bulacan
Belinda Pagulayan
