Emilio Jacinto’s Biography
Emilio Jacinto y Dizon was considered one of the greatest military geniuses of his time. He was
a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution and was known as the Brains of the
Katipunan “Utak Ng Katipunan,” the revolutionary society led by Andress Bonifacio. Emilio
Jacinto is the only child of Mariano Jacinto and Josefa Dizon, he was born on the 15th of
December 1875 in Trozo, Tondo, Manila. Like Bonifacio, Emilio also comes from a poor family.
Shortly after Emilio was born, his father passed away. This untimely death forced his mother to
send him to live with his uncle, Don Jose Dizon (Josefina’s brother), because she thought that his
uncle would be able to take better care of the young Emilio than she could. Furthermore, Emilio
was severely injured in a battle at the Maimpis River in February of 1898 but found refuge in the
Santa Maria Magdalena Parish Church, Although he survived this wound, he contracted malaria
at the age of 23 and died in Majayjay, Laguna on April 16, 1899.
Emilio was enrolled in San Juan de Letran College. However, he later on transferred to the
University of Santo Tomas in order to study law, but Emilio left college before completing his
law degree. Up until he entered college, little was known about Emilio's early years. It is known,
however, that by the time he left for college, he was fluent in both Spanish and Tagalog, but he
spoke primarily in Spanish most of the time. After dropping out of college, at the age of 19,
although still young, Emilio joined the secret revolutionary society called the Katipunan or KKK
(Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangan Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan — Supreme and
Venerable Society of the Children of the Nation) aimed to fight for Philippine independence
from Spain.
Despite being the youngest member of the Katipunan, he was appointed as the secretary and
advisor of Bonifacio as well as the chief advisor of the group’s fiscal matters. He was commonly
known in the group as “Pingkian” and edited the Katipunan's newspaper, “Ang Kalayaan”,
which served to inform the public of the organization's objectives and activities and boosted the
group’s membership from 300 to 30,000 members before the revolution even broke out. He
authored the Katipunan's Kartilya, which contained the organization's rules and principles. Under
Emilio Jacinto pen name Dimas-Ilaw, he wrote Liwanag at Dilim (Light and Dark) and the poem
A la Patria, or in English “To the Fatherland”. It was said that Dr. Jose Rizal and Marcelo H. Del
Pilar inspired him to be a good writer during his time.
At the young age of 21, Emilio became a general in the group's guerilla army, taking an active
role in the fight against the Spanish near Manila. Even When Andres Bonifacio, the Supremo
(Supreme President) of the Katipunan died, Jacinto pressed on with the Katipunan’s struggle.
The self-proclaimed president of the Katipunan, Emilio Aguinaldo, then approached Emilio
Jacinto, trying to recruit him to his branch of the organization, but just like general Mariano
Álvarez, he refused to join the forces.
Authority on the subject
Emilio Jacinto is popularly known in Philippine history textbooks as the Brains of the Katipunan.
Jacinto was present in the so-called Cry of Pugad Lawin (or Cry of Balintawak) with Andrés
Bonifacio, the Supremo (Supreme President) of the Katipunan, and others of its members which
signaled the start of the Revolution against the Spanish colonial government in the islands.
Yourdictionary.com. (n.d.). Emilio Jacinto Biography. Retrieve from
https://biography.yourdictionary.com/articles/emilio-jacinto-biography.html
Mandirima.org. (2011, June 7). Katipunero: Emilio Jacinto. The “Brains of the Katipunan.” (15
December, 1875- 16 April, 1899). Retrieve from https://mandirigma.org/?p=749
Benavidez, H. (2020, January 17). Emilio Jacinto biography, contribution, quotes. Retrieve from
https://kami.com.ph/103789-emilio-jacinto-biography-contributio-quotes.html
