A Tribute to Andres Bonifacio

Notes on Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan

A) The Kataastaasan Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Highest and Most Respected Sons of the People), otherwise known as the K.K.K. or the Katipunan, was the secret society founded by Andres Bonifacio on July 7, 1892 at Azcarraga street (now Claro M. Recto avenue), Tondo, Manila.

B) The original members of the Katipunan were: Andres Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao Diwa and Deodato Arellano.

C) The Katipunan recruited members using the triangle system. The katipunero (revolutionary) in the triangle took in two new members who did not know each other but both knew the katipunero. By the end of the year, this method of recruitment was substituted by another method which allowed the katipunero (revolutionaries) to recruit as many members as they could manage.

D) New members underwent initiation rites which required them to swear to the secrets of the Katipunan and to defend the aims of the society and to sign the Katipunan membership register with their own blood, which was an ancient ritual called blood compact.

E) New members were required to pay an entrance of one real fuerte or twenty-five centavos. All members were required to give a monthly contribution of medio real or twelve centavos.

F) Structurally, the Katipunan had three governing bodies, namely: the kataastaasang sanggunian or the supreme council, the sanggunian bayan or the provincial council, and the sangguniang balangay or the popular council. The kataastaasang sanggunian was the highest governing body and it was composed of the president or supremo, the comptroller, the fiscal, the secretary and the treasurer. The sangguniang bayan and the sangguniang balangay represented the provincial and municipal or town chapters of the Katipunan, respectively.

G) Although Bonifacio was the founder and organizer of the Katipunan, he did not equate this lofty position with the position of president of the organization. He did not insist on becoming the president of the Katipunan. He was a humble man with the ability to recognize the worth of other individuals.

H) The first president of the Katipunan was Deodato Arellano. He was replaced by Ramon Basa in 1893. Bonifacio became president or supremo of the Katipunan during the early part of 1895.

I) There were three grades of membership within the katipunan (society): the first grade, the second grade, and the third grade. A member of the first grade was called a "katipon" ("associate") and wore a black hood with a triangle of white ribbons during the meetings of the society. The letters Z. Ll. B. were inscribed inside the white ribbons and they were the Katipunan letter codes which stood for "anak ng bayan" ("sons of the people"), the password of the katipon. A member of the second grade was called a "kawal" ("soldier") and wore a green hood with a triangle of white lines during the meetings of the society. The password for a "kawal" was Gom-Bur-Za, the first syllables of the names of three Filipino martyrs: Gomez, Burgos and Zamora. A member of the third grade was called a "bayani" ("patriot") and wore a red mask and sash with green borders. The password for a "bayani" was Rizal, who was the most influential person of the "Propaganda Movement" during this period in Philippine history.

J) The main objective of the Katipunan was to establish an independent and democratic Philippine state. To achieve this objective, members had to be indoctrinated with the rules and ideals of the society which were laid down by Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto, who was the "brains of the Katipunan." Bonifacio wrote "The Duties of the Sons of the People," a Decalogue of the Katipunan while Jacinto wrote the "Kartilla," or the primer of the Katipunan. Members were expected to follow, strictly, the rules and to take into their hearts the ideals of the society.