Katipunan

DOCUMENTS OF THE Katipunan
HOME Andres Bonifacio (attrib.) Ritual for the initiation of a Bayani, c.1894 Source: Archivo General Militar de Madrid, Caja 5677, leg.1.40 .
Introduction This document sets out the ritual to be followed when a KKK member with the rank of Kawal (Soldier) is to be elevated to the rank of Bayani (Patriot). The system of ranks or grades within the Katipunan changed over time. When the foundational documents were drafted in January 1892 a five-tier hierarchy was envisaged, ascending from Campon (Follower) up through Camay (Hand), Suhay (Prop) and Haligue (Pillar) to Pangulo (President). A redraft in August 1892 (which structured the KKK in triangles) makes no mention of grades, but when the triangle structure was discarded in 1894 a new three-tier hierarchy is said to have been adopted. According to Isabelo de los Reyes, the three grades were Katipon (Associate), Kawal (Soldier) and Bayani (Patriot), and this same information is repeated in many subsequent accounts.[1] Contemporary KKK documents, however, including the document transcribed below, indicate that members below the rank of Kawal were known as Akibat (Companions). The word Katipon is found in some documents, but seems to be a general term used to refer to members of all grades. Finally, in November 1895, the KKK Supreme Assembly agreed that the grade of Bayani should be abolished, and that henceforth there should be just two grades - Akibat and Kawal. Like the rituals of freemasonry, this ritual tests the initiate’s courage and commitment by submitting him to “trials” (subok). He is blindfolded, a noose place around his neck, and led to a “gallows,” from which he is only rescued at the last moment. Later, he is given a “poisoned dagger”, and asked to “execute” a KKK member who has betrayed the society’s secrets to the enemy. Presiding over the ritual, the Most Respected President (presumably Bonifacio himself) reflects on the martyrdom of the priests Burgos, Gomez and Zamora, a great wrong, he says, that tore aside the veil that had covered the eyes of the Tagalogs. Tracing the Katipunan’s political lineage a little further back, he also alludes to the movement for reforms that preceded the Cavite mutiny, mentioning specifically the newspaper El Eco Filipino, which was founded by Manuel Regidor (the brother of Antonio Ma. Regidor), Federico de Lerena (the brother-in-law of Jose Ma. Basa) and other liberal Filipinos in Madrid in 1871. Copies were sent to Manila but soon began to be intercepted, and people found in possession of the paper were liable to be arrested.[2] Bonifacio then describes the persecution that reformists and suspected filibusters continued to suffer, dwelling in particular on the pain caused by separation – the separation of the patriots sentenced to execution, imprisonment or deportation from their wives, children and aged parents. His evocation of this distress, such as that of “the disconsolate mother down whose cheeks flow the marks of her affliction,” prefigures a passage in the famous essay “Ang Dapat Mabatid ng mga Tagalog,” published in Kalayaan in 1896. I have attributed this document to Bonifacio on the basis of the handwriting, and do so with some confidence, but his penmanship here lacks its customary neatness. He was evidently writing in haste, deleting and amending as he dashed along. This has made it difficult in places to decipher the text, as have the thinness of the paper and the resulting seepage of ink from one side of a page to the other. Some words are illegible, and others open to doubt, which has obviously exacerbated the normal problems of translation. If anybody notices any errors in either the text or the translation, please let me know. References to the pages of the original text – e.g. [p.12] - have been inserted for ease of comparison between Tagalog text and English translation.
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Tagalog text p.1 K_x^x_x na Pang_x^x_x Manga minamahal na Kap_x^x_x ang Kaw_x^x_x na si N.... sa ngayoy na sa silid na panilayan at ipapasok dito sa atin, ng mangangad sa kabuniang Bay_x^x_x.. Sa bagay na ito ipinamamanhik ko, mga minamahal na Kap_x^x_x, na pakirandamang mahinahon, na kong ang Kap_x^x_x na ito, nagtataglay ng lahat ng mga karapatan na kinakailangang dapat taglain ng lahat ng Bay_x^x_x sa mga sagot, na sa kanyng tatangapin sa mga tanong na ating gagawin at sa mga kilos na sa kanyng mamasnasdan sa mga subok na [p.2] ating gagawin. Baga mat, lahat ay nababatid na hindi rin magiging kalabisan ang sa inyoy ipaalaala, na bago papakiaalamin sa ating mga mataas na kalihiman ay lubos na kinakailangan, matatap natin tunay na tunay, na kung mahal, matapang, tapat, matiaga at lubos na daluhong sa pag titiis ng mga karalitaang at mga kapighatiaan na aabutin sa kakilakilabot na pag lalaban na lagi nang tatayoan sa ating mga kaaway. K_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x Mab_x^x_x ipasok ang Kaw_x^x_x dito sa K_x^x_x na Kar_x^x_x at sa harap nitong Pinang unluhan. (Ang K_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x gaganapin ang utos ng K_x^x_x na Pang_x^x_x) K_x^x_x na Pang_x^x_x Minamahal kong Kap_x^x_x na .... naririto kayo ngayon sa K_x^x_x na Kar_x^x_x na pinagpupulungan ng mga [p.3] Bayani nitong Sang_x^x_x bayang... ....sa pag aalaala niyaong di malilimot na araw na kasakitsakit na gunitain ng tagsilin ng buong kadwagang pagpatain yaong tatlong nagkasakit sa pag ibig sa bayang tinubuan na sina B_x^x_x G_x^x_x Z_x^x_x Inibig niniyong masok dito sa K_x^x_x na Kar_x^x_x at minarapat sa bagay na ito ang mga katotohan inyong ipinakilala na katiyagaan, kamahalan at tapang buhat sa kabuhayang Kaw_x^x_x. Ngayoy, tantoin, na ang nagkakaumpok dito sa K_x^x_x na Kar_x^x_x hinihiling sa inyo ang isang tapat at mahal na puso isang kaloobang walang bahit dungis at isang lubos na pagdaluhong na di masisira. ¿Iniong na pag isip na mabuti minamahal [p.4] na Kap_x^x_x ang kabigatan ng bagay na ito? ¿May kaisipan kayo sa hagbang na totoong mapanganib na inyong gagawin? (Sasagot ang Kaw_x^x_x.) K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x ¿Di na lalagim ang inyong isip at di nanglolomo ang inyong kalooban? (Sasagot ang Kaw_x^x_x.) K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x: ¿At kayoy nag tataglay ng malabis na tapang na pailalim sa mga subok na lalong kagulat gulat na kailan may di sukat magunita? (Sasagot ang Kaw_x^x_x) K_x^x_x na Pang_x^x_x: Kung gayo’y pakingan, ang ating bayang tinubuan itinatangis ng buong kapaitan, ang katakotakot na naging hanga niyaong napanganyaya ng kalupitang lakas ng mga Fraile; at hinihingi sa kanyan mga anak ang isang pag susumakit na..[?]lang [p.5] likat na ikatatayo ng isang pagkakaisa malakas at matibay, labis na ilapat ang matuid at bag[illegible] na kaparusahan sa katakotakot na mga Sukaban. Ang kamalian minimahal kong Kap_x^x_x na ginawa niyaong tatlong marapat na mga Bay_x^x_x niyaong malabis ng Dunong at ng ang isang kamay na mapangahas at sukaban tigpasin ang kanilang mga mahalagang buhay liban sa mga sumusunod. Ang mga mababait at malabis na kulang palad na mga tagalog na sina B_x^x_x G_x^x_x Z_x^x_x kalakip ang ibang mabubuting kababayan, [illegible] kapootan sa di mabilang na mga pagpatay, pagnanakaw at paginis na labis ng kapusongan at kahamakan di sukat magunita, na ginawa [p.6] at magpahangan ngayon niyang nga ganit na kaaway ng katotohanan, ng katuiran at ng mga mahihina, laban sa kulang palad na bayang tagalog di ikinagulat ang mga panganib na kanilang kapapahamakan, pinagkaisahan simulan sa ating bayan ang pag lalathala ng mga mataas na akala sa pag ibig sa bayan, simulan [?] sa pag papatanyag sa isang periodico pinanganlan “Eco Filipino” na itinayo sa España, ng matatapang na mga kasulatan, na matuid at maningas na paghadlang laban sa mga pag lapastangan sa katuiran, laban sa nakaririmarim na kasinungalingan sa tapat na kaisipan, laban sa walang subong pag api sa mahihina, laban sa kasuklamsuklam na pag kalakal sa mga mangmang at laban sa lahat ng mga masasama [?] [p.7] na pinili itinangi pagsalin ang ating Bayang tinubuan. Hiningi rin naman sa Gobierno ng España, na ipaiiral ang mga utos na ipinatupad at ipinagbawal din nila. Mamasdan ito ng mga Fraile, lumalang ng isang makamandak na kataksilan ng pagka fraile, laban sa ating kaawaawang mga Kababayan. Ginawa sa bagay na yaon, papagalsahin ang guarnicion tanod sa Kabite sa ngalan nila at ng ibang karamihan namamayan sa Maynila at ibang mga bayan at di na [illegible] siyang pag putong [?] ng kamatayang pag aalsa sa Kabite. Kapagkatapos na masunod ang kalaitlait na gawa [p.8] siyang pag akiat sa bibitayan, waring nga [?] tunay at kasuklamsuklam na mga tampalasan, yaong mga pinahirapan na ilinagmog ng Kalupitan at kapusongan, niaong ang bagay [?] kinakailangang ang kanilang malalaking mga puso at ng kanilang mga tigas [?] katalinuhang. Ang mga Alopong na nagkasilong sa kadumaldumal nilang kublihan, na tinatawag na mga convento inantababayanan ang magkadaang sumibasib sa kanilang mga pinagtagsil, pinagalaw na dumaluhong at ikinalat ang kamandag na lubhang malimit na kapukaban ni [?] mga sumbong at paratang. Ipinagbibilango at itinapon sa ibang bayan, at sa bagay na ito, namasdan sa mga [p.9] mababait na mga magulang na nanga hiban sa dagat ng sakit, ng pag susungaban at pagniting walang awa sa yakap ng kahabaghabag na asawa at sa halik ng mga walang malay na mga anak, namasdan ang matandang ama humagulgol na nag hihinagpis sa kasawiang palad ng iniibig niya sa buhay na kapilas ng kanyang puso, kaginhawan at tungkod niya sa katandaan; namasdan din naman ang kapatid na nag ngalit sa di masawatang kagalitan sa maaga at di marapat ukol na pagkamatay ng kapatid; at nakita namang ng pag hihinagpis ng ina na [p.10] ang mga pisngi namumulta sa pighati, lapastanganin ang Dios at ng mga tawong nag hiwalay sa anak na karugtong ng hininga, ng iniibig niyang lalo sa lahat. ¡ Mga kulang palad nangalayo sa kanilang lupang tinubuan at sa kanilang minamahal sa buhay, itinapon at isinadlak sa malalayong pasigan na may walang awang na kapagkakasakit na singaw, dooy sa paglagaslas ng mga luhang dugo kung minsay ikinayayamot na ang di pagkalagot ng buhay. Nagbuhos ng dugo, maraming dugo ng walang malay, lumagaslas ng luha, maraming ma[p.11]mapait na luha, na nakihalo sa malungkod na na pagsasaliwan ng putok ng mga fusil ng mga nagpapapatay; ang daing ng mga na panganyaya, at itong matasulay na ugong, ay siyang tanging nakikisaliw sa ynyong katahimikan ng kamatayan. Isang mapait na pagka aninaw sa kasukaban ang siyang nag wasak ng masinsing tabing na tumatakip sa paningin ng mga tagalog at [illegible] ng kakilakilabot ang kasuklamsuklam na kabulukan, namalas na nangag galawgalaw sa kanya ang kadumaldumal na mga uod [?] na sa nakalalasong nilang laway nakakamandagan [?] [p.12] ang [?] kabuhayan nang mga bayang tagalog. Mga K_x^x_x K_x^x_x ¡ lagi ng palaitlaitin ang mga nakamatay ! Ang lahat: Palaitlaitin sila. K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x Minamahal kong Kap_x^x_x ¿Kayoy makapag titiis na gaya ng kanilang kinasapitan na mamatay sa pag ibig sa bayang tinubuan? (Sagagot ang Kaw_x^x_x) K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x Yniyong kakatawanin ang na pagsapid niyaong tatlong martires. ¿Tumatalaga kayong gawin? K_x^x_xna P_x^x_x Ginoong N... Ang Gobierno ng Kastila kayoy binibiglang kasalanang nag tagsil [p.13] sa bayang Kastila, sapagkat kayoy nakisanib sa isang katipunan tinatawag nilang filibusteros. ¿Ano ang itututol ninyo sa bagay na ito? Sumagot. (Sagagot ang Kaw_x^x_x) K_x^x_x na Kalihim: Sa kasagutan na katatapos nating naringig sa tawong ito. inaamin [?] ang katagsilan sa kanyay ibinubuhat. K_x^x_x na Tag_x^x_x Sa pagkakitang ng katatapos isiniwalat ipinahahayag kong nag kasala ng malaking katagsilan sa Gobierno ng Kastila (sasabihin sa Kaw_x^x_x). Sa inyoy aking babasahin ang kahatulan ng Consejo de Guerra na sa inyoy ilalapat, mangyaring pakingan. [p.14] (Babasahin ang kahatulan.) K_x^x_x na Tagausig: Kap_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x ihatid ang Kaw_x^x_x sa Capilla. [Ang Capilla nakalagay ng lubos na kaukulan at talagang kaugalian.[3]] (Ang K_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x gaganapin ang utos ng Kap_x^x_x na Tagausig. Kapagkatapos ng mga kinakailangang gawin, ang Kap_x^x_x. na Mab_x^x_x. ihahatid ang Kaw_x^x_x sa bibitayan at dooy bibitayin.) K_x^x_x. na P_x^x_x[?]: Mga minamahal kong Kap_x^x_x. isang Kaw_x^x_x. na ang nabibingit sa kamatayan, ilalapat ng verdugo, at kayong nangagsipanumpang gugugol ang inyong mga buhay sa pagtatangulan [p.15] ng isa,t, isa makisanib kayo sa akin at iligtas natin ang ating kapatid. Titindig ang Kagalangalang na Pangulo na susundan ng lahat ng mga Kap_x^x_x at aalisan ang Kaw_x^x_x ng kanyang mga tali. Kapagkatapos ang Kap_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x yaoy ihahatid sa isang silid at dooy aalisan ng kapucha. K_x^x_x. na P_x^x_x.: Minamahal kong mga kapatid ating tangapin sa palatandaang Kaw_x^x_x. ang ating Kap..... na ating na ayaw sa mga kuko ng ating mga kaaway. (Lahat titindig at lalagay sa kaayusang Kaw_x^x_x at ang Kap_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x yaoy ipapasok na may takip ang mga mata.) K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x Inyong natapos na kinatawan ang kabuhayang napagsapid niyaong mga napahamak at mga mahal na mga mapag tangkilig sa bayan. [p.16] ¿Ano ang akala niyo sa bagay na yan? (Sasagot ang Kaw_x^x_x.) K_x^x_x. na P_x^x_x.: Minamahal kong Kap_x^x_x na .... lahat ng inyong katatapos naramdaman at tiniis ay ipinakikilala sa inyo, ang kataksilan at kababaan ginamit doon sa ating mga kababayan na malungkot at kakilakilabot na gunitain dapat ipag alab ng puso ng lahat ng mabubuting tagalog, isang volkan nag naglalagaplapat [?] babaya na dapat na bumuga [?] ng walang tila at di masawatang unos ng kagalitan at pag hihiganti. Silay nag gawat din naman sa inyo ng lubos na pag papakilala ng katuiran, pag ibig sa bayang tinubuan at tapang, na ang kanilang mga mukha nagag [?] sipanngitin at kakilakilabot sa umiipit at tumatapos na lakad [?] [p.17] at ng nasa pinto na ng isang pilit na kamatayang at sa pag hihimutok at sa pagalaw [?] at buhat [?] sa isang kakilakibot na pag hihingalo, ipinahatid sa kahulihulihang pag hinga ang isang maningas na pag asa sa ikaliligtas ng ating bayan at sa pag tatagumpay ng ating mga mataas na akala. Gayon din naman suyoy ipinakilala na inaantay kayo ng gayon ding hanga, ang araw na ang KKK_x^x_x ay matuklasan ng ating mga kaaway (marahan). K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x At di kayo kinikalabutan K_x^x_x na .... sa [illegible] nanga kita ninyo na sa isang araw mangyarin gawin sa inyo ang sa kaniyay ginawa? (Sasagot ang Kaw_x^x_x) [p.18] K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x Sa inyong mga tiniis at sa tapang ng inyong pagpapailalim sa mga subok, kami ay nagkaroon ng kaunting paniniwala na kayoy mayroon tunay na pag daluhong na kahit ikalagot ng buhay sa pag tatangkakal ng ating KKK_x^x_x. Sa bagay na ito itong Katipunan napangayagang tinangap sa kanyan sinapupunan ang isang tawo, na bukal na kasamaan, gumamit ng kataksilang isiniwalat ang ating mga lihim sa ating mga kaaway. Ang taksil naroroon ngayon may gapos at may takip ang bibig sa isang silid. Ang nag kaisang KKK_x^x_x minarapat na kayoy inihalal na magtarap[?] [p.19] sa puso ng sukab ng punal na may lason ¿Tinatangap ninyo ang katungkulan iginagawak sa inyo ng kalahatan minamahal kong Kapatid? (Sasagot ang Kaw_x^x_x) K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x Kap_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x ganapin ang inyon tungkol. (Ang K_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x ihahatid ang Kaw_x^x_x sa silid na kinalalagian ng taksil at ibibigay ang punal. Kapagkatapos, na ang Kaw_x^x_x maiharap ang punal, ang K_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x muling ipapasok sa K_x^x_x na Karurukan.) K_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x: K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x: ang Kap_x^x_x na Kaw_x^x_x sinapat [?] ng buong tapang ang katungkulang sa kanyay iginawad ng K.K.K_x^x_x. [p.20] K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x Kap_x^x_x na Kaw_x^x_x Kayoy nag handog ng malaking pag lilingkod sa KKK_x^x_x at tatangapin ninyo ngayon din ang palang na sa inyoy nararapat (sa Kap_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x) Kap_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x igawad sa Kap_x^x_x na Kaw_x^x_x ang paso ng tubig, na ipaghuhugas ng mga kamay na nabalikan [?] ng dugo niyaong kulang-palad. (Ang Kap_x^x_x na Mab_x^x_x gaganapin ang utos ng K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x) K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x: Bago suotan kayo ng kabunyiang ng Kataastaasang Bayani sa inyoy aking babasahin ang Katibayang na inyong tatalaan. (Pagbasa ng Katibayan na nasusulat ng ganito.) “Akoy si N. N. na ipinahaha [?] [p.21] ng buong katahimikan ng isip na siyang pumatay sa kay.... wala akong kaalam, at di sa udiok ng sino pa man, kundi sa talagang sariling kalooban. Maynila, ika... ng I8.... Tatatalaan ng tunay na pangalan K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x. ¿Tunay na tumatalaga kayong maghandog [?] ng mahalagang sumpa na sa mga panganib at na [?] pakahirapan katungkulan na inyong mapapakisaniban? (Sasagot ang Kaw_x^x_x) K_x^x_x na P_x^x_x: Magagsitindig at sumaayos minamahal kong mga kapatid at kayo Kap_x^x_x na Kaw_x^x_x tumayo at sumunod sa akin. “Ako si... iniulit ko ang panunumpang iginawad ng pagka Akibat at pag Kaw_x^x_x na nanunumpa sa harap ng bayan at sa [p.22] harap ng K.K.K_x^x_x ng mga [?] ng pagtatapat, kalihiman at kasipagan. Nanunumpa naman, mamatay, makipaglaban, igugol ko ang lahat at mawala ang lahat sa ika liligtas ng Katagalugan.” K_x^x_x. na P_x^x_x: Kung mabaon kayo sa putik ng kasamaan, sirain ninyo ang sumpang ito, ang inyong buhay lumagi na sa walang papatid na nakatakotakot na paghihirap at kasakitan walang katapusan, na [illegible] kayong lumasap kailan man ng kahit sandaling katahimikan at kaginhawahan, buong katawan ninyoy laganapin ng sakit na leprang nakasusuklam, mabaho at nakahahawa, ilagan kayo ng lahat na gaya ng pag ilag sa makamandag na ganit, lahat ay mabasa sa inyong noo - ang wikang Proditor [p.23] na mag isang nakahahamak tatak na palatandaan ng kawalang puri at kaayu...
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English translation p.1 Most Esteemed President: Beloved brothers: the Soldier N is now in the chamber of reflection, and will come to us here with the ambition of being elevated to the distinguished rank of Patriot. For this purpose, I beg you, my beloved Brothers, to consider calmly whether this Brother possesses all the qualities that every Patriot needs – in his answers, in the manner he reacts to the questions we shall ask, and in the way he responds to the trials [p.2] we shall set. Nevertheless, whatever may be observed is not as important as remembering the need, before we divulge our high secrets, to be absolutely certain that he will be honorable, brave, loyal and diligent; that he will be fearless in dealing with the hardships and anguish that must be endured, above all when we stand before our enemies in fearsome battle. Brother Terrible: Let the Soldier enter the Respected Lodge and appear before this Presidium. (The Brother Terrible will comply with the order of the Most Esteemed President.) Most Esteemed President: My beloved Brother [N]: You are now here in the Respected Lodge in which are gathered the [p.3] Patriots of this Popular Council …. in remembrance of that unforgettable day of painful memory which saw the treacherous, cowardly execution of B., G. and Z, martyred for their love of the native land. It is your wish to enter this Respected Lodge and to apply the qualities you have learnt as a Soldier – diligence, nobility and valor. Today, therefore, we who are gathered together in the Respected Lodge ask you to manifest an honest and noble heart, a character without blemish and a fervor that cannot be stilled. Have you reflected deeply, beloved [p.4] Brother, on the gravity of this matter? What are your thoughts about this truly dangerous step you are about to take? (The Soldier will respond.) Most Esteemed President: Is your mind not fearful; is your resolve not wavering? (The Soldier will respond.) Most Esteemed President: And will you be brave enough to endure the trials that are too horrific to contemplate? (The Soldier will respond.) Most Esteemed President: If that is so, then please listen. The land of our birth is weeping bitterly, still suffering under the cruel tyranny of the Friars, and she beseeches her children to support [p.5] her by tirelessly forging a unity that is firm and strong, so as to wreak just and proper vengeance upon the dreaded Deceivers. My beloved Brother, a great wrong was committed against those three loyal , most learned Patriots. An audacious and perfidious hand cut short their estimable lives. And yet… The decent and most unfortunate Tagalogs B., G. and Z., together with other fine compatriots, were outraged by the numberless killings and thefts. They were appalled by the arrogance and disdain with which the intransigent enemies of truth, justice and of the weak treated [p.6] – and still treat - the unfortunate Tagalog people. Not frightened by the dangers or the terrible fate that might befall them, they together proclaimed to the people their high patriotic ideals. As a start, the renowned journal “Eco Filipino” was founded in Spain, a brave publication which directed forthright, fiery attacks against the irreverent twisters of truth, against the sickening lies against true reason, against the flagrant oppression of the weak, against the loathsome exploitation of the ignorant and against all the diverse evils [p.7] inflicted on our native land. They also asked the Spanish Government to implement the laws and prohibitions that had been approved. The friars took notice of this, and in a poisonous betrayal of their status as friars they sought to fight our pitiable Compatriots. Towards that end, they incited the garrison guard in Cavite to stage an uprising in their own name, and on behalf of many other citizens of Manila and other towns. The doomed uprising in Cavite was suppressed almost as soon as it broke out. Immediately there came that vile act, [p.8] the erection of the scaffold, and truly sickening cruelties. They had to face great pain and suffering, for which they needed their brave hearts and steadfast minds. The despicable Cobras in their shabby abodes, which are known as conventos, wanted to halt the campaign against their treacheries, their incitements and agitations, and their constant scattering of venomous accusations and denunciations. There came imprisonments and deportations to foreign lands. Witness the [p.9] good parents who became demented in a sea of suffering, struck down by misery, embraced by their disconsolate spouses and kissed by innocent children. Witness the elderly father, sobbing and groaning at the misfortune of his loved ones, those who were his comfort and support in his old age. Witness also the brother, seized by an uncontrollable rage at the premature and unjust death of his brother, and see too the disconsolate mother, [p.10] down whose cheeks flow the marks of her affliction. Those who separate a mother from her children are committing a blasphemy against God, because a mother loves her children, the continuation of her own breath, above all else. Poor unfortunates, stranded far from the land of their birth and their loved ones in life, deported and cast away on pitiless, malodorous shores where they weep tears of blood, and at times rage that they were not put to death. Blood spills, so much innocent blood; tears flow, so many bitter [p.11] tears, interspersed with the accursed crackle of the executioners’ guns and the moans of the stricken. These are the noises, this is the roar, that shake the quiet stillness of your grave. This treachery was a bitter revelation. It tore aside the veil that covered the eyes of the Tagalogs. It disclosed a dreadful, repugnant corruption, the sight of which provoked great unrest against those debauched maggots whose venomous saliva has poisoned [p.12] the livelihood of the Tagalog people. Respected Brothers: Curse the executioners for all time! All: We curse them. Most Esteemed President: Will you be able to suffer as they did, giving their lives for the love of the native country? (The Soldier will respond.) Most Esteemed President: You will now follow in the steps of those three martyrs. Are you really prepared to do that? [(The Soldier will respond.)][4] Most Esteemed President: Mr. N: The Spanish Government suddenly accuses you of treachery [p.13] against the Spanish nation, because you have joined an association that they call seditious. How do you protest against this? Respond. (The Soldier will respond.) Brother Secretary: From the replies we have just heard from this person, it is clear that he admits to treason. Brother Fiscal: In view of what has just been revealed, I proclaim you guilty of a grave treason against the Government of Spain (he tells the Soldier). I shall read to you the judgment of the Council of War as to what punishment you deserve. Please listen. [p.14] (Reads the sentence.) Brother Fiscal: Brother Terrible: Accompany the Soldier to the Chapel (footnote: the Chapel has been laid out with everything that is required, according to custom.) (The Brother Terrible will comply with the order of the Brother Fiscal. After finishing what needs to be done, the Brother Terrible will accompany the Brother Soldier to the scaffold, and there he will be hanged.) Most Esteemed President: My beloved Brothers: a Soldier is in mortal peril, about to be executed. You, who have sworn to give up your lives to defend [p.15] one another, join me, and we shall rescue our brother. (The Most Esteemed President will rise, followed by all the Brothers, and they will go to set loose the Soldier from the ropes with which he has been bound. The Brother Terrible will then accompany the Soldier to another room, where he will remove the hood that has been placed over his head.) Brother President: My beloved brothers, we embrace our Brother [N], who has shown he is a true Soldier, and whom we have taken from the clutches of our enemies. (Everybody will rise and stand to attention, and the Brother Terrible will escort the Soldier back into the room. The Soldier is blindfolded.) Most Esteemed President: What you have just endured represents the fateful doom that faces any patriot who is dedicated to the country. [p.16] What are your thoughts about that? (The Soldier will respond.) Most Esteemed President: My beloved Brother [N]. All the suffering you have just endured should impress upon you the perfidy and indignity inflicted on our unfortunate compatriots. That terrible memory must blaze in the hearts of all good Tagalogs like a volcano; the rightful response must be an unstoppable eruption of wrath and vengeance. The trials have also given you a clear understanding of reason, of love for one’s native land, and of valor in the face of terror and repression. At the end of this arduous journey, [p.17] even at the door of a violent death, amidst cries of distress and terrible mortal agonies, you will harbor to your very last breath a burning desire for the liberation of our native country and the triumph of our high ideals. And by the same token you will be waiting, with the same desire, for the day when the K.K.K. will be discovered by our enemies (spoken softly). Most Esteemed President: And do you not shiver, Brother [N], from seeing that what happened to him might one day happen to you? (The Soldier will respond.) [p.18] Most Esteemed President: In your suffering and in the bravery you showed during the trials, we are inclined to believe that you are bold enough even to take life in defense of our K.K.K. This being the case, the Katipunan has regrettably taken into its ranks a person of bad character, who has committed treason by disclosing our secrets to our enemies. The traitor is now bound and gagged in another room. The K.K.K. has duly agreed to appoint you to stab [p.19] the traitor through the heart with a poisoned dagger. Are you prepared to accept the duty that the association has assigned to you, my beloved Brother? (The Soldier will respond.) Most Esteemed President: Brother Terrible, fulfill your duty. (The Brother Terrible will accompany the Soldier to the room where the traitor is held, and give him the dagger. Afterwards, once the Soldier has handed back the dagger, the Brother Terrible [and the Soldier] will return to the Respected Lodge.) Brother Terrible: Most Esteemed President: The Brother Soldier has most valiantly carried out the task that the K.K.K. assigned him. [p.20] Most Esteemed President: Brother Soldier: You have rendered a great service to the K.K.K., and you will now receive the bolo that you merit. (To the Brother Terrible) Brother Terrible: Give the Brother Soldier the water container, so that he can wash the blood of that wretch from his hands. (The Brother Terrible will comply with the order of the Most Esteemed President.) Most Esteemed President: Before you are invested with the rank of Most Elevated Patriot, I shall read to you the Certificate that you must sign. (Reads the Certificate, which is written thus) I, NN, being [p.21] of calm mind, declare that I killed……., who was not known to me, and that I did so not at the instigation of anyone else, but truly of my own volition. Manila, the…….18…. (To be signed with the real name) Most Esteemed President: Are you truly committed to taking this solemn oath of office, knowing the hardships and dangers you will face? (The Soldier will respond.) Most Esteemed President: My beloved brothers, please stand up and come to order, and you, Brother Soldier, arise and repeat after me: “I, [N], hereby reaffirm the oaths I took as a Companion and as a Soldier, and I duly swear before the country and [p.22] before the K.K.K to be loyal and diligent, and to guard our secrets. I further swear that I am ready to die, to fight, to give everything, to lose everything, for the liberation of Katagalugan.” Most Esteemed President: If you fall into the mire of iniquity, and break this oath, your life will be plagued forever by fearful hardship and endless suffering. You will not be able to enjoy even a moment of peace and comfort. Your whole body will be afflicted by the repugnant disease of leprosy, malodorous and contagious. Everyone will shun you, as if they were avoiding a poisonous beast, and everyone will be able to read on your forehead the word “Traitor”, [p.23] a contemptuous label denoting a person without honor... p.1 NOTES

[1] Isabelo de los Reyes, La sensacional memoria de Isabelo de los Reyes sobre la revolución Filipina de 1896-97 (Madrid: Tip. Lit. de J. Corrales, 1899), p.71. See also, for example, Manuel Artigas y Cuerva, Glorias nacionales: Andres Bonifacio y El ‘Katipunan’ (Manila: Libreria ‘Manila Filatelica’, 1911), pp.30-1; and Teodoro A. Agoncillo, The Revolt of the Masses: the story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1956), pp.50-1.

[2] John N. Schumacher, “Gomburza,” Filipino Heritage: the making of a nation (Manila: Lahing Pilipino, 1978), vol.6, pp.1153-7. See also 1872, Documents compiled and annotated by Leandro Tormo Sanz, translated by Antonio J. Molina (Manila: Historical Conservation Society, 1973), pp.19; 28; 30.

[3] These words in square brackets are in a footnote at the foot of the page.

[4] These words do not appear in the Tagalog original, but presumably were intended.