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DOCUMENTS
OF THE Katipunan |
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Foundational documents “Kasaysayan”; “Pinag-kasundoan”;
“Manga dakuilang kautusan”, August 1892. Source: Archivo General
Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.34 |
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Introduction Written in August 1892, this founding document is
based in part on the version drafted seven months previously, in
January. Like the earlier version, the
document is divided into three sections, now headed “Kasaysayan”
(Narrative); “Pinag-kasundoan” (Covenant);
and “Manga dakuilang
kautusan” (Principal orders). It is written in a new orthography –
notably with “k” replacing “c” – and in a simple form of code known
technically as a “monoalphabetic substitution cipher”. The Katipunan’s
ringing proclamation of independence, for example, is encrypted as follows:- “Ysñllzszyszy
vzg bxfzt sz zrzc llz
ñtc llz zllg vzllgz Kzpxjczllg
ñtc zy fxvllfllwzjzy sz Qspzllñz zt wzlzllg
kñllñkñjzjz zt kñkñjzlljñllg Pzvxvxllc kxllg dñ ñtcllg
Kztzzstzzszllg Kztñpxllzll.” Deciphered, this becomes:- “Ysinasaysay mag
buhat sa arao na ito
na ang manga Kapuloang ito ay humihiwalay sa Espania at walang kinikilala at kikilanling Pamumuno kung di itong Kataastaasang
Katipunan.”
[“Be it declared that from this day forward this Archipelago is separated
from Spain, and that no leadership is recognized or will be recognized other
than this Supreme Katipunan.”] This
proclamation is worded in practically the same terms as in the January 1892
document, and so too is the affirmation that Katipunan
“is constituted forthwith, and will exercise power throughout the
archipelago” – a reiteration which tends to confirm that the organization, though
conceived in January (or maybe even earlier), had since remained in
gestation, or dormant. Several other paragraphs are likewise retained more
or less unchanged from the January 1892 document, but the bulk of the text is
new. The lengthy statement of
grievances against Nomenclature In the January 1892 document the organization had
been called the “cagalang galang na Cataastaasang Catipunan” in one instance, but otherwise just the “Cataastaasang Catipunan.” This August 1892 document sticks to “Kataastaasang Katipunan” and does not employ the
adjective “kagalang-galang”
at all. The longer title by which the
organization later came to be known – the “Kagalang-galang, Kataastaasang
Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan”
– seems to have been adopted only in 1893 or 1894.[1] The phrase “Anak ng
Bayan”, however, even though it does not appear in
this document, was adopted in the latter part of 1892 and the initials
“A.N.B.” were incorporated into the organization’s seal.[2] The titles of leadership positions within the
organization have also yet to be finalized, with
terms such as “Ulo”
(Head) and “Puno” (Chief) being
employed rather than “Pangulo”
(President), which later became the norm.
The overall leader, similarly, is called the “Punong Ubod” (Central Chief) or “Punong dakila”
(Paramount Chief), not yet the “Kataastaasang Pangulo” (Supreme President). Somewhat surprisingly, the document calls
the country “Pilipinas,” a name the January 1892
version had avoided, and indeed had said would in time be altered to “a
proper name.”[3] The person of the Central Chief, the statutes
say, is to be treated with great respect, and he will be given the title “H.
N. B. P.” Could this mean “Hari ng Bayang Pilipinas” (“King
[or Ruler] of the Philippine Nation”)?
In any event, neither this abbreviation nor the term “Punong Ubod” figure
in any other Katipunan documents yet located. The constitutional provisions of the founding
documents drafted in January and August 1892, it therefore seems, can barely
have been translated into any kind of reality before they were discarded and
superseded. The documents are
fascinating insofar as they reveal the founders’ intentions and ambitions,
but the sections on organization are not necessarily indicative of the
Katipunan’s actual structure in its early days. The founding of the Katipunan The Katipunan thus came to life as it was to
continue, in a state of constant flux.
Its foundation was not a single event but a sequence of events, a
process that may tentatively be summarized as follows:-
This sequence of events means that in the course of 1892
there must have been a succession of meetings about forming and building the
Katipunan, meetings held at different locations and attended by an evolving,
shifting set of activists. And this,
in turn, may partly explain why the literature on the organization’s
foundation is so beset with discrepancies.
It conceivably might explain, for example, the confusion over exactly
where the Katipunan was founded. Two
of the founding members, Ladislao Diwa and Teodoro Gonzales,
recalled the address as being 734 Elcano, an accesoria known
as Dalmacio’s near the corner with Azcarraga.[8] This testimony was accepted by Gregorio Zaide when he wrote the first substantial
English-language study on the Katipunan, but not by Teodoro
Agoncillo, who wrote the second. He says “the majority of Katipuneros”
believed the historic location to have been 72 Azcarraga,
which in 1892 was reportedly an accesoria occupied
by Deodato Arellano.[9] But it is entirely within the bounds of
possibility, of course, that the veterans were recalling different
meetings. Testimony as to the identity of the founders is also
contradictory, and in some instances there might be a similar
explanation. There is an
oft-reproduced diagram, for instance, based on Ladislao
Diwa’s recollections, that depicts the four initial
“triangles” of the Katipunan, purportedly as created at the foundational
meeting on July 7, 1892. Bonifacio
forms the first triangle with Ladislao Diwa and Teodoro Plata, and
then a second triangle with Ciriaco Bonifacio and Restituto Javier. Diwa forms the third triangle with Teodoro
Gonzales and Román Basa,
and Plata forms the fourth with Briccio Pantas and Valentin Diaz.[10] This diagram, though, is highly
problematic. If we accept the majority
view that the Katipunan was founded in the accesoria of Deodato Arellano, why does he not figure in any of the
triangles? Why, conversely, are Briccio Pantas and Román Basa included in the
initial triangles when they are not usually included among those present at
the foundation meeting?[11] The explanation might well be that with the
passage of decades two events had become one in Ladislao
Diwa’s memory, and the first “triangles,” as
indicated earlier, had not been formed until a month or so after July 7. Authorship We do not know who wrote the founding
documents. Ladislao
Diwa said the structure of interlocking triangles
had been his idea, modeled, he said, on an Italian secret society.[12] This snippet aside, such limited testimony
as exists is again contradictory and dubious. Following the discovery of the Katipunan
in 1896, the Spanish authorities claimed they had been sent from Madrid by
the renowned propagandista
Marcelo H. del Pilar, who Governor General Ramón
Blanco regarded as the true instigator of the separatist movement.[13] Olegario Diaz,
commander of the Guardia Civil Veterana in Manila,
stated in his official report on the insurrection that Del Pilar had written a sketch of the Katipunan’s by-laws (“un proyecto de reglamento”) and had prescribed the organization’s
structure in minute detail (“minuciosas instrucciones de organización”).[14]
The only written evidence to support these assertions seems to have been a
letter Del Pilar sent to the Modestia
masonic lodge in Manila in 1894, in which he made reference to a “new organization”
for which he had prepared a “plan of documentation”.[15]
Almost certainly Del Pilar was referring here to a
masonic organization rather than the Katipunan, but many Spaniards neglected
to draw such a distinction, believing the Katipunan to be part of a larger
masonic conspiracy. Spanish interrogators pursued this line when they
grilled known and suspected filibusteros in the weeks following the August 1896
outbreak. When they interrogated José Dizon, for example, they asked him to describe how the
Katipunan had been founded, and he replied without making any mention of Del Pilar or instructions from abroad. But the next day, seemingly out of the
blue, he was asked “Who was it who brought instructions from Spain for the
establishment of the Katipunan in Manila?”
“Moises Salvador,” replied Dizon: “he brought them from Madrid, from Marcelo H. del Pilar, and delivered them to Deodato
Arellano [who was Del Pilar’s brother-in-law] and
Andres Bonifacio, but Deodato Arellano also
received instructions from Marcelo H. del Pilar…. Deodato Arellano showed me some letter he received direct
from Del Pilar referring to the organization of the
Katipunan, and in one of them he asked whether Moises
Salvador had done what he was commissioned to do. Salvador replied that he had. Moreover, Deodato
Arellano and Andres Bonifacio told me of Moises
Salvador’s mission. “[16] Dizon’s
response, of course, may well have been extracted under torture, and he may
well have told his interrogators whatever he felt they wanted to hear. But some Katipunan veterans told similar
stories after the revolution, when they could speak freely. Aguedo del
Rosario, for instance, a former member of the Supreme Council, wrote in 1908
that the Katipunan had been founded “at the initiative of the lawyer, Marcelo
H. del Pilar,” [17]
and presumably it can only have been the recollections of ex-Katipuneros that
led the historian Epifanio de los Santos to accept
it was: “very correctly stated that Andres Bonifacio ordered Teodoro Plata to draw up the statutes of the Katipunan,
and that he did this with the aid of Ladislao Diwa and Valentin Diaz. After the statutes had been discussed,
Andres Bonifacio, with the concurrence of Deodato
Arellano, submitted them to [Marcelo H.] del Pilar
for approval. Upon the latter’s letter
approving the statutes, Andres Bonifacio used the same for the purpose of
gaining adepts. From all this we may
deduce that if Del Pilar was not the initiator of
the Katipunan, he was at least its inspirer.”[18]
Later historians of the Katipunan such as Zaide and Agoncillo kept
prudently silent about this story, doubtless wary that De los Santos did not
cite his sources. Whether true or
false, however, the story was not a figment of De los Santos’s imagination. Bonifacio, it is clear, revered Del Pilar just as he revered Rizal; he kept the Katipunan
away from the division in Manila’s masonic and patriotic circles between “Pilaristas” and “Rizalistas”. He transcribed some of Del Pilar’s letters, as he transcribed some of Rizal’s, into
the Katipunan code, and cherished them, in De los Santos’s words, “like
relics”. [19] And when Bonifacio, Pio
Valenzuela and Emilio Jacinto put together the KKK newspaper Kalayaan in
early 1896, they decided to pretend that Del Pilar
was its editor and that the lead editorial was his message of
greeting and solidarity to his compatriots, sent from afar.[20] The stories that Del Pilar
had written or endorsed the Katipunan’s founding
documents in 1892, therefore, were possibly concocted and circulated with the
same motive, to give the organisation Del Pilar’s
prestigious imprimatur. But then
again… was it really just happenstance that the first president of the
Supreme Council was Del Pilar’s brother-in-law, and
that the organization was founded, most say, in his accesoria? |
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Tagalog text (transcribed from code) Kasaysayan May isang bayang pinag
haharian nang sama at lupit; ang manga kautusan ay ualang halaga at nananaig
ang balang malakas. Gayon man ang
bayan ito gumugugol ng dugo at buhay sa kapurihan at kailangan ng sa kaniyay
ang hahari, maguing dapat lamang tawaguing kapatid o anak. Ang kaniang yaman bohay at puai ay
ipinaiiyan, upang itangkakal sa may nasang sukab. Tatlong siglo nang mahiguit na nagtitiis ng
hirap at pagod alipusta ay di ipinagmamasakit bagkus ipinauubaya.
Ang bayang
ito, ay, ang atin; ito ang napakabalita sa pagka duahagui; bayang lubos na
mapag tiis, hangang sa maalipin; ¡oh Pilipinas ! ¡sa aba mo ! ¡oh bayan naming tinoboan ! tangi kang
lubos sa ibang kapamayanan; kung sa kaniyay natampok ang bayang anak na
nagpuri o maghangad ng bayang ikakagaling o ikaguiguinhawa, sa iyo ay hindi
gayon, inuusig at pinaruausahan ng parusang kalaitlait at lihis sa katuiran;
ang paisaisa mong anak na sumisita sa iyo, ito rin at kinukutia sa sariling
buhay ang ibang hindi makaimik at inilalathala ang puri na kusang guinagahis. Dakila at ganap
na pori ang nababagay sa tawong may pusong umiaog at mag masakit sa
sariling bayan, sa pagkat linilisan
nito ang magulang, kapatid o kaya asawa, anak
at kaibigan: hinahamak ang sariling layon at kayamanan, inaalintana ang hirap na sasapitin,
makapag handog lamang ng isang
balak, isang inisip sa ikagagaling
ng kaniyang tinubuang lupa. Kaya
sa manga iniirog kong kapatid na si Gomez, Burgos at Zamora na
nangalait sa pag sintang lubos sa ating bayang Pilipinas at sa manga
ngayoy nawawakawak, nag durusa at nanga matay ang iba sa deportasion,
inihahandog ang aming puso at buhay sa pag damay sa ilalim nang isang
mahigpit at dakilang Katipunang itatatag ngayon sa pag pipigitang
maagao sa kukong masakim nang manga Kastila itong ating bayan at matimawa sa
hirap gaya nang kanilang nais napinag karamayan nang kanilang sariling bayan. Huag
na tayong maniwala sa tibong tayoy inaakay at tinaturuan; ang silbing salamin
sa atin ang pagkapanganyaya nang ating matapang at mairuguing kapatid na si Guinoong
Rizal na may malaking nasang guminhawa at matuto ang bayan, ngayon ay
itinapon nang manga sukab. Yamang
ang unang mahalaga at pinuputungan nang masaganang karangalan, at kapurihan
sa alin mang maningning na kaharian ay ang katungkulan na mag tangol sa
kaniyang bayan, mag paka hirap sa ikaguiguihinawa nito, gugulin ang yaman
dugo sampong buhay sa ikararangal ng kaniyang bayan, manga kapatid at anak
upang huag, lupiguin, at apihin nang ibang kaharian. Yamang
hindi ipinag uutos nang Maykapal, na ang isa niyang linalang ay lumupig at
yumurak sa kapoa. Yamang hindi
gawang kalilohan ang mag tangol, at pag ibig sa kaniyang bayan, lalo na kung
iniinis at inaalipin nang namumuno sa kaniya, gaya ng mga kasulukuyang
nangyayare. Yamang ang
isang bayan, kapag pinag pupunuan nang lupit at laban sa kaniyang manga intereses
kailangan, manga tunay at tapat na hangad, ay mayroong katoirang ihapay ang
namumuno o nag hahare na may ganoong asal, at kung dumating sa ganitong hanga
ay hindi pag laban o kaliluhan kung di pag tatangol sa matapat na katoiran at
pag bangon sa ningas nang hirap na pinag susukbahan sa kaniya. Yamang hindi natatala sa alin
mang Leyes o katoiran ang pag kamkam sa
ano mang pamaan nang hindi
niya pag aare, ay kaming may are na tunay sa
lupang ito, may katoirang humingi na isauli sa
aming ang boong kapangyarihan sa manga Kapuloang
ito, bukod pa sa kami ay hindi
nag kakailangan na pang-himasukan at pamunuan nang taga ibang
lupa kun ang guinagawa, gaya ngayon, pauang pag inis, pag
lait, pag api at pag patay. Pinag-kasundoan
Alinsunod sa lahat nang manga
gauang kapusungan na nanga sasaysayan
sa una, sa pagdaramdam nang matinding sugat na sa
puso namin ay binuksan nang manga gawang yaon nang Kastila
at kung noynoin ang manga katoirang nanga tatala sa itaas. Kaming nag tibay (firmantes) sa ibaba nitong
kasulatan ay nagka isang loob at panukala na bunutin
sa kaalipinan, kadustaan, kaapihan at iba pang maraming kasukaban na tinitiis nitong sang Kapuloan na kinamkam
at linupig nang walang awa ng
manga matakao at dayukdok na kaniya,
na ang papangap Halimao. Upanding
kamtan namin ang mabuting hanga nang panukalang ito na lubhang mabigat, at
malake sa taglay naming lakas, aming isinasakdal sa mataas na Hukuman nang
Dios na Maykapal at kami humihinging tulungan nang kaniyang dakilang lakas at
kapangyarihan, tuloy kami ay sumusukob at napasasaklolo sa matapat na
katoiran. Sa pag
ganap nang aming manga ipinangusap at pinagkasundan ay nanunumpa kami sa
ngalan nang Dios sa harap nitong Kataastaasang Katipunan at sa aming
kamahalan, na ipag tatangol nitong aming bayan, pag pipilitan ano man ang
karatnan na siya ay magsarile at mapahiwalay sa Espanya. Sa pag ganap
nang ganitong manga banal na hangad ay isinasagot namin ang aming katawan,
buhay at manga kayamanang hinahawakan at hahawakan pa. Sumusumpa din
naman kami na aming gaganapin at ipagaganap ang manga kautusang dakila na
inilagda at pinagkaisahan namin at nang iba pang manga Guinoo na nag
kakapisan sa Katipunang ito, na aming iguinagalang at
ipinagdidiwang. Ang manga kautusang
yaon ay kalakip sa huli nito. Tondo
ika......................
nang Agosto taong isang libo walong daan at siyam na puo at dalawa. Manga dakuilang kautusan
Alinsunod sa nangungunang kasaysayan at pinagkasundoan, ay sa boong nasasakop at masasakop nitong sang Kapuluang Pilipinas ipinaguutos namin na ganapin at ipaganap ang manga sumusunod na kautusan. 1.o Ysinasaysay mag buhat sa arao
na ito na ang manga
Kapuloang ito ay humihiwalay sa Espania at walang kinikilala at kikilanling Pamumuno kung di itong Kataastaasang Katipunan. 2.o Ang Kataastaasang Katipunan ay natatayo mag buhat ngayon at siya ang maghahawak
at pag bubuhatan nang manga dakilang
kautusan at kapangyarihan
dito sa boong Kapuluan. 3.o Ang Katxxx ay may isang Punong dakila na kikilalanin, igagalang at susundin ng lahat na
maguing kabig at tawong sasanib dito o sa manga
Katipunang itatatag sa iba at ibang
bayan at probinsia nitong Sang Kapuluan. 4.o Ang Puno ay may dalawang
pangatlo sa kaniyang pamamahala, na tatawaguing Tagasanguni at ang mapagkaisahan nila ay sapilitang susundin at tutuparin ng walang tutol nang lahat na
pinamumunuan. 5.o Bawa’t
isa nitong Tagasanguni ay may tigalawa namang katatlo na dito bubunot
ng isang na Kalihim ang
Puno, isang Tagaligpit ng ambag ng
iipunin sa isang Banko, isang Tagatupad ng balak tungkol
sa pag gugol nang puhunan
o salaping ng ligpit at Tagausig laban sa balang
may sala o naguing masuwain sa kautusan
dito sa Katipunan. 6.o Ang balang isa naman
sa Kalihim at iba pa ay mag kakaroroon ng kanikanilang sariling katatlo na sapilitang
ang paghanap sapagkat dito tumutungtong ang karangalan nang nakikisanib, sampo ng ilalaki at ilalaganap nitong Katipunan hangang sa masapit ang
manga layong sinambit na sa
itaas. 7.o Ang lahat ng tawo
sa Katipunan ay may katungkulang mahigpit na umambag nang
manalape ang balang Ulo, Tagasanguni
at manga Katulong; tigatlong bahagui ang manga Pinulo;
mangahati ang manga alagad at tig lalabing anim sa kualta
ang manga kabig ayon sa
tadhana sa kalakip na tabla
sa huli. 8.o Ang bawat Katipunan nang tatlo ay siyang magsasangunian lamang ng mga
bagay na minamagaling sa ipag titibay ng pagkakaisa o sa pag tatangol
sa sakuna nang kapatid, maguing sa ikagagaling
ng pamumuno at sa isang mabuting
aasalin ng lahat gayon din sa pag papasabog
ng balita o pag papasapit sa Puno ng ano
mang bagay na napapansin nila sa kaaway
o sa pag papasok ng kanikanilang
ambagan at pag papatalastas ng naguiguing kautusang bago. 9o Baga
man sa nabibilin sa ikatlong atas ay makapipili sa ibang kapanig ng ibig at
inaakalang may sapat na kaya sa manga katungkulang ilinalaan at hindi
maguiguing sanhi sa lakad na kalihimang dapat alinsunurin dito sa Katipunan.
10.o Ang
Katipunan sa bawat bayan at probinsia ay kahuad din nang sa Maynila at manga
bayang karatig datapuat ang kaibhan ay nasasakop ang sa bayanbayang kalipunan
ng Puno ng nasasa kanikanilang probinsia at ang na sa probinsia ay nasasakop
ng ubod sa nasasa Maynila. 11. Ang
papasok dito sa dakilang Katipunan kaylanan, na tawong kilala, na may tunay
na loob at pusong matigas sa pag tatangol ng bayan natin, ayon sa manga pag
subok na gagawin ng sa kaniya’y humihikayat kung may karapatang tangapin ipag
bibigay alam sa Katipunan ng kakatlo nito, upang magbigay utos ang pinaka Ulo
sa binyagan nang bagon pangalan, at, papanumpain sa harap ng Dios, sa ngalan
nitong Pilipinas na idadamay ang buhay sa pag tatagol ng bayan at mag pirma
sa kapangakoang tinutungkol. 12. Pag
pilitan ng mga kabig na mamanaag sa kanilang kabaitan at ningning nang asal
nang lahat ng namumuno sa kanila, maguing sa pakikisama, pakikikaibigan,
pakikikapatid at pag mamagulang, gayon din sa pag kakaawang gawa sa kangino
man. 13. Ang manga
katungkulan sa Katipunan ay hahalinhan sa bawat dalawang taon, liban ang
pinag uusig. Sa pagkawalay nang alin
mang Ulo o alin man sa manga Katulong ay makatatayo ang alin man sa dalawang
katatlo niya. 14. Gamitin
ang boong panahon sa layon nitong Katipunan; at isang kalupitang kikilalanin
ang pag kabalam nang pagkaligtas nitong Pilipinas sa pag hahawak ng manga
sukab. Katungkulan ng Ulo 15. Uriing
mabuti ang mga utos at balak sa ikagagaling ng Katipunan at ikawiwili ng
boong nasasakupan ng tapat na pag sunod. 16. Ang
mga utos at balak ay walang halaga kun di may pasia ang dalawang
Kasanguni. Pananagutan ng Kalihim kung
mangyari ang gayong pagsasarili. 17. Sa
biglang kailangan, may kapangyarihan ang Ulong mag utos ng minamarapat kahit walang
Kasanguni o Kalihim, datapua’t pananagutan ang lahat ng guinawa at nangyari. 18. Sa
panahon ng digma ang Ubod ay lalo sa lahat at siya ang maguutos at susundin
ng lahat ng Ulo sa boong probinsia at bayan bayan. 19. Ang
pasiya sa pag paparusa o pagganti sa magandang gawa ay hindi ma babali. 20. Ang
Ubod o Puno nang Katipunan ay di makapag papayo sa pinag uusapan. Ang maguing
yari sa usap ay susundin. 21. Yamang
ang tunay na layon nitong Katipunan ay ang kagalingan ng bayang Pilipinas ay
pag pipilitan ang makapag lagda nang magandang kautusan sa tulong ng kaniyang
mga Kasanguni. 22. Sa
balang may sala ay ipag uutos ang pag tatatag ng isang Hukuman at madaling
lulutasin ang hatol. 23. Sa
naguiguing dapat sa ganti, alangalang sa isang magandang gawa ay ayong ding
agad alamin at kilalananin ang dapat ipakamit ng pala. 24. Ang
katawan ng Punong Ubod ay kagalang-galang at hindi sukat palibhasan ni
lapastangin ng sino man at tatawaguing H. N. B. P.... 25. Piliting
maganap sa boong nasasakupan ang pamumunong tapat at ang ikaguiguinhawa ng
buhay ng nangamamayan at ito kailan man ang layon ng alin mang bago at bagong
kautosan. Sa Kasanguni 26. Pagingatan
na ang Ulo o Puno ay makapa-manihalang maayos. 27. Huag
payagang manghina ang bisa ng manga kautosan o ng manga ipag uutos ayon sa
takbo ng bagay. 28. Ang
isa sa dalawang Kasanguni ay tutulong sa loob sa pamamahala at ang isa ay sa
lahat upang na sasayod na lahat ang mga nangyayari sa lakad ng Katipunan. 29. Walang
aalintanahing bagay kahit ang kaliitliitan. 30. Pag
iingatan ang lihim nang Puno. Sa manga Katulong Kalihim 31. Paka
ingatan ang manga balak ng lihim ng Puno na isinasanguni sa kaniya, gayon din
ang manga nayayaring usap sa loob ng Sangunian. 32. Ang
mga kautusan ay huag ipaubayang mabalam. 33. Ang
kautusan o mga utos ay kung na sa papel kailangang pag tibain ng Kalihim at
ang wala sa papel ay uuliting maka itlo ng Puno sa dalawang Kasanguni, gayon
din ang gagawin nila sa pag papahayag sa kanikanilang katatlo hangang umabot
sa lahat ng kabig. 34. Ang
mga bagay na kailangang matalastas ng boong Katipunan hangang sa iba at ibang
probinsia at manga bayang sakop ang utos o balita ay isusulat nang letra sa
bagong alpabeto, na pararaanin sa Korreo sa kaugaliang Kastila at may
katunayan ng Kalihim. Tagausig 35. Sa ano
mang bagay, sa Katipunan ay siyang mag pupumilit humingi ng pala o parusa sa
harap ng dakilang Sangunian. 36. Mahihingi
kailan man at kailangan ang kasulatang talaan ng pumapasok at lumalabas na
salapi ng Katipunan. 37. Mauusig
niya buhat sa puno hangang dulo ng boong Katipunan kaniyang kinalalaguian
kailan man at ang kukulang sa pag tupad ng katungkulan ng isa at isa. 38. Dapat
kilalaning lahat ang pangalang tunay gayon din ang bansag ng isa at isa. Katulong 39. Silay
makikipag alam sa Kalihim ng Puno at tatangap ng balang utos. Kung
kailanang mag lakbay bayan ang gagagastahan ay mang gagalin sa kaban ng Katipunang
kinalalagyan ng punong nag uutos gayon din naman sa pag papagawa ng ano mang
bagay ng kailangan at mag bibigay ng malinis at tapat na kasulatan ng
guinawang gasta o gugol. Puno sa Hukbo 40. Pag-ka
tangap ng utos ng punong makapangyarihan sa Katipunan ay tutupding agad na
walang liwag. Buan buan ay
mag papasok sa kaban ng Katipunan ng ambag na katungkulang ibigay ng lahat
gayon ang sa kanikanilang kabig. Huag
kalilingatan na ang kanikaniyang kabig ay hindi nag sasanay sa manga habilin
ng kautusang ng aatas. Atas sa lahat Ang
balang dalawa kabit sa tatlo buhat sa dulo kikilala sa nakakabit sa gawing
itaas na siyang pinakaulo at ito’y pahagdan-hagdan hangang sumapit sa
katapusan sa itaas. Ito rin naman ang
paraang gagawin, upang makasapit sa ulo ang kanilang ambagan. Ganito rin ang lakad kung may utos na atas
sa lahat, pahagdanhagdan namang mananaog hangang dulo buhat sa Kalihim. Isang lubos
na kailangan ang paglilihim sa mga di dapat makaalam ng mga balak, gawa at
utos ng mga puno sa Katipunan maguing sa magulang, kapatid, anak, asawa at
ibang minamahal nila kahit pag karamayan ng buhay ay huag mabibighaning
sabihin sa pagkat ang kabagsikan ng Katipunan ay mararanasan din ng balang
mag kulang sa atas na ito. Ano mang
bagay na kagalitan, usap tungkol sa ari o kayamanan ay bawo [?] na ipag
sakdal sa ibang hukuman labas sa Katipunan.
Ang lahat ay hahatulan at huhusain ng kanilang Kxxx. › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › English translation Narrative
There
is a country that is ruled by wickedness and cruelty; the laws are worthless
and what prevails is the rule of the mighty.
And yet this country is sacrificing its blood and life for the honor
and glory of its rulers, just to be called brother or child. Its wealth, life and honor are at the
disposal of people with evil desires.
For more than three centuries it has suffered hardship and wearisome
deceit: a record not of tolerant benevolence, but of callous neglect. This country is ours; this
chronicle of oppression is ours. A
country full of suffering, to the extent of slavery. Oh Philippines! How wretched you are! Oh country of our birth! Had she wanted you to progress, she would
have given you advantages over other peoples; had she desired your welfare,
she would have treated you like a favoured child. But you have not been treated like
this. You have been persecuted; you
have suffered despicable punishments and grave injustices. [To Spain:] One by one your children are
accusing you; here too you despise the very being of those who cannot answer
back or protest that honor is being stained. Great
and certain is the honor to be accorded to those who devote their hearts and souls
to their country, because they are prepared to leave their parents, brothers
and sisters, spouses, children and friends, to forsake their own interests
and wealth, and to disregard the hardship ahead. Their single goal, their single thought, is
the betterment of the land of their birth. And
therefore to my beloved brothers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora, who were reviled
for their absolute devotion to the Philippines, our country, and to those who
are now being sent to isolated places, punished, and dying in exile, we
dedicate our hearts and lives in solidarity under a great and resolute
Katipunan, which is now constituted to wrench this our country from the
rapacious claws of the Spaniards and from the enslavement and hardship they
inflict upon us in pursuit of their desire to succor and benefit themselves. We
should not believe the honeyed words about being guided and tutored; we have been invited to observe the reality
by our brave and beloved brother Mr. Rizal, who desires the welfare and
education of the country most earnestly, but who has now been exiled by the
malefactors. Whereas the most important, most
abundantly honorable and sublime duties of any
enlightened power are to defend her country, to safeguard its welfare, to
expend riches, blood and even life for her country, brothers and children in
order that they are not oppressed and enslaved by another ruler. Whereas the Almighty does not
mandate any one of His creations to oppress and trample on another. Whereas to defend and love one’s
country is not a crime, especially if she is suffocated and enslaved by her
rulers, as is happening now. Whereas a people whose interests,
needs and true and genuine desires are under relentless attack has just cause
to bring down the leaders or rulers who behave in such a way, and that if
this eventuality arrives it is not lawless or traitorous, but the defense of true reason, and a revolt against the flame of
hardship. Whereas no Laws have been passed or
justification given for the confiscation of anything that is not hers, and
that we are the true owners of this land, it is just for us to demand the
return of what has been borrowed, for us to govern these Islands. We do not need the intervention or direction
of people from other lands, because if that happens, like now, the result is
frustration, humiliation, enslavement, and slaughter. Covenant Having regard to all the abuses
just narrated, the acts perpetrated by the Spaniards that open deep wounds in
our heart, and for the reasons that are enumerated above, we affirm below
this document that we are of one accord and conviction to extirpate the
oppression, maltreatment, enslavement and many other excesses that this
subjugated and oppressed Archipelago suffers at the hands of its pitiless,
ravenous and bestial oppressors. In order to ensure the success of
this momentous and arduous undertaking, and to fortify our strength, we place
ourselves before the High Tribunal of God the Almighty and we request the
help of his great strength and power in order that we may be sheltered and succored by true reason. For the fulfilment of what we have
discussed and covenanted, we swear in the name of God before this Supreme Katipunan and our loved ones to defend this
our country and to strive, come what may, for her independence and
separation from Spain. For
the fulfilment of this sacred cause, we shall respond with our bodies, lives
and wealth, now and in the future. We swear also that we shall
adopt and shall put into effect the principal orders that have been signed
and agreed by ourselves and by other Gentlemen who belong to this Katipunan,
whom we respect and salute. These
orders are attached at the end.[21] Tondo, the _______of
August in the year one thousand, eight hundred and ninety-two. Principal orders In
conformity with the foregoing narrative and covenant, we direct the whole
subject and subjugated population of this Philippine Archipelago, now and in
the future, to observe and implement the following orders:- 1. Be
it declared that from this day forward this Archipelago is separated from
Spain, and that no leadership is recognized or will be recognized other than
this Supreme Katipunan. 2. The
Supreme Katipunan is hereby established, and
henceforth it will be the paramount authority throughout the entire
Archipelago and will issue the principal orders. 3. The
Katipunan has a paramount Chief who is to be
recognised, respected and obeyed by all who support and join the Association
here or the Katipunans established in other towns
and provinces of this Archipelago. 4. The
Chief has two groups of three in his administration, who will be called
Councillors. Their decisions must be
followed and implemented without protest by all subordinates. 5. From
amongst the Councillors in these two groups of three will be drawn a
Secretary, a Keeper of the funds to be deposited in a Bank, an Executor of
plans regarding the expenditure of the capital or cash reserves, and a
Prosecutor who will take action against anyone who commits offences or
disobeys orders here in the Katipunan. 6. Each of the Secretaries and others
must recruit their own groups of three, because in this manner the membership
will attain a respectable size, and thus the Katipunan
will grow and spread until the objectives set out above are attained. 7. Everyone in the Katipunan has a strict duty to pay their contributions:
80 kualta from every Head, Councilor
and Assistant: 60 kualta from each of the Lieges,
40 kualta from each partisan and 16 from each
follower, in accordance with the schedule in the table attached at the end.[22] 8. Each Katipunan
of three should deliberate on steps that will be effective in strengthening
unity, defending brothers who are suffering misfortune, developing skills of
leadership and encouraging good conduct amongst all members, and likewise in
spreading news, notifying members of new instructions, and in bringing to the
attention of the chief anything they notice about the enemy, and information
about the deposits in their reserves. 9. Although the group of three may
wish to recruit another member whom they believe to be competent enough and ready
to be assigned duties, this should not be a reason for disregarding the
secret procedures that must be followed here in the Katipunan.
10. The
Katipunan in each town and province is modelled on that in Manila and the
surrounding towns, but the difference is that those in the towns are
subordinate to the confederation of Chiefs in their respective provinces, and
those in the provinces are subordinate to the center in Manila. 11. Those
who will be admitted into this great Katipunan must be people known to be of
good character, to have their hearts set on the defense of our country, and
to be prepared to face the trials they will be set. Before the supreme Head authorises a
person’s admission, a group of three must be persuaded that he is worthy of
being received into the Katipunan. He
will then take a new name, swear before God in the name of this Philippines
to pledge his life in defence of the country and sign a pledge to that
effect. 12. Leaders must demonstrate to their
followers meritorious and commendable qualities such as fellowship,
friendship, brotherhood, and good parenting, and likewise show compassion
toward whoever is in need. 13. Offices
in the Katipunan will be held for a term of two years, with the exception of
the position of fiscal. In the event
that any Head or any of the Assistants vacates their position, their place
will be taken by either of the two others in their triangle. 14. Bears in mind constantly the aims
of this Katipunan, and is acutely aware of how long overdue is the rescue of
the Philippines from the clutch of the malefactors. Duties of the Head 15. Gives orders and devises plans
to make the Katipunan effective, and ensures that all followers comply with
them loyally. 16. Orders
and plans will have no effect unless they have the agreement of the two
Councilors. The Secretary will be
answerable if they are independent. 17. Should
it be necessary, the Head has authority to give orders even in the absence of
any Councilor or Secretary, but he will be answerable for everything done and
its consequences. 18. In
time of war the Center is in control of everything and will give the orders
to be followed by all the Heads in the provinces and towns. 19. Decisions
regarding punishments or rewards for achievement will be final. 20. The
Center or the Chief of the Katipunan will be impartial when there is a
discussion. Whatever is decided on the
matter will be followed. 21. Whereas
the fundamental aim of this Katipunan is the betterment of the Philippine
people, he will strive to sign beneficial laws with the help of his
Councilors. 22. Whenever
there is wrongdoing, he will order the establishment of a Court to make a
judgment expeditiously. 23. When a
reward is to be given in recognition of a meritorious deed, he will announce
it immediately and make known the favor to be granted. 24. The
person of the Central Chief is to be treated with great respect. Nobody will treat him with disrespect or irreverence,
and he will be called the H. N. B. P....
25. Will
strive to give sound leadership to all subjects and to improve the livelihood
of the people, which will invariably be the purpose of all initiatives and
new orders. For Councilors 26. Ensures
that the Head or Chief has his affairs in good order. 27. Does
not allow the effectiveness of the orders and instructions about operational
matters to be undermined in any way. 28. One of the two Councilors will
help inside the administration and the other will ensure that everything
possible is being done to advance the Katipunan. 29. Ensures
nothing is neglected, not even small matters.
30. Safeguards
the secrets of the Chief. For Assistants Secretary 31. Safeguards
the secret plans of the Chief on which he is consulted, and likewise the
confidentiality of whatever is discussed inside the Council. 32. Must
comply with the orders without negligent delay. 33. Orders
or instructions on paper need to be endorsed by the Secretary and those not
on paper shall be repeated three times by the Head to the two councillors,
and in the same way they will pass the orders down to their groups of three until they have reached all
members. 34. Orders
and information that must be communicated to the whole Katipunan down to the
different affiliated provinces and towns will be written in the script of a
new alphabet, and will be despatched by post in the Spanish manner and be
endorsed by the Secretary. Prosecutor 35. Should
a favor or punishment be sought in relation to any matter within the
Katipunan, it is he who will be required to request it before the great
Council. 36. Will
request , whenever it is needed, the written schedule of the income and
outgoings of the money of the Katipunan.
37. Will
check constantly that nobody in the Katipunan, from the top to the bottom, is
falling short in the accomplishment of their respective duties. 38. Must
know the true names, and also the aliases, of each and every one. Assistant 39. Will
report to the Secretary of the Chief and will accept his every order. If expenses for travel need to be withdrawn from
the coffers of the Katipunan, will hand over the required amount to the chief
as ordered, and will also provide any other necessities and give a true
and honest reckoning of the expenditure or expenses incurred. Head of the Army 40. Receives
orders from the chief in charge of the Katipunan and puts them into effect
immediately without delay. Will
get funds from the coffers of the Katipunan every month and be responsible
for distributing the full amount to their men. Must
not neglect to ensure that their men are trained to obey orders from above. Rules for all The
two members at the base of each triangle will report on their activities to
the third member, who in turn will pass information on to his leader, and so
on until it reaches the top. This will
also be the procedure to be followed for sending contributions to the
head. It will likewise be the way to
proceed when orders need to be passed down from above, or communications from
the Secretary need to be filtered down to the base. Absolute secrecy must be
maintained in relation to the plans, deeds and commands of the chiefs of the Katipunan. These must not be disclosed even to
parents, brothers and sisters, children, spouses and other loved ones and
partners in life, no matter what the temptation, because the Katipunan will deal harshly with every violation of this
order. Anything that is the subject of
discord, any case concerning property or wealth, must not be brought before
any court outside the Katipunan.
Everything will be judged and resolved by their Katipunan. --------- |
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Notes