Katipunan
The Katipunan (lit. 'Association'), officially the Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan[5][6][7][a] (lit. 'Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation'; Spanish: Suprema y Honorable Asociación de los Hijos del Pueblo) and abbreviated as the KKK, was a revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Deodato Arellano, Andrés Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, and Teodoro Plata. Its primary objective was achieving independence from the Spanish Empire through an armed revolution. It was formed as a secret society before its eventual discovery by Spanish authorities in August 1896. This discovery led to the start of the Philippine Revolution.
For other uses, see Katipunan (disambiguation) and KKK (disambiguation).Abbreviation
KKK
Katipunan
July 7, 1892
Deodato Arellano (1892–1893)
Román Basa (1893–1895)
Andrés Bonifacio (1895–1897)
Historians generally placed the date of its founding in July 1892 shortly after the arrest and deportation of Filipino author and nationalist José Rizal to Dapitan in Mindanao. Rizal was one of the founders of the nascent La Liga Filipina, which aimed for a Filipino representation to the Spanish Parliament. Many members of the Katipunan, including Bonifacio himself, were members of that organization. However, recent discovery of documents of the organization suggest that the Katipunan may have been around by January 1892 but became active by July.[8]
Being originally formed as a secret society, the Katipunan had its members undergo through initiation rites similar to freemasonry.[9] Membership to the organization was initially open only for men; however, women were eventually accepted. The Katipunan had a short-lived publication, Kalayaan (lit. 'Freedom'), which only saw printing in March 1896. During its existence, revolutionary ideals and works flourished, and Filipino literature was expanded by some of its prominent members.
Existing documents suggest that the Katipunan planned for an armed revolution since its founding, and initially sought for support from Filipino intellectuals. In one such incident, Bonifacio planned a rescue for the deported José Rizal in Dapitan in exchange for his support to the revolution, to which Rizal refused. An attempt to secure firearms from a visiting Japanese warship in May 1896 failed to gain anything.[10] In August that year, Spanish authorities in Manila discovered the organization. Days after, the Katipunan, led by Bonifacio, openly declared war to the Spanish government, starting a three-year long revolution.
Etymology[edit]
The name "Katipunan" is a short name for "Kataastaasang, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan"[1] (Supreme and Honorable Society of the Children of the Nation). The Tagalog word "katipunan" (literally, "association", "gathering", "assemblage", or "group")[11][12] comes from the root word "tipon", a Tagalog word meaning "gathering" or "to gather".[13]
Katipunan
Andrés Bonifacio (1893–1896, until discovery)
July 7, 1892
Red and white
Kataástaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng̃ mg̃á Anak ng Bayan
Discovery[edit]
As the Katipunan was busy preparing for the revolt, various denunciations regarding its existence reached the Spanish authorities. On July 5, 1896, Manuél Sityar, a Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia Civil stationed at Pasig, reported to Governor-General Ramón Blanco the mysterious activities of certain natives who had been gathering arms and recruiting men for some unknown purposes.[84] On August 13, 1896, Fr. Agustín Fernández, an Augustinian curate of San Pedro, Makati, wrote to Don Manuél Luengo, the civil governor (mayor) of Manila, denouncing anti-Spanish meetings in his parish.[84]
The Katipunan was finally discovered by the Spanish authorities six days after Fr. Fernández's letter to Luengo. In early August 1896, Teodoro Patiño and Apolonio de la Cruz, both working for the Diario de Manila printing press (leading newspaper during those times) had undergone misunderstanding regarding wages.[85] Press foreman de la Cruz and typesetter Patiño fought over salary increase of two pesos. De la Cruz tried to blame Patiño for the loss of the printing supplies that were used for the printing of Kalayaan. In retaliation, Patiño revealed the secrets of the society to his sister, Honoria Patiño, an inmate nun at the Mandaluyong Orphanage. That afternoon, on August 19, 1896, Honoria grew shocked and very upset of the revelation. The mother portress of the Orphanage, Sor (Sister) Teresa de Jesus saw Honoria crying so she approached her. Honoria told everything she heard from her brother. At around 6:15 pm that day, Sor Teresa called Patiño and advised him to tell everything he knew about the Katipunan through confession to Fr. Mariano Gíl.[86]
Controlled by his fear of hell, Patiño went to Fr. Gíl, an Augustinian parish curate of the Tondo convent. Though he is willed to tell anything about the Katipunan, Patiño confessed that a lithographic stone was hidden in the press room of the Diario de Manila, which was used by the society for printing receipts. He also said that aside from the lithographic stone, there were also documents of membership (that uses member's blood for signing) hidden, together with a picture of Dr. José Rizal and several daggers that was made for the Katipunero-employees of the newspaper.[86]
Alarmed by the stunning truth of the existence of a secret society, Fr. Gíl, accompanied by local Spanish authorities, searched the printing office of Diario de Manila and found the incriminating evidence.[86] They also found de la Cruz in possession of a dagger used in Katipunan initiation rites and some list of newly accepted members.[87] After the arrest, Fr. Gíl rushed to Governor-General Blanco to denounce the revolutionary plot of the Katipunan.[88] The Spanish unleashed a crackdown and arrested dozens of people, where many innocent citizens were forced to go to Fort Santiago.[78]
Patiño's alleged betrayal has become the standard version of how the revolution broke out in 1896. In the 1920s, however, the Philippine National Library commissioned a group of former Katipuneros to confirm the truth of the story. José Turiano Santiago, Bonifacio's close friend who was expelled in 1895, denied the story. He claimed that Bonifacio himself ordered Patiño to divulge the society's existence to hasten the Philippine revolution and preempt any objection from members.[89]
Historian Teodoro Agoncillo gives a differing version of events, writing that Patiño revealed the secrets of the society to his sister, Honoria, following on a misunderstanding with de la Cruz, another society member who worked with him in the Spanish-owned Diario de Manila periodical. Honoria, an orphanage inmate, was upset at the news and informed Sor Teresa, the orphanage madre portera, who suggested that Patiño tell all to Fr. Gíl. On August 19, Patiño told Fr. Gíl what he knew of the secret society. Fr. Gíl and the owner of the Diario de Manila searched the printing shop, discovering the lithographic stone used to print Katipunan receipts. After this discovery, the locker of Policarpio Turla, whose signature appeared on the receipts, was forced open and found to contain a dagger, the rules of the society, and other pertinent documents. These were turned over to the Guardia Civíl, leading to the arrest and conviction on charges of illegal association and treason of some 500 prominent men.[90]
In another version, the existence of the Katipunan became known to the authorities through Patiño, who revealed it to the general manager, La Font.[76]: 29–31 Patiño was engaged in a bitter dispute over pay with de la Cruz and exposed the Katipunan to La Font, in retaliation.[76]: 30–31 La Font led a Spanish police lieutenant to the shop and the desk of de la Cruz, where they "found Katipunan paraphernalia such as a rubber stamp, a little book, ledgers, membership oaths signed in blood, and a membership roster of the Maghiganti chapter of the Katipunan."[76]: 31
