November 30 is Bonifacio Day in the Philippines. Like much of our islands colonized history much of remains murky and controversial. As with Andres Bonifacio, aka Maypagasa - katipunero, revolutionary, hero - Father of the Philippine Revolution.
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| Andres Bonifacio - graphic by Renz Bautista for Rappler Magazine |
Was he really the first president of the Philippines? Was he unjustly killed by fellow rival Emilio Aguinaldo? After all we do have a long running history of jealous politicos killing their competition.
Currently the Philippines struggles under a failing Duterte deathly afraid of his highly capable and hardworking vice president. In typical macho bully behavior, he hides and does not do his work but threatens Robredo, warning her not to compete.
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| A graphic novel of the life and times of Andres Bonifacio |
Back to our hero Bonifacio – a true leader of the masses. Bonifacio and his siblings rose to lower middle class status after their parents death. His first wife [only known as Monica] died of leprosy and he married second wife Gregoria de Jesus, they had one son, his junior who dies of smallpox in infancy.
The Katipunan was a secret society of revolutionaries. The final test to be a katipunero was a blood compact [sandugo], the Katipunan’s way of making brotherhood their own by writing their oath in their own blood.
Upon their initiation and induction into the group they chose a symbolic name for themselves. El Supremo chose the code name may pag-asa - there is hope.
It has been argued that Bonifacio is a better writer than Jose Rizal because his works - dubbed “akdang Katipunero” - were easier for the masses to understand than the writings of the ilustrados.
“Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Bayan (Love of Fatherland)” is a compelling poem of Bonifacio about love for the nation - an ideology at the very core of the Philippine revolution.
Today, labor groups in the Philippines expect things to run smoothly as they launch Bonifacio Day protests in Metro Manila.
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| Sandugo - graphic by Renz Bautista for Rappler Magazine |
Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya What love can be purer and greater
Sa pagkadalisay at pagkadakila than purity and greatness,
Gaya ng pag-ibig sa tinubuang lupa? as the love of home land?
Aling pag-ibig pa? Wala na nga, wala. What love? No other love, none.
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