Andrés Bonifacio

Who is Andrés Bonifacio?

Andrés Bonifacio was a Filipino revolutionary leader often called the Father of the Philippine Revolution. Born in Tondo, Manila, on November 30, 1863, into a working-class family, he was largely self-educated and worked as a warehouseman and clerk. In 1892 he co-founded the Katipunan, a secret revolutionary society dedicated to gaining independence from Spain through armed struggle. As its Supremo, Bonifacio led the movement that erupted into open revolt in August 1896 with the Cry of Pugad Lawin, when members tore up their community tax certificates as a symbol of defiance. He organized the Katipunan's structure, wrote patriotic essays and poems such as Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa, and rallied Filipinos to the cause. Following internal conflict during the Tejeros Convention, he was tried and executed in 1897 by factions aligned with Emilio Aguinaldo, a tragic end for one of the revolution's foremost figures.

Sources: Teodoro A. Agoncillo, The Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (1956) · Andrés Bonifacio, Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa (1896)