The Kartilya

of the
Katipunan
KKK
Kataastaasang Kagalang-galang na
Katipunan ng mga Anak ng bayan
Historical context
 The Founding of the
Katipunan
 Andres Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Teodoro Plata, Ladislao
Diwa, Jose Dizon, and Deodato Arellano
Met secretly at a house on Azcarraga (now Claro M.
Recto), near Elcano Street, Tondo, on July 7, 1892
and decided to form a new secret organization called
Katipunan.
Bonifacio saw the futility of the efforts of the Filipino
propagandist and organized an underground
movement against Spain.
The Founding of the
Katipunan

Home of Deodato Arellano at Azcarraga St.

Tondo, Manila when Katipunan was founded.
The Founding of the
Katipunan
Andres Bonifacio Valentin Diaz
The Founding of the
Katipunan
Teodoro Plata Ladislao Diwa
The Founding of the
Katipunan
Deodato Arellano Jose Dizon
The Founding of the
Katipunan
• This was a result of the failure of Reform
Movement in Spain in which Filipinos
attempted to demand reforms for the
Philippines.
The Katipunan
• KKK was a revolutionary society that
espoused independence and freedom for the
Philippines through force of arms.
• Its main objective was separation of the
Philippines from Spain, at the same time, the
development of the Filipino citizens of their
own nation once independence was
achieved.
Katipunan Membership
• The recruitment process of the Katipunan
followed Masonic initiation rites.
• The new members of the society were
indoctrinated with the Katipunan rules an
its teachings that emphasized the value of
love of one’s country and fellow Filipinos.
• New members performs the ancient blood
compact, and signed their membership
papers with their own blood.
Katipunan Membership
• The payment of an entrance fee of one real
fuerte (25 centavos) and a monthly due of
media real (12 centavos).
• Katipun – first grade members – Anak ng
Bayan
• Kawal – second grade members –
GomBurZa
• Bayani – third grade members - Rizal
Kartilya ng Katipunan
• It was penned by Emilio Jacinto
(Pingkian), the greatest writer of the
Katipunan.
• It was printed as a small pamphlet that
was distributed to the members of the
Katipunan.
• Serves as a primer as the primary lessons
for the members of the Katipunan.
Kartilya ng Katipunan
• These teachings are expected from the
members even after the attainment of
freedom from the colonizers.
• The teachings are followed by a form
to be filled out with name, hometown,
age, occupation, status, and address.
 ASSOCIATION
OF THE
SONS OF THE PEOPLE

To those who want to join this association.

In order that all who want to enter this Association

may have a full understanding and knowledge of
its guiding principles and main teachings, it is
necessary to make these things known to them so
that they will not, tomorrow or the next day,
repent, and so that they may perform their duties
wholeheartedly.
• This Association pursues a most worthy and
momentous object: to unite the hearts and
minds of all the Tagalogs (*) by means of an
inviolable oath, in order that this union may be
strong enough to tear aside the thick veil that
obscures thought, and to find the true path of
Reason and Enlightenment.

• (*The word Tagalog means all those born in this Archipelago; even a
person who is a Visayan, Ilocano, or Kapampangan, etc. is therefore a
Tagalog too.)

• One of the foremost rules here is true love of the

native land and genuine compassion for one
another.
• Poor, rich, ignorant, wise – here, all are equal and
true brethren.

• As soon as anybody enters here, he shall perforce

renounce disorderly habits and shall submit to the
authority of the sacred commands of the Katipunan.

• All acts contrary to noble and clean living are

repugnant here, and hence the life of anyone who
wants to affiliate with this Association will be
submitted to a searching investigation.
If the applicant merely wishes to know the secrets
of the Association, or to seek personal
gratification, or to know who is here in order to sell
them for a handful of silver, he cannot proceed, for
here the many who are watching him will already
know his intentions, and will immediately have
recourse to an effective remedy, such as befits
traitors.

Here, only actions are demanded and esteemed;

hence anybody who is not willing to act should
not enter, no matter how good a speaker he
might be.
• It is also announced that the duties to be
performed by the members of this association are
exceedingly hard, especially if one remembers
that there can be no dereliction or willful
(abandonment)

evasion (escape) of duty without the exaction of a

terrible punishment.

• If an applicant merely desires financial support

relief or wants to lead a life of bodily comfort
and ease, he had better not proceed, for he will
encounter weighty tasks, like the protection of
the oppressed and the relentless fight against
all that is evil. In this way, his fate will be a
vexatious(distressing) life.
• Nobody is unaware of the misfortune that threatens
the Filipinos who contemplate these things that are
sacred (and even those that are not) and the
sufferings they are made to endure by the reign of
cruelty, injustice and evil.

• Everybody also knows the need for money, which

today is one of the main things upon which we
depend to bring sustenance to all. In this regard,
the punctual payment of dues is required: one peso
upon entry and then twelve and a half centimos
each month. The custodian of the funds will
periodically render an account to the members, and
each member has a right to examine the accounts,
should he so wish. The funds cannot be expended
without the consent of the majority.
All this must be thought over and deliberated
upon calmly, as it cannot be accomplished or
endured by anyone who has no love for his
native land and no genuine desire to promote
progress.

And for the upliftment of your mind and

virtue, read the following:
 TEACHINGS OF THE
KATIPUNAN OF THE SONS OF THE PEOPLE

(1) A life that is not dedicated to a great and sacred

cause is like a tree without a shade, or a poisonous
weed.

(2) A good deed lacks virtue if it springs from a desire

for personal profit and not from a sincere desire to do
good.

(3) True charity resides in acts of compassion, in love

for one’s fellow men, and in making true Reason the
measure of every move, deed and word.
(4) Be their skin dark or pale, all men are equal. One can
be superior to another in knowledge, wealth and beauty...
but not in being.

(5) A person with a noble character values honor above

self-interest, while a person with an ignoble character
values self-interest above honor.

(6) An honorable man’s word is his bond.

(7) Don’t waste time; lost wealth may be recovered, but

time lost is lost forever.

(8) Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor.

(9) An intelligent man is he who takes care in
everything he says and keeps quiet about what must
be kept secret.

(10) Along the thorny path of life, the man leads the
way and his wife and children follow. If the leader
goes the way of perdition, then so do those who are
led.

(11) Do not regard a woman as a mere plaything, but

as a helpmate and partner in the hardships of this
existence. Have due regard to her weakness, and
remember the mother who brought you into this
world and nurtured you in your infancy.
(12) What you would not want done to your wife,
daughter and sister, do not do to the wife, daughter
and sister of another.

(13) A man’s worth does not come from him being a

king, or in the height of his nose and the whiteness of
his face, or in him being a priest, a
REPRESENTATIVE OF GOD, or in his exalted
position on the face of this earth. Pure and truly noble
is he who, though born in the forest and able to speak
only his own tongue, behaves decently, is true to his
word, has dignity and honor, who is not an oppressor
and does not abet oppressors, who knows how to
cherish and look after the land of his birth.
When these doctrines have spread and the
brilliant sun of beloved liberty shines on these
poor Islands, and sheds its sweet light upon a
united race, a people in everlasting happiness,
then the lives lost, the struggle and the
suffering will have been more than
recompensed.
If the applicant understands all this, and believes he will be able to fulfil these duties, he should put his request
in writing, as follows:

TO THE PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE OF _____________________________________________

I, _____________________________________________

NATIVE OF THE TOWN OF ______________________________

PROVINCE OF _________________________MY AGE

IS___________YEARS, OCCUPATION_____________________

MARITAL STATUS____________________________AND RESIDENT

AT ____________________STREET OF ________________________

Having fully understood the principles and teachings proclaimed by the Katipunan of the Sons of the People, I
wish with heart and soul to become a member. Respectfully, therefore, I beg to be deemed worthy of admission
and to be counted as one of the sons of the association, and I pledge to comply with its teachings and submit to
its Orders.

[Sgd.]

the ____________of the month of _________________

____________________of the year 189__.

Entrance fee has been paid.

THE TREASURER
Discovery
• Teodoro Patiño and Apolonio dela Cruz
were engaged in a bitter personal dispute.
Patiño deciding to seek revenge, exposed the
secrets of the Katipunan to his sister who
was a nun, who in turn revealed it to a
Spanish priest, Father Mariano Gil. The
priest was led to the printing press of Diario
de Manila and found lithographic and secret
documents.
Relevance
• It established the rules not only for the
members of the Katipunan but the principles
for the citizens of a nation once
independence had been achieved.
• Though written in the 19th century, the
Kartilya is significant to the lives of modern
Filipinos as it reads like a simple creed for
living in the light of the many changes
occurring in the present.
On the Philippine
Revolution of 1896
Historical
Context
Causes of Philippine
Revolution
– Abuses of the Spanish officials
– Failure of Spain to grant reforms asked by the people
– Persecution of oppressed people
– Racial prejudice and discrimination against the
people
– Desire to regain independence which their ancestors
enjoyed.
■ The first battle of the revolution took place in San
Juan del Monte at the dawn of August 30, 1896.
■ With less than 1,000 men, Bonifacio attacked the
Spanish garrison.
■ It is also know as the Battle of Pinaglabanan.
■ The revolution spread to several Luzon provinces
nearby. This prompted Governor-General Ramon
Blanco to place the first 8 provinces (Manila,
Laguna, Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, Pampanga,
Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija) to revolt against Spain
under Martial Law.
The Rise of Aguinaldo
• With the revolutionary
group led by Emilio
Aguinaldo, the province
of Cavite became a hotbed
for the revolution.
• He joined the Katipunan in
1894 and adopted the
name Magdalo.
• He had strings of victories
starting with the Battle of
Imus.
The Rise of Aguinaldo
• The Magdiwang faction, led by Mariano
Alvarez (Bonifacio’s uncle), recognize Bonifacio
as supreme leader, being the founder.

• The Magdalo faction led by Baldomero

Aguinaldo (Aguinaldo’s cousin) agitated for
Aguinaldo to be the organization’s head because
of his success in the battle field, Bonifacio
meanwhile has succession of defeat.
The Rise of Aguinaldo
• The greatest victory of Filipino arms was won by
Aguinaldo in Binakayan, Cavite (Battle of
Binakayan).
• It fanned the flames of revolution and thousands
of patriots for Bataan, Mindoro, Zambales, and
Ilocos joined the revolutionary cause.
Bonifacio-Aguinaldo
Rivalry
• In the middle of revolution, a bitter rivalry between
the two leaders developed.
• A split occurred in the ranks of the revolutionist, the
Magdiwangs and the Magadalos.
• Aguinaldo’s troops gave no help to the Magdiwang,
in retaliation, Bonifacio’s men did not come to aid
when Magdalo towns were under attack by Spanish
forces.
Tejeros Convention
• In order to unite the Katipunan in Cavite, the
Magdalo invited Bonifacio to come to Cavite and
agreed to form a Revolutionary Government
(Pamahalaang Paghihimagsik) to replace the
Katipunan and continue the struggle.

• On March 22, 1897, a meeting was held in Tejeros

that called for the election of officers of the
Revolutionary Government.
Tejeros Convention
• The session opened under the presidency of Jacinto
Lumberas. After a heated discussion with the other
members, Bonifacio reluctantly chaired the election.
• Bonifacio was confident that he would be elected
President, called for election results to be respected.
Tejeros Convention

President: Emilio Aguinaldo Vice-President: Mariano Trias

Tejeros Convention

Captain General: Artemio Ricarte Secretary of War: Emiliano Riego

de Dios
Tejeros Convention
Secretary of Interior: Andres
Bonifacio

Daniel Tirona objected the

election of Bonifacio and said that
the position should be occupied by
a more suitable person, a lawyer,
specifically Jose del Rosario.
Tejeros Convention
• Having lost his leadership, Bonifacio angrily
walked out of the Tejeros Assembly. He defies the
Revolutionary Government which the patriots
established by majority vote.
• Aguinaldo won the presidency despite of being
absent in the assembly, and was away fighting is
Pasong Santol.
• Bonifacio angrily walked out of the Tejeros
Assembly, and declared the election null and void.
Tejeros Convention
• Bonifacio defies the Revolutionary Government
which the patriots established by majority vote.
• In a letter written by Bonifacio to Jacinto, he
stated that “even before the elections were made,
some of those from Imus had secretly spread the
word that it was not good for them to be under the
leadership of someone from another province. It
was for this reason Captain Aguinaldo was
elected President”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMpg6Zg5NvQ
Xiao Talks: Sampung paglilinaw ukol sa Himagsikang
Pilipino (Rebolusyon) -- Philippine Revolution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm-Imijzi5M
Xiao Talks: An Introduction to Revolts, Bonifacio and the
Phil. Revolution (A Rare Talk in English)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cP87hw3GnV8
Xiao Time: Via Crucis, Ang Wakas ng Pangulong Andres
Bonifacio