Bonifacio: A Romanticized Hero?

Considered as the de facto national hero of the Philippines.

Considered by some as the first Philippine president as pursued by historians Milagros Guerrero, Emmanuel Encarnacion, and Ramon Villegas.

Several of his literary works, including his correspondence are not actually written by him or are forged.

Founder of Katipunan and served as its leader. Due to lack of military experience, his forces are

almost defeated in its battles in Manila. When Cavite was liberated, he was invited into

the Magdiwang-controlled part of it. Tensions formed between Andres Bonifacio and

Emilio Aguinaldo. When Emilio Aguinaldo won in Tejeros

Convention, Andres Bonifacio, who was elected as the Director of Interior, refused to accept it.

Rivalry with Emilio Aguinaldo signaled the troubles within the organization.

When Cavite was retaken by Spanish forces, Aguinaldo ordered the arrest of Andres Bonifacio.

Court-martialed and was sentenced to death. There are stories that Andres and Procopio Bonifacio were not given a fair trial since they are not given a chance to defend themselves.

Aguinaldo wanted banishment as a punishment for Bonifacio but General Noriel insisted on execution, citing the threats on the organization.

Executed by General Lazaro Macapagal with four soldiers on 10 May, 1897 with his brother, Procopio on Mount Nagpatong, Maragondon, Cavite. They are presumed to be shot. However, there are some issues on this event:

o Bonifacio tried to escape but was still

shot.o Bonifacio was stabbed instead of being

shot. In 1918, the government searched for

Bonifacio’s bones. They found a set of bones in a sugarcane field on 17 March, presumably from Bonifacio, and were placed in an urn and stored in the National Library. They were then transferred to the Legislative Building (now National Museum) and stored with his documents and papers.

The bones were lost during World War II. The authenticities of the said bones are disputed

as late as 2001 by Ambeth Ocampo.

Reasons for Altering History:

Hunger for a hero. As a tool for nationalism. Forged documents are discovered instead of the

real ones.

Positive:

1. Real identity of Bonifacio is revealed.2. New information about the Philippine revolution

came.3. Clearer and unbiased history.

Negative:

1. Offensive.2. History is being reinvented.3. Disputes remain.

Sources: Andres Bonifacio. (2010, June 28). Retrieved July 11, 2010, from Wikipedia, the free encylopedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andres_Bonifacio

Escote, A. H. (2008, April 28). Andres Bonifacio: The Betrayal of a Hero. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from Quazen | Arts, Autos and more: http://quazen.com/reference/biography/andres-bonifacio-the-betrayal-of-a-hero/

May, G. A. (1996). Inventing a Hero: The Posthumous Re-Creation of Andres Bonifacio. Madison: University of Wisconsin Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

Ocampo, A. (2009, May 15). The execution of Bonifacio. Retrieved July 11, 2010, from INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos: http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20090515-205102/The-execution-of-Bonifacio