The Memoirs of Dr. Pio Valenzuela[1]
On May 1, 1896, after previous notice, a general meeting of the chiefs of the Katipunan was held in sitioUgong under the presidency of Andres Bonifacio. Ugong is a desolated place in the town of Pasig.[2]The meeting commenced at eleven at night in the house of a member of the society.
Before the approximately sixty assembled members of the Katipunan, I presented a motion to the effect that the soliciting of voluntary contributions for the purpose of acquiring arms and munitions from the neighboring empire of Japan be started in order to carry out as early as possible the main object of the Katipunan, which was armed rebellion against the Spanish Government so as to secure the liberty and independence of the Filipino people. After considerable discussion and lengthy debate, the motion was approved unanimously on condition that it first be submitted for the approval of Dr. Jose Rizal, who was at the time an exile in Dapitan, Mindanao.
The meeting was suspended at four o’clock the following morning, May 2. During the suspension of the meeting the assembled men ate their supper, which they should have eaten the previous night but could not as no food had been prepared. After supper and short rest, the assembled men embarked in seventeen small bancasand proceeded to Bitukang Manok River which leads to Antipolo. The meeting continued on that river while the men were aboard the bancas. An election of the man to go to Dapitan to consult Dr. Rizal was held. I was elected. My election was followed immediately by an offer from the members to collect money for my trip. The meeting ended at eleven o’clock in the morning, with the closing featured by two revolver shots - one fired by Andres Bonifacio and the other by Emilio Aguinaldo.
One of these revolvers was the one I had given to Andres Bonifacio; whereas another like it was given to Dr. Rizal as a present when I went to Dapitan. Among those who attended the meeting were Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Enrique Pacheco, Cipriano Pacheco, Alejandro Santiago, Capitan Ramon de Pandacan, Pio H. Santos, Pantaleon Torres, Francisco Carreon, Nicodemus Carreon, Aguedo del Rosario, Candido Tirona, Gregorio Coronel, and Emilio Aguinaldo. I do not now remember many of the others. We returned to Manila at five o’clock in the afternoon.
My Conference with Dr. Rizal in Dapitan
With a round-trip first class ticket which cost me P60, and under the assumed name of Procopio Bonifacio[3], I embarked on the steamship Venus on Monday, June 15, 1896, between 10 and 11 o’clock in the morning, accompanied by Raymundo Mata, a blind man, and Rufino Magos, both residents of Barrio Binakayan, Kawit, Cavite, who were deck passengers. On the boat as first class passengers were three women – Josephine Bracken, Narcisa Rizal, and Angelica Lopez - who were common-law wife, sister, and niece, respectively of Dr. Rizal.
The Venus called at Romblon, Capiz, Iloilo, Cebu, Dumaguete, Dapitan and Sindangan.
We arrived at Dapitan between 5 and 6 on the afternoon of June 21. The Venus dropped its anchor in Dapitan Bay at a spot about 100 meters from the quay and 500 meters from the house of Dr. Rizal.
From the Venus my two companions and I transferred to a banca,the three women to another, and we proceed directly to the house of Dr. Jose Rizal, where we went up between 6 and 7 in the evening. The doctor was not in is house at the moment; but after a quarter of an hour he arrived from the quay and greeted us. Narcisa Rizal made the introductions. In about ten minutes a man appeared with a letter for the doctor who, after reading it, told me that the Spanish governor[4]of Dapitan desired an interview with him in order to learn about his visitors. The Doctor, in a gray cotton suit and a cap, went to the governor’s house. Upon his return he told me that the governor had asked him about the persons who had arrived at his house, to whish he replied that they were a man suffering from eye trouble, his physician (myself), and an attendant, with which information the governor was satisfied.
The night we ate supper together pleasantly, during which the conversation revolved around the small green mango fruits on the table which served as dessert and which to us were preferable and more agreeable than the olives of Europe. We also talked about the birthday anniversary of the deportee in Dapitan, which had taken place two days before, and which, according to him, he observed by taking a dose of fifty centigrams of quinine sulphate owing to a fever which he had.
After supper I expressed to the hero my desire to talk to him in private about a most interesting affair, and told him that the treatment of the blind man was only secondary to the purpose of my visit to Dapitan. We went to his hospital, where we left my two companions, and from there we proceeded to a place between his house and the hospital, which was situated about fifty meters from the house. We sat on a bench and a dialogue, more or less like the following, passed between us:
VALENZUELA: There exists in Manila an association called Katipunan founded on the night of July 7, 1892, as a result of your arrest on the morning of that date. The object of the association is to seek the separation of the Philippines from Spain through violent means. In a general assembly which took place in Pasig on the 1st of May, in which the principal chiefs of the association were present, the following resolutions, among others, were passed:
1. Attract to the Katipunan the educated and rich Filipinos;
2. Collect funds for the purpose of buying arms and everything necessary for the revolution;
3. Send a commission of educated Filipinos to Japan, which will take charge of buying arms and munitions and soliciting the help and protection of the Japanese government in behalf of the Filipino revolutions;
4. Effect the separation of the Philippines from Spain by force of arms, the only way to secure the independence of the Philippines under the protection and help of Japan;
5. Submit these resolutions for the approval of Dr. Jose Rizal, for which purpose Dr. Pio Valenzuela is named to go to Dapitan in order to inform Dr. Rizal of these resolutions and to wait for his answers;
6. In the event that the rich Filipinos refuse to cooperate in this great enterprise, each member of the Katipunan will contribute weekly all that he can possibly contribute.
RIZAL: So, the seed grows. The resolutions of the association are very just, patriotic, and above all, timely because now Spain is weakened by the revolution in Cuba. I approve these resolutions and I suggest that they be complied with as early as possible in order to take advantage of opportunity.
VALENZUELA: But I believe that the revolution will break out prematurely, even without having arms.
RIZAL: This I do not approve. A revolution without arms should never be started against an armed nation. Its consequences will be fatal and disastrous to the country. The Filipinos will necessarily have to lose owing to lack of arms. The Spaniards, once conquerors, will annihilate the Filipinos who show love for their country, employ all obstacles to prevent the intellectual, moral, and material progress of the conquered people, who sooner or later will have to start another revolution. Cuba, which counts with the help and protection of the United States, having failed in her first struggle, paid dearly in the second, and is paying as much in this third struggle now. The Philippines does not reckon yet with the help of Japan. I hope she helps us, because it will be difficult to stage a second revolution after the first fails. When I was in Japan, a Japanese Minister put at my disposal three merchant ships with which to transport arms to the Philippines. I wrote to a rich Filipino[5]in Manila, asking him to lend me P200,000 for the purpose of buying firearms and munitions, but the rich Filipinos refused me the loan. I returned to my native land so that I could unite myself with my brother Filipinos. Being united, we could manage to procure all that is necessary for our emancipation. I see that all of this is now being done by the Katipunan, and all of us should sustain, and work for the realization of, the resolution made in Pasig.
VALENZUELA: May I know who is this rich Filipino who refused to lend you the money so necessary for the health of our country?
RIZAL: Not now, because I hope he, as well as others, will in the end help his countrymen with his money when he sees them united and ready to strike for the liberty of their country.
VALENZUELA: Permit me to explain to you the serious situation in which the Katipunan finds itself and then tell me what is the best solution to the problem.
RIZAL: You may proceed.
VALENZUELA: Those who are associated with the Katipunan number over 30,000, but you have to take into account the fact that many of those affiliated are not yet on our list owing to lack of time to gather the exact data. So many come to affiliate daily in the province of Manila, that I cannot tell you exactly the number of people affiliated with the Katipunan. One day last May a brother of ours was arrested and maltreated by a lieutenant of the Civil Guards in Pasig for being a member of a treacherous society. Since then our brothers in Pasig and Mandaluyong have been coming incessantly to my house and inquiring for the day and hour set for the attack against the Spaniards and the friars. On these occasions I always tried to calm down their inflamed minds. If, for a single brother caught and maltreated by the enemies, our brothers are ready to fight; what will happen if the Katipunan is discovered? There will be many arrests, vexations, and martyrdom of all sorts; and probably those of the Katipunan who will not tolerate such oppression will march to the field before the time is ripe, even if they are not provided with rifles or cannon.
RIZAL: You have to use all precautions to prevent the discovery of the association.
VALENZUELA: And if the precautions fail?
RIZAL: You, principal chiefs, must see that the resolutions of the Katipunan are faithfully complied with; you are duty bound to avail yourselves of all means to prevent the premature shedding of blood. When the generals do not command, the soldiers stay still.
VALENZUELA: The case of the Katipunan is different; if the generals do not give orders, the soldiers will order other soldiers. If the Katipunan is discovered, the revolution will inevitably break out. However, for my part, I will try to follow your advice; I will work so that they will not march to the field except in case of extreme necessity.
RIZAL: Does the association count with its membership many persons in high society in Manila and in the provinces?
VALENZUELA: Unfortunately, no; in Manila and in the provinces, there are about a hundred from the middle class; the rest are poor.
RIZAL: There is no other remedy but to attract to your association all the rich and influential persons of Manila and the provinces. You may avail yourselves of Antonio Luna, who is a very intelligent man, and who has free access to the homes of wealthy Filipinos. Luna, at the same time, can direct the campaign, in case hostilities break out.
VALENZUELA: What shall we do if we fail to attract these aristocratic Filipinos to the Katipunan?
RIZAL: These Filipinos will be your worst enemies if you commit the imprudence of attacking the Spaniards without the necessary preparation. When they see you without arms, they will go over the side of Spain to persecute you; and being Filipinos and rich too, they will win over your soldiers with their money.
VALENZUELA: And what are we do to then?
RIZAL: See to it that these persons are at least neutral – that they help neither the Spaniards nor the Filipinos.
VALENZUELA: Neutrals? By what means can we make them neutrals?
RIZAL: That is difficult to answer now. The means are born of circumstances and events.
VALENZUELA: Changing the subject of our conversation, I wish to let you know that some members of the Katipunan, among whom is Candido Tirona[6], are thinking of taking you out here clandestinely on a ship well supplied with coal and conduct you to Japan through the Pacific Ocean.
RIZAL: If the ship is small, it will lack coal to reach Japan; in which case it is better to send it to nearest foreign port – Hongkong.
VALENZUELA: It will have sufficient coal to take you to the port where you are to disembark.
The doctor invited me to talk on the beach, and upon arriving at a certain place he pointed to a spot in the sea where the boat to take him out to a foreign land may drop anchor. Later, we returned to his house and during the walk the following conversation took place between us:
RIZAL: Tell our countrymen that, at the same time that we are preparing for a war against Spain, I desire to see a college established in Japan which will be converted later into a university for Filipino youths. I shall be greatly pleased to be the director of said college.
VALENZUELA: I shall bear in mind all what you say and counsel, but I believe you would rather direct the revolution than manage the college.
RIZAL: I am ready for both.
VALENZUELA: As soon as we have arms and munitions we shall try to take you out of Dapitan before the revolution starts in order that the Spaniards may not get you and shoot you.
RIZAL: As soon as you obtain arms, start the war against Spain right away; do not bother about me for I will know how to get out here by any craft with the help of the Moros. When it comes to the redemption of the country, you must not look behind for just one man.
VALENZUELA: If the revolution breaks out before schedule and you are still in Dapitan, the Spaniards will hold you and have you shot.
RIZAL: To die and conquer is pleasant; but to die and be conquered is painful.
We arrived at the house of the doctor after 10 o’clock and went to bed.
The following day before breakfast the doctor examined the blind man Raymundo after which he told me that the eyes of the man could not be operated on as the retina had a lesion and was congested. However, he wrote the following prescription:
Potassium iodide ……………………………..3 grams
Distilled water ……………………………….100 grams
To be taken one spoonful each morning.
(Sgd.) Dr. Jose Rizal
Dapitan, June 22, 1896.
The doctor and I went to the bench where we had been talking the previous night. When seated, my two companions started toward us, but I went to meet them and told them to stay in the house, which they did. The doctor invited me to visit the hospital, where we stayed for an hour. In the hospital I found boric acid solution, solution of bichloride of mercury, tincture of iodine, silver nitrate solution, alcohol, and other drugs which I do not remember; a low table and a high one made wood; two beds and some chairs all made of bamboo.
The doctor told me that he used boiling water and alcohol to disinfect his instruments in surgical cases. He also informed me that two of the biggest and most intelligent pupils assisted him in the operation; that he had successfully operated on two Moros, one for inguinal hernia and the other for hydrocele; and that the Moros liked him for his free treatments.
We carried on a rambling conversation, during which he mentioned that his library was in the care of Mariano Ponce in Hongkong. He told me also that at the same time that he practiced his profession, he dedication himself to the instruction and education of the youth whom he taught Tagalog, Spanish, English, and French.
Then he turned to national affairs. He said that if the Filipinos did not do anything for their independence, Japan would intervene in order to obtain it within a quarter of a century at the latest. He asked me who the principal leaders of the Katipunan were and whether they were real patriots. I gave him their names and assured him that their patriotism was unquestioned.
He then spoke to me of the letter had written to the Minister of War of Spain [Marcelo de Azcarraga], through the Governor General [Ramon Blanco] of the Philippines, wherein he applied for a post as military doctor in Cuba, which letter, he said, had not yet been answered. I exercised my objection to his application, telling him that Weyler, the general-in-chief of the Spanish troops in Cuba, might shoot him, being his enemy because of the question arising from the Calamba estate. To this objection he replied that he also might shoot Weyler first. He said that his intention in applying for the post of military doctor was to study the war in a practical way; go through the Cuban soldiery if he thought he would find there solutions which would remedy the bad situation in the Philippines. If he were admitted as a military doctor in Cuba, he explained, he could return to the Philippines when the necessity arose.
We returned to his house and while there he asked me to secure a revolver for him which he needed. I got out my revolver from my trunk and gave it to him. He was pleased with it.
A whistle from the Venus was heard. The doctor arranged for a banca to take us to the ship. He gave me as a gift the “kamuning” cane which he was using, and a bust of wood carved by him. We gathered our baggage, bade goodbye and rode in the banca, which took us to the Venus.
We left Dapitan between 12 and 1 in the afternoon. The Venus returned to Manila, stopping at the same ports previously mentioned. We arrived in Manila between two to three on the afternoon of Friday, June 26. I reported the result of my interview with Dr, Rizal to Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto. They were the ones charged by the Supreme Council of the Katipunan to carry out the recommendations of the deportee at Dapitan. Mamerto Natividad took charge of transmitting to Luna, through Engineer Jose Alenjandrino, the recommendations of Dr. Rizal.
During my trip from Dapitan to Manila the following incidents took place:
A Spanish sergeant of the Civil Guards who was a passenger on the Venusfrom Iloilo died Thursday night of hemophtysis. Before entering Manila bay, I had to issue a death certificate for the sergeant upon the request of the captain of the Venus in order that the ship could enter Manila without quarantine. The captain of the Venus knew that I was not Procopio Bonifacio, a businessman, but Pio Valenzuela, the physician.
At the dock in Manila there was a heated dispute between my companion Rufino Magos and the boatman who took us from the Venusto the dock, the dispute arising from payment made for the boatman’s services. I was then looking for a vehicle, and upon hearing the dispute, I gave three taps with my “kamuning” cane on the edge of the bancato indicate that they should no fight over such a trifle. I then took out one peso from my pocket and offered it to the boatman, but he refused to accept the money, and was left unable to utter a word. Out of this incident my two companions spread the news that the cane which Dr. Rizal had given me possessed magic powers. I placed this cane in the custody of Pantaleon Torres; but one day when he was not in his house, a man from Cavite got it from his wife.
Two Sessions of the Secret Chamber
One day in July 1896, after my return from Dapitan, the Secret Chamber of the Katipunan held a meeting I which two resolutions were approved: one referred to the assassination of Fray Mariano Gil, parish priest of Tondo; the other designated Benedicto Nijaga, lieutenant of the carabineers of the Katipunan, to ask Francisco L. Roxas, Filipino millionaire, financial cooperation as well as any other help he could give in the acquisition of arms and munitions from the neighboring empire of Japan. Nijaga went to the house of Roxas and conferred with him, appealing to his patriotic sentiments to contribute P1,000 for the purchase of arms and munitions. The millionaire refused, threatening to denounce the existence of the Katipunan to the Spanish Government if the members of the association attempted to molest him in the least, and declared further that this armed uprising against Spain was the foolish idea of certain disillusioned Filipinos. Nijaga reported this to the Supremo.
With regard to the resolution referring to the assassination of the Father Mariano Gil, Bonifacio and I attempted to execute it, but owing to certain circumstances which intervened later, it was not carried out. Bonifacio and I, during the moonlit nights of July, between 8 to 10 o’clock, kept watch in the vicinity of the Tondo church waiting for the parish priest to come down from that building; it being his habit to take a walk along the streets near the convent on such nights. Emilio Jacinto, our third companion in the enterprise, fell ill and could not join us. For three nights Bonifacio and I kept our watch, armed with a revolver and a dagger, but during those successive nights the priest did not come down.
On the morning of the fourth day I consulted Apolinario Mabini on the matter, and he told me that if the Katipunan were prepared to stage a revolution, Father Mariano Gil could be killed; otherwise, the revolution of the Katipunan to this effect should not be carried out. He said that as soon as the Spanish authorities discovered the death of the priest there would be persecution, and probably the members of the Katipunan would be obliged to defend themselves; and this, he pointed out, would be the real beginning of the revolution. As the members of the Katipunan were not yet prepared because they lacked arms, Bonifacio decided that the assassination of the parish priest of Tondo should be called off.
In the same month, July 1896, in another session of the Secret Chamber, after it had been informed of the reply of Francisco Roxas, it was decided to draft fictitious documents which would implicate as organizers and members of the Katipunan many rich and conservative Filipinos, and to make it appear therein that Roxas was the president of the association
Bonifacio and Jacinto took charge of the drafting of these documents and had them planted at various places in such a way that upon the slightest search by the Spanish authorities they could be easily discovered. Indeed, at the outbreak of the revolution some of these documents fell into the hands of the Spanish authorities and, as a result, Roxas and other rich Filipinos who were enemies of the Katipunan were immediately arrested.
First Rally of the Katipunan
The first place of refuge of Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Procopio Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Agueldo del Rosario, and myself was Balintawak, the first five of us arriving there on August 19, and I on August 20,1896. The first place where some 500 members of the Katipunan met was the house and yard of Apolonio Samson at Kankong, on August 22. Aside from the persons mentioned above, among those who were there were Briccio Pantas, Alejandro Santiago, Ramon Bernardo, and Apolonio Samson. Here views were only exchanged and no resolution was debated or adopted. It was in the house, storehouse, and yard of Juan Ramos, son of Melchora Aquino, in Pugad Lawin that over 1,000 members of the Katipunan met and debated lengthy on August 23, 1896. The discussion was on whether or not the revolution against the Spanish Government should be started on August 29, 1896. Only one man protested and fought against an early war, and that was Teodoro Plata. Besides the persons named above, among others present at that meeting were Enrique, Cipriano and Alfonso Pacheco, Tomas Remigio, and Sinforoso San Pedro. After the tumultuous meeting many of those present tore their cedulas and shouted, “Long live the Philippines! Long live the Katipunan!”
The first clash between the Katipunan and the Civil Guards took place on August 25, 1896, at Pasong Tamo. The second occurred simultaneously in two places - at San Juan del Monte and at Pateros on the night of August 29.
The Secret Chamber of the Katipunan was composed of only three persons – Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and myself. Its most important accomplishment was the publication of the periodical, Ang Kalayaan (Freedom), and other documents. The Chamber used to meet in my house at No. 35 (later No. 408), Lavezares Street. The last meeting of that body was held in Balara on the night of August 26, 1896. There it was decided that one of the three members composing the Chamber should devise ways and mean in order to put into the hands of the Governor General, Ramon Blanco, the documents drafted by the Chamber in which it was made to appear that the leader of the Katipunan was Francisco Roxas. In fact, Roxas was considered the principal enemy of the Katipunan.
Meeting of Katipunan Leaders with Japanese Admiral
About the middle of May, Jose Moritaro tagawa, a Japanese friend of mine who was married to a native woman of Bocaue, Bulacan, informed me that the cruiser Kongo had arrived in Manila Bay from Japan, bringing on board a Japanese admiral named Canimura, and told me that it would be a good chance to interview the admiral and sound his opinion on the projected Philippine revolution, at the same time informing me that the admiral would go around the City of Manila the following day to pay his respects to the Spanish authorities. I reported this to Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto; and in the meeting of the Secret Chamber of the Katipunan whish followed, it was decided to organize a committee to see the Japanese admiral. To this committee were named the members of the Secret Chamber composed of Bonifacio, Jacinto, and myself, together with Jose Dizon, Agueldo del Rosario, Candido Tirona, Daniel Tirona, Enrique Pacheco, Cipriano Pacheco, and others whom I cannot now recall.
Emilio Jacinto took charge of drafting a message addressed to the Emperor of Japan through the courtesy of the admiral. Informed of the intention of the organizing committee of the Katipunan to give a reception to the admiral, Tagawa courteously offered to serve as interpreter and to introduce the committee members to the Japanese admiral. Early on the morning of the following day Tagawa came to my house on Calle Laezares and told me that the meeting with the Japanese admiral would take place at 10 o’clock that morning, the day after I was informed for the first time of the admiral’s visit. The reception was to take place in the upper story of the “Japanese Bazar” on Plaza Moraga. At 9 o’clock sharp the members of the committee were all at my house at No. 35 (now No. 408), Calle Lavezares. Among those who were there with me Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Enrique Pacheco, Cipriano Pacheco, Jose Dizon, Aguedo del Rosario, Candido Tirona, Daniel Tirona, and Alejandro Santiago. From my house we proceeded to the “Japanese Bazar.”
At exactly 10 o’clock the Japanese admiral arrived, and Tagawa made the introduction and presented to the admiral the message of the Katipunan which had been written by Jacinto. After the customary greetings, Jacinto delivered a brief speech of welcome to the Japanese admiral in Tagalog, which was translated into Japanese by Tagawa. The admiral’s reply touched on the freedom of Oriental nations. He said he was happy to hear of the existence of an association such as the Katipunan, a society of the sons of the country, and that he hoped to see the independence of our country. Jacinto in his speech declared that the liberty and independence cherished by the members of the Katipunan would be realized with the cooperation of the Japanese nation, being the only nation in the Far East which could lend help to the Philippines in the manner that France lent aid to the United States to secure the latter’s independence.
The message of the Katipunan presented by Tagawa to the Japanese admiral for the Emperor of Japan was more less in this tenor:
“The Filipino people greet the Emperor of Japan and the entire Japanese nation, with the hope that the light of liberty in Japan will also shed its rays in the Philippines . . .”
On the afternoon of the same day I handed to Cipriano Pacheco a bas relief with a wooden frame made by a Filipino sculptor whose name I no longer remember. The article cost me P60, and was all of wood. The bas relief depicted a group of Filipinos of both sexes pounding rice in wooden mortars, and women separating the husk from the rice grain with the use of baskets. Cipriano Pacheco took the work of art abroad the cruiser Kongo and delivered it to the Japanese admiral, together with a big basket of ripe mangoes for which I paid P14 at the Divisoria market. The bas relief and the mangoes were gifts of the members of the Katipunan to the Japanese admiral.
Printing Press of the Katipunan and the Kalayaan
On the night of December 31, 1895, a meeting was held at the residence of Andres Bonifacio on Zurbaran Street, near Oroquieta, in Manila for the purpose of electing the members of the new Supreme Council of the Katipunan. The following were elected: Andres Bonifacio, President (re-elected); Pio Valenzuela, Fiscal General; Emilio Jacinto, Secretary General; Vicente Molina, Treasurer; and Aguedo del Rosario, Enrique Pacheco, Francisco Carreon, Pantaloen Torres, Balbino Florentino, and Hermenegildo Reyes, members of the council. At the meeting about 200 members of the Katipunan were present. The entire membership, according to Bonifacio himself, being over 300, about 100 were absent in that meeting. Before the voting, Bonifacio worked for my election as President of the Supreme Council. But as soon as I learned of this, I started working in his favor, and begged him not to work for me the presidency, explaining that it was not possible for me to stay in Manila permanently as I had to go to the provinces. I pointed out that it would be better and more appropriate if he continued to be President; in fact, it resulted that way. On the other hand, I had to accept a post other than that of President, having been elected Fiscal General in place of Emilio Jacinto who, in turn, was elected Secretary in place of Jose Turiano Santiago.
On the afternoon of the following day, January 1, 1896, the newly elected members of the Supreme Council were inducted into office in the house of Bonifacio. After the new officers had taken over their post, Bonifacio requested me to stay in Manila in order to discharge the duties of my new post. I replied in the affirmative on condition that he would give me the printing press of the Katipunan, which he had in his house, so that I could direct and edit a monthly review, which was to be the organ of the Katipunan. He agreed to this.
I returned to my home town, Polo, Bulacan, the following day and stayed there two weeks. I came to Manila and lived at No. 35 (now 408), Lavezares Street, San Nicolas, which was a place where I could reside and edit the periodical. I ordered the transfer of the printing press and all its accessories from the house of Bonifacio to Lavezares street. Looking around for companions to help me print the paper I found Ulpiano Fernandez, a printer of El Comercio, and Faustino Duque, a student of San Juan de Letran, both of whom were from Polo, Bulacan, and, therefore, my townsmen. Emilio Jacinto took charge of editing it. I selected Ang Kalayaanas the paper’s name, and placed the name of Marcelo H. del Pilar as editor. I also put Yokohama, Japan, as the place where the paper was published. The truth is that Marcelo H. del Pilar was already sick in Barcelona, and we used his name as editor of the paper in order to mislead the Spanish government. Faustino Duque, Ulpiano Fernandez, and I stayed in the house on Lavezares Street. Emilio Jacinto lived on Magdalena Street, but he went to Lavezares in the afternoon after his classes, as he was in charge of the work of putting out the periodical.
I wrote the first editorial and handed it to Jacinto for publication in the first issue. Jacinto and our two other companions took charge of printing because I, being a physician and an organizer of the Katipunan, had to go out of the house many times, and therefore had no time to take charge of the printing. Jacinto showed me the proof of the first page and to my surprise saw that the printed editorial was not the one I had given him but another by Marcelo H. del Pilar. It was translated into Tagalog by Jacinto, and was much better than the one I had prepared. I told Jacinto that I almost believed that the real editor of Ang Kalayaan was Del Pilar himself. There were various Bulaquenos who knew the Tagalog of Del Pilar and they declared that the language used by Jacinto in his translation resembled Del Pilar’s perfectly. From then on Jacinto took charge of publishing Ang Kalayaan.
The publication was printed page by page because of the lack of types, especially type for Tagalog vowels. It was similar in size to the present weekly Liwayway,and contained 8 pages only as we lacked materials. We printed 2,000 copies of the first issue for January 18, 1896, and it took about 2 months to finish the printing, the first copy coming out about the middle of March, 1896. The first issue consisted of the Tagalog editorial by Del Pilar greeting the Filipino people from Yokohama, Japan, cordially wishing them solidarity and independence, and offering his life and all he had for their good. After this editorial there was an article by Jacinto taken from the book entitled Las Ruinas de Palmira. Then followed a news item written by me describing the cruelty perpetrated by the priest of San Francisco del Monte and the Civil Guards against a poor barrio lieutenant. There was also an article by Jacinto urging the Filipino people to revolt as the only recourse to secure liberty; and, finally, a poem by Bonifacio depicting the suffering of the Filipino people under the yoke of the Spanish government run by the friars and the Civil Guards.
About the end of March hundreds of people nightly joined the Katipunan in the municipalities of San Juan del Monte, San Felipe Neri, Pasig, Pateros, Marikina, Caloocan, Malabon, and other places. In August, 1896, after the outbreak of the revolution in the fields of Caloocan, the Katipunan had an estimated membership of 30,000. The members were distributed among the provinces of Manila, now Rizal province, Cavite, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Batangas, and Laguna, and in the City of Manila itself. Jacinto signed all Katipunan letters and documents under the pseudonym of Dimasilao or Pingkian; Bonifacio, Agapito Laong Laan; and I, Madlang Away. The rapid increase in the spread of the Katipunan was due to the periodical Ang Kalayaan, as from the time of its foundation on the night of July 7, 1892 to January 1, 1896, according to Bonifacio, the Katipunan did not have over 300 members. In four years there were only 300 members owing to the absence of a good means of propaganda, but from the middle of March, when the first issue of Ang Kalayaan appeared, to August 1896, or a period of five months, the membership increased to 30,000. This was due to the effect of the periodical on the people.
The second issue of the review was never circulated as it lacked the eighth page when the revolution broke out and all these copies were probably confiscated by the Spanish authorities.
The printing press of the Katipunan was dnated by Francisco del Castillo and Candido Iban, two Filipinos from Kalibo, Capiz, who were sea-divers who had lived for some years in Australia. They joined the Katipunan upon their return to the Philippines in 1895 together with other companions whose names I cannot now recall. On learning that the Katipunan needed a printing press, Del Castillo personally and voluntarily bought one from Antonio Salazar of the “El Cisne” bazar on Carriedo street. He donated it to the Katipunan, turning it over to Bonifacio in his house on Zurbaran street. The patriotism of Del Castillo and Iban must have been so great that they, of their own accord spent P400 for the acquisition of a printing press although they were only divers and were not rich. Bonifacio said that the two possessed only the sum of P1,000, out of which they spent P400. These two men returned to Kalibo with P600 left, and as members of the Katipunan they worked there and cooperated with the revolution until both were killed by the Spanish authorities. Not even Emilio Aguinaldo could have shown such a spirit of generosity and sacrifice.
The printing press of the Katipunan lacked types. One day Jacinto had to secure the amount of P20 from his mother, Dona Josefa Dizon, in order to buy some. To meet our printing requirements, we needed many vowels and the letters k, h, y and w.Jacinto went to the printing press of Isabelo de los Reyes to buy type. He selected the letters a, i, u, w, o, k, and h; but as De Los Reyes did not wish to part with only those letters, Jacinto took a little of everything and paid P20 for them.
Four employees of the printing press of the Diario de Manila each night gave me a handful of type. I paid them P1 each, or P4 every day. Besides, Aguedo del Rosario and Apolonio de la Cruz also gave me type from the same printing press and charged me nothing. This supply of type, together with that which went with the press when Francisco del Castillo and Candido Iban purchased it was enough to complete only a page at a time.
On Maundy Thursday, in April 1896, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Procopio Bonifacio, and I went to Kawit and organized a branch of the Katipunan. That branch elected Emilio Aguinaldo as its president. On Good Friday there was a big fire in Manila on Oroquitera and Dulong-bayan streets, and upon our return the following day we found that the house of Bonifacio had been burned. His wife, Gregoria de Jesus, and a son of tender age had moved to my house on Lavezares street. Since then we all lived together in the sane house. His son named Andres (or Antonio?) Bonifacio died of smallpox about two months later.
During my residence on Lavezares street I administered the Katipunan oath of membership to Isidoro Torres, Doroyeo Karagdag, Ramon de Leon, Luis Gatmaitan, and Feliciano Jocson, all of whom worked much for the spread of the Katipunan and the revolution. While living on Lavezares street I also organized many branches of the Katipunan in various municipalities of Rizal and Bulacan, practicing my profession at the same time, accepting my fees from those who gave them voluntarily although I never charged anybody: I also gave medicine to the poor, and even set up a small drugstore on Lavezares street under the care of Faustino Duque, who prepared my prescriptions for free distribution to poo patients.
After my return from Dapitan towards the end of June, 1896, Andres Bonifacio and his wife and I moved to San Jose street. This house is now behind the house of Agapito Francisco, the jeweler. We moved the printing press to another house on Lavezares street (now No. 900) where only Faustino Duque and Ulpiano Fernandez lived.s Emilio Jacinto went there only when necessary in order to keep secret the existence of the printing press.
In August, after the discovery of the Katipunan, the printing press of the association was transferred to No. 6 Clavel street, an apartment which no longer exists today. There is now a house in the same place, bearing No. 712, under the care of Alejandro Santiago. Faustino Duque and Ulpiano Fernandez transferred to San Jose street where Bonifacio lived. I moved from this place to the house of Dr. Anastacio Francisco on Salcedo street, and from thence to the upper story of the “Botica Antigua de Trozo.”
Many of those affiliated with the Katipunan from the various towns of Rizal, especially from the Mandaluyong, Pasig, and San Juan del Monte, came to see me in my house in order to know Rizal’s reply and the day set for the revolution. In order to avoid premature disclosure in Manila, Bonifacio suggested in a session of the Secret Chamber that I keep away from the streets. The Secret Chamber decided to leave the question of where to hide myself at my discretion. Having to hide away from the members of the Katipunan, I therefore, resided first in the house of Dr. Anastacio Francisco on Salcedo Street; and thence moved to the residence of a pharmacist, Maximo Cecilio, in the upper story of the “Botica Antigua de Trozo,” Azcarraga street. I had to hide and leave the practice of my profession, going out in the city only from time to time at night and in disguise. In the daytime, I went to towns far from the capital.
[1]Translated from Tagalog by Luis Serrano. Published in Minutes of the Katipunan, National Historical Institute. Manila: 1978.
[2]The meeting was held on the opening day of the annual pilgrimage to the shrine in Antipolo in order not to arouse the suspicion of authorities regarding the presence of numerous strangers in the vicinity.
[3]Younger brother of the Supremo.
[4]Captain Juan Sitges of the artillery corps who had replaced Captain Ricardo Carnicero as the civil military of that region.
[5]The Spanish-Filipino merchant, Francisco L. Roxas.
[6]Of Kawit, Cavite, who died a hero’s death a few months later in Binakayan after the outbreak of the revolution.
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