• The Philippine revolution is a critical event in the

history of the Philippines.

• Andres Bonifacio was one of the prominent leaders

and founders of the nationalist Katipunan society.
Bonifacio led the attack on the Spanish and was
active in many revolutionary events, which
together contributed to the Philippine revolution.
Andres Bonifacio Life History

• Bonifacio is considered the “Father of the Philippine Revolution”

after he spearheaded the establishment of the secret
revolutionary movement “Katipunan” to fight Spanish colonization
in 1892.

• Andres Bonifacio, (born Nov. 30, 1863, Manila—died May 10, 1897,
Mt. Buntis), Philippine patriot, founder and leader of the nationalist
Katipunan society, who instigated the revolt of August 1896
against the Spanish.
• Bonifacio was born of poor parents in Manila and had little formal education,
working as a messenger and warehouse keeper before becoming involved in
revolutionary activity. He was, however, well-read. Unlike the nationalist poet
and novelist José Rizal, who wanted to reform Spanish rule in the Philippines,
Bonifacio advocated complete independence from Spain. In 1892 he founded
the Katipunan in Manila, modelling its organization and ceremony on that of
the Masonic order. The Katipunan at first grew slowly, but by 1896 it had an
estimated 100,000 members and branches not only in Manila but also in
central Luzon and on the islands of Panay, Mindoro, and Mindanao. Its
members were mostly workers and peasants; the urban middle class
supported reform rather than revolution.
• In August 1896 Bonifacio led the long-planned insurrection on Luzon;
but his forces were defeated by Spanish troops, and he was forced to
retreat to Montalban in the north, while Emilio Aguinaldo, one of his
lieutenants, carried on resistance. As the Spanish systematically
routed the insurrectors, it became increasingly clear that Bonifacio
was an ineffective military leader. In March 1897 a convention at
Tejeros named Aguinaldo, rather than Bonifacio, president of a new
Philippine republic. Refusing to recognize the convention, Bonifacio
tried to establish his own rebel government. In April 1897 Aguinaldo
had Bonifacio arrested and tried for treason; he was executed by a
firing squad.
Philippine Revolution
• The Philippine Revolution was a conflict waged by the Filipino
revolutionaries against the Spanish colonial authorities in an attempt
to win the archipelago's independence.

• The Philippine Revolution began on August 24, 1896, when the

Spanish authorities discovered the Katipunan, an anticolonial secret
organization. The Katipunan, led by Andrés Bonifacio, began to
influence much of the Philippines, taking full advantage of Spanish
failures against Cuban nationalists in 1895 and declaring Spain a
weakened empire. During a mass gathering in Caloocan, the leaders
of the Katipunan organized into a revolutionary government, named
the newly established government "Haring Bayang Katagalugan",
and openly declared a nationwide armed revolution.
• Bonifacio called for an attack on the capital city of Manila.
This attack failed; however, the surrounding provinces
began to revolt. In particular, rebels in Cavite led by
Mariano Álvarez and Baldomero Aguinaldo (who were
leaders from two different factions of the Katipunan) won
early major victories. A power struggle among the
revolutionaries led to a schism among Katipunan
leadership followed by Bonifacio's execution in 1897, with
command having shifted to Emilio Aguinaldo, who led the
newly formed revolutionary government. That year,
revolutionaries and the Spanish signed the Pact of Biak-
na-Bato, which temporarily reduced hostilities. Filipino
revolutionary officers exiled themselves to Hong Kong.
However, the hostilities never completely ceased.
• On April 21, 1898, after the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor and prior to its
declaration of war on April 25, the United States launched a naval blockade of the
Spanish island of Cuba, off its southern coast of the peninsula of Florida. This was the
first military action of the Spanish–American War of 1898.On May 1, the U.S. Navy's
Asiatic Squadron, under Commodore George Dewey, decisively defeated the Spanish
Navy in the Battle of Manila Bay, effectively seizing control of the area surrounding
Manila. On May 19, Aguinaldo, unofficially allied with the United States, returned to the
Philippines and resumed attacks against the Spaniards. By June, the rebels had gained
control of nearly all of the Philippines' countryside, while the cities remained under
Spanish control. On June 12, Aguinaldo issued the Philippine Declaration of
Independence. Although this signified the end date of the revolution, neither Spain nor
the United States recognized Philippine independence.
• The Spanish rule of the Philippines officially ended with
the Treaty of Paris of 1898, which also ended the
Spanish–American War. In the treaty, Spain ceded
control of the Philippines and other territories to the
United States. There was an uneasy peace around
Manila, with the U.S. forces controlling the city and the
weaker Philippines forces surrounding them.
• On February 4, 1899, in the Battle of Manila, fighting
broke out between the Filipino and American forces,
beginning the Philippine–American War. Aguinaldo
immediately ordered "that peace and friendly relations
with the Americans be broken and that the latter be
treated as enemies". In June 1899, the nascent First
Philippine Republic formally declared war against the
United States, in which the Americans prevailed.

• As a result of the war, the Philippines became

commonwealth under the U.S. and would not become
an internationally recognized independent state until
1946.
What are the aims of the Katipunan?
• The Katipunan had three primary aims – political, moral,
and civic.

• The political aim was total independence of the Philippines

from Spain.
• The moral aim was education for the Filipinos specifically
when it comes to cleanliness, fine morals, good manners, and
how to guard themselves against religious fanaticism.
• The civic aim was for the Filipinos to be encouraged to help
themselves and to defend the poor and the oppressed.
What is Katipunan’s role in the
Philippine Revolution?
• Katipunan played a major role in the Philippine’s
revolution. And no mention of Katipunan is
complete without Bonifacio’s name attached to it.

• Katipunan and Bonifacio became synonymous

mainly because of the Supremo’s willingness to
give his life for his country’s freedom.

• But along with Bonifacio, let us not forget the other

heroes who fought in the Philippine revolution. All
their lives became a sacrifice for their beloved
Pearl of the Orient.

• And it’s a sacrifice that Filipinos are eternally

grateful for.
Philippine Revolution: Important
Notes
• The Philippine Revolution awakened a proud sense of
nationalism among the Filipinos. The revolution aimed to
resist colonialism and this aim brought together people
from different backgrounds. The revolution started in
1896 and was majorly against Spanish authorities. The
revolution ended when Spain conceded the Philippines to
the United States.
Beginning of the Revolution
• The beginning of the revolution is attributed to a secret organization,
called the Katipunan. Andres Bonifacio was the head of the
organization and the head as well as his followers were influenced by
the literary works that exposed the cruelties of Spanish colonizers.
The organization was able to attract people from the lower as well as
middle classes to revolt against Spain. The organization continued to
carry out its activities in a secret manner, but the Spanish authorities
were able to find them in August 1896. This is what started the
revolution
Progression of Revolution
• After the discovery of the Katipunan, the Spanish authorities
conducted several searches to identify and arrest the members of
the organization. At this time, Bonifacio and his followers were
planning a nationwide revolt and this led to the “Cry of Pugad
Lawin” wherein several revolutionaries took part. In this
movement, the tax certificates were torn apart by the
revolutionaries to symbolize their fight against Spain.

• The head of the Katipunan also planned an attack on Milan, but he

and his followers were defeated because of the large number of
Spanish authorities as well as the arms they possessed. However,
Bonifacio continued with his revolt and the revolt also flared up in
neighboring provinces.
Problems During the Revolution
• One of the major problems of the revolution was that the
members of the Katipunan also fought amongst themselves. The
organization got divided into two councils; Magdiwang and
Magdalo and this gave rise to leadership disputes. To settle the
leadership disputes, the Tejeros Convention was established. In
the makeshift election, Bonifacio lost to Aguinaldo.

• In Naic, Cavite, Bonifacio established a rival government and

planned a coup. He was arrested and later executed. Aguinaldo
proposed an end to revolution by surrendering the weapons to
revolutionaries, an exile for leaders, and payment to the
revolutionaries. While the movement came to an end, the
Philippines was still not independent.
Declaration of Independence
• The year 1898 marked the second phase of the Philippine
Revolution. The Americans declared war against Spain after
a U.S. Navy warship exploded and sunk in Havana harbor.
U.S. Navy was able to defeat Spain in Manila and the United
States gained control of the capital of the Philippines.

• Aguinaldo became friendly with the Americans and on June

12, 1898, the Philippines was declared independent. In
December of the same year, Spain conceded the Philippines
to the Americans and the Philippines again had not exactly
become independent.
Important Notes
• The Philippine Revolution started to gain independence for the
Philippines.
• The Spanish authorities controlled the Philippines and their
defeat by the United States led to the concession of the
Philippines to the United States, thereby not making the
Philippines independent.
• The revolution started when a secret organization of
revolutionaries, called Katipunan was discovered by the Spanish
authorities.
• The revolution was weak majorly because the leaders of the
organization did not think on the same lines and there were
disputes associated with the leadership of the organization
References:
• Torres, Jose Victor. Batis Sources in the Philippine
History. 2018
• Agoncillo, Teodoro A. & Mangahas, Fe B. Philippine
History. 2010
• https://studiousguy.com/philippine-revolution-essay-imp
ortant-notes/
• https://ideapod.com/how-katipunan-became-the-
catalyst-that-sparked-the-philippine-revolution/