|
DOCUMENTS
OF THE Katipunan |
|
|
|
Andres Bonifacio Letter to Julio Nakpil, April 24,
1897 Source: Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5677, leg.1.129 |
||
|
Introduction On about April
19, 1897 Andres Bonifacio left the friar estate house in Naik
and journeyed some twenty kilometers southwards to the Transcribed below (in the original Tagalog, followed by an English translation) is a
previously unpublished letter that Bonifacio wrote
to Julio Nakpil on April 24, just four days before
his arrest. Nakpil,
a piano teacher prior to the revolution, had been appointed by Bonifacio as president of the Katipunan
government in the “Northern District”, the region to the north and east of
the capital. He worked in tandem with
Emilio Jacinto, the commander of KKK military forces in the Northern
District, and it seems both men moved back and forth (sometimes together,
sometimes separately) in the early months of 1897 between the seat of their
civil administration (“Mataas na
Sangunian”) in Pasig and their military encampments
in the Sierra Madre, including the base near San Mateo to which Bonifacio reportedly intended to head.(2) Many readers of this website will be
familiar with Glenn May’s Inventing a Hero, which amongst other things
doubts the authenticity of various “Bonifacio
letters” dated 1897 that have been published in different forms and
translations since 1917.(3) After Inventing
a Hero had gone to press, Adrian Cristobal included facsimiles of three
of these letters in his book The Tragedy of the Revolution, gratefully
acknowledging their owner, the collector Emmanuel Encarnacion.(4) The three letters reproduced by Cristobal
are all addressed to Emilio Jacinto, and one bears exactly the same address
and date – Limbon, April 24, 1897 – as the letter
below from Bonifacio to Nakpil. This enables the disputed Jacinto letters
and the Nakpil letter to be closely compared, and
beneath the texts that follow I note a number of similarities that strongly
indicate the letters to Jacinto are genuine. Text The original Tagalog text of this letter bears accents in accordance
with the conventions of the time, but these have been omitted here due to the
difficulties of rendering them in electronic format. Words that are difficult to decipher are
followed by a question mark in square brackets – [?] – and
the round brackets are as found in the original – (Laguna) – as are the underlinings. |
|
|
|
› › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sinaguto ito ng ika 30 ng
Abril 1897(5) ANDRES BONIFACIO MAYPAGASA P. ng K.(6) Kapulungan M.(7) Julio N. Nakpil, Giliw, M. na P.(8) ng Sangunian sa dakong Hilagaan Minamahal na Kapatid: buhat sa sunodsunod na pagka-agaw ng Kastila sa
mga bayan ng Silang, Dasmarinas,
Imus, Bakood, Kawit, Noveleta, Salinas, Malabon at Tanza ay siyang kadahilanan ng di ko pag sulat
dian sa inyo. Tungkol sa mailigpit ninyong salapi ay inyong tipunin dian at di nararapat na inyong ipagkaloob sa kangino pa
man, sapagka’t tayo ang nagpadala
ng Poder sa Hong Kong ay tayo ang siyang
mapapahiya kung walang maibigay tayong salapi, sapagka’t ang salaping nailigpit dito ay halos ubos na sa
kagugugol ng mga Pinuno dito
sa kanilang pagkakailangan at Panghihimagsik. Ang mga kapsulang
vacio at mga tanso na inyong natitipon
dian ay inyong itagong mabuti at kasama ka na
darating dian ang mga mangagawa
ng kapsula at kanon. Tungkol sa taung inyong ipinahatid dito na nagngangalan Benito de Guzman ay hindi ko nalaman ang kanyang
pagkawala at kun sa akala ninyo
na iyan ay masama ay inyong dakpin. Ako at sampu ng
mga kawal na nararito sa
Tangway na may dalawangpung Remington at Mauser at mga dalawangpung de piston gayon din ang
may mga isang libong sandatahan ay handa sa pag uwi [?] dian
na na sa
sa labas na ng bayan
ng Indang at tanging inaantabayanan ang inutusan ko dian si M. Antonino Guevarra na makikipagyari
sa inio rian tungkol sa binabalak namin pagsalakay sa dakong Silangan
(Laguna); kaya’t marapatin
ninyong pabalikin agad dito upang
magawa sa madaling panahon ang nararapat. Tungkol sa pagtitipon ng salapi ito’y kung mapasok tayo ng bayan ay madali
na ang pag hingi o pag
samsam sa manga mayayaman. Kinakailangan kayo’y sumirkular sa mga bayan
ng Bulakan at Nueva Ecija na ipakilala
ninyo [?] ang kapangyarihan tungkol sa pamaguitan ng Nombramiento na aking ipinadala sa inyo tuloy
gisingin ang kanilang kalooban sa pag galaw
at huag ikasira ng loob ang
pagkapasok ng Kastila nitong mga bayan ng
Tangway, sapagka’t ang Revolucion sa nangyaring ito ay lalong lumaganap at lumaki sapagka’t tumawid sa mga bayan
ng Batangan at Silangan at marahil tumawid pa ng
Tayabas, Mindoro at Camarines, bukod
dito’y dapat ikatira ang pagkakaayon sa Kastila ng ilang
mga kababayan, sapagka’t sila ang doo’y gagawa
ng paraan papagtananin ang mga sundalong tagalog, ..gaya ng nangyayari ngayon sunodsunod na pag tatanan. Kalakip nito na
inyong tatangapin ang isang sulat
na kasagutan na ipinadala dito ni M. Lucrecio Bachiller, Mataginting sa ipinadala dito na mangyaring inyong ipahatid sa madaling panahon
upang magawa nito ang kinakailangan pag aayos sa
kanyang mga kawal. Gayondin naman
ipinahatid ko dian sa inyo
sa pamamagitan ni M.
Antonino Guevarra ang mga nombramiento ninyo ng inyong Kalihim
at ng kay Gral. Emilio. Tangapin ninyo
ang mahigpit na yakap. Limbon (Indan),
24 Abril 1897 Ang
Plo. ng H. B.(9) Andres Bonifacio Maypagasa H.L.(10) Ang hukbo ng kapatid na
si M. Lucrecio Taginting na dapat mapailalim sa inyong pangangasiwa ay kinakailangang inyong pagsadiain at pagsiyasatin ang mga kinakailangan
nila. Gayon din
kung kayo’y may labis na polvora
ay sila’y [?] inyong bigyan upang sa paraang ito ay huag na lumayo
sa atin. Kalakip na inyong tatangapin ang mga limbag
na tula ni M. Rizal at ang Cartilla ay saka na magpapalimbag kami. Vale This text might be freely rendered in English as follows:- ANDRES BONIFACIO MAYPAGASA(11) Pres. of the Sup. Congress Mr
Julio N. Nakpil, Giliw(12)
Exalted President of the Council in the
Northern District Dear Brother: The successive capture of the towns of
Silang, Dasmarinas, Imus, Bakood, Kawit, Noveleta, Regarding the money you are keeping, gather it
together yourself; you must not entrust it to anyone else at all, because we
were the ones authorized to send it to Hong Kong and we are the ones who will
be embarrassed if we have no money to hand over, because the funds held here
have almost all been spent by the chiefs here on their necessities and the
Revolution. The empty cartridge shells and coppers(13)
you are collecting there must be well hidden by you, and you should
personally accompany the cartridge and cannon workers when they go to that
place. Regarding the person you sent here named Benito de
Guzman, I don’t know about his disappearance, and if your opinion about him
is bad, you should have him arrested. Myself and the soldiers here in Cavite have twenty Remingtons and Mausers and
about twenty percussion rifles; we also have about a thousand volunteer
troops ready to return home there who are now outside the town of Indang and are only waiting upon what was decided between
my emissary Mr Antonino Guevarra
and yourself in relation to our planned attack in the Southern District
(Laguna), so you must send him back immediately in order that we can take the
necessary action as soon as possible.(14)
Regarding the collection of funds here, when we
enter the towns it is easy to solicit or sequester from the wealthy. You need to make your authority known around the
towns of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija, using the appointments I have sent
you; awaken their resolve to be active and don’t let their spirit be broken
by the Spanish advances here in the towns of Cavite, because the Revolution
here is spreading and getting much stronger due to the towns of Batangas and
Laguna crossing over, and perhaps Tayabas, Mindoro and Camarines
will cross over also; this aside, it is necessary to counter the agreement the
Spaniards have made with a few compatriots, because they are the ones who
will find ways to make the Tagalog soldiers desert…like the succession of
desertions that is happening now. Together with this you will receive a letter which
is a reply sent here by Mr Lucrecio
Bachiller, Mataginting(15), which you need to act and convey your instructions
upon quickly in order that the requirements of his soldiers can be
organized. Likewise, I have also sent you there, through Mr Antonino Guevarra, your appointment
and those of your Secretary and Gral. Emilio.(16) Receive a firm embrace. Limbon
(Indan), 24 Abril 1897 The President of the Sovereign People Andres Bonifacio Maypagasa P.S. The army of brother Mr Lucrecio Taginting must be under
your authority and you must be the one who investigates and takes care of
their needs. Likewise, if you have a surplus of powder, please
give it to them in order that by this means they do not become
distant from us. Together with this, you will receive the printed
copies of Mr Rizal’s poem, and we will also be
printing the Cartilla. Adieu Similarities The key
similarities between this letter to Nakpil and the
three facsimile letters to Jacinto inserted in Cristobal’s book (respectively
dated March 6, April 16 and April 24, 1897) are as follows:- Stationery: The notepaper on which the letter to Nakpil is written looks to be the same size, and to have
the same printed letterhead, as the facsimile letter dated March 8,
1897. The letterhead has the name
“ANDRES BONIFACIO” written in a shallow arch above his Katipunan name,
“MAYPAGASA” and his title, “P. ng K. Kapulungan” – Pangulo ng Kataastaasang Kapulungan, or
President of the Supreme Congress.(17) Seal: The seal on the letter to Nakpil, stamped to the left of the signature, looks to be
the same as on the facsimile letters dated April 16 and 24, 1897. At the centre is the Katipunan symbol, the
letter “K” in the prehispanic baybayin
script, from which rays shine out in all directions to the inner circle of
the border. Around the border, between
the inner and outer circles, are the words “HARING BAYAN KATAGALUGAN *
KATAASTAASANG KAPULUNGAN” – “Sovereign People of Katagalugan*
Supreme Congress”. Signature: The
signature and its accompaniments look the same as on the facsimile letter
dated April 24, 1897. Above the name
is the abbreviated title “Ang Plo
ng H. B.” – “The President of the Sovereign
People”. The name is written in a
strikingly distinctive, almost ornate style.
The “A”, “n” and “d” of the forename are written in a regular script,
but then there is a triangle of dots, and possibly the “r”, “e” and “s”
follow in a much smaller superscript.
A line from the final “o” of Bonifacio swoops back leftwards beneath
the signature and underlines the appended KKK name “Maypagasa”. Handwriting: Perhaps,
one day, the paper, ink, language and handwriting of these letters will be
subjected to detailed professional analysis.
I am not qualified in any of these areas, and the decisions about submitting
the documents for analysis are obviously not mine to take. To a strictly amateur eye, however, the
penmanship on the two letters dated April 24 (and the letters to Jacinto
dated March 8 and April 16) does look like it could come from the same hand. At first sight, it is true,
the overall appearance of the two April 24 letters is quite dissimilar. On the letter addressed to Jacinto, the
writing is neater and more densely packed on the page. It is a much longer letter, contains more
detail and was written with greater care.
The letter to Nakpil, by comparison, is a
hasty note. But beyond the variations
in penmanship that may have resulted from speed, posture or whatever, there
are distinct commonalities in the forward slant of the writing and the
shaping of the characters. Bonifacio
liked calligraphy, and traces of his practiced elegance survived in his
handwriting even when he rushed, as for instance in the flourishes that adorn
his capital “I”s , “P”s and “T”s. Content: In terms of content,
there are several parallels between the letter to Nakpil
and the facsimile letter that bears the same date of April 24, 1897. Most notably:-
Cumulatively, these resemblances of style and
substance are so strong that it is now possible to conclude with virtual
certainty that, most, if not all, the letters to Jacinto are
authentic.(23) Notes (1)
Santiago
V. Alvarez, The Katipunan and the Revolution: the memoirs of a general,
translated by Paula Carolina S. Malay (Manila: Ateneo
de Manila University Press, 1992), p.95. (2) Julio Nakpil, Julio
Nakpil and the Philippine Revolution, edited
and translated by Encarnacion Alzona
(Quezon City: Academic Publishing, 1997), p.47. (3)
Glenn A. May, Inventing a Hero: the posthumous re-creation of Andres
Bonifacio (Madison: Center
for Southeast Asian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1996),
pp.53-81. May’s case is examined in
detail in the posting on this website titled Bonifacio's letters to Emilio Jacinto. (4)
Adrian E.
Cristobal, The
Tragedy of the Revolution (Makati City: Studio 5 Publishing
Inc., 1997) pp.146-7. Photographs of
at least one or two of the letters to Jacinto had appeared previously, for
example in Carlos Ronquillo, Ilang talata tungkol sa paghihimagsik nang 1896-1897, edited by Isagani
R. Medina, (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1996), p.43. (5) This note is written at the top of the
letter in a different hand, presumably that of Nakpil
or his secretary. By the date the
reply was despatched, Bonifacio had already been
arrested and brought before the military court in Maragondon. (6)
Abbreviation of
“Pangulo ng Kataastaasang”. (7) Abbreviation of “Maginoo”. (8)
Abbreviation of
“Mataas na Pangulo”. (9) Abbreviation of “Ang
Pangulo ng Haring Bayan”. (10) Abbreviation of “Huling Lagda”. (11) Bonifacio’s Katipunan name, meaning Hopeful. (12) Nakpil’s Katipunan name, meaning Love. (13) “Coppers” in this context probably means
the copper boxes in which gunpowder was transported. (14) In his brief memoir, which he dedicates to
Emilio Aguinaldo, Guevarra (or Guevara) mentions
neither this particular mission nor, in fact, the names
of Bonifacio, Jacinto and Nakpil
at all, a silence which, as O.D. Corpuz sadly
notes, “reflects one of the tragedies of the Revolution”. On April 24, the day that Bonifacio wrote to Nakpil from Indang saying he was anxiously awaiting the outcome of
the critical discussions Guevarra was supposed to
have in the north, Guevarra, according to his
chronology, was actually in or around Indang
himself, and had been there for two days.
Even if he was not in the immediate vicinity of Bonifacio’s
headquarters, he could surely have sent a messenger to convey his crucial
news, and Bonifacio and his thousand men could then
have decided to move off either northwards to the
provinces of (15) Bachiller’s Katipunan name, meaning Vibrant or Sonorous. (16)
Emilio Jacinto. The purpose of
the appointment document may have been to change Jacinto’s
official designation rather than his responsibilities, because he had already
been using the title Head of the Army (“Punong Hukbo”). (17)
Prior to the revolution, the Katipunan’s
highest body had been known as the Kataastaasang Sangunian. It is
not known precisely when or where the Kataastaasang Kapulungan
was constituted in its stead. (18) May, Inventing a Hero, p.79. (19) Jose P. Santos, “Si Andres Bonifacio at ang Katipunan”, unpublished ms (1948). (20) The Writings and Trial of Andres
Bonifacio, translated by Teodoro A.
Agoncillo with the collaboration of S. V. Epistola
(Manila: Antonio J. Villegas; Manila Bonifacio Centennial Commission;
University of the Philippines, 1963), pp.82-91. (21) Epifanio de los (22) Agoncillo, The
Revolt of the Masses, pp.399-402. (23)
Further corroborating the authenticity of the letter
to Jacinto dated April 16, 1897 is Bonifacio’s reference in the postscript of
his April 24 letter to Nakpil to “the appointment
of Gral. Emilio” that he had recently sent through
Antonino Guevara. In all probability,
this was the appointment dated April 15, 1897 of Jacinto as Commander of the
Army in the Northern District (“Pangulong hukbo sa dakong
Hilagaan ng Maynila”), a photograph of which appears on p.186 of Agoncillo’s Revolt of the Masses. For access to this document, Agoncillo
acknowledges the “courtesy of Jose P. Santos”. If Santos owned the original of this
appointment document, the likelihood obviously increases that he also owned
the original of a letter that Antonino Guevarra was
asked to take north at the same time, i.e. the letter from Bonifacio to
Jacinto dated April 16 which was later sold by Santos’s daughter and is now
in the collection of Emmanuel Encarnacion. Jim Richardson January 2006 |
|
|
|
|
|
|