EMILIO JACINTO
“KARTILYA NG KATIPUNAN”
BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
Katipunero: Emilio Jacinto. Revolutionary and writer. Emilio Jacinto y Dizon was considered as one of the
greatest military geniuses during his time. He was very close to Andres Bonifacio. Like Bonifacio, Emilio
also comes from a poor family. He was born in Trozo, Manila on December 15,1875. His parents were
Mariano Jacinto and Josefa Dizon. Despite being orphaned, he managed to send himself to Colegio de
San Juan de Letran. He was also able to study law at the University of Santo Tomas although he was not
able to finish it because his Spanish classmates often abused him. Emilio was only 19 when he joined the
Katipunan. He was known as the brains of the Katipunan when it comes to military matters. His book
entitled Kartilya was the one used by the Katipuneros as their guide in fighting the Spanish colonizers. It
contained the constitution and by-laws of the Katipunan. Reading books was one of Emilio’s greatest
passions. One of his favorite books was the one about the French Revolution. He also has in his
collection a book on how to make gunpowder and dynamite. He also learned quite a few things about
the art of war, military strategies and ways of making weapons of war.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE DOCUMENT
Profile of Emilio Jacinto of the Philippines "Whether their skin be dark or white, all human persons are
equal; one may be superior in knowledge, in wealth, in beauty, but not in being more human." - Emilio
Jacinto, Kartilya ng Katipunan. Emilio Jacinto was an eloquent and brave young man, known as both the
soul and the brain of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio's revolutionary organization. In his short life,
Jacinto helped to lead the fight for Filipino independence from Spain. He laid out principles for the new
government envisioned by Bonifacio; in the end, however, neither man would survive to see the Spanish
overthrown. Early Life Not much is known about Emilio Jacinto's early life. We do know that he was born
in Manila on December 15, 1875, the son of a prominent merchant. Emilio received a good education,
and was fluent in both Tagalog and Spanish. He went to the San Juan de Letran College briefly. Deciding
to study law, he transferred to the University of Santo Tomas, where a future president of the
Philippines, Manuel Quezon, was among his classmates. Jacinto was just 19 years old when news arrived
that the Spanish had arrested his hero, Jose Rizal. Galvanized, the young man left school and joined with
Andres Bonifacio and others to form the Katipunan, or "Highest and Most Respected Society of the
Children of the Country." When the Spanish executed Rizal on trumped-up charges in December of
1896, the Katipunan rallied its followers to war. Revolution Emilio Jacinto served as the spokesperson
for the Katipunan, as well as handling its finances. Andres Bonifacio was not well-educated, so he
deferred to his younger comrade on such matters. Jacinto wrote for the official Katipunan newspaper,
the Kalayaan. He also penned the official handbook of the movement, called the Kartilya ng Katipunan.
Despite his young age of just 21, Jacinto became a general in the group's guerrilla army, taking an active
role in the fight against the Spanish near Manila. Unfortunately, Jacinto's friend and sponsor, Andres
Bonifacio, had gotten into a heated rivalry with a Katipunan leader from a wealthy family called Emilio
Aguinaldo. Aguinaldo, who led the Magdalo faction of Katipunan, rigged an election to have himself
named president of the revolutionary government. He then had Bonifacio arrested for treason.
Aguinaldo ordered the May 10, 1897 execution of Bonifacio and his brother. The self-proclaimed
president then approached Emilio Jacinto, trying to recruit him to his branch of the organization, but
Jacinto refused. Emilio Jacinto lived and fought the Spanish in Magdalena, Laguna. He was seriously
injured in a battle at the Maimpis River in February of 1898, but found refuge in the Santa Maria
Magdalena Parish Church, which now boasts a marker noting the event. Although he survived this
wound, the young revolutionary would not live for much longer. He died on April 16, 1898, of malaria.
General Emilio Jacinto was just 23 years old. His life was marked with tragedy and loss, but Emilio
Jacinto's enlightened ideas helped to shape the Philippine Revolution. His eloquent words and humanist
touch served as a counter-balance to the blunt ruthlessness of revolutionaries such as Emilio Aguinaldo,
who would go on to become the first president of the new Republic of the Philippines. As Jacinto himself
put it in the Kartilya, "The worth of a person is not in being a king, not in the shape of his nose or the
whiteness of his face, nor in being a priest, representative of God, nor in the loftiness of the position he
holds on this earth. That person is pure and truly noble, even though he was born in the forest and
knows no language but his own, who is possessed of good character, is true to his word, has dignity and
honor, who does not oppress others nor help their oppressors, who knows how to feel for and care for
his native land."
CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE DOCUMENT
The Kartilya was priced 4 kualta per copy
Miguel Morayta founded Gran Griente Espanal- the grand order to which the lodges are
affiliated
Artemio Ricarte stamped the version of Kartilya in the Philippine Insurgent Records with a seal in
1899.
DECALOGUE OF THE KATIPUNAN (Andres Bonifacio)
(Duties of the Sons of the People)
-It was never published because Bonifacio believed that Jacinto's Kartilya was superior to what he had
made.
1. Love God with all your heart.
2. Bear always in mind that the love of God is also the love of country, and this, too, is love of one's
fellowmen.
3. Engrave in your heart that the true measure of honor and happiness is to die for the freedom of
your country.
4. All your good wishes will be crowned with success if you have serenity, constancy, reason and
faith in all your acts and endeavor.
5. Guard the mandates and aims of the K.K.K. as you guard your honor.
6. It is the duty of all to deliver, at the risk of their own lives and wealth, anyone who runs great
risks in the performance of his duty.
7. Our responsibility to ourselves and the performance of our duties will be the example set for our
fellowmen to follow.
8. Insofar as it is within your power, share your means with the poor and the unfortunate.
9. Diligence in the work that gives sustenance to you is the true basis of love—love for yourself, for
your wife and children, for your brothers and countrymen.
10. Punish any scoundrel and traitor and praise all good work. Believe, likewise, that the aims of the
K.K.K. are God-given, for the will of the people is also the will of God.
RELEVANCE TO THE CONTEMPORARY TIMES
The Kartilya of the Katipunan was one of important part of the organization. It was what made the
Katipunan. The rules and ideologies indicated in the Kartilya became the guiding principles of the
Katipuneros while fighting for the freedom of the country. The Kartilya emphasizes the love of country,
love of one’s fellowmen, and to value honor and dignity through virtuous living. It also encompasses
that the external capacities are not what makes human greatness but the internal.
In today’s setting the Kartilya of the Katipunan serves as one of the foundations that honed the moral
and intellectual principle of the Filipinos. It also serves as a reminder of what our heroes have fought for
in order to achieve the country’s independence from the ruthless hands of the foreign colonizers. Even
though the Kartilya was created during the time of the Katipuneros, the values it teaches can still be
applied in the present time. For instance, one of the rules in the Kartilya indicates that all people are
equal no matter what their external attributes are, and the most important thing is what’s on the inside.
This rule can be applied in the present day where discrimination is rampant. Another one of the notable
rules of the Kartilya asserts the importance of women, therefore they should not be treated as
playthings, instead they should be considered as sympathetic companions in life. Regarding this topic, in
today’s generation the women’s rights are strengthened and are not neglected. Aside from these issues,
the Kartilya of the Katipunan is relevant to the Human rights of the Philippines as a whole.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
EMILIO AGUINALDO
“MGA GUNITA NG HIMAGSIKAN”
BACKGROUND OF THE AUTHOR
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy
1869-1964
Emilio Aguinaldo (1869-1964) was the first and youngest president of the Philippines. In addition to that,
he was also a noted general who played a key role in the country’s revolt against its Spanish rulers as
well as fighting against the occupation by the United States. His military abilities saw him featured
heavily in the Philippine-American War that eventually led to the country’s independence. His time in
power remains controversial as he was both a renowned freedom fighter and a dictatorial leader.
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy was born into the local elite of Cavite on the Island of Luzon in the Philippines.
His father had been mayor of Kawit (Cavite Viejo). The young boy was given a good education, but his
father’s death in 1883 forced him to drop out of high school before he finished. From then onward, he
was employed by his mother in running the family’s farms. He entered politics in January 1895,
becoming “Capitan Municipal” in Cavite.
In 1894, Aguinaldo was inducted by fellow anti-colonialist Andres Bonifacio into the underground
Katipunan movement. This organization was committed to the removal of Spanish colonialism, even if it
meant accomplishing that goal by armed rebellion. They emerged into open rebellion in 1896, following
the execution of vocal pro-independence activist Jose Rizal by the Spanish.
When war broke out between Spain and the United States in April 1898, Aguinaldo made arrangements
with the U.S. consuls in Hong Kong and Singapore and with Commodore George Dewey to return from
exile to fight against Spain. On June 12 Aguinaldo proclaimed the independence of the Philippine Islands
from Spain, hoisted the national flag, introduced a national anthem, and ordered a public reading of the
declaration of independence.
When he realized that the United States would not accept immediate and complete independence for
the Philippines, he organized a revolution against American rule that resulted in 3 years of bloody
guerrilla warfare. He was captured on March 23, 1901, by Gen. Frederick Funston. Funston and several
other officers, bound hand and foot, pretended to be prisoners and were taken to Aguinaldo's camp by
Filipinos loyal to the United States. Released and given weapons, they easily captured Aguinaldo, who
then took an oath of allegiance to the United States and issued a peace proclamation on April 19. The
bitterness caused by the war was soon transformed into friendship as Americans and Filipinos joined to
work toward Philippine independence. Aguinaldo retired to private life, and his son entered West Point
in the same class as Gen. Funston's son.
In 1935 Aguinaldo ran unsuccessfully for president of the Philippine Commonwealth against Manuel
Quezon. After the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in 1941, he cooperated with the new rulers, even
making a radio appeal for the surrender of the American and Filipino forces on Bataan. He was arrested
as a collaborationist after the Americans returned but was later freed in a general amnesty. He
explained his action by saying, "I was just remembering the fight I led. We were outnumbered, too, in
constant retreat. I saw my own soldiers die without affecting future events. To me that seemed to be
what was happening on Bataan, and it seemed like a good thing to stop."
In 1950 he was named to the Council of State, an advisory body for the president, and in his later years
he was chairman of a board which dispensed pensions to the remaining veterans of the revolution. He
died in Manila on Feb. 6, 1964.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE DOCUMENT
Aguinaldo scribbled a lot in his old age. Between 1982 and 1946, he produced in long hand the first
volume of his memoirs, “Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan (1964),” translated from the original Tagalog as
“Memoirs of the Revolution” (1967). In his preface Aguinaldo says the memoirs were based on a diary
he kept, documents he preserved, and family lore gathered from his elders. We do not know whether
this diary is extant or whether a promised second volume of the memoirs were fully written out. All we
have is an account from his birth and early years, ending with the 1897 Treaty of Biak na Bato.
Aguinaldo stated that this event took place in Balintawak, but the late historian Teodoro A. Agoncillio
took the word of Pio Valenzuela and argued for Pugadlawin. Aside from these two places, the other
contenders are: Kangkong, Bahay Toro, Pasong Tamo, Pacpac Lawin and, if we are to believe in komiks,
Pugad Baboy.
CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE DOCUMENT
September 1,1896 - Jose Tagle asks Emilio Aguinaldo to help him in invading the Spaniards in
Imus Cavite.
December 30, 1896 - Jose Rizal was imprisoned in Puerto Santiago, Manila and punished por
Felibusterismo court- martial.
December 30,1896 - the Katipunans in Pateros ask for the help of Aguinaldo to attack the camp
of Cazadores in Tagiik.
March 22,1897- the first meeting of the rebellion government. Aguinaldo was elected as
president. They discussed about the future plans.
March 23,1897- Magdiwang armies sent by Andres Villanueva came from Naic and headed to
Pasong Santol.
March 24,1897 - more troops of Magdiwang arrived and Emilio Aguinaldo was told to join his
brother. Troops were imprisoned in Malabon.
March 25,1897- Spaniards got the position in Pasong Santol.
Execution of Bonifacio brothers: were sentenced to death.
March 10,1897 - Komandante L. Macapagal led the two brothers to mt. Tala where they were
shot.
RELEVANCE TO THE CONTEMPORARY TIMES
Through “Mga Gunita sa Himagsikan”, we can visualize or know how the Filipinos fought for the
freedom of our country. The freedom that we are experiencing today was the major factor that affected
our lives today. Our country needs to be saved from the colonizers and because of the brave Filipinos
who fought for our rights, we gained our freedom from the Spaniards. The Filipinos were enlightened
that they are the ones who should rule their own country and not be slaves of the colonizers. Even
though the Philippines was colonized again by other countries after the Spaniards, the Filipinos still
managed to fight against them.
The “Mga Gunita sa Himagsikan” shows the determination of the Filipinos to get the freedom that they
deserve that the Spaniards took away from them. This determination resulted them to gain what they
are fighting for. In addition, this determination that the Filipinos back then shows that we can really
achieve something if we are determined and will do everything for it which also applies in today's
setting. Their hard work and sacrifices yield to the freedom of our country from the Spanish colonizers.
Today, this freedom that the Filipinos are enjoying were thanks to the fellow Filipinos who fought for it.
Sadly, that freedom was being abused and neglected in today's setting which shouldn’t happen. Being
free in your own country is a great privilege and that freedom should not be taken away again by
another country.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
Proved the rumor that Aguinaldo ordered to execute Bonifacio false
Allows us to see different perspective from Aguinaldo’s insight since people mostly view him
negatively
We aren’t always the kind of people who can’t find back
Helped historians in terms of what governmental system they tried having back then
