I 82 THE KATIPUNAN At'ID THE REVOLUTION

was promoted to lieutenant general, Maj. Lucas Catnerino to lieu-

tenant colonel, and Capt. Antero Riel to major.
The Revolution was facing a grave crisis. The Katipunan forces in
Cavite were suffering defeat after defeat with great loss of life.
Magdalo territories had passed to Spanish hands after the Battles
of Salitran, Zapote, and Dalahikan. Imus, the rebel capital, was in
a state of imminent collapse. To strengthen defenses so that they
could stop the Spanish advance into the rest of the province that
was still held by the Magdiwang and to fores tall the loss of more
lives, the Supremo Bonifacio, with the approval of other revolution-
ary leaders, called a meeting of the Magdalo and Magdiwang lead-
ers. This meeting, scheduled for 24 March 1897, was postponed for
the next day because of the death of Lt. Gen. Crispulo Aguinaldo,
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo's brother, on that day in the Battle of
Salitran.
The Magdiwang leaders were waiting for their Magdalo counter-
parts at the Tejeros friar estate house, the designated place, long
after lunch on that day. They had to start in the afternoon to allow
the usual enemy raids, which came in the morning, ·to subside
before they ventured out to Tejeros, a village in the municipality of
San Francisco de Malabon. When the Magdalo group finally came
at about five in the afternoon, they brought with them the sad news
of the death of General Magdalo's own brother. Heading a small
group, General Magdalo recounted the circumstances of the heroic
death of his patriot brother. Then he begged to be excused to attend
to arrangements for his beloved brother's funeral. Thus, the meeting
was put off for the next day at the same place.
But before dispersing, Secretary of the Treasury Diego Mojica
proposed a resolution of condolence and prayers for patriots who had
died heroically like Lt. Gen. Crispulo Aguinaldo. The Supremo
Bonifacio thought this was superfluous and objected to such a reso-
lution. "True love of country," the Supremo argued, "and service to
the cause of freedom for the Motherland are the most noble attrib-
utes that would ensure one's place in heaven. Lt. Gen. Crispulo
Aguinaldo and the comrades who died before him are all truly blessed
and are now in their respective places in the heavenly kingdom.
Moreover, they will always occupy an honored place in the history
of our country."

32
The assembly at Tejeros was finally convened on 25 March 1897.
The invitations to the meeting were signed by Secretary J acinto
Lumbreras of th~ Magdiwang Council, and he presided over the as-
sembly. Seated ,vith Lumbreras at the long presidential table were
 THE KATIPUNAN At'ID THE REVOLUTION 83

the Supremo Andres Bonifacio, Messrs. Mariano M. Alvarez, Pascual

Alvarez, Ariston Villanueva, Mariano C. Trias, Diego Mojica,
Emiliano R. de Dios, Santiago V. Alvarez, Artemio Ricarte, Santos
Nocon, Luciano San Miguel, Pablo Mojica, Severino de las Alas, and
Santiago Rillo, all of them of the Magdiwang. Among the Magdalo
seated at the head table were Messrs. Baldomero Aguinaldo, Daniel
Tirona, and Cayetano Topacio.
It must be mentioned that, before the assembly was convened,
Secretary of War Ariston Villanueva of the Magdiwang Council
received the confidential information that Mr. Daniel Tirona of the
Magdaia faction was set to undermine the proceedings of the assem-
bly and that he had already succeeded in enjoining many among
the Magdiwang leaders to ally with him. Secretary Villanueva kept
silent, but nevertheless alerted Captain General Apoy, who had
troops in readiness for any sudden eventuality.
The leaders were seated at the presidential table, as previously
described, and all the others were standing in groups on both sides
of those seated. After Chairman Jacinto Lumbreras had declared the
assembly open, he announced the main topic of discussion, which was
how to bolster the defenses in the areas still under Magdiwang con-
trol. Presently, Mr. Severino de las Alas rose to speak, and when he
was recognized he said, "Before we discuss minor details, let us first
tackle the major issue such as what kind of government we should
have and how we should go about establishing it. Once we make
a decision about these questions, the problem of organization and
strengthening of defenses will be resolved."
"As initiator of the Revolution," Chairman Lumbreras replied, "the
Katipunan now holds authority over the islands. It has a govern-
ment of law and a definite program. It is obeyed and respected by
all because it stands for freedom, brotherly love, and a well-organ-
ized and well-run government. The purpose of this meeting is to
discuss the best measures to take to strengthen the Magdiwang
government vis-a-vis the enemy. We should avoid surrendering the
headquarters of the Katipunan army should the Magdalo eventually
lose out."
The chair next recognized the Supremo. He concurred with what
Chairman Lumbreras had just said and explained that the "K" in
the middle of the sun in the Katipunan flag used in the Revolution
stood for Kalayaan (Freedom).
Mr. Severino de las Alas spoke again. He countered that the
letter "K" and the sun on the flag did not indicate whether the revo-
lutionary government was democratic or not.
• The Supremo replied that from the rank and file to the highest
levels, the Katipunan was united in its respect for universal broth-
erhood and equality of men. It was risking bloodshed and life itself
 84 THE KATIPUNAN A.l'ID THE REVOLUTIO!(

in its struggle against the king, iii order to establish a sovereign';

and free. government. In short, it stood for people's sovereignty, not
a government led by only one or two. ·
Mr. Antonio Montenegro spoke in defense of Mr. Severino de las·
Alas's stand. He argued that if they would not agree on the kind of ·
revolutionary government they were to have and that if they were
to let the status quo prevail, then they who were in the Revolution
would be no better than a pack of bandits or of wild,, mindless.
animals.
General Apoy was hurt by these words of Mr. Montenegro. He
quickly stood up and looked angrily at the previous speaker.
''We of the Katipunan," he began, "are under the jurisdiction of
our respected Highest Council of the Sons of the People. This Coun-
cil is the defender of, and has authority over, the Magdiwang and
Magdalo governments of Cavite. We are true revolutionaries fight-
ing for freedom of the native land. We are not bandits who rob
others of their property and wealth. Nor should we be likened to
beasts, for we know how to protect and defend others, espe_cially the
political refugees who seek asylum with us. We are rational and we
do not expose those who talk big but do not accomplish anything. If
you want to establish a different kind of government that is to your
liking, you must do as we have done: Go back to your localities and
snatch them from Spanish control! Then you can do what pleases
you; but don't you dare seek refuge among cowards who might call
you bandits and beasts. And for everybody's satisfaction, I am now
ordering your arrest!"
Captain General Apoy stopped speaking and looked intently at the
person he was alluding to and ordered a detachment under Maj.
Damaso Fojas to keep him under guard. After a si10rt while, Dr.
Jose Rizal's sister, Trining, and his widow, Josephine, pleaded with
General Apoy not to arrest Mr. Montenegro, but to let him stay at
the estate house where they themselves were staying. They volun-
teered to be held personally responsible for Mr. Montenegro while
in their custody. Captain General Apoy easily acceded to the
request.
The strong and excited denunciation by Captain General Apoy of
Mr. Montenegro alerted the Magdiwang troops. The leaders eyed
everyone suspiciously and were only awaiting a signal from General
Apoy for them to begin shooting. Disorder ensued and· disrupted the
assembly.
When order was restored, some wanted the convention adjourned,
but the Supremo Bonifacio prevailed upon the others to continue.
However, the presiding officer, Mr. Lumbreras, refused to resume
his role of chairman. He wanted to yield the chair to the Supremo
whom he thought to be the rightful chairman.
 '_JIE KATIPlTNAl'-1 Al'ID THE REVOLUTION 85

?'i-::"The Katipunan, as you know," Mr. Lumbreras explained, "was

itri(f~;p"onsible from the beginning_ for the spread of the revolutionary
J'.i.\<i:'r{bvement throughout the Phihppmes. But because of the disaffec•
:ft:'"--kon of some, this assembly was called to establish a new overall revo•
;f;;,'\,:iutionary council. If we are to pursue this ambitious and important
t:.,_undertaking, only the Supremo has the right to preside at this as-
'.) i sembly, for he is the Father of the Katipunan and the Revolution."

r,:
'(O: _: -Mr. Lumbreras's speech was well received and his proposal was
hnacimously accepted. The Supremo Bonifacio assumed the chair·
' · _roruiship accordingly and said, "Your aim is to establish a new over•
la!!. government of the Katipunan of the Sons of the People. This
-would repudiate the decisions made at the meeting held at the friar
· estate house in Imus. In my capacity as "President-Supremo" of the
·Most Venerable Katipunan of the Sons of the People, I agree and
sympathize with your aspirations. But I wish to remind you that
we should respect all decisions properly discussed and approved in
all our meetings. We should respect and abide by the wishes of the
majority."
Because of a repeated clamor for the approval of the establish-
ment of.a government of the Philippine Republic, the chair proceeded
to prepare for an election to the following positions : president, vice.
president, minister of finance, minister of welfare, minister of
justice, and captain general.
The Supremo spoke again before the election began. He said that
the candidate who would get the most number of votes for each
position should be the winner, no matter what his station in life or
his educational attainment. What should matter was that the can-
didate had never been a traitor to the cause of the Motherland.
Everyone agreed and there were shouts of approval such as, "That
is how it should be-equality for everyone! Nobody should be h igher
nor lower than the other. May love of country prevail!"
The Supremo Bonifacio appointed Gen. Artemio Ricarte as secre•
tary. Then, with the help of Mr. Daniel Tirona, he distributed pieces
of paper to serve as ballots. When the ballots had been collected
and the votes were ready to be canvassed, Mr. Diego Mojica, the
. Magdiwang secretary of the treasury, warned the Supremo that many
ballots distributed were already filled out and that the voters had
not done this themselves. The Supremo ignored this remark. He
proceeded with the business at hand as if nothing unusual had
happened.
When the votes for president were counted, M r. E milio Aguinaldo
won over Mr. 'Andres Bonifacio, the Supremo. The winner was
acclaimed by applause and shouts of "Mabuhay!" (Long live!)
Mr. Severino de las Alas spoke again to say that since the
Supremo Bonifacio had received the second highest number of votes
 86 THE KATIPUNAN AND THE REVOLUTIOt/

for the presidency, he should be proclaimed vice-president of the'

governroent of the Philippine Republic. When nobody signified
approval or disapproval of the proposal, the presiding officer, the
Supremo Bonifacio, ruled that the election be continued. For vice.
president, Mr. Mariano Trias won over Mr. Mariano Alvarez and the
Supremo Bonifacio. General Vibora was elected captain over General
Apoy. General Vibora demurred, saying that he had neither the abil-
ity nor the right to assume the new position. But General Apoy cut
short his objections by saying that he personally vouched for Gen-
eral Vibora's competence and right to occupy the position to which
he was elected. General Apoy's endorsement was greeted with shouts
of "Long live the newly elected captain general!"
Mr. Baldomero Aguinaldo wanted the elections to be finished before
it got too dark. To facilitate the counting of votes, he suggested that
for all other positions to be voted upon, voters should stand on one
side of the hall if in favor and on the other side if against. The sug-
gestion was adopted for the rest of the election. For the position of
secretary of war, Mr. Emiliano R. de Dios was elected overwhelm-
ingly over Messrs. Santiago V. Alvarez, Ariston Villanueva, and Dan-
iel Tirona. After the voters had given the proper honors to the new
secretary of war, they proceeded to elect the secretary of the inte-
rior. Mr. Andres Bonifacio, the Supremo, won over Mr. Mariano
Alvarez. The crowd broke into shouts of "Mabuhay!" Mr. Daniel
Tirona requested for a restoration of order and then spoke aloud:
"My brethren, the office of secretary of the interior is of so great
a scope and of such sensitivity that we should not entrust it to one
who is not a lawyer. One among us here is a lawyer. He is Mr.
Jose del Rosario. Let us reconsider the choice for the last position,
for. he has no credentials to _show attesting to any educational
attainment.
Then in as loud a voice as he could muster, Tirona shouted, "Let
us elect Mr. Jose de! Rosario, the lawyer!"
Greatly embarrassed, the Supremo Bonifacio quickly stood up and
said, "We agreed to abide by the majority vote and accept its choice
no matter what the stati on in life of the person elected. And
because of this, I demand from you, Mr. Daniel Tirona, an apology.
You must restore to the voters and the one they elected the honor
you have only now besmirched."
Then he pulled out his revolver and took aim.
Instead of replying, Mr. Tirona ignored the Supremo's remarks
and, perhaps because of fear, he slid away and got lost in the crowd.
Disorder ensued as the convention secretary tried to disarm the
Supremo, who was intent on shooting Mr. Tirona. The people began
to disperse and the Supremo adjourned the meeting with these
words:
 ·"
~E I(ATIPUNAl'\/ AND THE REVOLUTION 87

1"-.. "'In my capacity as chairman of this convention and as President-

lii}I pupremo of the _Most Venerable Katipunan of the Sons of the People
:tto:.: which associat10n 1s known and acknowledged by all, I hereby
~~~Vdeclare null and void all matters approved in this meeting."
~}~( .;'- Then he left quickly and was followed by his aides and some
"'"''' , others present.
£/ Mr. Baldomero Aguinaldo, the Magdalo president, did not leave
/;. ·-' San Francisco de Malabon that night, in order to convince the
if;'/· Magdiwang leaders to reconvene the disrupted meeting the follow-
;:;. "· ing day. They agreed to his proposal. That same night, rumor had
it that Messrs. Mariano Trias, Daniel Tirona, Emiliano R. de Dios,
Santiago Rillo, and others were in the parish house of the Catholic
church at Tanza (Santa Cruz de Malabon), and that they were
conferring with the priest, Fr. Cenon Villafranca. Many attested to
seeing them, but no one knew what they talked about.
'° On the request of Magdalo Pres. Baldomero Aguinaldo, a meeting
was called at the same friar estate house in Tejeros. Called on the
day after the tumultuous convention, its purpose was to continue and
revalidate the proceedings of the election meeting, to revive their
former alliances, and to restore cordiality and fraternal love in their
relations. Aside from the Supremo Andres Bonifacio, among the
Magdiwang leaders who attended were Messrs . Mariano Alvarez,
Diego Mojica, Ariston Villanueva, Pascual Alvarez, Jacinto
Lumbreras, Santiago Alvarez, Artemio Ricarte, Nicolas Portilla,
Santos Nocon, a nd Fr. Manuel Trias, the parish priest of San
Francisco de Malabon. They waited until five that afternoon, but
none of the Magdalo members came, not even their president who
had initiated what would have been a reconciliation meeting.
That same night it was rumored that the Magdaia leaders were
currently holding their own meeting at the pa rish house in Tanza.
Though it had reason to be apprehensive because the Magdalo were
meeting in territory under its jurisdiction, the Magdiwang leadership
looked the other way because the Magdalo were hard-pressed
for meeting places since its territories had all been taken by the
Spanish enemy.
The next morning, 27 March 1897, eyewitnesses who had spied
on the proceedings revealed that, indeed, a meeting had taken place
at the Tanza parish house and that the Supremo's decisions regard-
ing the election at the friar estate house were not respected. These
revelations surfaced despite denials from many sectors.
At the gathering in the Tanza parish house, those elected at the
Tejeros convention knelt before a crucifix and in the name of the
Holy Father, the highest pontiff of the Roman Catholic church, in-
voked the martyred saints and solemnly took their office. Fr. Cenon
Villafranca officiated. With Messrs. Severino de las Alas and Daniel
 88 THE KATIPUNAl'f AND THE REVOLUTio~;

Tirona as witnesses, the following took their oaths of office: Messrs.'.

Emilio Aguinaldo, Mariano C. Trias, and Artemio Ricarte. Conspicu:'
ously absent was the Supremo Andres Bonifacio, who was not
invited although he was one of those elected to office. It will b1/
recalled that as chairman of the Tejeros convention, he declared nu!] ,
and void all matters approved by the assembly because of a grave ·
violation of a principle agreed upon before the election.
It should be noted here that, unknown to the Magdiwang Council, :
the Magdalo posted troops to guard the Tanza parish house for their :
oath-taking ceremonies. The troops were under strict orders not to
admit any of the unwanted Magdiwang partisans. If the news about
the secret ceremony had leaked out earlier; and the underdogs in
the power struggle had attempted to break into it, they would have
been annihilated then and there.

33
The Spaniards captured and occupied the town of Imus in the
afternoon of 25 March 1897. They left Imus three days afterwards
and marched into the San Francisco de Malahan territory up to the
village of Bakaw. When they reached Bakaw, they were intercepted
by Magdiwang troops led by Supremo Bonifacio and General Apoy.
A pitched battle ensued. But the Magdiwang initiative was foiled
by the arrival of a great number of enemy reinforcements at the
height of the encounter. In the face of such a:n unfavorable situation,
the Supremo decided on a tactical retreat to their fortifications.
General Apoy, for his part, ordered Major Ba]uyot to rally all other
armed units of the Magdiwang army and assign them to the Tarike
fortifications in San Francisco de Malahan.
After the battle, the Spaniards encamped and rested in Bakaw,
but throughout the night they were harassed with potshots from
small Katipunan bands.
Anticipating that the enemy encamped at Bakaw would try to
penetrate the strong Dalahikan fortifications in Noveleta from the
rear, General Apoy ordered General San Miguel to pull out all troops
from Dalahikan and transfer them to some other fort.
On 3 April, the Supremo made a bid to recapture Noveleta. Gen-
eral Vibora and Gen. Santos Nocon accompanied him in the offen-
sive, which lasted the whole day. But despite a fierce determination
on their part and heavy enemy losses, they were unable to dislodge
the Spaniards.
A few days after the Supremo's unsuccessfu1 attempt to retake
Noveleta, fresh Spanish reinforcements began arriving in great
numbers in the open fields to the west of Bakaw &nd along the sea-
shores of Novcleta and Salinas. At nine that morning, artillery fire
 .,.,...
:•, KATIPUNAN AND THE REVOLUTION 89

:ei-.\:ifroro mountain cannons be~an battering the Sa~ Francisco de

qc;":},?a.labon fortifications, extendmg from TeJeros to Tarike. A two-hour
;/Jf;helling was followed by ground attack by cavalry and infantry
f;l(;ifoops.
;;.:::: :'After preliminary skirmishes, man-to-man combat broke out at the
· · Tarike fort. It became a fierce battleground as the rebels made a
viiliant defense. Every head that emerged from either side was
;qi:iickly bashed in or severed at the neck. All that could be heard
'was the rattle of gleaming blades, the burst of gunfire, and the thud
'of bodies as they fell against the earth. Wielding a variety of arms
such as spears, machetes, daggers, revolvers, and rifles, the com-
tiatants locked in struggle and fell together. In one instance, the tip
of a bayonet piercing somebody's middle came out straight through
the back of another who himself had a pointed machete sticking in
his chest. In another instance, one who was mortally wounded by a
sharp dagger inflicted by the other was in a death embrace with his
assailant who was himself killed by the other's gun. Another pair
who fell together each had bayonet thrusts, one through the navel
and the other above the chest. Some had severed heads, others,
severed hands or feet.
General Apoy and the Supremo Bonifacio lost many gallant troops
in this bloody and miserable battle. Among those who died were the
valiant Maj. Pio Baluyot and head soldiers Francisco Arnaldo, Juan
Brosa.s, Lucio Poblete, and Nicomedes Esguerra. The enemy rode
roughshod over their bodies as they rushed into town to raise their
flag of victory and to burn houses.
Very early that morning before the battle, Captain General Apoy
had visited the Tarike fort to boost the morale of the Magdiwang
and the Balara troops. Then at past seven o'clock, they saw the
Spaniards massing a great number of their troops. The command-
ers of the Magdiwang and the Balara contingents thought it was
the better part of discretion if the captain general was not with them
inside the fort when the expected attack took place. Thus, Major
Baluyot and Captain Olaes escorted him across the river to the west
of the town of San Francisco de Malabon.
Gen. Pio de] Pilar and his troops, along with a small detachment
from Imus, came to help in the defense of San Francisco de
Malabon, but for some unknown reason he withdrew even before the
enemy could attack. He made his withdrawal without notifying those
inside the fort.
Coming from Imus and Kawit, the enemy took Noveleta without
resistance. They captured the fortifications and collected Katipunan
arms and ammunition. Coming in and spreading out into the open
fields around Imus, Ka\vit, Noveleta, and San Francisco de Malabon,
they overwhelmed the People's troops with their sheer number. After