50 Fun Facts About Andrés Bonifacio

Andrés Bonifacio is popularly known by what title?

Mabini was the "Brains" and "Sublime Paralytic"; Bonifacio is also often called the Great Plebeian.

In which district of Manila was Bonifacio born in 1863?

He was the first of six children of Santiago Bonifacio and Catalina de Castro.

Bonifacio was named after which saint, on whose feast day he was born?

That saint is the patron of Manila; the feast day is now Bonifacio Day.

As a boy, what did Bonifacio make and sell with his siblings to support the family?

He also painted posters for business firms, which grew into a family business.

Bonifacio worked as a broker for which British trading firm?

He later moved to the German firm Fressell and Company as a warehouse keeper, and picked up some English along the way.

Which Tagalog folk hero did Bonifacio often portray as an amateur theatre actor?

Legend says the hero is trapped between two mountains in Montalban, near where Bonifacio later fought.

Which Victor Hugo novel was among the books the self-taught Bonifacio read?

He also read about the French Revolution, biographies of U.S. presidents, and Rizal's two novels.

What was the name of Bonifacio's second wife, nicknamed "Oriang"?

She was from Caloocan and became a leading member of the Katipunan once women were admitted.

Why did his future in-laws initially object to Bonifacio?

They relented; the couple married at Binondo Church and again the same day in Katipunan rites.

Bonifacio's first wife, Mónica, died of which disease?

His only child with Gregoria, a son also named Andrés, died of smallpox in infancy in 1896.

Bonifacio was a founding member of which reformist organisation set up by Rizal in 1892?

It disbanded after a single meeting when Rizal was deported to Dapitan; Bonifacio helped revive it.

On what date in 1892 was the Katipunan officially founded?

It was the night after Rizal's banishment was announced, though documents hint the society existed as early as January.

What pseudonym did Bonifacio use inside the Katipunan?

It means "There is Hope"; Dimasalang and Laong Laan were Rizal's pen names, Pingkian was Jacinto's.

Bonifacio was the third head of the Katipunan. Who were the first two?

Before becoming Supreme President in 1895 he served as the society's comptroller and then fiscal.

Who was Bonifacio's adviser and confidant, author of the Kartilya primer?

Bonifacio adopted the Kartilya over his own Decalogue, judging his own work inferior.

What was the name of the Katipunan newspaper, which printed only one issue?

Its March 1896 appearance sent membership soaring from under 300 to 30,000–40,000 by August.

Under what pen name did Bonifacio publish the poem "Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa"?

Plaridel was Marcelo H. del Pilar and Taga-Ilog was Antonio Luna.

Whom did Bonifacio send to Dapitan in 1896 to consult Rizal about starting the revolution?

Rizal said the revolt was premature and suggested they seek the leadership of Antonio Luna.

Disguised as what did Bonifacio, Jacinto and Masangkay approach Rizal's ship in 1896?

Rizal, quarantined aboard en route to Cuba, turned down their rescue offer and was later executed.

The Katipuneros signalled the start of the revolt by tearing up what?

The event is called the Cry of Balintawak or Cry of Pugad Lawin; its exact date and place are still disputed.

Bonifacio's manifesto of the 28th ordered all towns to rise on which day of August 1896?

He signed the manifesto "Mount of Liberty"; he personally led an attack on a Manila suburb the day after the set date.

Bonifacio's first big battle targeted the powder magazine and reservoir of which town?

Outnumbered Spanish defenders held on until reinforcements arrived and drove the rebels back with heavy losses.

What did Bonifacio call his proclaimed nation-state, meaning "Sovereign Tagalog Nation"?

He used "Tagalog" to mean everyone born in the islands, which is why some call him the first President.

Whom did Bonifacio commission late in 1896 to compose a national anthem?

The result was "Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan"; Felipe later wrote the anthem adopted under Aguinaldo.

Which province was Bonifacio's own rebel command among the three centres of late 1896?

Cavite was under the Álvarez and Aguinaldo factions and Bulacan under Mariano Llanera.

In the retreat from San Mateo, Bonifacio was nearly killed shielding whom from a bullet?

The bullet grazed his collar; Jacinto was his secretary and right-hand man.

Which two rival Katipunan factions in Cavite invited Bonifacio to mediate?

The Magdalo was led by Aguinaldo's cousin Baldomero; the Magdiwang by Mariano Álvarez, uncle of Bonifacio's wife.

Which Magdalo leader did Bonifacio twice nearly shoot after being insulted?

At Tejeros he objected that Bonifacio had no lawyer's diploma; Artemio Ricarte had to restrain the Supremo.

To which post was Bonifacio elected, last of all, at the Tejeros Convention?

Mariano Trías became Vice President and Artemio Ricarte Captain-General.

What document did Bonifacio and 44 supporters sign rejecting the convention's results?

It alleged the vote was rigged; memoirs say many ballots were filled out before they were handed out.

Who was named to command the army corps under the Naic Military Agreement of April 1897?

Aguinaldo and del Pilar interrupted the meeting, and del Pilar soon returned to Aguinaldo's side.

In which Cavite town's barrio Limbon was Bonifacio's camp attacked and he arrested?

He refused to fire on "fellow Tagalogs"; he was shot in the arm and stabbed in the neck, and his brother Ciriaco was killed.

Which colonel led the party that attacked Bonifacio's camp and shot him in the arm?

Paua stabbed Bonifacio in the neck; one of Bonifacio's men offered to die in his place to stop the attack.

On what charges were the Bonifacio brothers tried on May 5, 1897?

The jury was entirely Aguinaldo's men, and Bonifacio's own defence lawyer declared him guilty.

Aguinaldo commuted the death sentence on May 8, 1897 to what?

Two of his generals persuaded him to withdraw the commutation for the sake of preserving unity.

In the mountains of which Cavite town were the Bonifacio brothers executed in May 1897?

The commanding officer, Lázaro Macapagal, said they were shot and buried in shallow graves dug with bayonets.

How old was Bonifacio when he died?

He was born in November 1863 and executed in May 1897.

Which of Bonifacio's brothers was executed alongside him?

Ciriaco had already been shot dead during the arrest at the Supremo's camp.

Who called the execution "the first victory of personal ambition over true patriotism"?

Mabini was Aguinaldo's own adviser and called the execution criminal.

Bonifacio is called "Supremo" as a contraction of which Spanish title?

Historian Michael Charleston Chua notes he usually styled himself "Pangulo", or President, in his own papers.

Which Spanish periodical named Bonifacio as head of the Tagalog state in 1897?

A rebel seal printed the next month gave another name for his government, Repúblika ng Katagalugan.

In what year did an American-era search claim to find Bonifacio's bones?

They were kept at the National Library and lost in the destruction of Manila in February 1945.

Which historian challenged the authenticity of the Bonifacio bones as late as 2001?

Guerrero, by contrast, is among those who argue Bonifacio was the real first President.

Which candidate invoked Bonifacio's memory against Aguinaldo in the 1935 election?

Quezon won; the bones were a reminder that Aguinaldo's government had executed the Supremo.

According to Constantino, why did the Americans promote Rizal over Bonifacio as hero?

Rizal was taken to represent peaceful advocacy; Mabini was likewise passed over as "unregenerate".

On what date is Bonifacio Day observed in the Philippines?

It is his birthday, not the date of his death; Rizal Day falls on December 30.

Which close associates kept the Katipunan alive after his death, defying Aguinaldo?

Mabini wrote that the death demoralised rebels from Manila, Laguna and Batangas who had come to help Cavite.

What did Spanish authorities confirm on August 19, 1896, triggering mass arrests?

Hundreds of suspects, guilty and innocent, were jailed for treason; Bonifacio eluded the manhunt.

At Imus in December 1896, why did Bonifacio reject Evangelista's draft constitution?

Bonifacio argued the Katipunan already was a government with its own constitution and councils.

Bonifacio argued at Tejeros that the revolutionary government must be what kind of state?

He said all ranks should serve under liberty, equality and fraternity, the principles of republicanism.