Andres Bonifacio on Philippines Stamps

ANDRES BONIFACIO

30 November 1863 to 10 May 1897

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Andres Bonifacio was one of the main leaders of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule. Bonifacio was the leading founder of the Katipunan.

Bonifacio was born to a Tagalog father and a Spanish mestiza mother. In 1892 he joined Rizal's La Liga Filipina, a society that called for reforms in Spanish rule. However, the Liga Filipina was disbanded shortly after Rizal was arrested and deported shortly after the group's only meeting. Together with other members.

Bonifacio and other like-minded people formed a society of their own in Manila known as the Katipunan. Bonifacio was one of the chief Katipunan officers, though he did not become its Supremo (supreme leader) until 1895. The existence of the Katipunan eventually became known to the authorities. Bonifacio called Katipunan members to a mass gathering in Caloocan, where they decided to start their revolt the day after, the Supreme Council of the Katipunan declared a nationwide armed revolution against Spain and called for a simultaneous coordinated attack on the capital Manila.

Bonifacio appointed generals to lead rebel forces to Manila. Other Katipunan councils were also informed of their plans. Before hostilities erupted, Bonifacio reorganized the Katipunan into an open revolutionary government, with him as President and the Supreme Council as his cabinet.

There were rival factions within the Katipunan in Cavite. Emilio Aguinaldo issued a manifesto proclaiming a provisional and revolutionary government - despite the existence of the Katipunan government. Rebel leaders held a convention in March 1897 to settle the issue of leadership of the movement. Aguinaldo received the most number of votes. Bonifacio was eventually voted Director of the Interior however, even this position was disputed. Consequently several days later Bonifacio set out to install a rival government drawing up documents of his own and as a countermeasure, the government under Aguinaldo ordered the arrest of Bonifacio. In the following skirmish one of his brothers was killed and Bonifacio was wounded. Bonifacio and his other brother were captured and stood trial, accused of treason against the government and conspiring to murder Aguinaldo. Bonifacio was found guilty and recommended to be executed. The Bonifacio brothers were executed on 10 May 1897.