The Katipunan and Tandang Sora

Title

Language

English

Source

Panorama Volume XVII (Issue No.8) August 1965

Year

1965

Subject

Philippines -- History -- Revolution, 1896-1898

Katipunan

Women revolutionaries

Aquino, Melchora

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

This is the story of the sacrifices of a Filipino woman who risked her life and possessions to help the revolution against Spanish rule in the Philippines

Fulltext

■ TUs is the story of the sacrifices of a Filipino wpman who risked her life and possessions to help the revolution against Spanish rule in the Philip pines. THE KATIPUNAN AND TANDANG SORA By 1896 the Katipunan counted a membership o£ some thirty thousand men from various parts of the Tagalog region. Up to the outbreak of the struggle, the Spanish colonial authorities were still unaware of the for midable number of recruits to the Katipunan. They were of the belief that if an uprising of any sort were to break out, it could easily and immediately be quelled, as was done so many times in the past. Bonifacio had taken the greatest precaution to admit into the Katipunan only the men whose courage and lo yalty to the cause of inde pendence had been put to a rigorous test. The Revolu tionary Society followed a rigid pattern in its recruit ment procedure in order to safeguard itself from untime ly discovery by the Spaniards. Recruits had to submit themselves to a series of or deals before they could be come privy to the platform of the Katipunan. Their background, such as family ties, political ideology and educational orientation were scrutinized. They were given stern warning that death was the punishment meted out to traitors. After undergoing the rigid screening, they were put to several tests of valor. Blindfolded, a recruit was led inside a dimly lighted room, eerie in atmosphere. The cover over his eyes re moved, he was made to read aloud the warning inscribed in big, bold letters on the walls of the room: “If you possess strength and bravery, you may pro ceed. “If curiosity has brought you here, depart! August 1965 41 “If you have no control over your bad inclinations, be gone! The doors of the Most Exalted and Most Hon orable Katipunan of the Sons of the Country are forever closed to you.” The recruit then had to take a piece of paper lying on top of a table on which were also found a skull, a re volver and a bolo. He had to read aloud the following questions. “What was the state of af fairs in our country prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores? “What is its present state of affairs? “What will be its future state of affairs?" Previously coached by his Katipunero sponsor, the re cruit had to answer the above questions' in the following manner, as otherwise he would be rejected from mem bership: To the first, he had to an swer that prior to the arrival of the Spaniards, the inha bitants of the country were living in peace and pros perity, carrying on trade re lations with neighboring Asian countries. To the second, he had to reply that the present state of affairs was most deplorable since the Spaniards oppressed and exploited the natives, whom they called “indios,” for their selfish interests. And to the third, he had to say that such a lamentable condition existing in his country could be remedied only by means of an armed rebellion because all pleas for reforms have been rejected by Spain. If the recruit had satisfac torily passed through these preliminary tests, he was fur ther subjected to other or deals in order to test his mo ral and physical endurance, as for instance, blindfolded, his face would be heated be fore a lighted fire. If he showed the least trace of co wardice, he was rejected out right. In mid-August of 1896 the Katipunan which was in its fourth year of existence had its first traitor in the person of Teodoro Patino, a Kati punero of some four months. Hoping perhaps to receive a fat reward from the colonial authorities, Patino revealed to the Spanish curate of Ton42 PANORAMA do that there were around 1,500 armed "indios” in San Mateo poised to attack the Spanish garrison and that the proof of the existence of a revolutionary association could be found in the print ing shop of the "Diario de Manila” where some Katipu nan documents were kept. On that same night of Aug ust 19, a brief search inside the printing establishment led to the discovery by the Tondo curate of the "proof” mentioned by the traitor Patino. Thenceforth the arm of Spanish law moved with re lentless fury. Heavily armed Spanish guards knocked on doors of houses, barged in and arrested anyone whom they suspected of being either an affiliate or a sympathizer of the Katipunan. In the midst of terror and chaos Bonifacio and his men trans ferred the revolutionary headquarters to Caloocan. Katipunero Juan Ramos had offered to Bonifacio the re fuge of his mother’s habita tion in that town some time before. Melchora Aquino was the eighty-four-year-old widow of the one-time cabeza de barangay Fulgencio Ramos. She owned a sizeable tract of land in Caloocan where her ten ants cultivated rice and su garcane and where she kept herself busy at times by look ing after her large poultry and dairy ranch. Melchora was a well-beloved person in her neighborhood. She was slow to anger, quick to sym pathize with the less fortu nate of her countrymen and unselfishly gave financial aid to poor people who approach ed her. The old lady knew that she was imperiling her own life by giving shelter to Bo nifacio and the Katipuneros, but her patriotism enabled her to rise above all fear. She extended to the revolu tionists every possible assis tance within her command, placing at their disposal the rooms in the house and the numerous barns in her plan tation. She supplied them with foodstuffs, unmindful of the great trouble and ex penses incurred. On the eve of the launch ing of the Revolution, Boni facio expressed his fears for her safety. “Grandmother,” he told Melchora, "if the Guardia Civil finds out how August 1965 43 you have helped us, you would surely be arrested and —Bonifacio stopped abrupt ly. He could not go on and say that he feared she might be physically tortured by the Guardia Civil — and killed. They were words too painful to pronounce. But the old woman must have divined his thoughts. ‘‘Son,” answered the brave and noble lady, “I have but a short while to live and I wish to spend it in the ser vice of my oppressed coun try.” Her answer touched Boni facio. Between these two grew a genuine affection, born of rebellion and bound by common cause and com mon peril. A few days after the Kati punan had passed through the dark night of betrayal, Bonifacio called an emer gency meeting of all Katipuneros in and around Caloocan at the estate of Melchora Aquino. More than one thousand Katipuneros arriv ed at the place. Bonifacio, rising to heights of eloquence, delivered an impassioned speech announcing that the hour had struck when history clamored for a com plete severance of ties be tween their oppressed country and Imperial Spain. ‘7 have the unshakable faith that this Revolution shall bring about the libera tion of our beloved Mother land from the oppressive rule of Spain. But at the same time I also realize that we, who are all gathered here, men and women alike, will not live to see the eman cipation of our unfortunate country. For in launching the Revolution, we also sacri fice our own lives in the field of battle. We are there fore sowing the seeds of free dom not so much for our own selves as for our child ren and their descendants, so that one day they may reap the harvest. On to battle then! On to victory! God shall not forsake our coun try!” Before the huge assembly, Bonifacio and Emilio Jacinto brought out their cedulas, symbol of Philippine vassa lage to the Spanish crown, and tore these to pieces. The rest did likewise and cried out: “Long live the inde pendence of our Mother land!”* 44 PANORAMA In the midst of the plamor that arose, Bonifacio sought out Melchora Aquino whom he found to be in the com pany of her daughter. Tears fell from the eyes of the old woman. At that very mo ment she was the symbol of the unhappy Philippines. Bonifacio clasped her hand. It was a moment of meaning ful silence. Steeped in emo tion neither could speak a word. But how much there was to tell each other! Jacinto’s arrival broke up the scene. “Don Andres!” said the youth excitedly. “Our vigilance committee has confirmed reports that the Spanish sentries have lo cated our whereabouts!” Bonifacio instinctively looked at Melchora. He held both her hands tightly, as if that were the last time he would ever see her. “Grand mother,” he addressed the old woman slowly and pain fully, “you are no longer safe here. At any hour now the Spaniards may open fire at this place. I shall have my men find out if the roads leading to Novaliches are still clear. If so, you must escape to that place with your family. My men shall accompany you. Travel in disguise. The rest of us shall remain to defend this place. Melchora, her family and their rebel escorts disguised themselves as peddlers on their way to Novaliches. But on the 29th of August, the Guardia Civil caught up with them at Pasong Putik in the barrio of Santa Monica. They were detained in the house of the local cabeza de barangay and the next day Melchora and her Katipunero companions were impri soned in the Bilibid com pound of Manila. News of Melchora’s cap ture reached Bonifacio in the battlefield of San Juan del Monte. Bleeding from a wound inflicted by a bullet on his left thigh, Bonifacio felt a sudden spasm of grief. The old defenseless woman captured! Held prisoner at the mercy of merciless civil guards! But at the moment there was no time for pro longed foreboding as enemy bullets whistled through the air. After three days in prison, Melchora was deported along August 1965 45 with other Katipuneros to the island of Guam by decree of Governor-General Ramon Blanco. How swiftly the arm of Spanish law moved! Many were seized with pity when they saw the frail figure of an eighty-four-yearold woman board the vessel that was to take her far away from her native soil, torn away from her loved ones in the declining years of her life. Melchora accepted her fate as calmly as was humanly possible. The emotions with in her were too profound for tears. She had no regrets, however. She remembered the day that she told Boni facio “I have but a short while to live and I wish to spend it in the service of my oppressed country.” The children, relatives and sympathizers of the old wo man could do nothing by way of rescuing her. Imperial Spain was, as ever, the victor. — By Carmencita H. Acosta, from Woman and Home, July 4, 1965. CHECKS Rich Uncle-. "I’m sorry you don’t like your birthday gift, but I asked you if you preferred large or small checks.” Poor Nephew: "Yeh, but how was I to know you were talking about neckties?” — The Cooperator. 46 Panorama

pages

41-46

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