Andres Bonifacio And The Politics That Killed Him
The Philippines marks 30th of November as an official holiday to commemorate one of its heroes, Andres Bonifacio. Known as “Father of the Philippine Revolution”, he was a key person and leader in the Filipino revolution against the Spaniards. Andres Bonifacio was also accredited for founding the Katipunan, a secret organization which, defended the poor and oppressed Filipinos, tried to restore good principles and aimed to oust the Spanish rule, which was the key to Philippine independence.
Traditionally, declared holidays for heroes commemorate the day their death and how they have died under the hands of the enemy, signifying their sacrifice for the good of others. But, the Andres Bonifacio day differs in one aspect. Though he did sacrifice himself for the good of others, he, however, died not in the hands of the enemy but in the hands of the people he wished to liberate.
Many known historians argue that Andres Bonifacio’s death was a case of a well known struggle between “rich versus poor”, Andres Bonifacio being the champion of the masses and Emilio Aguinaldo who embodies the bourgeois or upper class. Despite this theory, I simply do not think that it was popular “rich versus poor” political struggle that led to the death of Andres Bonifacio and his brother Procopio. It was, I think, Andres Bonifacio’s too much politicizing.
Excessive politicizing became the key reason why Andres Bonifacio lost his place in the revolutionary government. At that time the revolutionary government elected Emilio Aguinaldo as their president and the “El Supremo” (The Supreme leader) of the Katipunan by majority vote was elected to the position of director of the interior. Yet despite the majority vote, a fellow Katipunero, Daniel Tirona, doubted Andres Bonifacio’s capacity to hold the position as secretary of the interior citing that such position belonged to a lawyer.
This issue ‘heaped coals’ on Andres Bonifacio’s head, so to say. To him, the remarks were insulting since there was no mention of any qualification that was necessary to hold such position. Because of this, Andres Bonifacio declared the invalidity of the proceedings and refused to coordinate with the Aguinaldo’s revolutionary government.
His actions, however, forced the revolutionary government to accuse him of treason. For this Andres Bonifacio was tried by court and sentenced. Though President Aguinaldo tried to lessen the sentence by banishing Andres Bonifacio, for some reason this plan did not materialize. Andres Bonifacio and his brother Procopio died through execution in the hands of their fellow countrymen. Many historians hold that someone advised Aguinaldo not to change the death sentence because Andres Bonifacio might only cause more problems within the government should he be allowed to live. Nonsensical politics has once again ravaged life. It has made people foolish politicians, opportunists, exploiters of the weak and the system, compromiser of that which is good and partisans instead of defending the truth.
Today, excessive politicizing not only ravages, but also devastates our society. Politicizing has pressured Ombudsmen to delay or dismiss cases against corrupt officials who are close to the president. It has changed principled judges and justices to favor their decisions for those who have the upper hand in the political arena. It has influenced law enforcers turn their attention away from criminals who have friends in high places, and it has been the reason why people with tainted character get to be appointed to hold positions that are considered as hallowed.
Andres Bonifacio dreamed of a just and humane society, but this dream died with him in Mount Nagpatong in Maragondon, Cavite. This is the place where our fellow countrymen executed him. Like Andres Bonifacio, foolish politics will continue to bring chaos and death into the lives of the Filipino people.
Zigfred Diaz is a big fan of Andres Bonifacio but this is not what his blog is all about. He writes on several interesting topics including Philippine politics and Current events, financial management, investments, law and business. Go visit his blog today!
