For being an uncompromising patriot and determined resolve to end his people’s oppression, Andres Bonifacio was called the “Filipino Marat,” by historian Wenceslao Retana. His colleagues called Bonifacio the “Sword of Damocles against the Oppressors,” the “Soul of the People,” and the “Sentinel of the Motherland.”

On the wall of Pamitinan Cave in Montalban, Rizal, in May, 1896, Bonifacio wrote: “Sumapit dito ang mga anak ng bayan. Humahanap ng kalayaan (The sons of the Country came here, searching for freedom).”

When they launched the revolution in August 24, 1896, Bonifacio said to his Katipuneros: “Kalayaan o kamatayan? Mga kapatid! Ang Kalayaan ay kinukuha sa dulo ng patalim! (Freedom or Death? Brothers, freedom is secured by force!)”

Enemies of the revolution denied Bonifacio the opportunity to fulfill his vision for the country. They killed him in early 1897. A few years after his death, his kin and friends began to honor Bonifacio. They observed his death anniversary on April 23, 1901, at his birthplace in Meisic, Tondo, Manila. On this occasion, the poet laureate Cecilio Apostol delivered his poem “Un Heroe del Pueblo,” extolling Bonifacio as one of the true heroes of the Filipino people. This annual celebration of Bonifacio’s death anniversary was capped by the launching of a fund-raising campaign to erect a monument in his honor. Andres Bonifacio’s monument at Caloocan, now known as “Monumento,” was inaugurated in 1929 with Mrs. Aurora Aragon Quezon as guest of honor.

“Mapalad ang bayang linitawan ng mga bayani,” Andres Bonifacio declared, “sapagka’t ang bayang iya’y walang kamatayan (Fortunate is the country where heroes emerge because that country will live on).” Fortunate, indeed, is the Philippines for it has produced many heroes and among the greatest of them is Andres Bonifacio.

The present and succeeding generations owe the freedom they enjoy to Andres Bonifacio and the “Generation of 1896.”