THE Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Katipunan for short was the brainchild of Marcelo H. del Pilar. He tried to establish it in Manila in 1890 but succeeded only in 1892 through the help of his brother-in-law Deodato Arellano and other Filipino patriots. Del Pilar envisioned the Katipunan to be the “weapon of the weak’’ against colonial rule in the country. The founding of the radical Katipunan justified the Filipino people’s resort to force because the colonial authorities aborted La Liga Filipina, the organization through which Filipino demands could be pursued peacefully.
La Patria
and Ministerio de la Republica Filipina – two works of Del Pilar – were secretly introduced and disseminated in Manila and neighboring provinces in preparation for Del Pilar’s return to the country to lead the revolution. Intelligence reports of the Guardia Civiles to the Governor-General mention that these two works were the subject of discussions in many nocturnal meetings of the people, which were ended by shouts of "Viva La Independencia Filipina’’ (Long Live Philippine Independence!) Death aborted Del Pilar’s plans and thrust Andres Bonifacio into the maelstrom of the Philippine revolution.
The Katipunan objectives reflect La Liga aims – unity of the Filipino people, self-help, mutual defense against all forms of violence, promotion of industry, and economic activities among the people.
Andres Bonifacio was the moving spirit of the Katipunan. His organizational genius whipped the disparate Filipino masses into one mighty weapon that eventually toppled one of the world’s great empires. The phenomenal growth of the Katipunan justified the description of Bonifacio as the "Soul of the Katipunan.’’
In one of their trips to the caves in Montalban, Bonifacio wrote on the walls of Pamitinan Cave these words, "
Mabuhay ang Kalayaan ng Pilipinas’’ (Long Live Philippine Independence) and in the cave of Makarok, he wrote: "Naparito ang mga Anak ng Bayan. Naghahanap ng Kalayaan’’ (The Sons of the People Came Here. They were looking for Freedom).
The spirit of the Katipunan lives on in us. The word "Katipunan’’ suggests oneness. Let us foster the spirit of oneness in our country.
