Jamaica A.

Labiaga 2007-34851

PI 100

When Truth Becomes Distorted Declaring Dr. Jose Rizal as our national hero made us Filipinos neglect other Philippine heroes who, as a matter of fact, contributed a multitude to regain our independence. One of these disregarded, or shall I say, misinterpreted hero is Andres Bonifacio. We acknowledge him as the founder of the Katipunan, but most of us fail to understand the reason we revere him. Moreover, we will never be able to grasp the essence of Bonifacios martyrdom if we will not possess the enthusiasm in knowing important facts about his life, from the time he founded the Katipunan to the time of his downfall. Reading the printed version of the lecture given by Professor Danilo M. Aragon in Maragondon, Cavite provided me with meaningful insights regarding the downfall of Andres Bonifacio. During my high school years, I had known little of Bonifacios fate after the Katipunan was terminated. I was unaware of how the impassioned hero died and what caused his death. It was only when I read the article Isang Panimulang Pagsisiyasat sa Ibang Bersyon ng Pagpatay Kay Andres Bonifacio did I have an idea of Bonifacios patriotism and his adherents betrayal to the Katipunan. The content of the lecture is very informative and poignant in a way that it relives outbursts of nationalism. It also gives Andres Bonifacio some form of historical injustice because the lecture is reinforced by pieces of evidence, both oral and written, from the descendants of persons who had been involved with Andres Bonifacio and his adherents. One subject that captured my interest is the argument on where Andres Bonifacio was killed. Pieces of evidence came out from different individuals who believed that they hold the

key towards a better understanding of the truth behind Bonifacios death. In search for truth, evidences are not enough to fill the unfinished conundrum. The validity and relevance of the information must be considered. By doing so, getting to the truth will not be dubious. Major Lazaro Makapagal relayed that he followed the orders of Emilio Aguinaldo to kill Andres Bonifacio at a clandestine area. However, it is indefinite if the killing was done in Bundok Tala or in Bundok Buntis. Both mountains are three to five kilometers away from Bundok Magpatong, where Bonifacios remains were found. People who live near the site believed that Bonifacios corpse was transferred to Bundok Magpatong because someone witnessed the brutality of the people who killed him. Another issue that caught my attention is the reason behind the slaughter of Andres Bonifacio. I adhere to the assumption that Emilio Aguinaldo had been very covetous of the success of Andres Bonifacio as the founder of the Katipunan. He (Aguinaldo) desired the same respect from every Filipino. Unfortunately, his desire had been accompanied by egocentricity, which led him to consider Bonifacio as a rival and not as a collaborator for independence.