The Philippine review (Revista filipina) [Vol. 3, no. 1]

Andres Bonifa<
IF there ever was any man or national
hero towards whom fate as well as a
certain portion of the public opinion
among nationals and foreigners have been
cold and hostile to the extent of objecting
to his being given due recognition, that man
was Don Andr6s Bonifacio, the father of
the Revolution and of Philippine Democracy. The racial instinct, however, and
especially the popular instinct, have, with
admirable certainty of judgment, pronounced themselves in his favor and have
imposed silence upon the sinister raven
and stimulated the curious, inquisitive
spirits to inquire into and find the reasons
for the popular verdict. Moreover, a
vindication of the man and of the Katipunan has been demanded by the public
opinion which, in order that its verdict
may be reasonable and just, it is certainly
the duty of every Filipino citizen to enlighten. The following lines are merely
a small contribution of critical history and
are, like all information, susceptible to
rectification, which will be frank and spontaneous on our part.
Don Andr6s Bonifacio was born in the
district of Tondo, Manila, on November
30, 1863. His parents were Santiago Bonifacio and Catalina de Castro. He had two
brothers, Procopio and Ciriaco, and a sister
who became the wife of Teodoro Plata.
He was not favored by fortune and was compelled to live of the proceeds of rather
modest occupations, among them those of
vendor of canes and paper fans, of messenger of the firm Fleming & Co., and of broker
for tar and other articles for the same firm.
He then entered the employ of Fressell
& Co., where he was storekeeper when
the events of 1896 occurred. His parents
whom he is said to have lost at the age of
14 years, gave him some education. The
informant from whom we obtained these
data does not state of what this education
consisted.
Retana says in his Vida y Escritos del
Dr. Rizal that Fressell's bodega served also
as personal archives of Don Ahdr6s, and
that said archives were seized by the Guardia Civil Veterana of Manila for use as
evidence in the big case instituted by Colonel Olive. When a separate case was
repared against Dr. Rizal, such papers of
A;idrs Bonifacio's as were pertinent were
fched to the record of the same.
BA; - -. *

EPIFANIO DE LOS SANTOS

The following are the documents annotated by Retana:
"1. Letter of Antonio Luna, dated Madrid, October 16, 1888, and addressed to D. Mariano Ponce.
My dear friend Mariano:-Rizal has very well
said of Lete that he does not serve for big enterprises.
Consult with him concerning the designation of
Llorente as director of the paper. Rizal knows
them both; he also knows Llorente's capacity and is
very intimate with him, because both are young
men of sterling value and Rizal has a very good
opinion of Llorente. Ask him for advice and heed
well what he tells you. Tell him that I have induced
Llorente to accept the position of director.-An embrace, and take the matter to Rizal for his advice.
Thine, Antonio.-P. S. Tear this letter up after
noting its contents. Send me immediately Rizal's
London address."
"2. Letter of J. Rizal to his brothers, dated Madrid,
August 20, 1890. (After informirng them that he
had been unable to speak to the Minister of Grace
and Justice concerning certain administrative proceedings instituted against several persons): 'If the
authorities (of the Philippines) were intelligent,
there would not be any treacherous administrative
proceedings, nor graft, nor infamies. I see the
hand of Providence in these banishments of intelligent persons to remote places, to keep awake the
spirit of the people and not allow them to slumber
in lethargic peace, to accustom the people not to
fear danger, to hate tyranny, etc. To-morrow I
shall see what will be the result of my interview with
the Minister. Many regards to all; I kiss our
parents' hands.-Your brother, MADUDE'."
"3. Letter of Marcelo H. del Pilar, addressed to
Deodato Arellano and dated Madrid, January 7,
1891.-Yesterday, on Epiphany, we gave a lunch
to Rizal. Rizal desires to perpetuate La Solidaridad
in the Filipino colony and I opposed it.-Regards
to all and receive a fraternal embrace from your
VZKKQJC DEL PILAR."
"4. Kundiman. Poem dated Manila (sic), September 12, 1891. (Rizal was at Ghent.) It reads
thus:
'KUNDIMAN
(Tagalog Song.)
In the beautiful East
Where the sun rises,
A fair land
Resplendent with charms
In heavy chains
The despot keeps.
Alas! 'tis my country,
The country I love.
Like a slave she is dying,
In irons languishing:
Oh, happy man he
Who could liberate her!"
"5. Letter of Carlos Oliver, daled Barcelona, September 18, 1891, and addressed... (no mention of the
addressee).-Dear Sir:-You will be right if you
consider me insolent for addressing you without my
having the honor of your acquaintance; but it is not
the humble person whose name is signed at the foot
of this letter, but the patriot who, in his smallness,
wishes to collaborate in the regeneration of his
oppressed country. We have learned with general

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