According to Dr. Luis Derry, the place of Bonifacio’s death was in Limbon (Indang) on April 23, 1897 and he was buried on April 26, 1897, in this case he is also denying the trial of Supremo Bonifacio. Scholars could not agree on the exact place where Bonifacio was murdered; for Teodoro Agoncillo it was in Mt. Tala, for Santiago Alvarez it was Mt. Buntis and for some it was Maragondon. This article is looking for answers why Dery over looked the following facts if he was acknowledged by his colleagues for having spent countless hours going through books, manuscripts, periodicals and microfilm in search of material that has since been shared in academic conferences and in his many books to come out with his thesis "The Trial and Death of Andres Bonifacio: A Myth"
# ...If the Supremo was killed in Limbon according to Dery, why did Aquinaldo government decided to bury his body in Maragondon, a distance of 39 Km about 46 minutes by a car now a days? The fact is, the trial of Supreno Bonifacio, begins in Naic and ends in Maragondon, for Naic fell to the Spanish forces during the trial and Aquinaldo had to move his government to Maragondon. On May 6, the court-martial found the Supremo and Procopio Bonifacio guilty of trying to overthrow the government and asked for the death penalty.
# ...If the Supremo was killed in Limbon on April 23, 1897 according to Dery, how can Supremo be able to write separate letters dated Abril 24,1897 to Emilio Jacinto and to Julio Nakpil, then on April 27 to Gen. Mariano Alvarez (Gen. Mainam), the letter stated...
27 April 1897
My dear General Mainam:
Our recently concluded election at Mapagtiis [San Francisco de Malabon] has left a large poisonous thorn in my heart. I reiterate to you my nullification of all that had been agreed upon there. Ay, General, I never expected that my complacency and loyalty would be rewarded with avarice and insult upon my person by your fellow townsmen who are spurious patriots. I shall make them realize when I set foot on Morong [Rizal province] soil that it was not I whom they insulted but the whole country.
Send me food at once and faithful followers of the Mother Country here at Limbon as a fulfillment of your promised help when I left in disquietude.
Your supremo,
And. Bonifacio, Maypagasa.
# ...In the evening of April 29, 1897, some Magdiwang leaders met at the invitation Of Secretary of War Ariston Vilanueva and Secretary of Finance Diego Mojica in a house in Naic, the purpose of which is to discuss a plan to rescue the Supremo and his brother who were held prisoner of the Magdalo. They did not invite Gen. Mariano Alvarez (Gen. Mainam) and his son Gen. Santiago Alvarez (Gen. Apoy) because the former was with the Magdalo-sponsored "Philippine Republic," as director of welfare while the latter was patently opposed to any move that would lead to a civil war. Those present approved of a plan to organize a bolo regiment that was to pretend to reinforce the infantry contingent guarding the Naic estate house and at a given signal, it was to make a sudden, simultaneous attack and then, capture the guns and the fortifications. However, the plans never materialized because of unexpected attack by the Spaniards, which led to the capture of Naic and Indang.
- - The next day Gen. Luciano San Miguel reported to Gen. Apoy (Santiago Alvarez) what transpired at the meeting but the latter advised against such a plan because he thought it would lead the country to perdition and said...
"- - Ano ang sasapitin ng kaunting magkakasama na maghihiwa-hiwalay at magsusukat ng kani-kanyang lakas? Kung magkakagayo'y sa ibabaw ng atin ding kapalaluan magdaraan ang makapal na Kaaway, sapagka't walang pagtatanggol na magagawa laban sa kanila, dahil sa masamang pag-iimbot, na lupigin ang kapatid na kapatid din niya, gayong ang ating dugo at buhay ay walang sadyang pinaglalaanan kundi ang Kalayaan ng Inang-Bayan."
# ...The trial of the prisoners, Supremo Andres Bonifacio and his companions, was held on 29 and 30 April 1897, in Naic, Cavite, before a court martial headed by Col. Pantaleon Garcia.
The following is a deposition of Gen. Mariano Noriel which was presented before the court:
Col. Agapito Bonzon reported that when he arrested the Supremo and his companions in the village of Limbon, with his persuasive best to convince him to comply with summons from the Government of the Philippine Republic, the Supremo not only refused him but is belligerent and ordered his troops to shoot. Col. Bonzon had to shoot back in self-defense, thus, the unexpected shedding of blood and taking of lives. Two soldiers of the Philippine Republic and a brother of the Supremo, Ciriaco was killed. The above is the report of Colonel Bonzon which I am submitting to you.
(Sgd.) Mariano Noriel
Brigadier General
To the Honorable President of the "Philippine Republic" Mr. Emilio Aguinaldo:
This letter should be acknowledged by the War Council which should appoint a colonel as judge to try the case.
# ...The President's memo was sent to Col. Pantaleon Garcia who upon receiving his appointment as judge advocate in the trial, immediately set up a court in Naic with Capt. Lazaro Macapagal as secretary. The trial started on April 29, 1897 before the officers of the court martial, Garcia and Macapagal. The accused answered the questions truthfully and in a straightforward manner. The following are the samples of their testimonies on the first day of trial.
- - Testimony of Benito Torres...
He was one of the head soldiers of the Supremo, with Pedro Giron as colonel, Roxas as captain and Juan Liwanag as lieutenant. He did not know where their guns came from, but even when they are in Balara, he knew that the supremo already had many guns. He was not aware of a government with a higher power than the Highest Council of the Katipunan of the Sons of the people. They were getting to leave Cavite and were only waiting for the Supremo's order and he had no knowledge of the trouble in Indang; all he knew was that the troops sent by the Supremo were not only refused aid but also scolded.
- - Testimony of Procopio Bonifacio...
He was not aware of the new government, he did not know how many guns they had but all of them were already in their possession when they were in Balara. He did not know if the Government of the Philippine Republic had guns mixed with the ones from Balara. In the event that this had happened, Pedro Giron should know, for he was the only one authorized by the army to come in and go out of camp freely.
They had prepared to retreat to the hills of Rizal where they had planned to regroup and establish a new front in order to disperse the enemy. They had envisioned this to be of benefit to Cavite because the concentration of the enemy forces in the area would be broken. But since they were not ready to leave yet, they had encamped at Limbon to defend it and keep the enemy from entering Indang. They did not know of the existence of a government with power over them and he had not written to any head soldier in the Magdalo camp to join their group. His brothers, Andres and Ciriaco could attest to this.
No meeting whatsoever was held at Limbon. Aside from his natural disposition and force of habit, it was also his duty as Supremo to cultivate fraternal love and sympathy even with those considered to be dangerous to society. He could make them embrace brotherly love for the sake of freedom for the native land. And now it was he who was considered dangerous! There was never any meeting or private conversation in Limbon that was against the government they said had been established or against President Aguinaldo. And there was no plan whatsoever to overthrow the government of whose existence we were not even aware of.
- - Testimony of the Supremo Andres Bonifacio...
His position was that of Supremo of the Katipunan and president of the Revolution. He did not know of other government that should be respected and established by the revolutionary nation. He knew that there was an army in Cavite led by Gens. Santiago Alvarez, Emilio Aguinaldo, Artemio Ricarte and Pio Del Pilar. As organizer of the Katipunan, authority emanated from him and he did not ask permission from anyone.
He had fifty guns brought to Cavite to help defend the province. However, only 17 Remingtons were left after Magdalo troops borrowed it. He was not sure if there are guns marked Magdalo, but that should not be the case since none of the guns borrowed were ever returned.
He knew Messrs. Torres, Giron, Ritual and Pio Del Pilar but never written to any of the above gentlemen for the purpose of enticing them and their troops to defect to his army.
He did not call a meeting at Limbon and talked only with his own men. he never met Giron who claimed to have been ordered by him to kill the president of the new government. Giron's claim was a lie and was motivated by avarice. Messrs. Silvestre and Diego Mojica had passed by at Limbon on their way to Buena Vista but very briefly that they barely had time to exchange greetings.
He had given no orders to his brothers and his men to the troops who attacked them. When they saw these troops, they had already surrounded the residence as was witnessed by everybody including the villagers.
One colonel had asked permission to talk to him, that they had to do something about the news in Indang that the Balara detachment was planning to ambush his troops at Paso but after seeing for themselves that the news was false, he had to apologize. He even shared a meal with the colonel and when they left, he (the Supremo) had presented them with several packs of cigarettes and matches.
After a while, one of his soldiers reported that their outside battery had been captured by those to whom they had just given presents and that these men had given stern orders not to let anyone go out or come into the fort. They also seized the guns of troops guarding the fort, raided all houses and ordered the detainment of his troops.
In order to find out if it's true, he had sent some men outside to investigate. When these did not return, he had asked Captain Martin and Gen. Santos Nocon and later Dorong Puti, to do the same but these emissaries could report nothing except that the assaulting party refused to make explanations.
If his election as president was acknowledged and respected, still these questions had to be answered: Why was he 'not so proclaimed'? And why were 'Policies and Guidelines' not disseminated? Instead, hasty decrees were imposed on people who were not aware of them. People had been grilled on whether or not they accepted the existence of the "Philippine Republic" or if they have a permission to stay or assemble in a given place. These interrogations are untenable since there were no decrees or orders to that effect. Moreover, these were the revolutionary times and it was the duty of all to defend the freedom of the Motherland.
Why did Mr. Emilio Aguinaldo 'insist on his claim' to the presidency despite the decision of the presiding officer of the meeting at Tejeros and the speeches and manifestos circulated by the leaders during the election? Why did he take his oath of office in secret with a priest, Fr. Cenon Villafranca when he knew that the latter was under the jurisdiction of the Roman pontiff? No one in history had read or heard of a national president taking his oath of office in secret before the representative of the pope in Rome. This was unthinkable, considering that the Philippine revolution was the result of outbursts of nationalist feelings of Dr. Rizal, Burgos, Zamora, and other defenders of freedom.
For reasons already stated, he was not aware that Mr. Aguinaldo was president of the "Philippine Republic." Made in the name of God and the Motherland, the valuable statements above composed of the deposition of the Supremo Andres Bonifacio.
- - Testimony of Mrs. Gregoria de Jesus (Wife of Supremo Bonifacio)...
She did not know who fired the first shots because she had run to the woods as soon as she saw the great number of men attacking the place where they were staying.
She had seen the five men captured and punished by Ciriaco Bonifacio. They admitted they were spies for the Spaniards, assigned to report on the position and number of guards in the revolutionary forces. After they had confessed, they had begged for mercy and were spared but Ciriaco had their heads, eyebrows, and eyelashes shaved to keep them from escaping. To avoid condemnation from others, word had been spread around that the prisoners were being punished for theft.
Not a single meeting had been held at their residence in Limbon; she did not know that the Philippine Island had a president and she did not know of any instructions the Supremo had issued to the effect that his men were to halt all troops passing by the Limbon fort. (The supposed order to halt was to be given three times; if after the third time any passing troops did not take heed, then they were to be fired at with a machine gun.)
# ...Aguinaldo commuted the sentence to deportation on May 8, 1897, but Pio del Pilar and Mariano Noriel, both former supporters of Bonifacio upon learning of this, persuaded him to withdraw the order for the sake of preserving unity and were supported by other leaders. The Bonifacio brothers were executed on May 10, 1897 in the mountains of Maragondon. Aguinaldo pardoned Generals Noriel and Del Pilar was ordered to return to their posts, even testified against the Bonifacio brothers.
# ...A fascinating exception are the unpublished memoirs of Revolutionary Veteran Castor de Jesus, first cousin of Bonifacio’s wife Gregoria. Veterano de Jesus was among the first recruits of the Katipunan, followed the Supremo to Cavite, was in Maragondon during the trial and execution of the Bonifacio brothers and his memoirs, in Tagalog, pack detail so densely that scene after scene is recreated for the reader.
According to the memoirs, the Supremo left for Cavite early in December, at five in the afternoon, carrying with him for expenses only 27 pesos. Accompanying him were his wife, who was pregnant, his secretary Emilio Jacinto and a few others, all of them on horseback. Left in command of the Katipunan headquarters at the Real de Balara was Julio Nakpil, segundo supremo. Before he rode away, Bonifacio spoke to his men: "Brothers, I must leave you because duty calls, but I feel sad to be separated from you, since we have been together in suffering from the start. If I leave you well, I hope to find you well on my return, like harmonious brothers with one mother. I shall not stay there long: I merely wish to gratify our brothers who are inviting me."
De Jesus notes that the sky darkened as the Supremo rode away, and that the men left behind felt melancholy: "We worried, as though conscious of some mishap threatening to befall them on their trip."
When De Jesus next visited Cavite, the Supremo was already inflight. De Jesus joined the flight and was captured along with the Bonifacios.
His memoirs give an intimate account of the last day in Maragondon. On May 9, Bonifacio’s wife suddenly realized that it was her birthday and began to weep as she recalled how her parents never let the day pass without a celebration. Bonifacio, who was feverish from his wounds (he had been wounded during his capture), tried to console his wife: "Alas, you tied yourself to a troubled life!" She hastened to assure him that she was not lamenting her lot: "It had always been my dream to find as my companion in life a man with a golden love for freedom and for our country. It seems that the fortune you dream of is the fortune you get. And if now these moments of misfortune come to us, what shall we do? They come to us from the Lord."
According to the memoirs, Colonel Lazaro Makapagal, accompanied by Jose Zulueta, came that night to the house where Bonifacio was kept, and announced that he had orders to fetch the prisoner. The prisoner had to face a brief hearing but would be returned at once. His wife protested that he had been in pain all night and she begged for bandages with which to dress his wounds, which had begun to fester. The colonel explained that his soldiers had brought a hammock in which to carry the prisoner. Because Bonifacio was taken away in the night, a belief arose that he had been executed at midnight.
- - the memoirs of the Katipunero Castor de Jesus written in Tagalog was donated by his family to the National Heroes Commission, under the safekeeping of the Philippine National Library.
- ka tony
the 10th of May, 2014
references: Pilipino Heritage # La Independencia (newspaper) # The Tribune (newspaper) # Memoirs of Gen. Artemio Ricarte # Katipunan and the Revolution (S.Alvarez) # A Question of Heroes (N.Joaquin) # Bonifacio Papers (J.Richardson)
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