Nonsense Politics Destroyed Andres Bonifacio
Every November 30 the Philippines celebrates Andres Bonifacio day. Dubbed as the “Father of the Philippine Revolution”, Andres Bonifacio was one of the major leaders in the Philippine revolution against the Spanish rule. He was also attributed as being the founder of the Katipunan. The group’s purposes were defend the Filipino people who were exploited by the Spanish government, institute much needed morals and most importantly free the Filipinos from the oppression of the Spaniards by revolution.
Commonly, official holidays are declared to commemorate the death of a fallen hero. Andres Bonifacio however, had a different case. It is in his natal birth that the public holiday was declared and not in his death. This is because, Andres Bonifacio did not die in the hands of his enemies-as in the case of other heroes-but instead he was killed by his countrymen.
The majority of historians hold that Andres Bonifacio’s unfortunate demise was the result of the rich vs. poor struggle. They hold that Andres Bonifacio represented the masses or the lower class while Emilio Aguinaldo represented the bourgeois or upper class. Though this may seem a valid argument, I, however do not see it as a struggle between the rich and poor. Andres Bonifacio was executed together with his brother, Procopio, because he allowed himself to wallow in nonsensical politics.
Excessive politicizing became the key reason why Andres Bonifacio lost his place in the revolutionary government. At that time the revolutionary government elected Emilio Aguinaldo as their president and the “El Supremo” (The Supreme leader) of the Katipunan by majority vote was elected to the position of director of the interior. Yet despite the majority vote, a fellow Katipunero, Daniel Tirona, doubted Andres Bonifacio’s capacity to hold the position as secretary of the interior citing that such position belonged to a lawyer.
Furious and offended by the remarks from a fellow Katipunero, Andres Bonifacio declared the proceedings null and void pointing out that the only rules agreed upon in holding key positions within the revolutionary government was through a majority vote. No qualifications were agreed upon nor discussed. Bonifacio then opted not to coordinate with Aguinaldo’s revolutionary government from that time on.
His actions, however, forced the revolutionary government to accuse him of treason. For this Andres Bonifacio was tried by court and sentenced. Though President Aguinaldo tried to lessen the sentence by banishing Andres Bonifacio, for some reason this plan did not materialize. Andres Bonifacio and his brother Procopio died through execution in the hands of their fellow countrymen. Many historians hold that someone advised Aguinaldo not to change the death sentence because Andres Bonifacio might only cause more problems within the government should he be allowed to live. Nonsensical politics has once again ravaged life. It has made people foolish politicians, opportunists, exploiters of the weak and the system, compromiser of that which is good and partisans instead of defending the truth.
Presently, our society continues to groans from the pain it experiences because of nonsensical politics. Corrupt government officials who are close to the president remain free as the office Ombudsman continue to delay and usually dismiss cases filed against them. Judges and justices justify evil deeds made by those who hold power. Law enforcers close their eyes to the crimes of those who have friends in authority. Men who have shady characters and who do shady deeds gets elected into important government positions.
A just and humane society became a figment of our imaginations when Andres Bonifacio died in Mount Nagpatong in Maragondon, Cavite, the place where he had his final breath. Excessive politicizing kills and will continue to do so. History is still repeating itself.
Zigfred Diaz is a big fan of Andres Bonifacio however this is not what his blog is all about. He blogs on several interesting topics including Philippine politics and Current events, financial management, investments, law and business. Go visit his blog today!
