Andrés Bonifacio: Difference between revisions

Bonifacio received the second-highest number of votes for president. Though it was suggested that he be automatically be awarded the Vice Presidency, no one seconded the motion and the Election continued. [[Mariano Trías]] of the Magdiwang was elected vice president. Bonifacio was the last to be elected, as Director of the Interior. [[Daniel Tirona]], protested Bonifacio being appointed as Director of the Interior on the grounds that the position should not be occupied by a person without a lawyer's diploma. Tirona suggested a prominent lawyer for the position such as Jose del Rosario. Insulted and angered, Bonifacio demanded an apology, since the voters had agreed to respect the election results. Tirona ignored Bonifacio's demand for apology which drove Bonifacio to draw his gun and again he nearly shot Tirona, who hid among the people, but he was restrained by [[Artemio Ricarte]] of the [[Magdiwang (Katipunan faction)|''Magdiwang'']], who had been elected Captain-General.<ref name="Agoncillop178">{{Harvnb|Agoncillo|1990|p=178}}</ref> Bonifacio declared: "In my capacity as chairman of this convention, and as ''Presidente Supremo'' of the Most Venerable Katipunan of the Sons of the People, which association is known and acknowledged by all, I hereby declare null and void all matters approved in this meeting."<ref>{{Harvnb|Álvarez|1992|p=87}}. Original Filipino text, p. 322: "Ako, sa pagka-Pangulo nitong Kapulungan, at sa pagka-''Presidente Supremo'' ng K.K.K. ng mga A.N.B, na kilala at talastas ng lahat, ipinahahayag kong lansag at walang kabuluhan ang lahat ng bagay na pinagkayarian at pinagtibay sa Pulong na ito."</ref> He then promptly left the premises.<ref name="Agoncillop178"/><ref name="constantinop185">{{Harvnb|Constantino|1975|p=185}}</ref>

 

On March 23, 1897, the day after the [[Tejeros Convention|Tejeros convention]], Aguinaldo surreptitiously took his oath of office as president in a chapel officiated by a Catholic priest Cenon Villafranca who was under the authority of the [[Pope]] in Rome.<ref name=Alvarez>Alvarez, S.V., 1992, Recalling the Revolution, Madison: Center for Southeast Asia Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, {{ISBN|1-881261-05-0}}</ref>{{rp|109}} According to Gen. Santiago Alvarez, guards were posted outside with strict instructions not to let in any unwanted partisan from the Magdiwang faction while the oath-taking took place.<ref>Álvarez 1992.</ref> [[Artemio Ricarte]] also took his office "with great reluctance" and made a declaration that he found the Tejeros elections "dirty or shady" and "not been in conformity with the true will of the people."<ref>Artemio Ricarte Declaration dated March 24, 1897. {{cite web |url=http://kasaysayan-kkk.info/docs.ar.240397.htm|title=Katipunan|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819073229/http://kasaysayan-kkk.info/docs.ar.240397.htm |archive-date=August 19, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

 

|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ITLRpPrrcykC&pg=PA138 138]}}</ref>

 

In late April, [[Emilio Aguinaldo|Aguinaldo]] fully assumed the presidential office after consolidating his position among the [[Cavite]] elite – most of Bonifacio's ''Magdiwang'' supporters shifting allegiance to Aguinaldo.<ref name="guerrerop194">{{Harvnb|Guerrero|1998|p=194}}.</ref> Aguinaldo's government then ordered the arrest of Bonifacio, who was then moving out of Cavite.<ref name="Agoncillop178-180">{{Harvnb|Agoncillo|1990|pp=178–180}}</ref><ref name="guerrerop193">{{Harvnb|Guerrero|1998|p=193}}.</ref>

 

In April 1897, [[Emilio Aguinaldo|Aguinaldo]] ordered the arrest of Bonifacio after he received a letter alleging that Bonifacio had burned down a village and ordered the burning of the church of [[Indang, Cavite|Indang]] after townspeople refused to give him provisions. Many of the principal men of Indang, among them Severino de las Alas, presented Emilio Aguinaldo with several complaints against Bonifacio that the Supremo's men stole [[carabao]]s and other work animals by force and butchered them for food. On April 25, a party of Aguinaldo's men led by Colonel Agapito Bonzón and Major José Ignacio "Intsik" Paua caught up with Bonifacio at his camp in barrio Limbon, Indang. The unsuspecting Bonifacio received them cordially. Early the next day, Bonzón and Paua attacked Bonifacio's camp. Bonifacio was surprised and refused to fight against "fellow [[Sovereign Tagalog Nation|Tagalogs]]", ordering his men to hold their fire, but shots were nevertheless exchanged. Bonifacio was shot in the arm by Bonzón, and Paua stabbed him in the neck but was prevented from striking further by one of Bonifacio's men, who offered to die in Bonifacio's place. Andrés's brother [[Ciriaco Bonifacio|Ciriaco]] was shot dead, while his other brother Procopio was beaten, and his wife [[Gregoria de Jesús|Gregoria]] may have been raped by Bonzón. From Indang, a half-starved and wounded Bonifacio was carried by hammock to [[Naic]], which had become President Aguinaldo's headquarters.<ref name="ocampo1999">{{Harvnb|Ocampo|1999}}.</ref>