The Charges

Dear mouse,

As a tribute to Andres Bonifacio, I am featuring the charges, testimonies and the verdict of the court martial of the hero.

(Pic courtesy of Polo)

Andres Bonifacio

Hero of the Philippine Revolution

Father of the Katipunan

Father of the Revolution and Philippine Democracy

the "Supremo"

the Great Plebeian

born November 30, 1863 in Tundo, Manila

died May 10 1897, in Mt. Buntis, by execution

Many of us know very little why Andres Bonifacio was executed. Many of us do not know that the decision was not to kill him.

Many of us do not know the charges, do you?

The Charges

Maragondon, May 7, 1897.

To His Honor the Commander-in-Chief of the Army:

The auditor, after having examined the investigation papers, declare that the Bonifacio brothers, Andres and Procopio, residing in Limbon, enlisted soldiers with guns (and swords without proper authority from this government of the Tagalog provinces; that Andres Bonifacio, with his brothers, Procopio and Ciriaco, often held secret meetings with Diego Mojica, Silvestre Domingo, and Santos Nocom, and that it was their design to overthrow the government and kill the president. When rumor of this evil intention reached the government, soldiers were sent to the place where Andres was staying. On the arrival of the government soldiers, Andres and his brothers ordered their soldiers to fire if the government soldiers did not halt; they also ordered their trench to be closed. Their soldiers did not obey this command. Immediately Ciriaco Bonifacio fired, killing two government soldiers. As a result of this provocation, the leader of the government forces ordered his soldiers to fire in the direction of the shot which had killed two of their companions. They were able to enter the trench. Here Andres and his brothers were still firing, and Procopio surrendered only on seeing Andres and Ciriaco fall.From this, it can be inferred that there is truth in the charge that these brothers, in maintaining an army, had the intention of overthrowing the government and killing the president. This is borne out by the testimony of their soldiers, Pedro Giron, Benito Torres, Bibiano Rojas, and others whose names need not be mentioned.Aside from all this Andres Bonifacio, by means of money, induced the government army officers, together with the soldiers under them, to transfer to his side. This money, I think, comes from Diego Mojica and Ariston Villanueva. The acts of these men are not secret-for example, the frequent meetings of Mojica with the Bonifacio brothers in Limbon, and the resistance of the soldiers against the government forces. It is suspected that the money was intended for the transfer of the government forces to the authority of Andres. The latter's reason that the money was a reward to the soldiers who had fought in Noveleta is not true. Therefore, it appears true that the Bonifacio brothers,Andres, Ciriaco, and Procopio, had the intention of overthrowing the government of the Tagalogs, of killing the President, and of resisting the government army forces. Because of these crimes, they deserve the punishment dictated by the Council. It depends upon Your Honor, however, to decide on what is most proper to do. With reference to other things, a copy of the testimony of Andres Bonifacio, Pedro Giron, and others should be taken so that proper investigation may be made of Diego Mojica and Ariston Villanueva. The testimony of the wife of Andres Bonifacio about the attempt to dishonor her should also be looked into. The guns, books, and other things seized when Andres and Procopio Bonifacio and their soldiers surrendered should be placed under the authority of the government.

Maragondon, May 8, 1897.

BALDOMERO AGUINALDO

The Ca t