On this day in the year 1863, Andres Bonifacio was born in what is presently known as Claro M. Recto in Tondo, Manila.
The eldest among five siblings, he had to assume responsibility for his family when they were orphaned when he was merely fourteen.
Andres Bonifacio had limited formal education but poverty couldn’t hold back his thirst for knowledge. He spent most of his free time reading books, improving his knowledge in the Spanish and Tagalog language, and learning about the struggles for freedom in other parts of the world while working various jobs and trying to earn a living.
He didn’t only dream of independence from the colonial master of his country, but tirelessly worked for it. Our country has many heroes whose educational attainment and military expertise can easily surpass that of Bonifacio but despite the many challenges and disadvantages, he went on to become Supremo of the Katipunan and can even be claimed to have been the country’ s first president. Unfortunately, he was executed by his own compatriots who did not share his views and methods in their fight for freedom.
Andres Bonifacio was a freedom fighter but he was not a politician. He did not live to see his goal come to fruition but his contributions towards making it happen were significant and that is why he is one of the few Filipino heroes whose birth date is celebrated as a national holiday.
As we commemorate the life and works of Andres Bonifacio today, let us remember that although heroes have won our country’s freedom, the fight for a better future continues even today and at this critical juncture, our country needs Filipinos like him even more. It needs people who will not use poverty and difficult circumstances as an excuse and still fight for what is right and good. It needs people who will stick to their beliefs and principles despite disagreements with what is currently popular.
When fake news and historical revisionism is changing the world we live in, potentially for the worst, we need Filipinos who are willing to take up the cudgels for the truth, verifiable facts and science-based solutions because that is what Andres Bonifacio would’ve done if he were still with us today.*
