Ang Kalatas Volume V June 2015 Independence Day Special Edition | Page 14

10 LittleKnown
Facts
About The
Katipunan

W

e know it as that shadowy group created by Andres Bonifacio to liberate the
country from Spain. But aside from that,
is there anything else we would want
to know about the Katipunan? Yes, since the Katipunan is arguably one of the most influential
groups to have ever shaped Philippine history. It rightfully
deserves recognition, and what better way to give that
than to learn about some little-known facts and events
connected to it.

1. IT HAD A “SECRET CHAMBER” THAT PUNISHED
ITS MEMBERS.
While well-known is the fact that the KKK operated like
a shadow government with its legislative and executive
functions, its judicial branch is a little more obscure.
According to historians, the Katipunan had a council
called the Camara Secreta (Secret Chamber) composed of
Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and Dr. Pio Valenzuela.
Also called the Camara Negra (Black Chamber) and
Camara Reina (Supreme Chamber), this sinister-sounding
body doled out punishment to members who betrayed or
broke Katipunan by-laws.
Death sentences were usually handed down in the
form of a cup with a serpent curled around it.
2. IT ACTUALLY ORGANIZED THE FIRST EVER
REPUBLIC.
The Katipunan actually succeeded in establishing
a republic long before Aguinaldo’s Biak-na-Bato or the
Malolos Republic.
Located in Bulacan, the Republic of Real de Kakarong
de Sili was established on December 4, 1896, by some
6,000 Katipuneros led by Supreme Chief Canuto
Villanueva and General Eusebio “Maestrong Sebio”
Roque. Together they constructed a fort and established
a working mini-state.
The republic operated like a real government, with its

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JUNE 2015

own armed forces, police, and other civilian offices. The
republic lasted for only a month. On January 1, 1897, a
large Spanish contingent overran the fort and massacred
an estimated 1,000 – 3,000 Katipuneros. A famous
survivor of this setback was Gregorio del Pilar.
3. THE REAL MEANING OF THE LETTER K.
Out of all the letters we have in the alphabet, none
stand so popular—controversial—as the letter “K”. The
letter has become a fixture among militant groups,
mutineers, and other so-called modern revolutionaries—
which lead us to wonder why it is so popular in the first
place. The answer lies in the era before the formation of
the Katipunan, when debates raged over the creation
of a new orthography. Filipino nationalists—Rizal
included—favored replacing the letter “C” found in the
Spanish-influenced Tagalog alphabet with the letter “K”
since it had already been in use during the period of the
pre-colonial Filipinos.
Bonifacio came to adopt the letter and its
revolutionary undertones. Long story sh