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The Supreme Assembly

Record of meeting held on December 24 – 25, 1895

 

Source: Archivo General Militar de Madrid: Caja 5393, leg.4.4

 

 

Introduction

 

From ten o’clock on Christmas Eve to seven o’clock on Christmas morning, as Church bells called the faithful to Mass and the fortunate feasted, the Supreme Assembly of the Katipunan met at the house of Andres Bonifacio in the Dulumbayan district of Manila. 

 

This was the second meeting of the Assembly.  At its first meeting, held in Caloocan on November 30, the Assembly had been largely pre-occupied with rooting out dissidents and reprobates from the society, and this Christmas meeting again dwelt on issues of internal discipline.  But here there was also a more forward-looking focus.  Plans were made to reinvigorate sections that had become inactive; there was discussion on how to put the Katipunan’s finances on a firmer footing; and a new Supreme Council was elected to lead the society in 1896.  With hindsight, of course, we know that 1896 was to be the year of the revolution.   

 

This document is the official record of the Assembly meeting, written by Emilio Jacinto. 

 

The English text below the transcription is an abbreviated paraphrase of the document, not a translation.  The paragraph markers – (a), (b) etc. - do not appear in the original, and have been inserted simply to facilitate comparison between the Tagalog text and the English paraphrase.

 

 

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K . K . K.

N. M. A. N. B.

Kataastaasang Kapisanan

       

        (a)  Sa ngalan ng Bayang tinubuan, at sa lalung ikalalaki ng lakas at kaayusang taglay ng K.K.K.N.M.A.N.B., ay gumawa ang K.K. ng isang pagpupulong sa ikadalawang puo’t apat na araw ng umiiral na buan ng Diciembre sa bahay ng kap. na Maypagasa.

 

            (b)  Dito’y nagsidalo ang mga kap. na Maypagasa, Pinkian, Maniangat, p., t.  at ty. ng K.S.; ang mga kap. na Silanganan, Talibong, p. at t. ng S.B. Dapitan; ang kap. na Matapang p. ng By. “Silanganan”; ang mga kap. na Paku, Tambuli, p. at kal.  ng By. “Alapaap”; ang mga kap. na Magiliw, Dupil at Tawas, kal., t. at ty. ng By. “Makabuhay”; ang kap. na Ilagan, p. ng By. “Mahiganti”; ang kap. na Matulin, p. ng By. “Maluningning”; ang kap. na Halimaw, p. ng S.B. “Katagalugan”; ang kap. na Labong, p. ng By. “Kabuhayan”; ang kap. na Magiliwin, p. ng By. “Dalisayan”; ang kap. na Bulalakaw, p. ng B. “Dimasalang”; ang kap. na Mataas, t. ng By. “Tanglaw”; at ang mga kap. na Dimasayaran, Silang, Dimalitiwan, Lintik (H.V [?]), Subiang, Kapit at iba pang mga kapisan ng By. “Makabuhay”.

 

            (c)  Sa ikasampung daguk ng bakal sa tansu ng gabi ay binuksan ang kagalangalang na Karurukan, at tuloy binasa ng k.t. na siyang lumagay na kal., ang pinagsulatan ng katatapus na ginawang pagpupulong ng ikatlong puo ng Noviembre ng nagtatapus na taun, at sa ipinahayag na pagayun ng lahat sa mga nalalaman sa pinagsulatang ito, tinalaan ng k.p. at ng k.t. at saka tinatakan, alinsunod sa nararapat na kaayusan.

 

            (d)  Bago ituloy ang mga gawang doo’y gaganapin at paguusapan, pinagkaisahang maghalal ng mga k. na hali-haliling tumaliba sa bawa’t isang daguk ng bakal sa tansu, sa habang pagpupulong.  Sa pagkaringig nito ng mga k. sa By. “Makabuhay”, sila’y kusang naghandog ng kanilang paglilinkod sa ikatutupad ng katungkulang tumaliba, na minarapat naman ng lahat, at pinasamahan sa tuing maghahalili ng isang k. Maynila, sapagka’t siyang nakakikilala sa magsisidating.

 

            (e)  Ang kap. na Matulin ay nangusap at tumugon sa pasabing iniatas ng K.K. sa By. “Maluningning”, tungkol sa kapaubayaang dito’y namasdan, at sinabing kung kaya ang By. na ito ay hindi gumamit ng malaung panahun ng pagsisikap na kinakailangan, ay dahil: - Una: Sa lubhang mapanganib na kalagayan ng bahay na kanilang pinagpupulungan, na siyang Nlltqlldqllsñn Fqllqrnj [Intendencia General]. Ika-2o Sa pagwi sa kaniyang bayan ng ty. at ng p. na nagasawa sa Batangan: - Ika 3o  Sa karamihang tutoo ng mga ginagawa ng p., at dahil sa nagagalit ang kaniyang asawa kung siya’y magpapanaog sa bahay.  Tuloy pangakong gagamit na ng masikap na pagtupad ng kaniyang mga katungkulan, at ng kaniyang mga kabalangay.  Dahil dito’y tinangap ng kapulungan ang mga ipinagrabing dahilan ng kap. na Matulin.

 

            (f)  Ipinagsanguni ng kap. na Pingkian ang mga kapansanang nakakapigil sa K.S. na magpadala, alinsunod sa iniatas ng K.K. sa sinundang pulong, ng isang kasulatan sa ilang mga k. ng mga pulutong, at tuloy na ipinalagay na sapagkat hindi mangyayaring matalastas agad kung sino ang mga k. dapat padalhan, ay gumawa na lamang ang K.S. ng isang pahayag sa buong Kat., na magpaalala ng mga gawad na sumpa at makapagpabangun sa mga kalobang nahihimbing sa di pagdadamdam; at tuloy na ipagsabi na ang mga pulutong at mga k. na sa ngayo’y hindi kumikilos, sa loob ng labing limang araw buhat sa pagdating ng pahayag sa kanilang kamay, ay gagawa ng pulong at magpapasabi sa K.S. ang araw na ito’y dadaluhan, kung pulutong ang siyang nagbabalik loob, at kung k. lamang, ito’y haharap sa mga pinuno ng K.S. sa loob ng araw na taning.  Ang K.S. ay magpapadalo ng isa, dalawa or lahat ng kaniyang mga pinuno sa pulong ng mga pulutong na nagnanasa ng kaayusan, at sa pulong na ito sisiyasatin ang lahat ng mga k. na dito’y napipisan, at hatulan ang balang masama at sila’y bigian ng nararapat na parusa.

 

            (g)  Pinagkaisahan na ang mga kpung wala pang larawan ay magpapakuha sa loob ng tatlong buan, at ipadadala sa K.S.

 

            (h)  Ipinahayag ng k.p. ang pagkakailangang maghalal ng mga bagong mapipisang lalagay sa K.S., sapagkat pagtatapus na ang taung kapanahunan ng mga dati.  Bago simulaan ang paghahalal ay pinagkayarian muna na sukat na ang K.K. na maykapangyarihang gumawa nito, at hindi katulad ng ginawa sa sinundang pagkahalal, sapagkat kung ang K.K. ay may kapangyarihang makapagpairal ng anomang kautusan, ay lalu’t higit na dapat magkaroon, sa pagpili ng magpapatupad ng mga kautusang ito.  Sa bagay na ito ay ginawa ang paghahalal at lumabas na p. ang kap. na Maypagasa, kal. ang kap. na Pingkian, t. ang kap. na Dimasayaran, ty. ang kap. na Maniangat, at sa anim na kasanguni ay lumabas ang mga kap. na Tagaisok, Silang, Bulalakaw, Talibong, Silanganan at Subiang.

 

            (i)  Ipinakita ng k.p. sa kapulungan ang lalagian ng mga larawan ng mga taksil, at ang pagkahahanay nila, na minabuti at pinayagan ng kalahatan.

 

            (j)  Ipinamanhik ng kap. na Pinkian na mangyaring mabalik ang k. itiniwalag na nagpapamagat ng Burgos, sapagkat: una: bago pa matalastas na siya’y natitiwalag ay nagpakita na ng matinding pagsusumikap, at ito’y hindi kumupas kahit niya naalaman; ikalawa: ang mga salitang nabitiwang minsan tungkol sa paghilig kun di man ayun, sa mga ipinamamarali ng mga taksil, ay walang ibang pinagbuhatan kun di ang pagkabatang loob na tutoong tungo sa mga pagkabibigla; ikatlo: tunay na nagpapakumbaba at nagpapakita ng malaking pagsisisi.  Sa maringig ito ng lahat ay umayon  sa kahilingan ng kap. na Pinkian at pinatawad na pinayagang mabalik ang kap. na Burgos ng wala nang tatlong buang subok at wala ding bayad sa pagkabalik.

 

            (k)  Ipinagbigay alam ng kap. na Maypagasa ang mga palaging sinasabi sa kaniya ng k. Tiktik, na wari’y nagiibig magsikap sa Kat., at tuloy ipinagsanguni sa lahat ang nararapat sa k. ito.  Sapagkat ang hanap ng lahat ay ang gawa at ang k. Tiktik ay di nakikitaan ng gabahit mang gawa, siya’y hindi minarapat na mabalik, at ang pagkatiwalag niya’y ginawa nang patuluyan.

 

            (l)  Ipinakilala ng k.p. ang mga sumbong na sa kaniya’y dumating tungkol sa mga pagkukulang ng k. Kalapati na pinanganlang kaululan ang mga gawa ng Kat. at dito daw ay walang nangyayari kun di paua’y na nakawan. Dahil dito’y pinagkayariang ilayu siya muna at tuloy pagusigin ang katutuhanan ng mga sumbong na ito.

 

            (m)  Pinagkaisahan din na ang mga limbag na niyari na, ay ipagbibili ang pahayag sa mga may nasang makisanib apat na kualta; ang pinagsulatan ng panunumpa sa pagpasuk, ang pinagsulatan ng pangangaku at ang tanungan sa silid sa panilayan, isang kualta ang isa; at ang talaan ng mga kabagayang taglay ng hinikayat at na nagnanasang makisanib, dalawa ang isang kualta.

 

            (n)  Pinagusapan ang kaayusang nararapat umiral tunkol sa salapi, at kapagkatapus ng isang masiyasat na paglilining ay pinagkaisahan muna na magkakaroon ng dalawang pagkaiba ng salaping natitipon: isa, ang salaping natitipon tunay at iisang pisan na ari ng buong Kat.; at magkakaroon din ng salaping natitipon tangi na ari na bawa’t isang pulutong mula sa K.S. hangang sa kahuli-hulihang Hkan.

 

            (o)  Dahil dito’y naalalang pagkaisahan din ang paggawad ng Katibayan sa mga k.  Ito’y dalawa katibayang ak. at katibayang kaw., na hindi igagawad kung ang paggagawaran ay hindi mapatunayang nakabayad na, ng ukol sa pagkapasuk o pagkataas.

 

            (p)  Muling pinagusapan ang nauukol sa salapi, at pinagkayariang ipaunawang paghininging ng anim na inihalal sa sinundang pulong sa pagsisiyasat ng Patnugutan, ang palagay ng kap. na Pingkian na itong sumusunod:  Ang pagbubuhatan ng salaping ukol sa buong Kat. ay ang mga kabayaran sa pagpasuk, sa pagangat, sa mga katunayan at sa pagkabalik ng mga tiwalag.  Ang salapi ng bawa’t pulutong ay ganito: Ang Hkan. sa kabuoan ng mga kabayaran sa buan buan ng kaniyang mga kapisan ay ipadadala ang ikatlong bahagi sa By. na sa kaniya’y nakasasakup, ang kabuan ng mga kabayaran sa buan buan ng mga k. ng By. kasama ang padala ng Hkan., ay pagtatatluhing bahagi, at ang ikatlo ay ipadadala sa S.B. sumasakup, gayon din ang S.B ukul sa S.H na sa kaniya’y nakasasakup; gayon din ang S.H. ukol sa K.S., datapua’t ito’y may limang piso pa sa balang isang dan ng salapi ng buong Kat.

 

            (q)  Sa lubhang kalaman na nitong pagpupulong ay inilibot ang supot ng saklolo, at ang isinalin nito ay kulang dalawang kualta sa piso.  Pinagkaisahang iambag ang salaping ito, sa kap. na namatayan ng anak sa By. “Mahiganti”.

 

            (r)  Niwakasan itong pagpupulong sa ika pitong daguk ng bakal sa tansu ng umaga, pagkasumpa ng lahat na di isiniwalat ang lahat na namasdan at napakingan.

 

            (s)  Maynila, ikadalawangpuo’t lima ng Diciembre ng taung 1895.

 

                                                                        Ang k.p.

                                                                        Vzypzgzsz

 

            Lumagay na kal.

            Ang k.t.

            Pñllkñzll

 

 

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English paraphrase

K . K . K.

N. M. A. N. B.

Supreme Assembly

 

 

            (a)  In the name of the native country, and in order to develop further the strength and orgnization of the K. K. K., the Supreme Assembly held a meeting on the twenty-fourth of December at the house of brother Bonifacio.

 

            (b)  Present at the meeting were brothers:-

 

Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto and Vicente Molina, the president, fiscal and treasurer of the Supreme Council;

Francisco Carreon and Hermenegildo Reyes, the president and fiscal of S. B. Dapitan;

Juan Cruz, the president of By. Silanganan;

Estanislao de los Reyes and “Paku”, the president and secretary of By. Alapaap;

Rogelio Borja, “Dupil” and “Tawas”, the secretary, fiscal and treasurer of By. Makabuhay

Inocencio Marcial, the president of By. Maluningning;

Alejandro Santiago, the president of S.B. Katagalugan;

Lino Villanueva, the president of By. Kabuhayan;

Ignacio Sanchez, the president of By. Dalisayan;

Pantaleon Torres, the president of By. Dimasalang;

“Mataas”, the fiscal of By. Tanglaw;

Pio Valenzuela, Balbino Florentino, Apolonio de la Cruz, “Lintik” (H.V. [?])[1]; Jose  Trinidad, “Kapit”; and

other members of By. Makabuhay.

 

            (c)  The meeting commenced at ten o’clock in the evening, and began with Emilio Jacinto [the supreme fiscal, but acting here as supreme secretary] reading out the report of the previous meeting of the Supreme Assembly, which had been held on November 30, 1895.  The Assembly approved the contents of the report, and it was signed and sealed by Bonifacio and Jacinto to certify it as correct.

 

            (d)  Before proceeding any further, the Assembly elected members to act as look-outs and guards whilst the meeting was in progress.  It was agreed that the watch should be changed every hour, and that members of By. Makabuhay [which was based in Mandaluyong] should be paired with members from Manila who would know who was due to arrive.

 

            (e)  Inocencio Marcial, the president of By. Maluningning, responded to the concerns of the Assembly about the shortcomings of that branch.  He acknowledged that for some time the branch had not been conducting its affairs with due diligence, and attributed this to (i) the grave danger that its meetings might be discovered, because the meeting place was the Intendencia General [the Government treasury]; (ii) the fact that the president [himself] and the treasurer [Perfecta Simeon] had gone home to Batangas to get married; and (iii) the fact that he had so many things to do, and that his bride was getting angry because he was always out of the house.  He still hoped, however, to be able to fulfil his duties and attend to branch affairs diligently in the future.  The Assembly welcomed this assurance and accepted his explanation.

 

            (f)  Emilio Jacinto reported that the Supreme Council had not implemented the decision taken at the previous meeting of the Supreme Assembly that letters should be sent to members who had become inactive.   Since it would be difficult to determine exactly which individuals needed to be sent such letters, the Supreme Council had decided instead to issue a general proclamation to the whole Katipunan, calling upon all members to revive their dormant spirits and honour the oaths they had sworn.  Within fifteen days from the receipt of this proclamation, each section or group of members that had become passive should arrange a meeting and inform the Supreme Council when and where it would be held.  The Supreme Council would then send one, two or even all its members to these meetings to ensure that good order had been restored and to determine whether any misdeeds had occurred that required investigation and punishment. 

 

            (g)  The Assembly agreed that members who had not yet sent pictures of themselves to the Supreme Council should be required to do so within the next three months. 

 

            (h)  Andres Bonifacio announced that elections to the Supreme Council were now due, because those previously elected had now completed their one-year terms.  It was confirmed that the Assembly itself had the necessary authority to elect the new Supreme Council, and that the old arrangements had been superseded.  Since the Supreme Assembly had been given the power to issue orders to the Katipunan, it was reasoned, it should also have the power to select the individuals whose task it was to ensure those orders were implemented.   The elections were then duly held, and the outcome was that Andres Bonifacio was re-elected as president; Emilio Jacinto was elected as secretary; Pio Valenzuela as fiscal; Vicente Molina as treasurer; and Aguedo del Rosario, Balbino Florentino, Pantaleon Torres, Hermenegildo Reyes, Francisco Carreon and Jose Trinidad as councillors.

 

            (i)  To the approval and acclaim of the congress, Bonifacio displayed the case in which the portraits of the traitors had been arranged in rows. 

 

            (j)  Emilio Jacinto asked the Assembly to agree that the member whose alias was “Burgos” [probably Geronimo Medina y Cristobal], who had been expelled from the Katipunan, should now be readmitted.  First, even before being notified of his expulsion, “Burgos” had again shown his former diligence, and this had not lessened even when he had been told.  Second, he had once said something in haste about wanting to resign, but he had never really agreed with the defamatory accusations of the traitors.  Third, he was really contrite and repentant.  Upon hearing this account, the Assembly agreed that “Burgos” should be readmitted, and agreed also to Jacinto’s request that he be excused from the three-month probation period and the re-admission fee normally imposed upon returning expellees.  

 

            (k)  Andres Bonifacio notified the Assembly that the expelled Jose Turiano Santiago [until recently the supreme secretary] kept saying that he still wanted to serve the Katipunan.  Discussion then ensued on what should be done about this member.  The consensus was that Turiano Santiago should be judged on his deeds [not on mere words] and that since he had not actually done anything, his expulsion should be confirmed.  

 

            (l)  Bonifacio reported that accusations had reached him that the actions of “Kalapati” [possibly Nicomedes Carreon, the treasurer of By. Dapitan] were a discredit to the Katipunan and were causing people to accuse the society of being a racket.  The Assembly agreed that “Kalapati” should be distanced from the society until the truth or otherwise of these accusations had been investigated. 

 

            (m)  It was agreed that the printed documents used by the Katipunan should be priced as follows: the manifesto given to those who wished to join the society [the “Kartilya”], 4 kualta per copy; the oath to be sworn upon initiation into the society, 1 kualta per copy; the application form, 1 kualta per copy; the questions to be considered in the room of reflection, 1 kualta per copy; and the list of points to be borne in mind when recruiting members, 1 kualta for two copies.

 

            (n)  The Assembly then discussed the need to put the finances of the Katipunan in better order.  After detailed consideration, it was agreed as a starting point that the funds of the Katipunan should be of two types: (i) funds that should belonged to the Katipunan as a whole; and (ii) funds that belonged to each individual section, from the Supreme Council down to the smallest unit.

 

            (o)  It was recalled that it had previously been agreed that members should be awarded certificates, either as an akibat (companion) or a kawal (soldier), and that such certificates would not be issued unless the awardee had actually paid the required fee for his admission or promotion. 

 

            (p)  At the request of the six members elected by the Assembly at its previous meeting to investigate the Directorate, Emilio Jacinto expressed his thoughts on the future organisation of the Katipunan’s finances as follows:  The sources of the funds that belonged to the whole Katipunan should be (i) the admission fees paid by new recruits; (ii) the fees for promotion to a higher grade; (iii) the fees for the certificates just mentioned; and (iv) the fees paid by expellees who wished to return.  The source of the funds that belonged to each individual section, on the other hand, should be the members’ monthly dues.  Each small unit should send a third of the amount it collected each month to the Branch to which it was affiliated, and retain two thirds.  Each Branch should likewise send a third of its monthly collection (plus a third of the amount received from the small units) to the Popular Council to which it was affiliated; each Popular Council should likewise send a third of its income to the Provincial Council, and each Provincial Council should send a third to the Supreme Council.  In addition, the Supreme Council would be allocated 5 pesos out of every 100 from the funds collected for the whole Katipunan.

 

            (q)  A collection pouch was passed around, and the sum collected amounted to just less than one peso.  It was agreed that this sum should be donated to a brother in By. Mahiganti who had recently lost a child. 

 

            (r)  The meeting ended at 7 o’clock in the morning.  Everyone present swore not to disclose anything that they had seen or heard.

 

(s)     Manila, December 25, 1895

 

                                                            The supreme president

                                                            Maypagasa

 

Acting as secretary

The supreme fiscal

Pinkian

 

 

 

Note      


[1] Two initials – probably “H.V.” – are written after the alias “Lintik”, presumably to indicate this member’s true name and thereby differentiate him from another “Lintik” -  Eleuterio de Guzman – who had allegedly become a police informer and been condemned to some grave punishment, probably death.