DOCUMENTS OF THE Katipunan
HOME Membership documents Oath (c.1894) Source: Photograph of original document in Teodoro A. Agoncillo, The Revolt of the Masses: the story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1956), p.38.
Introduction It seems the Katipunan did not have access to a printing press until 1895 or 1896, and in its earlier days recruits were therefore asked to copy out their oath of allegiance in a set format. The text that follows has been transcribed from the oath written and signed by José Turiano Santiago (“Tiktik’), but the same wording was followed – though using a slightly different cipher – by a recruit named Pedro de la Cruz (“Mapagtangol”).[1] The date beneath Turiano Santiago’s oath – February 18, 1894 - is a little puzzling, because he had already been active in the KKK since at least the previous year. One of the documents presented as evidence at the trial of José Rizal in December 1896 records a KKK gathering in July 1893 at which José Turiano Santiago and Emilio Jacinto both made rousing speeches and raised cheers for Dr. Rizal and liberty.[2] Possibly the Katipunan changed the form of its oath in 1894, or possibly the 1894 date was an erroneous later addition. The oath is transcribed below first as it was written, in the Katipunan’s cipher, and then in its deciphered form. The letter “i” was rendered in the cipher as “ñ”, but here as in many other documents the tilde was frequently omitted.
› › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › › ›
K x^xx K x^xx K x^xx ģ vģz Z x^xx ģx^xx B x^xx Zkcy sn Txrnzllc Szlltñzgc, llzllzllxvpz sz llgzjzll ģ Dncs zt ģ bzyzll llz npzg tztz’gcl ģ bcc’g atzpz’gzll z’g vģz adzfnjzllzll ģ K x^xx K x^xx K x^xx ģ vģz Z x^xx ģ B x^xx ñllgztzll z’g kzllnyz’g vga jnfnv llz vzvzsdzll zt vzpzkñllgzll, sxlldnll sñyz g pnknt vztz, szkjcjcfzll z’g jzfzt llz vģz kzkzpx^xx sz jzfzt llz pzllgzllnb zt sz pzgkzkznjzllgzll lnjz, Llzllxllxvpz zt llzllgzllgzkc rñll llzvzll zkc llz vzg pntzgzll sz kzllnjx’g vģz Pnllxllc, fxzg llz vzg tzksnj sz kzllnjz’g, sz allnjz’g vģz axtzszll zt bnjñl zt tztzjzzll kc’g zkc’g dxgc llz kxsz’g nbxbxbc. Dntc sz kzsxjztz’g fnllzfzrzp. Tnktnk 18/2/94 K x^xx K x^xx K x^xx ng mga A x^xx ng B x^xx Akoy si Turiano Santiago, nananumpa sa ngalan ng Dios at ng bayan na ipag tatangol ng boong katapangan ang mga kadahilanan ng K x^xx K x^xx K x^xx ng mga A x^xx ng B x^xx ingatan ang kaniyang mga lihim na mamasdan at mapakingan, sundin siya ng pikit mata, saklolohan ang lahat na mga kakapx^xx sa lahat na panganib at sa pagkakailangan nila, Nanunumpa at nangangako rin naman ako na mag pitagan sa kanilang mga Pinuno, huag na mag taksil sa kanilang, sa kanilang mga kautusan at bilin at tatalaan kong aking dugo na kusang ibububo dito sa kasulatang hinaharap. Tiktik 18/2/94

Notes

---

[1]Adrian E. Cristobal, The Tragedy of the Revolution (Makati City: Studio 5 Publishing Inc., 1997) p.55.

[2] The Trial of Rizal, W. E. Retana’s transcription of the official Spanish documents, edited and translated, with notes, by H. de la Costa (Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1996), p.23.