Lie No. 6: Aguinaldo had Bonifacio killed

THE TRUTH:

Andres Bonifacio was charged with sedition, tried by a Court Martial, found guilty, and sentenced to be shot. His sentence was commuted by President Emilio Aguinaldo to banishment, but the plea of several generals of the revolution made him recall the order, leading to the execution of the two brothers.

Bonifacio was arrested on April 27, 1897, on the strength of an order issued by Aguinaldo. The order was based on a letter from the president (mayor) of the town of Indang, Severino de las Alas, complaining that the troops of Andres Bonifacio had attacked the town. (Ronquillo, 109).

The attack on the town of Indang came after the refusal of the townspeople to provide Bonifacio and his men with food and provisions. Bonifacio cursed the townspeople as traitors to the revolution and threatened to burn the town starting with the convent and the church (Alvarez, 120).

Bonifacio's disassociation with the newly established government came into the open after he refused to accept his defeat in the election held at the Tejeros Convention on March 22, 1897. On the day of election, he walked out and declared that the elections were null and void because according to him the will of the majority was not followed, citing Tirona's actuation questioning his qualification for the position of Director of Interior.

The following day, Bonifacio made a different declaration. This time, he said he was cheated. He and forty or so members of the Magdiwang Council issued a document known as the "Acta de Tejeros" demanding that those elected resign their positions on the basis that their election was invalid by virtue of irregularities committed during the election.

His demand was not accepted by the Magdalos who contended that there was no cheating and the declaration by Bonifacio that the proceedings were null and void was superseded by the will of the majority who stayed and continued the proceedings under the chairmanship of Santiago Rillo of the Batangas delegation.

Failing in this demand he and the same Magdiwang officials and two Magdalo generals signed a document on April 19, 1897, known as the "Acta de Naik" which was, in essence, a coup d'etat against the newly established Philippine government of President Emilio Aguinaldo. The coup was thwarted by Aguinaldo himself and Bonifacio with a few remaining followers left Naic and encamped in Limbon. President Aguinaldo allowed Bonifacio and his co-plotters to leave scot-free and even forgave his two generals who participated in the coup (Delos Santos, 47; Ronquillo 106-109).

When the government soldiers sent to carry out the arrest order arrived at Limbon, the thirty-five followers of Bonifacio did not put up a fight and surrendered their weapons voluntarily. However, Ciriaco, the brother of Andres, fired at the arresting officers killing two of them. On the return fire, Ciriaco was killed and Bonifacio was hit in the arm by a rifle shot while aiming his revolver (Kalaw, 5,17 20,22,23; Ronquillo, 144; Corpuz, 124).

The two brothers were brought to Maragondon where a Council of War was convened to try them for the crime of sedition. The brothers were found guilty and sentenced to die by shooting. The full details of the trial can be read in Teodoro M. Kalaw's book, "The Court-Martial of Andres Bonifacio".

President Aguinaldo commuted the sentence to indefinite exile (Kalaw, 39), but despite the commutation order the brothers were nonetheless executed. On March 22, 1948 Aguinaldo revealed in  a handwritten note that he recalled the commutation order after his generals, notably, Noriel and Del Pilar pleaded with him. The two generals mentioned the plot to assassinate him when Bonifacio launched the coup d'etat on the 19th of April. (Zafra, 232-237)

They maintained that there will be no peace for as long as Bonifacio was alive and if he (Aguinaldo) still wanted them to live ("at kung ibig ninyong mabuhay pa tayo") and for the sake of tranquility and unity among the various revolutionary forces, he should recall the commutation order, which he did.

Here is a quote containing the opinion of retired justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Abraham Sarmiento (Ronquillo,71) on the legality of the Bonifacio trial:

1) As to the trial of Andres and Procopio Bonifacio, that the trial was null and void, the Council of War having deprived both accused of due process;

2) As to the evidence against the accused, that although the verdict of the War Council was based on no competent evidence, it is nonetheless a historical fact that Andres Bonifacio had sought to set up the rival government in defiance of the Tejeros Government; and

3) As to the execution of the accused, that the execution of Bonifacio was Aguinaldo's discretion (in view of the Acta de Tejeros and the Naik Military Agreement).

Sources:
1. Carlos Ronquillo, "Ilang Talata Tungkol sa Paghihimagsik Nang 1896-1897, edited by Isagani Medina, UP Press, 1996);
2. Santiago Alvarez, "Recalling the Revolution", University of Wisconsin, Center for Southeast Asian Study, 2002;
3. Onofre D. Corpuz, "Saga and Triumph", University of the Philippines Press, 1996,
4. Epifanio delos Santos, Andres Bonifacio”, “Philippine Review” (Revista Filipina), vol. 3 no. 1, January, 1918, pages 34-58, G. Nieva, Manila P.I.;
5. Nicolas Zafra, "Riptide to Tejeros", ‘The Making of a Nation", Filipino Heritage,
Lahing Pilipino Publishing, Inc. Philippine Copyright, vol. 8, 1978; and
6. Teodoro M. Kalaw, "The Court-Martial of Andres Bonifacio", translated by Paz Policarpio-Mendez, Manila Book Company, Manila, 1926.https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/ADL9481.0001.001…
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