Historically, the declaration of November 30 as a national holiday started when the Philippine Legislature enacted Act No. 2946 on February 16, 1921 making November 30 of each year a legal holiday to commemorate the birth of Andres Bonifacio.
Andres Bonifacio, one of the leading protagonists in the struggle for freedom against the Spaniards etched his name in our history books by shedding his blood fighting against the colonizers. Together with Ladislao Diwa, Deodato Arellano, Teodoro Plata and few others, he established the secret society called Katipunan. They decided that since the peaceful campaign for reforms proved to be ineffective they should now do something radical to achieve independence.
By means of the Katipunan, Bonifacio launched a nationwide revolution. He called for recruitment of members of the Katipunan which led to the simultaneous raids in various artilleries and camps of the Spaniards. Bonifacio became the commanders in chief of the revolutionary army with power of appointing Katipunan military leaders in various provinces around the country. He even led the various battles in Manila. He won battles and lost some.
In the early part of the Spanish colonization the struggle for freedom against the enemy was concentrated in small, disparate areas. The revolts waged at that time were limited territory and had diverse motives and goals while the revolution led by Bonifacio and the Katipunan became a nationwide campaign with only one goal: to overthrow the colonizers.
As the Katipunan heated up so did the struggle for supremacy inside the organization. Tension arose creating factions among members. The Magdiwang and Magdalo chapters in Cavite province vied for leadership.
Meanwhile, Bonifacio became the target of the Spanish forces who believed his death would weaken the Katipunan. But, Bonifacio did not die at the hands of the enemies, but those of his own countrymen. Together with his brother Procopio, Bonifacio was killed on May 10, 1897. After the death of Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo came into play. The struggle for independence was no longer focused on Manila, but transferred to Cavite and to the other Tagalog provinces.
Bonifacio had been the lighting guide of the revolution. His courage and determination was undeniable and the struggle for freedom started by him and his Katipuneros became the flame of inspiration of other revolutionary groups to continue the fight for freedom. Bonifacio fought for something he believed was right and his act of launching the revolution was an act of courage and bravery. He may not have been as intellectual as Jose Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar or Apolinario Mabini but he loved his country equally and dreamed of a self-governing Philippines. Bonifacio truly deserves to be included in the pantheon of our heroes.
The red mark in the calendar on the 30th of November not only reminds us that it is a holiday but more importantly that it is the birth of freedom fighter.
by Mona Lisa H. Quizon, History Researcher II
Source: National Historical Commission of the Philippines (Facebook Page)
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