Bonifacio Day is around the corner, and the Urban Roamer would not be remiss if we do not pay tribute to the memory of this great and tragic figure in our history. In the past Bonifacio Day editions of this site, the Urban Roamer has already visited the famed Monumento in Caloocan, the Bahay Nakpil-Bautista where his widow lived, and the Museo ng Katipunan in San Juan. For this year’s Bonifacio Day edition, it is time we look at another famed Bonifacio landmark in the City of Manila. I am of course talking about the Bonifacio Monument and Mural located at Mehan Garden, right across the Manila City Hall.
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A Museum for the Katipunan
Bonifacio Day is fast approaching, so if you are looking into commemorating in your own way the birthday of Andres Bonifacio and his contributions to Philippine history, the Urban Roamer suggests you check out the Museo ng Katipunan, so far the only museum dedicated to the life of Andres Bonifacio and the movement he founded, the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, which we all know better as the Katipunan. Opened in 2013, (in time for Bonifacio’s 150th birth anniversary) the museum is located not in Bonifacio’s birthplace in Tondo, Manila. Rather, its location is just beside the vast Pinaglabanan Shrine in San Juan, the site where Bonifacio…
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Quiapo’s home of heroes: the Bahay Nakpil-Bautista
On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio, one of the country’s foremost heroes, the founder of the Kataastaasang, Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Katipunan, the secret organization that lit the fire that was the Philippine Revolution in 1896, the Urban Roamer visits a heritage house that has a connection to this renowned figure. For many people, Quiapo is the epitome of Manila’s urban madness: the “chaos” of people and vehicles on its streets and the commerce that goes by that place each day. That particular madness has brought both good and ill to this bustling district that has long had a rich,…
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The Bonifacio according to Guillermo Tolentino
Surprising as it may seem, there is not really much documentation about that prominent figure in Philippine history that is Andres Bonifacio. In fact, there is only one known photograph of him that exists, and he is wearing not a camisa but a coat and tie. It is the scantiness of information about him, along with the circumstances of his life and death, that the Bonifacio legend began to grow shortly after his infamous death in 1897. For a people seeking a tangible symbol of sorts to identify themselves with, a puzzle arose as to how to depict a man like Andres Bonifacio. Thus was born the popular perception of…