WHEN we talk about the foundational documents of Filipino nationhood, one would never fail to include the Kartilya ng Katipunan, or “Ang mga Aral ng Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan,” a list of 13 rules that a member of the revolutionary society should follow in their lives. It is found in every important Philippine history textbook.
When people say that Bonifacio had a concept of a constitutional government, they point to the Kartilya ng Katipunan written by Emilio Jacinto as the evidence. It is the "Katipunan Constitution." But obviously it does not have the format of a constitution, not even of a student organization. Because of the confiscated documents of the Katipunan from 1892 now found in the Archivo General Militar de Madrid, we know that the revolutionary society knew how to write a formal constitution for there were two drafts coming from that founding year.
So, what sort of document is the Kartilya? Well first, it is obvious that the list of things to do shows that it is actually written like the Ten Commandments, or a Decalogue, which Andres Bonifacio also attempted to make a version of. So, we may say that it is not a constitution but is actually a moral code.
But it was informally called the "Kartilya." But what is it? A “cartilla” is actually a printed small booklet used to teach children either the alphabet, basic reading and foundational prayers or catechism. Some public markets still have them today. So, it is basically a primer.
We often look at the list of rules which is actually divorced from its proper context. It is actually included in the primer of the Katipunan entitled "Katipunan ng mga ANB, Sa may nasang makisanib sa Katipunan ito" which tells us what the organization is all about and then at the end there is a membership form.
The Kartilya in itself is an original document, but its inspiration was often discussed. When National Artist Virgilio S. Almario wrote about the Katipunan literature, he pointed out that there may be three inspirations, not just of the Kartilya, but of the whole Katipunan philosophy. There may have been parts inspired by the Propaganda Movement, indigenous folklore, and perhaps the Pasiong Mahal narrating the passion of Jesus Christ which is reflected in the "kapatiran" sects like the Cofradia de San José and those that are in Banahaw, San Cristobal and Makiling. Perhaps we can look at the Kartilya in that bigger context.
Focusing in the Kartilya in particular, Katipunan scholar Jim Richardson has a different view. Looking at the whole primer, it seems that the Kartilya was really inspired by masonic documents of the Gran Oriente Español written in 1889, he says. Remember Bonifacio and Jacinto's uncle José Dizon were masons. The whole primer follows the structure of the title of the masonic work and even its parts: its principles (layon) and teachings (aral) and even the statements that “all are equal and true brethren,” Members had to “renounce disorderly habits” and “defend the oppressed” are similar to the Masonic Code.
Richardson continues: "Other influences may be identified more tentatively. The admonitions to regard a woman as a 'helpmate' rather than a 'plaything,' and to 'have due regard to her weakness' may be biblical in origin. The adage that 'an honorable man’s word is his bond' may be traced back to Cervantes; and the thought that 'time lost is lost forever' may have come from Benjamin Franklin. One precept is perhaps taken from Rizal. A 'life which is not dedicated to a great idea is useless,' declares Rizal’s fictional insurrectionist Simoun in El Filibusterismo: 'It is a pebble lost in the field, when it should form part of some building'. 'Life which is not consecrated to a lofty and sacred cause,' Jacinto writes, varying the metaphor, 'is like a tree without shade, if not a poisonous weed’.”
Richardson points out that the Kartilya brought Enlightenment or libertarian watchwords and gave them indigenous equivalents: liberty (“kalayaan”), equality (“lahat ng tao’y magkakapantay”), fraternity (“kayong lahat ay magkakapatid”), reason (“katuiran”), progress (“kagalingan”) and enlightenment itself (“kaliwanagan”).
Also, according to Kartilya ng Katipunan advocate Ed Aurelio Reyes, the 13-point textbook list leaves out the 14th and perhaps the most important which should always be included in any reading, the promise of the Kartilya: "When these teachings shall have been propagated and the glorious sun of freedom begins to shine on these poor islands to enlighten a united race and people, then all the lives lost, all the struggle and sacrifices will not have been in vain."
We should reflect on the 14-point Kartilya and have discussions on how they are still relevant in our lives and our pakikipagkapwa-tao. For whether it has indigenous, libertarian, Christian or masonic influences, the Kartilya reflects the dreams and aspirations our heroes had for us as a nation, the dream they codified and signed on with their own blood during their initiation rites. As Reyes said, "To leave the interaction to the level of memorization or intellectual comprehensions is to ensure that the entire Kartilya will soon be completely forgotten."
