The Kartilya ng Katipunan is a 14-point document written by Emilio Jacinto that served as a guiding principle for members of the Katipunan secret society during the Philippine Revolution. It promoted ideals like defending the oppressed, not acting in self-interest, and treating others with dignity. Jacinto was inspired to write the Kartilya by Enlightenment ideas spread during the Propaganda Movement as well as the Masonic fraternity, both of which advocated for liberal values like liberty, equality, and fraternity. The Kartilya enhances a sense of nationalism and anti-enslavement and can still provide moral guidance today on issues like good governance, fighting corruption, and respect for

1. The
Kartilya
EMILIO JACINTO

2. Background of the Author

3. •He is considered as the “Brain of the
Katipunan”.
•He was born in the district of Trozo
in Tondo, Manila on December 15,
1875.
•He was the son of Mariano Jacinto, a
book keeper, and Josefa Dizon, a
midwife.

5. * Born in Trozo, Manila
on December 15, 1875

6. •He finished his elementary in a
private school; his secondary
education in Colegio de San Juan de
Letran; and he studied law at the
University of Sto. Tomas.
•He did not finish his law because the
Philippine Revolution started in 1896.

7. • Private School of Maestro Ferrer
• Jose Dizon enrolled him at the
College of San Juan de Letran for
his Bachelor of Art
Main Entrance (ca.1880)

8. The old UST campus
(Intramuros)
• Studied Law at the
University of Santo
Tomas

9. •He joined the Kataastaasang Kagalang-
galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan
(KKK) at the age of 18.
•He had a symbolic name of “Pingkian” and a
pen-name of “Dimas Ilaw”.
•He was the youngest member of the
Katipunan. At the age of 19, he was given the
tasks of a fiscal, a secretary, and an editor of
the official organ of the Katipunan, the
Kalayaan.

11. •Also, he was the director of the
printing shop and library of the
Katipunan.
•He was proclaimed as generalissimo
of the north (Punong Hukbo sa
Hilagaan) by Bonifacio in 1897.
•As an adviser of the Supremo, he
furnished Bonifacio with weapons,
money, printing materials and
musical compositions.

12. • Editor of the newspaper
“KALAYAAN”

13. Director of the Printing Shop
and Library of the Katipunan
Library contained treatises
on tactics and weaponry;
French Revolution and works
of demagogues
Library of the University of Santo Tomás in Manila, 1887

14. • Proclaimed generalissimo
of the North (Punong
Hukbo sa Hilagaan)
• Adviser of the Supremo
furnished Bonifacio with
weapons, money, printing
materials and musical
compositions
Emilio Jacinto Seal as Punong
Hukbo of KKK forces in Manila,
Morong, Bulacan & Nueva Ecija
(late 1896 - early 1897)

15. •As an adviser of the Supremo, he
furnished Bonifacio with weapons,
money, printing materials and
musical compositions.
•May 10, 1897, when Bonifacio died in
Cavite, Emilio Jacinto did not stop
fighting against the Spaniards, but he
was captured in a battle in
Magdalena, Laguna.

16. •He deceived the Spanish soldiers that he
was a spy for the Spaniards when he
showed a military pass that he got from the
man he killed in a battle.
•His spirit of patriotism continued even
against the American colonizers.
•Unfortunately, he contracted malaria in his
headquarters in Majayjay, Laguna where he
died on April 6, 1899.

17. • died from Malaria on April 16, 1899
(23 y.o.)

18. • Literary Works (large part was in Tagalog)
Divided into three :
Journalistic
the Primer of the Katipunan
and;
 his still unpublished book
“Liwanag at Dilim”

19. • His literary influences
La Solidaridad, Noli Me
Tangere, El Filibusterismo,
Dr. Morga’s Sucesos
The Period of the “greatest
effervescence and prestige
of Spanish poetry in the
Islands”
Rizal, moral and literary idol;
Marcelo H. del Pilar, political
idol

20. Historical Background of
the Document

21. Aside from ill-treatment experiences
felt by katipuneros under the Spanish
rule, there were other influencing factors
causing the creation of Katipunan and the
conceptualization of Kartilya.

22. 1. Enlightenment in Europe
• Immanuel Kant summed the definition of
enlightenment in the following terms: "Dare to know!
Have courage to use your own reason!“
•Enlightened rationality gave way to the rise of
Romanticism. By the 19th-century it pave its way to
Liberalism and Classicism then in the 20th-century,
Modernism.
•During this period, secret societies like the
Freemasons, the Bavarian Illuminati, the
Rosicrucian—flourished. Coffeehouses, newspapers
and literary salons emerged as new venues for ideas
to circulate.

23. 2. French Revolution
•The French Revolution of 1789 was the
culmination of the High Enlightenment vision
of throwing out the old authorities to remake
society along rational lines.
•A legacy of the Age of Enlightenment, the
motto "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" inspired
the French Revolution.

24. • The ideas of enlightenment and the
French Revolution inspired the Ilustrados in
Europe and in the island. These two events
in the globe encouraged the Filipinos to take
up a stand for reforms and later
independence. Books from Europe easily
reached the Philippines thru the Suez Canal
and thus this leads to the spread of the idea
of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

25. 3. Coming of Masonry in the Philippines
•In 1856, Freemasonry was introduced in the
Philippines, however, native Filipinos were not
allowed to join the organization.
•In 1889, Graciano Lopez-Jaena organized the
Logia Revolución in Barcelona thru the support
of Grande Oriente Español hence the root of
true Philippine Masonry.

26. • Pedro Serrano Laktaw, with the help of
Moises Salvador (initiated in Madrid) and
Jose A. Ramos (initiated in London),
organized Logia Nilad and it was approved
by the Grande Oriente Español as Logia
Nilad No 144 on March 20, 1892.
• As the Fraternity grew, the Spanish
friars were alarmed and therefore
branded all Masons as insurrectos.
Masons were arrested, tortured,
exiled. These event became the
voice for freedom and democracy.

27. • Most of the prominent personalities in the
Katipunan were members of the Masonry.
The influence of this fraternity to the
members were very evident in the Kartilya
written by Emilio Jacinto.
•During the revolution, the Spanish Friars
believed that the root of all the problems was
Masonry and Katipunan. Katipunan as
considered by the friars as “Huwad sa
Masonerya.”

28. • Jesuit Francisco Foradada wrote in his book that
Filipino filibusterism (subversion) was not the son of
righteousness, morality or justice; but of Masonry –
the enemy of God.

29. 4. Propaganda Movement
• The death of Gomburza in 1872 awakened
strong feelings of anger and resentment
among the Filipinos. They questioned
Spanish authorities and demanded reforms.
The Filipino ilustrados aimed for reforms and
so they created a systematic movement and
they used a peaceful means of battling the
Spanish government called the Propaganda
Movement.

30. • The writings produced by the Propaganda
Movement inspired Andres Bonifacio and other
radicals to establish the Katipunan and set the
Philippine Revolution in place

31. 5. La Liga and the Cuerpo de
Compromisarios
• In 1892, Jose Rizal arrived home and with
the support of the Masonic Leaders, he
established the La Liga Filipina. However, he
was arrested and soon deported to Dapitan.
• Andres Bonifacio and other members of
Logia Taliba saw Rizal’s deportation as a
sign that reforms were no longer attainable.
Before the revival of the Liga, Andres
Bonifacio had conceptualized a new secret
society called the Katipunan to advocate
separation from Spain. Thus, Katipunan was
established on July 7, 1892.

32. • On April 3, 1893, Andres Bonifacio of
Logia Taliba, Domingo Franco and
Apolinario Mabini, both of Logia Balagtas,
led the revival of the Liga Filipina.
•Six months after the Liga’s revival two
factions emerged: one that wanted to
continue the society’s aim of peaceful
reforms, and another which advocated the
overthrow of the colonial government. In
October of 1893, the Liga was dissolved.

33. • Mabini and other moderates formed the
Cuerpo de Compromisarios, they tried
to continue sending funds to finance the
Propaganda Movement in Spain.
However, most of the members became
increasingly disappointed over the
apathy of the central government in
Madrid.
• Some Filipinos were convinced that
separation from Spain was the only
alternative – some members united with
the radical movement - Katipunan of
Bonifacio, Arellano, Plata and other
Logia Taliba members.

34. Content Presentation

35. The
Kartilya ng Katipunan
has 14 points.

36. The Kartilya ng Katipunan
1. A life that is not dedicated to a noble and
divine cause is like a tree without a shade,
if not, a poisonous weed
2. A deed that is motivated by
self-interest or self-pity and
done without sincerity lacks
nobility.

37. The Kartilya ng Katipunan
3. True piety is the act of being
charitable, loving one's fellowmen,
and being judicious in behavior,
speech and deed.
4.

38. The Kartilya ng Katipunan
5. A person with a noble character values
honor above self-interest, while a person
with a base character values self-interest
above honor.
6.

39. The Kartilya ng Katipunan
7. .
8. Defend the oppressed and fight
the oppressor.
9. .

40. The Kartilya ng Katipunan
10. In the thorny path of life, the man leads the
way and his wife and children follow; If the leader
goes the way of evil, so do the followers.
11. .

41. The Kartilya ng Katipunan
12. Don't do to the wife, children and
brothers and sisters of others what
you do not want done to your wife,
children and brothers and sisters.
13.

42. The Kartilya ng Katipunan
14. 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 loves lost,
all the struggle and sacrifices shall not have been
in vain.

43. Contributions to the Grand
Narrative of Philippine History

44. It serves as a guiding
principle.

45. It enhances sense of nationalism.

46. It advocates an anti- enslavement.

47. It promotes spread of liberal
ideas.

48. Hence, be someone that
can be a…

49. Relevance to Contemporary
Times

50. Kartilya is a source of moral beacon for self
transformation for the contemporary times. It can
be used as guide:
• To institutionalize good governance
among our government officials.
•To teach honor and dignity and
curtail corruption among politicians
•To inculcate generosity and
compassion among us
•To practice respect for women
and love for our family

51. References
• Agoncillo, T.A.(1993).The Revolutionists:Aguinaldo, Bonifacio
and Jacinto. Manila:NHI
• Dela Costa, H. (1992). Readings in Philippine History.
Bookmark, Inc. Makati City.
• Gripaldo, R.M.(Vol. XXVI, 2:1996-97). Ʃoɸɩα (Sophia): Journal
of Philosophy.Malate,Manila:De La Salle University Press, Inc.
• Richardson, J.(2013) The Light of Liberty:Documents and
Studies on the Katipunan, 1892-1897.Loyola Heights,Quezon
City:Ateneo de Manila Press.
• Schumacher, J. (1981). Revolutionary Clergy. Ateneo Press
Publication, Quezon City.
• Zaide, G.F. (1970). Great Filipinos in History: An Epic of
Filipino Greatness in War and Peace. Manila:Verde Book Store