THE LOST BONES OF BONIFACIO
This man is basically not your ordinary dapper.
With his face etched on a commemorative 10-Peso coin, a memorial shrine near the Manila City hall, a 45-meter monument at the heart of a rotunda in Caloocan, and two cities in dispute to claim a city named after him… Andres Bonifacio is truly a heroic icon.
It’s already 2015 and up to now, the big mystery is where we can ever locate the lost bones of the Great Plebeian. We all know that these controversial bones are not just bones – these are relics from the founder, and Supremo of Katipunan who kicked off the Cry of Pugad Lawin that flickered the 1896 Philippine Revolution.
It took digging to find him.
After treason accusations, the Bonifacio brothers were executed. Procopio was said to be gunned down by Lazaro Macapagal and Andres faced his death by bolo.
From the 1918 Congressional Inquiry when Andres Bonifacio’s remains was hollowed up from the ground in Cavite, the remains were stolen… eventually found again and were brought for display in the National Museum.
His remains are still nowhere to be found.
“However, during the liberation of Manila from Japanese military occupation, the National Museum building was one of those bombed by the Americans, so the Bonifacio remains were lost”, says Katipunan main man’s great-great grandnephew Atty. Gary Bonifacio in an interview for The Philippine Star, 2013.
Stories may have been written, told, and altered and his bones may be lost but Bonifacio’s chivalry and legacy in the quest for liberty, equality, and identity remain secure in every Filipino’s heart and mind.
Putting it in another context, Bonifacio’s bones may just be right around the corner. Lost pieces could be found in every brave and bright Pinoy who functions to give a hand to his fellows, keep the Bayanihan bond stronger and just like Team Manila – spread the positive vibes.
Image sources:
http://www.filipiknow.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/bonifacios-bones.jpg
https://xiaochua.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/maragondon3.jpg
https://xiaochua.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/03-ng-supremo-ng-katipunan-at-ama-ng-sambayanang-pilipino-andres-bonifacio.jpg
https://xiaochua.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/bonifacio-bones-02.jpg
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