Gat Andres' letters

CEBU, Philippines - In some of his writings, he used the pseudonym “May Pag-asa” (There’s hope). At other times, he signed under the name “Agapito Bagumbayan.”

Good thing he exposed himself in his “love letters” to the Katipuneros all over the country as his real self — the spontaneous Andres Bonifacio!

Reproduction of some of these good copies is kept in glass casings for viewing at the Fort San Pedro — that 1565 fortress at the Plaza Independencia.

There’s the heart of the “supremo” (leader) radiating through his bold strokes and cursives in his passionately written notes to his fellow revolutionaries and to Pingkian (the pseudonym of Emilio Jacinto, brain of the Katipunan).

Brought in here as a contribution to put Andres Bonifacio to his rightful place in history, these letters lovingly constructed in the Filipino language have paved the way for deeper understanding on the controversial death of Bonifacio.

To recall, Gat Andres didn’t die in the hands of the enemy. He fell into the hands of fellow revolutionaries. Stories continue to hound that the marriage of politics and greed had led to his execution on Mt. Nagpatong (sometimes called Bundok Buntis) in Maragondon, Cavite.

Showcasing his letters has somehow encouraged viewers to “let the heart of a hero continue to live in us.”

Sometimes, we don’t have to look that far to watch foreign enemies take siege. We succumb to the war within — the poison of internal conflict.