Online petition pushes state funeral for Bonifacio

MANILA, Philippines - More than 9,000 individuals are supporting an online petition asking President Aquino to hold a state funeral for Andres Bonifacio, whose remains have never been found since his execution in the hands of fellow revolutionaries in Cavite in 1897.

The petition, filed in change.org by netizens introducing themselves as select students of Miriam College, said it is fitting that the government grant Bonifacio a state funeral in time for the 150th commemoration of his birth anniversary yesterday.

“He embodies what the Filipino people felt during the revolution in 1896 which paved way for the country’s independence from Spanish rule,” read the petition written in Filipino. The petition didn’t say if a state funeral is possible or acceptable without the remains of the deceased.

“Bonifacio fought for our country’s independence. It is right that we call on authorities to honor him with a state funeral,” the petition added.

The petition was also addressed to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and National Historical Commission of the Philippines chairperson Maria Serena Diokno.

Members of the Filipino Freemasons yesterday held a symbolic funeral ceremony for Bonifacio, who was a member of the fraternal society of Masonry.

“This ceremony is long overdue,” said Noel Loyola, head of the Andres Bonifacio lodge, the organization’s local chapter. “It is about time that we give the soul of Bro. Bonifacio a rest.”

The Manila City Council has passed a resolution declaring Bonifacio as the country’s first president deserving of a state funeral. City Councilor John Marvin Nieto, also known as Yul Servo in Philippine movies, introduced the resolution.

“Gat Andres Bonifacio deserved to be given a state funeral because of his great contribution to the country’s freedom and independence,” Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a speech during ceremonies commemorating the 150th anniversary of the hero’s birth in Manila.

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan said he is supporting the move to declare Bonifacio the first president of the country.

“I don’t think that there is a law naming who is our national hero,” he said.

Based on an article released on the website of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), “no law, executive order or proclamation has been enacted or issued officially proclaiming any Filipino historical figure as a national hero.”

Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, for his part, filed a bill in Congress seeking the declaration of Bonifacio as the country’s national hero.

In Masantol, Pampanga, officials unveiled a life-size concrete statue of Bonifacio outside the municipal hall. Officials said the statue would solidify the town’s claim to being the real birthplace of the Great Plebian.

“But if only for his paternal and maternal roots, we are claiming Bonifacio ours by blood. He is Masantol’s son,” said former vice mayor Bajun Lacap. Lacap is a member of the committee created by Mayor Danilo Guinto to lead yesterday’s commemoration rites. – With Ding Cervantes, Jose Rodel Clapano