EDITORIAL - Hero of the masses

No, we’re not talking of someone who made "pro-poor" part of his campaign slogan. We’re referring to someone who really grew up in the poor part of town, not in a household so privileged one of the languages spoken is Spanish. We’re referring to Andres Bonifacio, whose 137th birth anniversary we’re celebrating today. Bonifacio went against the ilustrado or elite of his time to lead a peasant uprising against Spain. His life ended tragically in the hands of his fellow revolutionaries, but his story deserves retelling as an example of what the enlightened masses can do.

Born in Tondo, Manila, Bonifacio endured hardship early in life. At 14, he became an orphan with five siblings to care for. He was forced to give up schooling and take odd jobs to raise his brothers and sisters. Together they made fans and canes for sale. Later he found a job as a clerk and messenger at the British firm Fleming and Co. where he learned English. Then he became an agent for the German company Fresell.

His preoccupation with survival, however, did not stop his quest for knowledge and self-improvement. After the day’s toil, he immersed himself in books, reading into the night to make up for his lost education. He particularly became impressed with the writings of Dr. Jose Rizal as well as stories about the French Revolution. Bonifacio and Rizal later disagreed over the path to national salvation, but both paid with their lives for their love of country and yearning for freedom.

In those days when dirt-poor natives were treated like third-class citizens in their own country, Bonifacio could have taken the path of least resistance, enduring poverty and illi-teracy and amusing himself with distractions of the day such as cockfights and fiestas. Instead he struggled to achieve his full potential against great odds, earning for himself a place in the nation’s pantheon of heroes.

More than a hundred years ago, Bonifacio showed what the empowered masses could do. They were people who did not rely on dole-outs, who refused to despair or believe that the challenges they faced were insurmountable. Bonifacio inspired his followers to put their fate in their own hands. They knew what was good for the country and tried to do something about it, even if it meant risking their lives. We can only hope that such heroism and love of country are rekindled in these uncertain times.