Bonifacio Monument



It is probably the most moving depiction of Filipinos ever sculpted. And it is only fitting that it's about the country's foremost son- Andres Bonifacio, the great plebian. 

Unlike the Rizal monument in the Luneta, which was designed by a Swiss, (and was subject to controversies and debates even before its existence) the Bonifacio monument was designed by a Filipino, Guillermo Tolentino. 

The Supremo stands in a ready yet calm manner while his young squire stands at the back depicted with his youthful aggressive stance. On the left, the young and the old are represented, with the fist of the old man in the air as if saying, "enough!". 

There is also a depiction of a blood compact, while the two priests of the "Gomburza" are seen in their violent end. Burgos faceless in his final moments yet it sends that haunting feeling. 

These are fragments of the soul of our nation. Guillermo Tolentino's art and genius have kept it alive. The Supremo lives in this, in all of us, in our upheavals and aspirations as a nation.


Enter General Masangkay

The Bonifacio Monument would not have come to being without the effort and sheer tenacity of former Katipunan General Guillermo Masangkay

Masangkay was born on June 25, 1867, in Tondo, Manila, to Domingo Masangkay and Victoria Rafael. He served as a trusted confidante and advisor to the Supremo, and actively participated in numerous significant historical events of the Katipunan. Following the passing of the Supremo, the conclusion of the revolution, and the onset of the American colonial era, Masangkay maintained a strong bond with the relatives and friends of the Supremo. He took it upon himself to ensure that the memory of the Supremo was upheld with great reverence.--His nom de guerre was "Alakdan."


The Monument
It was Guillermo Masangkay who initiated an effort to construct a monument in honor of the Supremo. This endeavor garnered the support of the then Speaker of the House, Sergio Osmeña Sr. and Secretary of Interior Teodoro Kalaw. Remarkably, as early as 1916, Masangkay approached Osmeña with the concept, urging for allocation of funds for the Bonifacio monument. Osmeña swiftly embraced the idea and advised Masangkay to also confer with the then Secretary Kalaw, who promptly granted approval.
Kalaw proceeded to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the proposal and prepared the requisite documentation in collaboration with the legislature Subsequently, the project was presented to the legislature, where Osmeña ensured its passage. Thus, on February 23, 1918, the bill to establish a Bonifacio Monument, backed by initial funding of 25,000 pesos, as sanctioned by the Secretary of Interior, was successfully enacted into law. Yet the 25,000 peso funds was deemed insufficient that including some public donation it reached 42.000 pesos. The project was mothballed for almost a decade.
On September 30, 1929, a contest was announced to design a monument in honor of the great plebeian. The first prize was bestowed upon Guillermo Tolentino, while Juan Nakpil secured the second position. The panel of judges included Andres Luna de San Pedro, Tomas Mapua, and Vicente Francisco. Nonetheless, progress on the project seemed to stall, and despite the announcement of winners, little headway was made. It was at this juncture, a decade following the project's inception, that then Senate President Manuel L. Quezon intervened to augment the available funds.

On November 30, 1929, which marked Bonifacio Day, the Senate granted approval for a bill allocating an additional 97,000 pesos towards the construction of the Bonifacio monument. Consequently, the overall funds allocated for the monument reached approximately 130,000 pesos. It was on this very same day, November 30, 1929, that Mrs. Aurora Quezon, the wife of then Senate President Manuel Quezon, laid the symbolic cornerstone for the monument in Caloocan.
A controversy arose during the planning stages for the inauguration of the monument in September 1933. The omission of Sergio Osmeña as one of the guest speakers sparked vehement protest from Guillermo Masangkay. It was only when he threatened to resign from the committee that Osmeña's name was added to the list of speakers.
In his address during the inauguration of the National Monument for Andres Bonifacio, November 30 1933, Osmeña commended Guillermo Masangkay for his pivotal role in realizing the monument for the Supremo, stating: "In all of these popular manifestations as well as in the construction of the monument which has now been unveiled, public recognition should be made of the important role which had been played by the modest worker, the faithful follower of Bonifacio, Mr. Guillermo Masangkay " .


~ Pasig City December 2016

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