Written by Kyna Marquez

It’s the generation of millennials and the Titas of Manila, and so I asked some of them this question:

Alam mo ba yung Monumento?

1. Yup! Yun yung station na madaming bumababa. Ang saya lang.
2. Doon ako bumili ng pantalon ng pinsan mo. 2 for 450. Oh di ba. Nahiya ang Levis! (read Le as Lebanon and Vis as Visayas)
3. HOMAYGHAD. LR Cabuhat buko juice for the win.

Apart from the LRT exodus, the cheap finds, and the buko juice, one thing that people always remember about Monumento is the momument of the famous man with the bolo. We all know who Andres Bonifacio is. Whenever you see a man with red pants and a white shirt on the street, I bet you already have a mental analogy of that guy and Bonifacio in your head. You might even label that person as a professional* looking activist. See? That’s how (judgemental you are) famous Andres is.

But how well do you know know the Monumento?

Now that’s a good question.

You might have learned about it through books, or occasional Christmas shopping visits to Caloocan. My story is quite different. I learned about it at a young age for I am a proud child of the North (#TeamStark).

Kidding aside, I was raised and have lived in Caloocan for 15 years of my life. My parents and grandparents lived there too. And so, my grandparents would always tell me tales about the monument. If that’s not enough to build my credentials for this article, I have spent four years of my high school life riding a jeepney that goes around the landmark to go from school to home.

So believe me when I tell you some interesting things that you may or may not know about the monument:

1. It’s inauguration was one of the most humorous and glamorous ironies in Filipino History.

My grandfather told me that a white man asked eleven women from the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions to open the monument to the public. I thought he was joking, but it’s actually true. It is ironic to think that it was an American who had the monument made. Governor-General Frank Murphy was the one who passed Executive Order 452, which declared the creation of the monument on paper.

Swaying to this paradoxical tune, the National Executive Committee for the Inauguration of the Andres Bonifacio Monument made sure that the inauguration would be nothing less than epic and dramatic. According to an article by the Official Gazette, the committee had three women who were from women universities and colleges to represent Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. On the other hand, eight women represented one of each of the eight provinces that spearheaded the revolution. The three ladies were joined by members of the Katipunan, namely Capt. Inocencio Peralta, and Lt. Col. Venancio de Jesus, Lt. Dionisio Buensuceso. They formed a triangle around the monument.

(Recall from Histo I that recruitment in the Katipunan was made through the vigorous triangle method)

#PakParadox

2. Contrary to popular belief, Andres was not only holding a bolo.

Guys, naman. #ItWas1896. They had a revolver already.

From years of riding a jeepney that goes around the landmark, trust me when I say that the monument depicts Bonifacio with both a bolo and a revolver.

Come to think of it, if he and his men only held bolos, how would have they sustained the fight for so long?

Again, History I told us that the Supremo usually fought with revolvers for practicality reasons. Guns are lighter and have a father reach.

So who had Andres pick up a bolo?

There is no concrete evidence to answer this. An Inquirer article stated that Ian account of the revolution by sabelo de los Reyes’ was probably responsible for placing the bolo in Andres’ hand. De los Reyes’ document “fatefully mischaracterized the revolutionary organization as wholly plebeian”. It might be possible that the writer’s background has influenced the documents because he was known as the founder of the Aglipayan church and a prominent labor activist.

3. And yes, he was not wearing his signature #OOTD of plain camisa de chino and pants.

Sorry to disappoint you, but Tolentino’s depiction of Andres had the hero sporting a barong-like outfit and a very #2016 hairstyle. He was Revolutionary AF (at fashion):

Now we all know the reason behind Tatsulok and Bamboo’s past hairstyles.

Apart from looking very professional* at fighting for the nation, you have to admit that the belt game is #Strong. Liz Uy must be proud.

*Note: The usage of the word professional was not intended to insult activists or the national hero himself. The author strategically employed it to strike against @chloierpineda’s tweet:

The author believes that neither #OOTDs nor socio- economic #class is important in fighting for a nationalistic ideal.

Source:

http://www.gov.ph/bonifacio-150/ opinion.inquirer.net/42057/who-put-the-bolo-in-bonifacios-hand