A Friendly Self-Test:

HOW WELL DO WE REALLY KNOW ANDRES BONIFACIO?

By Ed Aurelio C. Reyes (Translated from Tagalog by Federico Jose T. Lagdameo)

Unknown to most of us, many of the things written or spoken about Andres Bonifacio are false. This may not have been intentional, and a lot that has been written about him are true. However, there is still an enormous amount of information on him which even historians do not know of. And this becomes a problem, because too often the truth and the erroneous information get mixed-up.

Below are 15 statements on Bonifacio which are true or false. Can you distinguish which are the "true" statements from the "false" ones? Click the number "1" (first question) to begin...

1.  True or False? Bonifacio was courageous but was unlearned.

2. True or False? Bonifacio was the eldest child in a brood of six.

3. True or False? Bonifacio was an admirer of Dr. Jose Rizal.

4. True or False? Bonifacio had the elections at the Tejeros Convention nullified because he could not accept defeat from Emilio Aguinaldo.

5. True or False? Bonifacio was born at Tondo, Manila.

6. True or False? Kuya Andres had only one wife: Gregoria de Jesus.

7. True or False? Bonifacio wanted to be "Hari ng Bayan".

8. True or False? Bonifacio was both a writer and a poet.

9. True or False? Bonifacio had no skills in leading a military attack, that is why during August of 1896, many of the revolutionary forces perished at the Battle of Pinaglabanan.

10. True or False? Bonifacio was interested in things spiritual.

11. True or False? Bonifacio merely copied the ideas of those from Europe and the bourgeois elite (ilustrados).

12. True or False? Bonifacio was parochial and regionalistic: during the Revolution of 1896, he led only the Tagalogs in revolt.

13. True or False? Bonifacio was an artist.

14. True or False? Bonifacio had been laid to rest in a decent burial.

15. True or False? Bonifacio was killed by his foes in Cavite.

Score: How many of your answers tallied with those listed here? This test on our knowledge of Bonifacio can be again used after two weeks time, to determine whether we can get a higher score. The test can be repeated until we attain the "perfect score" and be able to explain to others the truth about Kuya Andres.

 

 

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