The commemoration of the 149th birth anniversary of National Hero Andres Bonifacio’s was commemorated Friday, at the Gat Andres Bonifacio Shrine in Taft Avenue in Manila City.
Attended by government officials both from the national and local units, literary luminaries, artists, descendants of the hero, and students, among others, the event served as a tribute to Supremo Andres Bonifacio’s heroism in fighting for the country’s liberation from the Spanish colonizers.
The celebration was also a re-introduction of Bonifacio as a hero with dignity and high ideals.
National Artist for Literature Dr. Virgilio Almario, in his speech, said that Bonifacio was not “just a person who made use of brawn and violence to liberate the country from the Spaniards, but he was a man of honor, valor, and high ideals who was guided by his strong background in philosophy and the arts—qualities not usually mentioned in history books.”
Almario also added that Bonifacio’s idea of "independence" “transcends the French concept 'libertad' which aims for radical political and social reforms, as seen in the works of French philosophers Rousseau and Voltaire.”
Dr. Almario explained that Bonifacio’s concept of independence or “kalayaan” as espoused by the katipuneros (members of the Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga anak ng Bayan) is the complete independence of the Filipinos and the country itself from the control of Spanish forces.
“Bonifacio, a man of letters and ideals, was a man ready to kill and die for the sake of the country’s independence,” Almario added.
According to National Commission for Culture and the Arts Chairman Felipe de Leon Jr., Bonifacio was guided by the virtues of honor, nobility, dignity, and respect as seen in the “Kartilya ng Kalayaan,” the guidebook used by members of the Katipunan where the group’s rules and principles are written.
De Leon said that like Bonifacio, every Filipino strives and should strive for the three goals in life, which are to have freedom (kalayaan), justice (katarungan), and honor (karangalan).
He added that the celebration is an affirmation of our support to these lofty goals every Filipino should strive to attain.
The 149th birth anniversary celebration of Supremo Gat Andres Bonifacio in the Gat Andres Bonifacio Shrine in Taft Ave. in Manila City was preceded by flag-raising ceremony and the wreath-laying ceremony by government figures and art luminaries.
Mayor Alfredo Lim of the host city, Manila, welcomed the participants and guests in the said event.