Procopio Bonifacio

Procopio Bonifacio y de Castro
Born 1873
Died May 10, 1897 (aged 24)
Maragondon, Cavite, Captaincy General of the Philippines
Cause of death Execution
Nationality Filipino
Other names Pio, Pisaw
Known for Philippine Revolution
Political party Katipunan
Religion Roman Catholicism

Procopio Bonifacio y de Castro (1873 - May 10, 1897) is a younger brother of Philippine National Hero Andres Bonifacio. He was a Philippine independence activist and revolutionary during the Philippine Revolution of 1896 against Spain. He was a member of the secret revolutionary society turned revolutionary government Katipunan with his other siblings, his eldest brother Andrés being one of its founders and, eventually, president.

Family background and early life

Procopio was the third of the six children of Santiago Bonifacio and Catalina de Castro. His siblings were Andres, Ciriaco, Troadio, Espiridiona and Maxima.

During childhood he, with his other siblings, sold paper canes and fans made by their brother Andres for their living. Eventually, he was employed as a porter in the government-owned Philippine National Railways until the revolution broke out.

Katipunan

Procopio became a member of Katipunan adopting the name Pisaw. He was responsible for the founding of Katipunan chapter in the island of Mindoro.

With Andres Bonifacio, Candido Tirona, Emilio Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela they founded the Council of the Ancient Assignment in Kawit, Cavite. Procopio was led into light, which is a two part of such council.

Procopio was present during the Cry of Balintawak in August 1896 in Caloocan which signaled the start of the Philippine Revolution.

Revolution

Procopio fought the Spanish authorities side-by-side with his brothers Andres and Ciriaco. He was given the rank of Colonel.

In December 1896, he and Ciricao accompanied their brother Andres and wife Gregoria to Cavite through the invitation of Cavite's provincial head of the revolution Mariano Alvarez to mediate between the growing conflict of the two rival factions of the Katipunan in the province, that of Magdiwang headed by Alvarez and Magdalo headed by Baldomero Aguinaldo. The mediation turned out to be a lost cause for the Bonifacio's. Andres Bonifacio who was recognized as the over-all leader of the revolution and of the Katipunan, were insulted and disrespected by a Magdalo officer. The revolutionary leadership of Andres Bonifacio was shifted to Emilio Aguinaldo who was elected as president through the Tejeros Convention.

Death

Due to the insults experienced by them from the Cavite revolutionary leaders, they opted to leave the province and go back to Manila or Morong to continue the fight for independence. While they were leaving Cavite, they were the target of a surprise attack by Emilio Aguinaldo's men due to some certain events, led by Agapito Bonzon and Jose Igacio Paua, while they were encamped in Indang. Ciriaco was shot and died on the spot, while Procopio was beaten and Andres was shot in the arm by Bonzon and stabbed in the neck by Paua.

The two remaining brothers, were then brought to Naik, then to Maragondon, and were subjected to a court-martial as ordered by the war council under the new revolutionary government. They were sentenced to death. The two brothers were taken into the mountains. Procopio, 24 years old, was shot dead before Andres also suffered the same fate.

See also

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