Family Portrait ca. 1900 - L to R: Daughter Julia, only son Juan, and Gregoria de Jesus holding her infant daughter Francisca on her lap. Photo courtesy of Roberto Tañada There are intimate recollections of Gregoria de Jesus, wife of Andres Bonifacio and Julio Nakpil. Gregoria de Jesús was born in the town of Kalookan to a middle-class, pious Roman Catholic family.Her father, Nicolás de Jesús, was a carpenter who later served as a gobernadorcillo. As a young girl, she was an exceptional student and a silver medal recipient in an examination organized by the Governor-General and the local parish priest. When she became a secondary school student, she was induced by her parents to stay home and look after her younger sister and the family farm, since both of her older brothers had moved to Manila to continue their education. When De Jesús was only 18 years old, Andrés Bonifacio fell in love with her and wanted to marry her. He revealed his intentions to her parents, but her father disapproved of the marriage because Bonifacio was a Freemason. Bonifacio nevertheless continued to pursue De Jesús, and after almost six months of courtship, she had fallen in love with him. She revealed that to her father and asked for his approval on their marriage, to which he eventually agreed. Before they got married on March 1893, she joined the Katipunan adopting the name Lakambini (Tagalog, noblewoman, also goddess or Muse). They had a traditional religious wedding at the Binondo Church, followed a week later by a ceremony according to the Katipunans rites, as the societys members did not approve of their marriage in the Catholic Church, which was seen as an oppressive colonial force. On the evening of the same day, the women’s chapter of the Katipunan was formed, and she was appointed its vice-president and the custodian of the societys documents, swearing fealty to the groups purposes. When the Guardia Civil inspected homes unannounced, De Jesús would gather all the secret societys documents and drive all night around town in a calesa, returning home only when assured of safety. A year later, she returned to her familys house because she was pregnant. She gave birth to their only son, whom she christened Andrés after her husband. Two months later, during Holy Week of 1896, Gregoria and her husband returned to Manila to find their house destroyed by a fire. The couple with their child were then forced to live in friends and relatives houses, but had to move quickly from house to house. A few months later, their infant son died of smallpox. On 19 August 1896, the Katipunan was exposed by Teodoro Patino, a disgruntled member. The Spanish forces reacted quickly to halt the revolution. Many Filipinos were arrested, jailed, and shot, but Bonifacio and De Jesús went into hiding. The Spanish government was able to tighten its surveillance over the Katipunan. The remaining Katipuneros gathered and planned an attack on a Spanish gunpowder storehouse. With an army of almost 800, the Katipuneros were successful in their first attack, and were encouraged to advance to Manila, but Spanish reinforcements arrived, routing the Katipuneros, hundreds of whom were killed or captured in the skirmish. Furthermore, an internal conflict in the Katipunan between Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo -- the leader of the Magdalo faction in the province of Cavite -- had weakened the society. On 28 April 1897, Bonifacio, along with his brother Procopio were captured by Aguinaldos men, led by Agapito Bonzón and José Ignacio Paua, in Indang, Cavite. Andrés was shot in the arm by Bonzón and Paua, who stabbed him in the neck, was prevented from striking further by one of Bonifacios men, who offered to die in the Supermos stead. Another Bonifacio brother, Ciriaco was shot dead, while Procopio was beaten senseless; Bonzón may have even raped De Jesús during the attack. The brothers were and sentenced to death on trumped-up charges including sedition, and later summarily executed on 10 May 1897 in the mountains of Maragondon, Cavite. Julio Nakpil, a commander of the Katipunan forces in northern Philippines loyal to Bonifacio, took care of the widowed De Jesús. The two fell in love, and were married in the Catholic Church on 10 December 1898 in Manila.[3] After the end of the Philippine Revolution, De Jesús lived with Nakpil and their eight children in a house of Nakpils sister, Petrona, and her husband, philanthropist Dr. Ariston Bautista. The childless Bautistas cared for De Jesús and her children, helped raise and educate them. De Jesús later died in 1943 during the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 03:23:04 +0000
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