A Letter of Despair
“Sumandali na ang lahat na guinagawa ng sira ay siyang unang taksil sa Katipunan at espolsado noong pamang araw na hindi nag kakagulo kaya gauian ang mga gawa ngayon.”
Gregoria de Jesus y Alvarez, also known as Oriang, was the founder and vice-president of the women’s chapter of the Katipunan of the Philippines. She was also the keeper of the papers and seal of the Katipunan. Oriang is Andrés Bonifacio’s wife, the Supremo of the Katipunan, and President of the Katagalugan Revolutionary Government. She played a significant and one of the most crucial roles in the Philippine Revolution. After Bonifacio died, she married Julio Nakpil, one of the generals of the revolution. She had one son from Andrés Bonifacio and five children from Julio Nakpil.
On April 28, 1897, Aguinaldo’s men seized Gregoria and Andres Bonifacio due to the Katipunan internal conflict between the Magdiwang and the Magdalo. According to Oriang’s letter to Emilio Jacinto, “They paid no attention to the shouts, and when they were close, they fired a volley at Bonifacio. When he fell, they stabbed him with a dagger and struck him with the butts of their guns.” From her hiding place, the officers of the organization came up to her. They forced Oriang to confess about the money of Cavite or the treasury. They tied her to a tree. When they couldn’t get her to talk, they brought her to the Tribunal at Indang. There, she saw the wounded Bonifacio being held, without clothes on, just covered by a thin blanket. The next day the soldiers took her to Maragondon and then to Naik. She was taken to the barracks of the enemies. They said they were going to take statements from them. Instead, they bribed Pedro Giron and instructed him about what they wanted him to testify. That Bonifacio had ordered them to be killed. Giron agreed because they promised that they would spare his life.
Fast forward to when Oriang was released, she looked for her brothers. For two weeks, she searched the mountains and paused only at night. Nobody could tell them anything. She only decided to leave when her uncle confessed the truth. She was just thankful that her brothers were still alive after everything that had happened.
This was what was written in Oriang’s letter to Emilio Jacinto. She wrote this letter, hoping for his heartfelt compassion for her suffering. Gregoria also wanted to emphasize the fact that Aguinaldo is a traitor. “Aguinaldo is the foremost traitor to the Katipunan. He should have been expelled a long time ago so that the disorder now being perpetrated would not have happened,” Gregoria added.
