Officially known as the Kataas-taasang, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Supreme and Venerable Society of the Children of the Nation), the Katipunan was the underground organization that served as a jump-off point of the Philippine revolutionary movement.
Known by their acronym KKK, the Katipunan was founded in July 7, 1892 and has for its aim the full independence of the Philippines from Spain through armed insurrection. The shorthand for KKK came from the Tagalog root word tipon which means “to gather”.
As one of the earliest national liberation movements in Asia, the Katipunan had the organizational leadership, ethos, financial support, network of supporters, and a military arm ready to pounce on Spain at a given signal. Undoubtedly, the Filipinos’ long quest for national independence was sustained due to the groundwork laid out by the KKK.
The Katipunan organized the “shadow” revolutionary government – a novelty at that time – to head the national leadership vested in the Kataastaasang Sanggunian or Supreme Council. The hierarchical layers begin with the Sangguniang Bayan or Provincial Council, which attended to the affairs of partisans in the provinces.
The smallest political unit was the Sangguniang Barangay or Popular Council, which handled the administration of their barangay jurisdictions. Adjudication was under the Sangguniang Hukuman or Judicial Council.
Such depth and capacity for organizational details illustrated the foresight, leadership and management abilities of the early Filipino patriots. Organizing a revolt in such a grand scale was brilliant considering the tight and repressive Spanish regime, the archipelagic nature of the country, lack of formal military training, inadequate arms and poor communication and transportation means.
It is surprising that from a few loyal members the Katipunan soon grew in numbers to eventually challenge and defeat a European power.
The Katipunan was the first organized large-scale Filipino insurrection movement against Spanish oppression. Many future national leaders who took prominent roles in the war against the American occupation started from the ranks of this revolutionary organization, such as Emilio Aguinaldo, Antonio Luna, Miguel Malvar and Gregorio del Pilar.
But most importantly, the men and women of the Katipunan were able to go beyond socio-economic, regional and linguistic differences in order to represent the national Filipino sentiments and aspirations.
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