The Discovery of the Katipunan

In Manila, in its suburbs, and in the provinces of Luzon, the Katipunan became the talk of the town.  This happened after copies of the publication Kalayaan were circulated among the people.  However, the new members were rash and impatient so nightly meetings had to be held. It was, thus, inevitable that the suspicions of the authorities were aroused.  Rumors about the meetings circulated in Manila and caused worry particularly among the Spanish friars.

In fact, the friars blew the rumors out of proportion to force Spanish Governor-General Blanco, who was unsympathetic to them, to act on the matter.  He, however, did not.

The discovery of the Katipunan was the result of a misunderstanding between two Katipuneros.  The Katipuneros were Teodoro Patiño and Apolonio de la Cruz. Both of them were working at the Spanish-owned Diario de Manila.  As an action against de la Cruz, Patiño revealed the secrets of the society to his sister, Honoria, an inmate at the orphanage in Mandaluyong in the suburbs of Manila.  She was shocked about the revelation and she cried.  A madre portera, Sor Teresa saw her cry.  Then the sister asked Patiño to tell all he knew to Father Mariano Gil, the parish priest of Guadalupe and one of those trying to convince Governor-General Blanco to act quickly.

In the afternoon of August 19, 1896, Patiño disclosed the secrets he knew to Father Gil. The friar rushed to the printing shop of Diario de Manila and, with its owner, conducted a search of the premises.  The friar sought hidden evidence of the existence of the secret society. They found the lithographic stone used to print Katipunan receipts, which was confirmed by Patiño. “So here they are,” Father Gil might have whispered.  A locker was forced open.  There he found a dagger and other documents.