Flame Pillar of Rizal

Rizal and Bonifacio

Below are some important information and timeline between Rizal and Bonifacio:

1. In the classification of members of Katipunan (KKK),  the members of the third rank were called Bayani (Hero) and wore a red shroud and a ribbon edged with a green piping. These symbolized courage and hope. A red triangle with three letter K's, one on each corner of the triangle, designed the front of the shroud. The password or code was RIZAL.

2. Bonifacio commissioned Pio Valenzuela as emissary to Rizal at the time of his banishment in Dapitan. This was a secret plan to rescue Rizal, an attempt that never fulfilled. On July 21, 1896, Valenzuela arrived at Dapitan posing as a companion of Raymundo Mata, a blind man who shall be seeking Rizal's medical assistance. Rizal protested unwillingly to escape when learning of KKK's attempt to rescue him as he had promised to the Spanish authorities not to escape. He also rejected the plan for a bloody revolution. His disapproval of the scheme rested on two grounds: the unpreparedness of the people; and the lack of funds and weapons. He just suggested Antonio Luna to be the one headed for the people owing to his full-pledged military background from Europe.

Way back in Hongkong when Rizal splited with Marcelo H. del Pilar due to the political strategy they claimed, Rizal became desperate to the realizatuon that never van be expected from the peaceful reform. He also realized the bloody revolution to effect change in the country after he learned from Luna and Evangelista the separatist propaganda patterned after that of Cuban strategy. So he consulted his bestfriend, Blumentritt, about the possibility of using force of arms. Unlikely, Blumentritt rejected Rizal's plan. "For whoever begins a revolution should have at least the probability of success."