Katipunan Code of Conduct
John
I found this English translation of the Katipunan Code of Conduct on
the web, and I thought I'd share it here. There was a suggestion where
I found this that point ten be amended to reflect contemporary times.
I removed the proposed changes since they don't (in my opinion)
improve things.
For anyone not aware of it, the Katipunan was the rebel Filipino army
that opposed the Spanish, and later, the American occupations of the
Philippines. I don't claim to be an expert about Filipino history, but
the Code of Conduct as stated below is impressive in its clarity, and
wisdom. My opinion is that if all people aspired to such ethics, then
the world would be a far better place than it is.
I think this (unofficial) translation is equal in weight to the
Declaration of Independence, although different in its scope. I hope
you'll agree.
The Katipunan Code of Conduct:
THE LIFE THAT IS NOT consecrated to a lofty and reasonable purpose is
a tree without a shade, if not a poisonous weed.
To do good for personal gain and not for its own sake is not virtue.
It is rational to be charitable and love one's fellow creature, and to
adjust one's conduct, acts and words to what is in itself reasonable.
Whether our skin be black or white, we are all born equal: superiority
in knowledge, wealth and beauty are to be understood, but not
superiority by nature.
The honorable man prefers honor to personal gain; the scoundrel, gain
to honor.
To the honorable man, his word is sacred.
Do not waste thy time: wealth can be recovered but not time lost.
Defend the oppressed and fight the oppressor before the law or in
the field.
The prudent man is sparing in words and faithful in keeping secrets.
On the thorny path of life, man is the guide of woman and the
children, and if the guide leads to the precipice, those whom he
guides will also go there.
Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything, but as a
faithful companion who will share with thee the penalties of life; her
(physical) weakness will increase thy interest in her and she will
remind thee of the mother who bore thee and reared thee.
What thou dost not desire done unto thy wife, children, brothers
and sisters, that do not unto the wife, children, brothers and sisters
of thy neighbor.
Man is not worth more because he is a king, because his nose is
aquiline, and his color white, not because he is a priest, a servant
of God, nor because of the high prerogative that he enjoys upon earth,
but he is worth most who is a man of proven and real value, who does
good, keeps his words, is worthy and honest; he who does not oppress
nor consent to being oppressed, he who loves and cherishes his
fatherland, though he be born in the wilderness and know no tongue but
his own.
When these rules of conduct shall be known to all, the longed-for
sun of Liberty shall rise brilliant over this most unhappy portion of
the globe and its rays shall diffuse everlastingjoy among the
confederated brethren of the same rays, the lives of those who have
gone before, the fatigues and the well-paid sufferings will remain. If
he who desires to enter (the Katipunan) has informed himself of all
this and believes he will be able to perform what will be his duties,
he may fill out the application for admission.
Timothy Joseph Harvey
"Thou" and "mere plaything".
What a funny juxtaposition. I get visions of a stern 19th Century
KKK with a copy of Pethouse poking out of his black wastecoat
heading home on the back of his carabao, horny for his "plaything"
back home from a quick visit to the titty bar. . . listening to
Howard Stern along the way.
Wanna guess which parts were carried over from the previous century
and which were updated?
Tim
: Thou must not look upon woman as a mere plaything,
John
Well, I can guess, but not more than that. My Tagalog isn't good enough
to do my own translations, so I have to rely on other people for that.
If you know of a more accurate translation, please feel free to post it
so the original intent can be known.
John
>
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
whiz...@my-deja.com
Would you mind posting your source for this, John? I'd like to see what
other interesting tidbits they might have to offer.
fr
In article <3768317e...@news.jps.net>,
John
whiz...@my-deja.com wrote:
>
>
> Would you mind posting your source for this, John? I'd like to see
what
> other interesting tidbits they might have to offer.
>
> fr
No, I don't mind.
Just go there, and click on the history link. (I think) You might have
to make one more step. I forget right now. There are some good links
there for things Filipino. Jim Zwick's stuff is linked there, as one
example. Some of the pages don't work, but most do. Someone interested
could learn the basics of Philippine history. The site is under some
kind of renovation.
John
PS www.tribo.org can also be gotten to by going to by going to
www.philnews.com and clicking on the very last link in the
miscellaneous section. Philnews is also a good website.
John
John <john...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> In article <7kb03p$k50$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
> whiz...@my-deja.com wrote:
> >
> >
> > Would you mind posting your source for this, John? I'd like to see
> what
> > other interesting tidbits they might have to offer.
> >
> > fr
Okay, I'll try this again. If I use Free Agent, then my posted links
would be automated. It seems Deja needs a little more.
>
> No, I don't mind.
>
>
> Just go there, and click on the history link. (I think) You might have
> to make one more step. I forget right now. There are some good links
> there for things Filipino. Jim Zwick's stuff is linked there, as one
> example. Some of the pages don't work, but most do. Someone interested
> could learn the basics of Philippine history. The site is under some
> kind of renovation.
>
> John
>
> PS http://www.tribo.org/ can also be gotten to by going to by going to
> www.philnews.com and clicking on the very last link in the
> miscellaneous section. Philnews is also a good website.
Okay, let's see if that works. If it doesn't I hope someone will tell
me why.