EMILIO JACINTO
Born in Trozo,Tondo, Manila. Emilio Jacinto was the son of Mariano Jacinto and Josefa Dizon. His father died shortly after Jacinto was born, forcing his mother to send him to his uncle, Don José Dizon, so that he might have a better standard of living. Jacinto was fluent in both Spanish and Tagalog, but preferred to speak in Spanish. He attended San Juan de Letran College, and later transferred to the University of Santo Tomas. The young Emilio showed his gratitude to his mother by helping her in household chores. He also studied very hard to get himself a good education. He dreamt of becoming a lawyer someday. But at eighteen, he joined the Katipunan and became its youngest member. When his mother learned about his membership in revolutionary society, she pleaded him to leave the organization. "Our country needs young people like myself, mother. I know father would have been proud of me if he were alive today," said Emilio to his mother.Jacinto became an important member of the secret society. He was elected secretary of the Katipunan's supreme council. Later he became the member of its threeman secret chamber. His intelligence and dedication so impressed Andres Bonifacio that the Katipunan Supremo (supreme leader) took the young Jacinto, who was twelve years his junior, to be his personal adviser.Jacinto edited the newspaper the Kalayaan, the secret society's mouthpiece, whose publication helped swell the members of the Katipunan from 300 to 30, 000 just before the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution. He wrote the primer of Katipunan known as the Kartilla. Bonifacio and Jacinto became good friends. In one of their encounters with the Spaniards in Balara, Bonifacio shielded Jacinto from an oncoming bullet. The bullet grazed the collar of the Katipunan supremo was saved from harm.Jacinto had neither new clothes nor a spotlessly clean pair of shoes during his graduation. But the Philippine history acknowledges him as the Brains of the Katipunan.After Bonifacio's death, Jacinto continued fighting the Spaniards. Like General Mariano Álvarez, he refused to join the forces of General Emilio Aguinaldo. He contracted malaria and died in Majayjay, Laguna, at the age of 24. His remains were later transferred to the Manila North Cemetery.