8 things you might not know about Andres Bonifacio

Andres Bonifacio is known as "The Father of the Philippine Revolution" who is one of the heroes who fought against the Spaniards for the country's freedom.

As the whole nation celebrates his 157th birthday, GMA News listed down 8 interesting things about the Filipino revolutionary hero.

1. He was named after a saint

Andres, who was born on Nov. 3, 1863, was named by her mother Catalina de Castro and father Santiago Bonifacio after St. Andrew because his birthday landed on St. Andrew's day.

2. His image wearing a camisa de chino and red scarf is from a painting

His image wearing the camisa de chino and red scarf is from a painting by Carlos "Botong" Francisco but what Andres would really often wear is a Chinese-collared long sleeves and slacks.

Andres would also often wear a coat and tie.

3. He did not come from a poor family

Andres' mother is a supervisor in a cigarette factory while his father worked at the office of the governor.

Before he and his five other younger siblings were orphaned, he had a private tutor from Cebu who taught him arithmetic and Spanish.

4. Despite not finishing school, he is an intellectual 

Andres stopped going to school at the age of 14 to help and support his siblings. But even then, he continued educating himself by reading books including those written by Jose Rizal, which opened his eyes to becoming a nationalist.

5. He became an employee of multinational companies

Andres worked as a grocer, clerk messenger, and a warehouse supervisor to support and finance his younger siblings.

According to Historian Lito Nunag "Ang sweldo o kita ng isang bodeguero ay P20 at ito'y di hamak nga na ams malaki doon sa mga kinikit ng mga talagang nandoon sa ilalim mas mataas yung suweldo niya sa mga high school teacher nung panahong iyon."

6. He liked acting

Andres tried joining plays and one of his favorite roles is portraying Bernardo Carpio, a giant who stopped two mountains from clashing.

7. He married twice

According to historians, "Monica" is the name of Andres' first wife who died due to leprosy.

Historian Xiao Chua in 2013 said, " Maari nating i-assume na si Andres Bonifacio ay very caring husband, kasi tandaan natin na yung ketong noon ay isang sakit na pinandidirian."

"At noon ay itinuring na walang lunas kaya kung mag-alaga ka ng asawang may ketong hanggang sa ito ay mamatay ay nagpapaita ng kadakilaan mo bilang isang lover," he added.

8. He had a child with Gregoria de Jesus or Ka Oriang

Andres and Ka Oriang had a son whom they also named Andres but later died due to a sickness.

Ka Oriang carried another child but suffered a miscarriage while she and Andres were fighting against the Spaniards.

— Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/LA, GMA News