Caretaker of presumed original KKK flag details how it ended up on his family's property

A flag that has long been believed to be the original KKK flag is among the many preserved historical artifacts that visitors can find at the Museo ng Katipunan. The flag is commonly seen held by Filipino revolutionary leader and patriot Andres Bonifacio on monuments, murals, and even in paintings.

In celebration of Bonifacio's 160th birthday, "Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho," talked to Mat Lunar and discussed why the flag and some more items from the Katipuneros remain important today.

According to Mat, the KKK flag, which is now housed in the museum at Lipa City in Batangas, was the exact flag Bonifacio waved in 1896 during the first cry of Pugad Lawin.

Alongside the letters KKK, which stands for "Kataastaasang, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan," Bonifacio's war standard flag also had an embroidery of a sun with twelve rays.

The flag is 57 inches long and 38 inches wide. Mat said that Bonifacio's wife, Gregoria de Jesus, was the one who sewed the flag.

The lower part of the flag has already faded, while some of its parts have started to peel.

"Itong mga kapatid kong babae, nu'ng makita nila na matigas na mayroon nang mga dugo-dugo pa, ang ginawa nila, nilabhan. Nu'ng malaman ng tatay namin, nagalit siya. Nasa maselang kalagayan na ito," Mat said.

["When my sisters saw the flag, it was stained with blood, so they decided to wash it. When our father found out, he got angry, because the flag is in a delicate condition."]

The flag also has some small holes in it.

"'Yun ay mga tama ng bala ng mga rifle. Tinatahi-tahi na lang 'yun para ma-preserve talaga. Nagpagawa po kami ng salamin at nagpagawa kami ng poste para ito ay ma-compress," Mat said.

["Those are holes from the rifle bullets. We had to sew it to preserve the flag. We even had a glass case made for it."]

Special powers

Mat said that the KKK flag was also believed to have special powers. Mat's niece, Daisy Mailom, attested that the flag once granted her wish.

"May sakit po dati 'yung mother ko ng breast cancer tapos inihiling ko din po 'yun sa flag na nawa e maging magaling siya. Breast cancer survivor na po talaga 'yung nanay ko ngayon," Daisy said.

["My mother used to have breast cancer. I wished upon the flag for my mother's condition to get better.. My mother is now a breast cancer survivor."]

Mat likewise shared a story of the flag's supposed powers.

"Noong nagkaroon nga ng Miss Tourism Lipa, 'yung isa doon na kandidato lumapit sa salamin. Hinaplos niya 'yung salamin. Tumirik daw ang balahibo niya. Nu'ng matapos 'yun, siya ang naging Miss Lipa Tourism," he said.

["When the Miss Tourism Lipa pageant took place, one of the candidates approached the flag. She touched the mirror case and felt goosebumps. After that, she won Miss Lipa Tourism."]

How Mat inherited the flag

How did the flag come to be in Mat's possession? Apparently, the flag and other antiques said to be related to the Katipunan were given to him by his father, Flaviano Lunar, who was a veteran of World War II.

His father was also said to be a member of the Legion de Veteranos de la Revolucion, an organization founded by former president Manuel L. Quezon. He added that his father met Col. Ignacio Conrado and Col. Honorio Lopez, two revolutionaries who allegedly fought in the rebellion.

In 1955, Flaviano was ordered to go to Sariaya in Quezon by Col. Conrado. One of the things he retrieved was the KKK flag, which was said to have belonged to Bonifacio.

When Col. Conrado passed away in 1957, the flag was bequeathed to Mat's father.

"Verbal proof lang ang ating naging katibayan. Gumawa po siya ng testamento o kasulatan na sulat-kamay niya. Para itala na ang mga gamit na 'yan ay inihabilin sa kaniya," Mat said.

["We only had verbal proof. He created a handwritten document to record that those belongings were bequeathed to him."]

In the '70s, Mat's father brought the flag home to their town in Lipa, which they stored for so many years.

Museo ng Katipunan

In 1994, news spread about the flag that was on the property of Mat's family.

"Nu'ng dumating dito ang mga nag-research, mga kapatiran din, inilabas ngayon ni tatay 'yan. Na-shock ako," Mat said. "Nung araw, ang sabi ng mga kasamahan natin ay may nagpunta dito, nag-o-offer na ito ay palitan ng halaga na two million. Nagpaliwanag naman sila, ang father ko na hindi nila pinapayagan 'yung ganoon. Kasi ito ay sentimental value."

["When my father showed us the flag for the first time, I was shocked. They said that someone even offered to pay two million for it. But my father did not accept the offer because it had sentimental value."] 

The following year, they built their own museum, the Museo ng Katipunan.

Aside from the flag, which is believed to be more than a hundred years old, it also houses the bag that is said to have been used by Bonifacio, along with some old dictionaries, documents, brains, bolos, and rifles.

Mat is now looking for a way to have the flag authenticated by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. He's asking for help to preserve the flag, as he firmly believes it to be an authentic piece of history.

Authenticating the flag

According to the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, the said flag cannot be authenticated in an instant as the verification process will take a long time and is complicated.

NHCP Historic Sites Development Officer II Eufemio O. Agbayani III said there has to be sufficient evidence.

He added that based on the memory of Pio Valenzuela, the flag in the museum is similar to the flag waved by the Katipunan in Pasong Tamo when they confronted the Spanish on August 24, 1896.

Mat said that all they want to convey is the importance of the items.

The NHCP said that they are open to having a dialogue with the family. NHCP Materials Research Conversation Division Senior History Researcher/Conservator Rommel Aquino added that proper preservation depends on the condition of an object's material.

Mat said that the flag will remain in the museum in the meantime.

"Ano man ang maging resulta ay manatili dito sa ating Museo ng Katipunan para at least ay kami na ang mag-aalaga," he said.

[""Whatever the result may be, the flag will stay here in our Katipunan Museum so that we'll be able to take care of it."] —JCB, GMA Integrated News