José Dizon y Matanza (died January 11, 1897) was a Filipino patriot who was among those who founded the

Katipunan The Katipunan (), officially known as the (; ) and abbreviated as the KKK, was a revolutionary organization founded in 1892 by a group of Filipino nationalists Deodato Arellano, Andrés Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, an ...

that sparked the

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

Dizon was born in Binondo, Manila and was married to Roberta Bartolomé, who died in March 1876, eight months after giving birth to their daughter

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

. Dizon entrusted Marina to his sister Josefa Dizon Jacinto and her son

Emilio Jacinto Emilio Jacinto y Dizon (; December 15, 1875 – April 16, 1899) was a Filipinos, Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution. He was one of the highest-ranking officers in the Philippine Revolution and was one of the highest-ranking office ...

while he worked as an engraver in the

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

in Manila. In April 1892, he was inducted into the

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

ic lodge founded by Pedro Serrano Laktaw. That same year, he founded the lodge ''Taliba'' in Trozo(present part of masangkay corner mayhaligue street of Tondo, District 2), Manila and served as its venerable master. He was also among the officers of the grand regional council that included

Apolinario Mabini Apolinario Mabini y Maranán (; July 23, 1864 – May 13, 1903) was a Filipino revolutionary, revolutionary leader, educator, lawyer, and Politician, statesman who served first as a legal and constitutional adviser to the Philippine Revolution# ...

. Like many Filipino freemasons of that time, Dizon was among the original members of La Liga Filipina which

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...

founded to push for reforms in the Spanish colonial administration of the Philippines. But Rizal was arrested on July 7 and deported to Dapitan in

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

. On the same day, Dizon and several fellow freemasons, including

Andres Bonifacio Andres or Andrés may refer to: * Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US * Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) Andres or Andrés is a male given name. It can also be a ...

, decided to establish the Katipunan with the radical aim of achieving independence through revolution. In May 1896, Dizon was part of the committee that the Katipunan formed to secure arms from

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

with the connivance of a Japanese ship captain. Three months later, however, the Katipunan was uncovered and Dizon was among the hundreds who were arrested for rebellion. Convicted by a military court, he was executed by musketry on January 11, 1897, along with Numeriano Adriano, Domingo Franco, Moises Salvador, Luis Enciso Villareal, Braulio Rivera, Antonio Salazar, Ramon Padilla, Francisco Roxas, Faustino Villaruel and Faustino Manalak. Also executed with the group were Lt. Benedicto Nijaga and Corporal Geronimo Medina, both of the Spanish army.

References

* National Historical Institute, ''Filipinos in History'' 5 vols. (Manila: National Historical Institute, 1995) People of the Philippine Revolution 1897 deaths Year of birth missing People from Binondo {{Philippines-bio-stub