Teodoro Plata (1866 – February 6, 1897) was a Filipino patriot, and a co-founder of the

Katipunan The Katipunan, officially known as the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK; en, Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation ...

, the secret society which sparked the Philippine Revolution against Spanish rule in 1896. He met

Andrés Bonifacio Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (, ; November 30, 1863May 10, 1897) was a Filipino Freemason and revolutionary leader. He is often called "The Father of the Philippine Revolution", and considered one of the national heroes of the Philippines ...

at a boarding house in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

along with Ladislao Diwa who was then a law student at the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migu ...

. Bonifacio, Diwa and Plata were all

freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

who were inspired by the nationalistic objectives of the

Propaganda Movement The Propaganda Movement encompassed the activities of a group of Filipinos who called for political reforms in their land in the late 19th century, and produced books, leaflets, and newspaper articles to educate others about their goals and is ...

in Europe. Plata was a member of La Liga Filipina, which was founded by

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 considered the national h ...

to push for reforms in the Spanish colonial administration. But he agreed with Bonifacio and Diwa who believed that the time was ripe for an armed uprising. On July 6, 1892, upon learning of Rizal's exile to

Dapitan Dapitan, officially the City of Dapitan ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Dapitan; Subanon: ''Gembagel G'benwa Dapitan/Bagbenwa Dapitan cbk, Ciudad de Dapitan''), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines. According ...

island in

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of t ...

, Plata, Bonifacio and Diwa decided to form a secret society to prepare for a revolution against Spain. The following day, they met with their friends and fellow freemasons Deodato Arellano, Valentin Díaz and José Dizon at a house in Tondo and established the Katipunan. In 1892, he served as the secretary of the secret society with Arellano as president, Bonifacio as comptroller, Diwa as fiscal, and Díaz as treasurer. In 1893, under the presidency of

Román Basa Román Bása (February 29, 1848 – February 6, 1897) was a Filipino patriot who was the second ''Supremo'' or leader of the Katipunan, the secret society which sparked the Philippine Revolution against Spanish rule in 1896. Basa was born to Ma ...

, Plata served as councilor and it was at this time that the society organized a women's auxiliary section. One of its first members was Plata's cousin Gregoria de Jesús, who wrote in her autobiography that Plata was Bonifacio's constant companion when he would call at their house in

Caloocan Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan ( fil, Lungsod ng Caloocan; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...

to court her. In August 1896, immediately before the discovery of the Katipunan, Plata was elected secretary of war in the last Supreme Council that was constituted by Bonifacio like a government cabinet. When the Spanish started arresting Katipunan members of August 19, 1896, Bonifacio called for a general assembly at Pugadlawin, a place in Balintawak (which was then under the town of

). The meeting on August 23 was attended by about 1,000 Katipuneros and there ensued a debate on whether they should commit themselves to an uprising. Plata opposed the declaration of hostilities because they had few arms and ammunition. But the final vote decided on starting the rebellion and the Katipuneros tore their residence and identity certificates. A few weeks later, however, Plata was arrested and, after a military trial, he was executed by musketry on February 6, 1897 along with Apolonio de la Cruz, Vicente Molina, Hermenegildo de los Reyes, José Trinidad, Pedro Nicodemus, Feliciano del Rosario, Gervasio Samson and Doroteo Domínguez.

In popular culture

* Portrayed by Richard Quan in the 2014 film, '' Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo''.

References

* National Historical Institute, ''Filipinos in History'' 5 vols. (Manila: National Historical Institute, 1995) People of the Philippine Revolution 1897 deaths 1866 births {{Philippines-bio-stub