Bonifacio: Ang unang pangulo
The film begins with the execution of GOMBURZA in 1872. The story then flashes forward to the present day where high school students Joaquin (Daniel Padilla), Andrea (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), and Gary (RJ Padilla) visit Museo ng Katipunan.
Flashback: On July 3, 1892, Dr. Jose Rizal (Jericho Rosales) brings together La Liga Filipina, a peaceful reform movement that aims to unite all Filipinos and give them one voice. One of its members is Andres Bonifacio (Robin Padilla), who is currently supporting his siblings, as both their parents died due to illness. Rizal is later arrested after the Spanish authorities uncover the organization. Bonifacio then decides to form the Katipunan to lead a revolution against the Spanish colonizers.
With the help of his friend Teodoro Plata, he meets Gregoria de Jesús (Vina Morales), who is also known as Oriang. Bonifacio visits the church, meeting Oriang again. She knows that he joined a group of Masons and is not religious. Bonifacio denies the accusations, saying that those are just inventions of the friars. Later that day, while walking on the street, they encounter a friend of Oriang (Pepe Herrera), begging a friar to give his salary in the polo. However, the friar refuses and instead makes derogatory remarks towards the man. Then he is shot by one of the Spanish soldiers.
Bonifacio and Oriang's relationship develops and they finally marry after Oriang’s parents gave their approval. Then while recruiting additional katipuneros, Bonifacio finds out that Teodoro and Nonay Bonifacio are lovers. On the following day, a mayor named Emilio Aguinaldo becomes one of the new recruits of the Katipunan.
In the present, the museum curator decides to guide the students towards the truth about Bonifacio to enlighten them amidst the wrong historical information in their textbooks.
Back in the past, the Katipunan starts publishing the newspaper “Ang Kalayaan” through the printing press of Diario de Manila. They distribute the papers to their fellow countrymen to further expand the organization. A man named Teodoro Patino goes out of the printing press and tells his wife, a nun, about the revolution. Eventually he tells the gobernadorcillo on what he has discovered. After hearing this, the Spanish authorities raids the press wherein the gobernadorcillo discovers "Ang Kalayaan". Because of this discovery, they begin to grow wary of anti-government activities.
Afterwards, a man who is one of the people that published the paper is tortured. Upon seeing the man's dead body, Bonifacio calls all the Katipuneros to gather in Tandang Sora's home. Tandang Sora gives a sword to Bonifacio for him to use during their fights against the Spaniards. Later on, Bonifacio declares the start of the revolution on April 29,1897. All men tear their Cedulas and they scream, "Mabuhay ang Piipinas! Mabuhay ang Katipunan! Mabuhay ang Supremo!"
On the day of the revolution, they cross a river and secretly pull a foot of one of the Spanish soldiers while the other one is shot by Bonifacio. In the entrance of one of the Officials' houses, Bonifacio throws a torch that is lit up in the trolley loaded with canisters and shoots it, letting them get inside the gate. A fight ensues. Eventually, Bonifacio is able to kill the Gobernador Heneral by stabbing. After the battle, the Katipuneros replace the flag of Spain with the KKK flag.
Aguinaldo’s comrades are concerned that the revolution might die under Bonifacio’s leadership. They advise Aguinaldo to urge Bonifacio to come to Cavite to reunify the factions of the Magdiwang and Magdalo and hold an election for it. Aguinaldo is elected as the president, while Bonifacio is only elected as the interior minister. A Magdalo member named Daniel Tirona objects to his election and insults him, angering Bonifacio who then challenges Tirona to a duel. Feeling discriminated, Bonifacio, as Supremo of the Katipunan, voids the election results. The newly formed, Aguinaldo-led revolutionary group is concerned about the unity of Katipunan after failing to persuade Bonifacio to join them. Aguinaldo then orders the capture of Bonifacio, during which Bonifacio is stabbed at the neck and suffers a gun shot at his arm. His brother Ciriaco is shot dead, while his other brother Procopio is beaten, and his wife Oriang possibly raped by Col. Agapito Bonzón. Suffering from his untreated wounds, Bonifacio tells his wife Oriang of his dream of finally achieving his wish of the country’s independence against Spain. Later on, Andres Bonifacio and Procopio Bonifacio are sentenced to death.
Back to the present, the students finally learn the truth about Bonifacio. Joaquin decides to share what he has learned with his classmates: the “true” story of Bonifacio, the First President of the Philippines.
At the end of the film, Bonifacio is shown holding his personal flag aloft while leading his troops in a charge against Spanish forces. His personal flag slowly turns into the present Philippine Flag. In the post-credits scene, Antonio Luna does a cameo appearance (This is an actual part as a preparation for the film entitled Heneral Luna).
storytelling