Assessing of Related Literature

The Cry of Pugad Lawin (Tagalog: (Unang) Sigaw sa Pugad Lawin), also referred

to as the Cry of Balintawak (Tagalog: (Unang) Sigaw sa Balintawak), was a historical

event during the struggle for Philippine independence. On August 23, 1896, Andrés

Bonifacio and his comrades from the Katipunan society tore their cédulas in the hills of

Balintawak. This event is regarded as the starting signal of the Philippine Revolution.[1]

The controversies in differing accounts by participants and historians have served

to confuse the reader regarding the factual date and place of the event. An officer of the

Spanish guardia civil, Lt. Olegario Diaz, stated that the "Cry" took place in Balintawak on

August 25, 1896. Teodoro Kalaw in his 1925 book The Filipino Revolution, wrote that the

event took place during the last week of August 1896 at Kangkong, Balintawak. Santiago

Alvarez, the son of Mariano Alvarez, the leader of the Magdiwang faction in Cavite, stated

in 1927 that the "Cry" took place in Bahay Toro, now in Quezon City on August 24, 1896.

Pio Valenzuela, a close associate of Andrés Bonifacio declared in 1948 that it happened

in Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896. Gregorio Zaide stated in his books in 1954 that the

"Cry" happened in Balintawak on August 26, 1896. Fellow historian Teodoro Agoncillo

reported in 1956 that it took place in Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896, echoing Pio

Valenzuela's statement. Accounts by Milagros Guerrero, Emmanuel Encarnacion and

Ramon Villegas claim the event to have taken place in Tandang Sora's barn in Gulod,

Barangay Banlat, Quezon City. The National Historical Institute of the Philippines has

placed a commemorative plaque marking the location of the "Cry" in Pugad Lawin,

Quezon City. The plaque bears the date August 23, 1893
 Background of the study

The “First Cry of Revolution” became the movement of the Filipinos to fight back

on the tyrannical rule of the Spanish regime; it is also called as the “First Cry”, the

revolution of independence. In this scenario the Filipinos tore their cedulas (tax receipt)

and proclaimed the start to fight for independence-the main goal. The news of the

existence of Katipunan spread throughout Manila and so, Andres Bonifacio, the

Supreme leader of the Katipunan organized a meeting outside the city particular in

Balintawak to talk about their next movement for the revolution against Spaniards.

According to him, the start of the revolution will begin at the end of month of August.

Dr. Pio Valenzuela has been authorized the ‘’Cry of Pugad Lawin, who happened

to eyewitness the event. He was also an official of the Katipunan and a friend of Andres

Bonifacio. There were two versions presented by him. In his first version, he told that

the prime staging point of the Cry was in Balintawak on Wednesday of August 26, 1896.

He held this account when the happenings or events are still vivid in his memory. On the

other hand, later in his life and with a fading memory, he wrote his Memoirs of the

Revolution without consulting the written documents of the Philippine revolution and

claimed that the ‘’Cry’’ took place at Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896.

The Account

The first place of refuge of Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Procopio Bonifacio,

Teodoro Plata, Aguedo del Rosario, and myself was Balintawak, the first five arriving

there on August 19, and I, on August 20, 1896. The first place where some 500 members

of the Katipunan met on August 22, 1896 was the house and yard of Apolonio Samson at

Kangkong. Aside from the persons mentioned above, among those who were there were

BriccioPantas, Alejandro Santiago, Ramon Bernardo, Apolonio Samson, and others.

Here, views were only exchanged and no resolution was debated or adopted. It was at
PugadLawin, in the house, store- house and yard of Juan Ramos, son of Melchora

Aquino, where over 1,000 members of the Katipunan met and carried out considerable

debate and discussion on August 29, 1896. Only one man protested and fought against a

war and that was Teodoro Plata. Besides the persons named above, among those

present at this meeting were Enrique Cipriano, Alfonso Pacheco, Tomas Remigio,

Sinforoso San Pedro, and others. After the tumultuous meeting many of those present

tore their cedula certificates and shouted “ Long live the Philippines! Long live the

Philippines!’

This version of the “Cry’’ was written by Santiago Alvarez, a well-known Katipunero

from Cavite and a son of Mariano Alvarez. Santiago is a relative of Gregoria de Jesus,

who happened to be the wife of Andres Bonifacio. Unlike the author of the first version

mentioned (Valenzuela), Santiago Alvarez is not an eyewitness of this event. As a result,

this version of him is not given of equal value as compared with the other versions for

authors of other accounts are actually part of the historic event

The Account

We started our trek to Kangkong at about eleven that night. We walked through

the rain over dark expanses of muddy meadows and fields. Our clothes drenched and

our bodies numbed by the cold wind, we plodded wordlessly. It was nearly two in the

morning when we reached the house of Brother Apolonio Samson in Kangkong. We

crowded into the house to rest and warm ourselves. We were so tired that, after

hanging our clothes out to dry, we soon asleep…

The Supremo began assigning guards at five o’ clock the following morning,

Saturday 22 August 1896. He placed a detachment at the Balintawak boundary and

than three hundred men assembled at the bidding of the Supremo Andres Bonifacio.

Altogether, they carried assorted weapons, bolos, spears, daggers, a dozen small

revolvers and a rifle used by its owner, one Lieutenant Manuel, for hunting birds. The

Supremo Bonifacio was restless because of fear of a sudden attack by the enemy. He

was worried over the thought that any of the couriers carrying the letter sent by Emilio

Jacinto could have been intercepted; and in that eventuality, the enemy would surely

know their whereabouts and attack them on the sly. He decided that it was better to

move to a site called Bahay Toro At ten o’ clock that Sunday morning, 23 August 1896,

we arrived at Bahay Toro. Our number had grown to more than 500 and the house,

yard, and warehouse of CabesangMelchora was crowded with us Katipuneros. The

generous hospitality of CabeasngMelchora was no less than that of Apolonio Samson.

Like him, she also opened her granary and he had plenty of rice pounded and animals

slaughtered to feed us.

The following day, Monday, 24 August, more Katipuneros came and increased our

number to more than a thousand. The Supremo called a meeting at ten o ‘ clock that

morning inside CabesangMelchora’s barn. Flanking him on both sides at the head of the

table were Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Emilio Jacinto, BriccioPantas, Enrique Pacheco, Ramon

Bernardo, Pantaleon Torres, Francesco Carreon, Vicente Fernandez, Teodoro Plata, and

others. We were so crowded that some stood outside the barn

The following matters were approved at the meeting:

1. An uprising to defend the people’s freedom was to be started at midnight of Saturday,

29 August 1896….

2. To be on a state of alert so that the Katipunan forces could strike should the situation

arise where the enemy was at a disadvantage. Thus, the uprising could be started
earlier than the agreed time of midnight 29 August 1896 should a favorable opportunity

arise at that date. Everyone should steel himself and be resolute in the struggle that was

imminent….

3. The immediate objective was the capture of Manila….

After the adjournment of the meeting at twelve noon, there were tumultuous shouts of ‘’

Long live the Sons of the People!’’

In 1932, Guillermo Masangkay, a friend and fellow Katipunero of Andres

Bonifacio, recounted his experiences as a member of the revolutionary movement. In an

interview with the Sunday Tribune magazine, Masangkay said that the First Cry

happened in Balintawak on August 26, 1896. In the first decade of American rule, it was

his account that was used by the government and civic officials to fix date and place of

the First Cry which was capped with the erection of the ‘’Monument to the Heroes of

1896’’ in that place. However, in an interview published in the newspaper Bagong

Buhayon August 26, 1957, Masangkay changed his narrative stating that the revolution

began on August 23, 1896, similar to the assertion of Dr. Pio Valenzuela. But

Masangkay’s date was later changed again when his granddaughter, Soledad Buehler-

Borromeo, cited sources, including the Masangkay papers, that the original date was

August 26.

The Account

On August 26, a big meeting was held in Balintawak, at the house of Apolonio

Samson, then the cabeza of that barrio of Caloocan. Among those who attended, I

remember, were Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Aguedo del Rosario, Tomas Remigio,

BriccioPantas, Teodoro Plata, Pio Valenzuela, Enrique Pacheco, and Francesco

the organization. Delegates from Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Cavite, and Morong (now Rizal)

were also present.

At about nine o’ clock in the morning of August 26, the meeting was opened with

Andres Bonifacio presiding and Emilio Jacinto acting as secretary. The purpose was to

discuss when the uprising was to take place. Teodoro Plata, Briccio Pantas, and Pio

Valenzuela were all opposed to starting the revolution too early. They reasoned that the

people would be in distress if the revolution were started without adequate preparation.

Plata was very forceful in his argument, stating that the uprising could not very well be

started without arms and food for the soldiers. Valenzuela used Rizal’s argument about

the rich not siding with the Katipunan organization.

Andres Bonifacio, sensing that he would lose in the discussion then left the

session hall and talked to the people who were waiting outside for the result of the

meeting of the leaders. He told the people that the leaders were arguing against starting

the revolution early, and appealed to them in a fiery speech in which he said: ‘’ You

remember the fate of our countrymen who were shot in Bagumbayan. Should we return

now to the towns, the Spaniards will only shoot us. Our organization has been

discovered and we are all marked men. If we don’t start the uprising, the Spaniards will

get us anyway. What then, do you say? “Revolt,’’ the people shouted as one.

Bonifacio then asked the people to give a pledge that they were to revolt. He told

that the sign of slavery of the Filipinos were (sic) the cedula tax charged each citizen. ‘’

If it is true that you are ready to revolt, ‘’ Bonifacio said, ‘’I want to see you destroyed

your cedulas. It will be the sign that all of us have declared our severance from the

Spaniards.’’ With tears in their eyes, the people, as one man, pulled out their cedulas

and tore them to pieces. It was the beginning of the formal declaration of the separation
from Spanish rule….

When the people’s pledge was obtained by Bonifacio, he returned to the session hall and

informed the leaders of what took place outside. ‘’ The people want to revolt, and they

destroyed their cedulas, ‘’ Bonifacio said, ‘’ So now we have to start the uprising,

otherwise the people by hundreds will be shot.” There was no alternative. The board of

directors, in spite of the protest of Plata, Pantas, Valenzuela, voted for the revolution. And

when this was decided, the people outside shouted, “Long live the Philippine Republic.”

This version was written by no other than the “ Lakambini of the Katipunan” and

wife Andres Bonifacio, Gregoria de Jesus. She has been a participant of this event and

became the keeper of the secret documents of the Katipunan. After the revolution in

August 1896, she lived with her parents in Caloocan then fled to Manila when she was

told that the Spanish authorities wanted to arrest her. Eventually, she joined her

husband in the mountains and shared adversities with him. In her account, the First

“Cry” happened near Caloocan on August 25, 1896.

The Account

“The activities of the Katipunan had reached nearly all corners of the Philippine

Archipelago, so that when its existence was discovered and some of the members

arrested, we immediately returned to Caloocan. However, as we were closely watched

by the agents of the Spanish authorities, Andres Bonifacio and other Katipuneros left

the town after some days. It was then that the uprising began, with the first cry for

freedom on August 25, 1896. Meanwhile, I was with my parents. Through my friends, I

learned that Spanish were coming to arrest me. Immediately, I fled town at eleven o’

clock at night, secretly going through the rice fields to La Lorna, with the intention of

returning to Manila. I was treated like an apparition, for, sad to say, in every house
where I tried to get a little rest, I was driven away as if people therein were frightened for

their own lives. Later, I found out that the occupants of the houses which I had visited

were seized and severely punished – and some even exiled. One of them was an uncle

of mine whom I had visited on that night to kiss his hands, and he died in exile.’’

References:

Candelaria,et’al. 2018. First Edition. Readings in Philippine History. Rex

Bookstore. Torres Jose Victor. 2018. BATIS: Sources in the Philippine History. C &

E Publishing, Inc.

Zaide, Gregorio and Sonia Zaide. 1990. Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Vol.

5. Manila: National Book Store