Module 11 (1.

5 hours)
Title: Cry of Balintawak or Pugadlawin
Introduction:
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.
Thus, in this topic, it is surprising that, there are different versions of primary sources where
and when was the First Cry really happened. The eyewitnesses of the first-hand information were
Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Santiago Alvarez, Guillermo Masangkay and Gregoria de Jesus.
Learning Outcome
• Identify the different accounts about First Cry of the Revolution
• Scrutinize each source in the account of the start of the Revolution
• Establish a point of view against a particular primary source
• Showcase the ability to argue against a particular issue using primary sources
• Compare and contrast the different views regarding the First Cry of Revolution
Learning Content
Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s Account “Cry of Pugad Lawin’’
(August 23, 1896)

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.
Source: Zaide, Gregorio and Sonia Zaide. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine
History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store
Torres Jose Victor. (2018). Batis : Sources in the Philippine History. C & E Publishing,
Inc.
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!’’
Santiago Alvarez’s Account “The Cry of Bahay Toro” (August 24, 1896)

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.
Source: Zaide, Gregorio and Sonia Zaide. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine
History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store

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 another at the backyard to
the north of the house where we were gathered….
No less 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!’’

Guillermo Masangkay’s Account ‘’ The Cry of Balintawak’’ (August 26, 1896)

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.
Source:Torres Jose Victor. (2018). Batis: Sources in the Philippine History. C & E
Publishing, Inc.

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 Carreon. They were all leaders of the Katipunan
and composed the board of directors of 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.”
Gregoria de Jesus’ The First “ Cry” (August 25, 1896)

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.
 Source: Zaide, Gregorio and Sonia Zaide. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine
History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store
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.’’

Recommended learning materials and resources for supplementary reading.

Memoirs of the Katipunan
“Xiao Time: Ang Unang Sigaw ng Himagsikan sa Balintawak, Kalookan
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