Chapter 2
LESSON 3
VERSIONS OF THE CRY OF BALINTAWAK OR
PUGADLAWIN
● It is surprising, that there are different versions on the
dates for first cry of the revolution as well as its venue.
● This controversy up to this time remains unsolved.
1) Cry took place in Balintawak
2) happened in Pugad Lawin
3) Sampaloc
4) Caloocan
● Nevertheless, there are different versions to consider in
knowing the real date and place of the Cry.
1) Pio Valenzuela's Controversial Cry of Pugad Lawin'"
2) Santiago Alvarez's "The Cry of Bahay Toro”
3) Gregoria de Jesus version of the "First Cry"
4) Guillermo Masangkay's "The Cry of Balintawak.
PIO VALENZUELA'S CONTROVERSIAL "CRY OF
PUGAD LAWIN
(August 23, 1896)
● version of the "Cry of Pugad Lawin" by no other than Dr.
Pio Valenzuela
● an eyewitness himself of the event.
● 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.
● later in his life and with a fading memory, he claimed that
the "Cry" took place at Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896.
Below is his account on this topic:
Source: Zaide, Gregorio and Sonia Zaide. (1990).
Documentary Sources of Philippine History vol 5 Mania:
National Book Store
"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 Briccio Pantas,
Alejandro Santiago, Ramon Bernardo, Apolonio Samaon, and
others. Here, views were only exchanged, and no resolution
was debated or adopted. It was at Pugad Lawin, 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 23, 1986. The discussion was on
whether or not the revolution against the Spanish
government should be started on August 29, 1986. Only one
man protested and fought against a war, and that was
Teodore Plata (Bonifacio's brother in-law). 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!"
THE "CRY OF BAHAY TORO"
(August 24, 1896)
● written by Santiago Alvarez
● a well-known Katipunero from Cavite and a son of
Mariano Alvarez.
● is a relative of Gregoria de Jesus, who happened to be
the wife of Andres Bonifacio.
● 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. Below is
his account:
Source: Zaide, Gregorio and Sonia Zaide. (1990).
Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Vol. 5. Manila:
National Book Store.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 1896
As early as 10 o'clock in the morning, at the barn of
Kabesang Melchora [Melchora Aquino-Z.], at a place called
Sampalukan, barrio of Bahay Toro, Katipuneros met
together.
About 500 of these arrived, ready and eager to join the
"Supremo" Andres Bonifacio and his men.
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 1896
There were about 1,000 Katipuneros.. . The "Supremo
decided to hold a meeting inside the big barn. Under his
leadership, the meeting began at 10 o'clock in the morning...
It was 12 o'clock noon when the meeting adjourned amidst
loud cries of "Long live the Sons of the Country" (Mabuhay
ang mga anak ng Bayan)!
GREGORIA DE JESUS" VERSIONOF THE FIRST "CRY"
(August 25, 1896)
● written by the "Lakambini of the Katipunan" and wife of
Andres Bonfacio, 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 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 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. and some even Later, I found
out that the occupants of the houses which I had visited
were seized and severely punished-- exiled. One of them
was an uncle of mine whom I had visited on that night to
kiss his hand, and he died in exile.
THE "CRY OF BALINTAWAK"
(August 26, 1896)
● written by the Katipunan General Guillermo Masangkay.
● He is an eyewitness of the historic event and a childhood
friend of Bonifacio.
● According to him, the first rally of the Philippine
Revolution happened on August 26, 1896 at Balintawak.
● Correspondingly, the date and site presented were
accepted by the preliminary years of American
government.
Source: Zaide, Gregorio and Sonia Zaide. (1990).
Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Vol. 5. Manila:
National Book Store
On August 26th [1896-Z.], 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, Briccio Pantas, Teodoro
Plata, Pio Valenzuela, Enrique Pacheco, and Francisco
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
[Bonifacio's brother- in-law- Z.], 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 the 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 them 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 saved, "I
want to see you destroy 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. With their cedulas destroyed, they could no
longer go back to their homes because the Spaniards would
persecute them, if not for being katipuneros, for having no
cedulas. And people who had no cedulas during those days
were severely punished.
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 have 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 the spite of the protests of Plata, Pantas, and
Valenzuela, voted for the revolution. And when this was
decided, the people outside shouted: "Long Live the
Philippine Republic!"
I still remember Bonifacio as he appeared that day.
Although a mere bodeguero.
(warehouseman) and earning P25 (Mex.) a month, he was a
cultured man. He always
wore an open coat, with black necktie, and black hat. He
always carried an umbrella.
At the meeting that morning of August 26, Bonifacio
took off his coat and was wearing only his shirt, with collar
and tie. Bonifacio's hobby was weaving bamboo hats. During
his spare time he wove dozens of them and sold them in
Manila. Thus, he made extra money.
At about 5 o’clock in the afternoon, while the gathering
at Balintawak was celebrating the decision of the Katipunan
leaders to start the uprising, the guards who were up in
trees to watch for any possible intruders or the approach of
the enemy, gave the warning that the Spaniards were
'coming
Led by Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto and other leaders of the
Katipunan, the men were distributed in strategic positions
and were prepared for attack of the civil guards. was with a
group stationed on the bank of a small creek, guarding the
places where the Spaniards were to pass in order to reach
the meeting place of the katipuneros. Shots were then fired
by the civil guards, and that was the beginning of the fire
which later became such a huge conflagration.
REFERENCE:
Ligan, V., Apsay, L., Espino, L., Porras, C., Salinas, E., Lemana, J. (2018). Readings in Philippine
History. Mandaluyong City, Philippines. Mutya Publishing.
