Historical Context

The PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION of 1896 began with what later became

known as the “FIRST CRY” or the initial move of the Filipinos to begin
the revolution for independence. This they did by tearing their cedulas
and proclaiming the start of the fight for independence. The event
happened after the Katipunan was exposed on 18 August 1896 and the
Spaniards began to crack down on suspected rebels. The Katipunan
SUPREMO Andres Bonifacio proceeded to a designated meeting place
outside the city to decide on their next move. The original plan was to
start the revolution at the end of August but following the arrests of
the Katipuneros, Bonifacio found it wise to begin the revolution that
day and attack Manila at the end of the month.
In 1911, a monument to the Heroes of 1896 was erected in Balintawak where
beginning in 1908, it was believed that the first cry occurred there in August 26.
however, the date and place of the event were later contradicted by different
Katipunan personalities who claimed that they were there at the time. In 1963, the
NATIONAL HISTORICAL COMMISSION decide that, following extensive research of
primary sources, the First Cry of the Philippine Revolution of 1896 happened on
AUGUST 23, 1896 at Pugad Lawin, now part of Project 8 Quezon City. The
controversy, however persists, with historians and other personalities (especially
descendants of the Katipunero witnesses) claiming that the official date and place
are wrong.
Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s Account

• The official date and place of the First Cry were largely based on the
account of Dr. Pio Valenzuela, and official of the Katipunan and a
friend of Andres Bonifacio, who was present during the event. His
account was published as Memiors of the K.K.K. and the Philippine
Revolution (Manila, n.d.)
The Account
• The first place of the 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 form the
persons mentioned, above, among those who were Bericco Pantas,
Alejandro Santiago, Ramon Bernardo, Apolino Samson, 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, 1896.
• The discussion was whether or not the revolution against the Spanish
government should be started on August 23, 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,
Sinfroso 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
• In 1927, a pre-World War II weekly magazine named SAMPAGUITA
began publishing the Katipunan memoirs of Gen. Santiago Virata
Alvarez, (nom-de-guerre: Kidlat ng Apoy) one of the leaders of the
Cavite revolution. The series appeared in 36 parts. It told the story of
the Philippine Revolution starting in March 1896 until late 1897
interspersed with personal accounts and stories of events during the
revolution taken from Alvarez’s notes. The series was later published
as a book, titled, “The Katipunan and the Revolution (QC: ADMU,
1992) with an English translation by Paula Carolina Malay.
• The story of the First Cry is found in Chapter 6 of the memoirs. Alvarez

presents an account devoid of any dramatic description as it merely a

narration of the events that happened in Bahay Toro (now part of

Project 8 in Quezon City) on August 24, 1896.

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 dru, we soon fell 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 an another at the backyard to the north of the
house where we 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 attacks 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 Cabesang Melchora was getting crowded with us
Katipuneros. The generous hospitality of Cabesang Melchora was no less
than that of Apolonio Samson. Like him, she also opened her granary and
had plenty of rice pounded and animals slaughtered to feed us……
The following day, Monday 24 August, more Katipuneros came and
increased our number increased our number to more than a thousand.
The Supremo called a meeting at ten o’clock that morning inside
Cabesang Melchora’s barn. Flanking him on both sides at the head table
were Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Emilio Jacinto, Bricco Pantas, Enrique Pacheco,
Ramon Bernardo, Pantaleon Torres, Franciso 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……

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

the situation arise where the enemy was at a disadvantage. Thus, the uprising could
be started earlier than the agreed time of midnight of 29 August 1896 should a
favorable opportunity arise at that date. Everyone should steel himself and be
resolute in the struggle that was imminent…….

5. 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
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 decade of American rule, it was
his account that was used by the government and civic officials to fix the date and
place of the First Cry which was capped with the erection of the “Monument the
Heroes OF 1896” in that place.

However in an interview published in the newspaper Bagong Buhay on August

26, 1957, Masangkay changed the narrative stating 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 if that barrio 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 Francsico 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 agreement 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 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 (sic) the cedula tac charged each
citizen. “ if its is true that you are ready to revolt,” Bonifacio said, “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 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
revolt, and they destroyed their cedulas, “Bonifacio said, “So now we have to start
uprising, otherwise the people by hundreds will be shot.” There was no alternative.
The board of director, in 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.”
Differences:
Although it was not specified in Gen, Alvarez’s account, the name/s of those who opposed
the start of the revolution was specified in others. In Dr. Valenzuela’s account, it was stated
the only Teodoro Plata protested in opposition to the said war. Meanwhile, in
Masangkay’s account, three people had opposed the early start on the revolution,
namely, Teodoro Plata, Briccio Pantas, and Pio Valenzuela. Moreover, the dates of the
First Cry were also different among the three primary sources. In Dr. Valenzuela, Gen.
Alvarez, and Masangkay’s accounts about the First Cry, the date it took place were
different, on August 23, August 24, and August 26, 1896, respectively. Lastly, the locations
and routes on their voyage were also not consistent in the three accounts. In Dr. Valenzuela
and General Alvarez’s accounts, their route included both from Apolonio Samson at Barrio
Kangkong, Balintawak then proceeding to move towards Pugad Lawin or in Bahay Toro,
respectively. In Pugad Lawin and in Bahay Toro, which is located at a similar area, is where
the First Cry occurred according to Dr. Valenzuela and Gen. Alvarez’s accounts. However,
in Masangkay’s account, no location about Tandang Sora’s and her son’s house in Bahay
Toro/Pugad Lawin was mentioned. Instead, the meetng and the First Cry occurred in the
house of Apolonio Samson solely.
Similarities:

1. All three accounts agree that the revolution against Spanish rule
began of AUGUST 1896

2. They all mention the involvement of key figures such as Andres

Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo and other members of the KKK

3. All accounts describes the secret society of the KKK and its role in
organizing and mobilizing the revolutionaries
What is the first cry of the Revolution all
about?
• The First Cry of the Revolution , defined as that turning point when the

Filipinos finally refused Spanish colonial dominion over the Philippine

Islands. With tears in their eyes, the people as one man, pulled out

their cedulas and tore them into pieces. It was the beginning of the

formal declaration of the separation from Spanish rule.

What does the First cry of the Revolution
signify in Philippine history?

• The Cry of the Rebellion in Pugad Lawin marked the beginning of the

Philippine Revolution in 1896 which ultimately led to Philippine

Independence in 1898. After Bonifacio's death on May 10, 1897, in

Maragondon, Cavite, General Emilio Aguinaldo continued the

revolution.
What is the relevance of the first cry in the
Philippine history?

• These events vitalized the unity of the Filipino People and brought

"thirst" for independence. The Cry of the Rebellion in Pugad Lawin,

marked the start of the Philippine Revolution in 1896 which

eventually led to Independence of the country in 1898

REFERNCES:
• Torres, Jose Victor. Batis Sources in the Philippine History. 2018
• Agoncillo, Teodoro A. & Mangahas, Fe B. Philippine History. 2010
FINAL OUTPUT

Position Paper : THE FIRST CRY OF THE REVOLUTION

• Identify the conflicting views about the First Cry of the Revolution
• Examine each source in its account of the start of the revolution
• Formulate arguments for and against a particular primary source

•Deadline: October 10, 2023

What is in a position paper?

• Position papers are usually one page in length. It should include a

brief introduction followed by a comprehensive breakdown of the
position on the topic(s) that are being discussed. A good position
paper will not only provide facts but also make proposals for
resolutions.
What is the 3 parts of position paper?

These are the common sections of a position paper:

• Introduction: Introduce the topic and your thesis or position for the
paper. ...

• Body: This section contains your arguments or claims with supporting

evidence. ...

• Conclusion: The final section of a position paper emphasizes your

claims and summarizes your paper