Task Performance in

Readings in Philippine History

Position Paper
On the Controversy of
” The Cry of Pugad Lawin or Balintawak”

Presented by:
Bernal, Cherry Belle Z.

Presented to:
Mr. Rogie S. Esquillo
 II. Introduction
The Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary society founded by Filipino anti-
Spanish people in Manila in 1892. The political goal was to completely separate the
Philippines from Spain after declaring the country's independence. The term "cry"
referred to the first clash between the Katipuneros and the Civil Guards (Guardia Civil)
of Spain. The actual date and place of the first cry was being widely debated.
This issue is very controversial for this signifies the place where the beginning of
the Philippine Revolution happened. The cry of the revolutionists and the tearing of their
cedulas was the sign of the rebellion of the Filipinos against Spanish rule and their
determination to attain their freedom from the hands of the abusive Spaniards. Some
historians and eyewitnesses said that it the First Philippine Revolution happened in
Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896, and some said that it was in Balintawak on August
26, 1896. In this controversy, let us know when did really the Katipunan’s cry happened.
We must gather first some evidences to support our stand.

III. Evidences of the Controversy

The Cry of Pugad Lawin
• Dr. Pio Valenzuela the eyewitness of the event and one of the leaders of
Katipunan, stated in his memoirs that the first cry happened in Pugad Lawin on
August 23, 1896, without consulting the documents of the Philippine Revolution.
This is his second version of the Katipunan. Below is his account on this topic:
“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
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, 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
Teodora Plata [Bonifacio’s brother-in-law-Z]. 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!”
Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store.
 • The written document contains a joint statement of Pio Valenzuela, Briccio
Pantas, and Cipriano Pacheco, veteran members of the KKK. They stated that
the “Cry” did not take place in Balintawak but in a place known by the name of
“Pugad Lawin”.
Source:

Guest. (2020). Cry of Balintawak - PDFCOFFEE.COM. Pdfcoffee.com; PDFCOFFEE.COM. https://pdfcoffee.com/cry-of-balintawak-pdf-

free.html

• This is the shrine claiming that the first cry

happened in Pugad Lawin. Since 1963, when
President Diosdado Macapagal issued
Proclamation Number 149, it has been widely
accepted that August 23, 1896 is the date when
the "Cry of Pugad Lawin" took place, a
momentous event in Filipino history which is
known for being the launching point of the
Philippine Revolution.
The Cry of Balintawak
• A Katipunan General Masangkay who is an eyewitness and a childhood friend of
Bonifacia. He stated that the Katipunan’s cry happened on August 26, 1896. The
date and site presented were accepted by the preliminary years of American
government. Below is General Guillermo Masangkay’s version of the “Cry of
Balintawak”:
“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 ₱25 (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. I 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.
Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store.

• Guardia Civil Manuel Sityar never mentioned in his memoirs (1896-1898) the
tearing or inspection of the cedula, but did note the pacto de sangre (blood pact)
mark on every single Filipino he met in August 1896 on his reconnaissance
missions around Balintawak.
• This news article was Published in Philippines Free Press in August 26, 1950. A
member of the KKK named Dr. Pio Valenzuela was interviewed and then he
stated in his interview that the actual Cry of Balintawak did not happen on the
26th of August in the year 1896 but it was on the 23rd.
Source: Unknown. (2021, November 18). Artikulo: The Cry of Balintawak (1950). Blogspot.com.
https://piovalenzuela150.blogspot.com/2019/01/artikulo-cry-of-balintawak-1950.html?m=0

IV. The Stand

Positive Stand
In Katipunan General Masangkay and in the news article, stating that the
Katipunan’s cry happened in Balintawak. I agree that their evidences are valid, because
it contains the whole incidents that happened on the events. The memoir of General
Masangkay also go through the consultation and were accepted by the preliminary
years of American government. This memoir was also supported by other Katipuneros
or the eyewitnesses in this event. Guardia Civil Manuel Sityar did also mention that
during his mission in Balintawak, that there was a blood pact mark in every Filipino he
met. These evidences have a clear and complete narration of the event.
Negative Stand
Dr. Pio Valenzuela has an inconsistent version of the Katipunan’s Cry. In his first
version, he stated that the Katipunan’s Cry happened in Balintawak. His second version
was happened in Pugad Lawin, stating in his memoir. Because of this, I cannot say that
Dr. Valenzuela’s statement is true. To prove that your statement is based on facts, you
need to be sure and consistent with your statemen. The version Pugad Lawin by Dr.
Valenzuela did not also go through consultation. That is why I am quite disagree with
the statement of Dr. Valenzuela.
Final Stand
After doing research about this controversy, I believe that the First cry of the
Katipunan happened in Balintawak. Because according to the evidences that I have
gathered I am convinced that the event was happened in Balintawak. The memoir of
Katipunan General Masangkay convinced me because it contains a clear and complete
details of the event. This statement was also supported by the other eyewitnesses. The
first version of the Katipunan’s cry was also “The Cry of Balintawak” (origin) before it
was proclaimed as “The Cry of Pugad Lawin”. Most of the evidences and eyewitnesses
are also in Balintawak. Dr. Valenzuela also wrote his memoirs of the Revolution with
fading memory, stating that the Katipunan’s cry was in Pugad Lawin (his second
version). That is why I can say that the First Cry of Katipunan happened in Balintawak.

References:

In Focus: Balintawak: The Cry for a Nationwide Revolution - National Commission for Culture

and the Arts. (2015, May 18). National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/in-focus/balintawak-the-cry-for-a-nationwide-

revolution/?fbclid=IwAR1lyrwXXkTzRsBaGEFQq8HhAkzHGAWcauFKsclN8sG7mZBf

jtpWSbYdWC4

Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Vol. 5.

Manila: National Book Store.

Guest. (2020). Cry of Balintawak - PDFCOFFEE.COM. Pdfcoffee.com; PDFCOFFEE.COM.

https://pdfcoffee.com/cry-of-balintawak-pdf-free.html

Unknown. (2021, November 18). Artikulo: The Cry of Balintawak (1950). Blogspot.com.
https://piovalenzuela150.blogspot.com/2019/01/artikulo-cry-of-balintawak-1950.html?m=0

Raposas, A. (2017, August 25). Boys Who Cry? Pugad Lawin and the Start of the Revolution.

Blogspot.com; Blogger. https://history-ph.blogspot.com/2017/08/pugad-lawin.html

Philippine History -- The Cry of Pugadlawin. (2021). Filipino.biz.ph.

http://filipino.biz.ph/history/pugadlawin.html