The Cry of Pugadlawin

Andres BonifacioNews about the discovery of the Katipunan spread to Manila and n
earby suburbs, and Andres Bonifacio immediately called for a general meeting. Va
rious wings of the Katipunan gathered at the house of Juan Ramos in Pugadlawin o
n August 23, 1896. Ramos was the son of Melchora Aquino, also known as Tandang So
ra and was later acknowledged as the Mother of the Katipunan."
Bonifacio asked his men whether they were willing to fight to the bitter end. Ev
eryone shouted their approval, except for Teodoro Plata, who though that it was
too soon for a revolution. Heartened by his mens response, Bonifacio then asked t
hem to tear their cedulas (residence certificates) to pieces, as a sign of their
defiance and determination to rise against the Spaniards. The men immediately t
ore up their cedulas, shouting, Mabuhay ang Pilipinas (long live the Philippines
) -known as the Cry of Pugadlawin.
The Katipunan in Cavite
Cavite soon became the center of the Revolution, and the Katipuneros there divid
ed themselves into the Magdalo and Magdiwang factions. Baldomero Aguinaldo, brot
her of Emilio Aguinaldo, headed the Magdalo group, which was stationed in Kawit.
General Mariano Alvarez led the Magdiwang group, which was stationed in Novelet
a.
General Emilio AguinaldoThe two groups fought in separate battles. Emilio Aguina
ldo overran Kawit on August 31, 1896, while Alvarez attacked Noveleta. In Bacoor
, Aguinaldo tried to intercept Spanish reinforcements coming from Manila; but he
was repulsed and forced to retreat to nearby Imus. Here, on the morning of Sept
ember 5, he defeated the Spanish troops under the command of General Aguirre. A
hundred Spaniards were killed and 60 weapons were confiscated. Aguinaldo was hai
led as a hero. The adoring Caviteos referred to him as General Miong and no longer K
apitan Miong.
General Aguinaldos numerous victories in the battlefield made him the acknowledge
d revolutionary leader in Cavite. He issued a proclamation on October 31, 1896 e
njoining the people to take courage and continue fighting for Philippine indepen
dence.

Owing to the defeat of the Spaniards in Cavite, Camilo de Polavieja replaced Ram
on Blanco as governor general on December 13, 1896. Polavieja was more successfu
l than his predecessor and slowly regained one-third of the province.

Andres Bonifacio s Execution

While Aguinaldo was recognized as leader by the Magdalo faction, Bonifacio was r
ecognized as the leader of the Katipunan by the Magdiwang faction. An assembly w
as held in Imus, Cavite on December 31, 1897 to settle the leadership issue but
was not successful. Then on March 22, another assembly was held at Tejeros (know
n as the Tejeros Convention) to elect officers of the revolutionary government.
Aguinaldo won as president while Bonifacio was relegated as the Director of the

Interior. Bonifacio rejected the elections and declared it void. Bonifacio later
formed the Naic Military Agreement, essentially creating a government contendin
g Aguinaldo s. Soon after, Bonifacio was captured, stood trial, and was sentence
d to death by a War Council of Aguinaldo s government. Aguinaldo initially commu
ted the sentence to deportation but later reversed the commutation upon pressure
from Pio Del Pilar and other officers. On orders from General Mariano Noriel, A
ndres Bonifacio was executed at the foothills of Mt. Buntis by Major Lazaro Maka
pagal on May 10, 1897.
The Revolution Continues
Bonifacios death did not deter the Filipinos from fighting for their freedom. The
Spanish government, for its part, doubled its efforts in trying to control Cavi
te, which was considered the seat of the Revolution. When Governor General Primo
de Rivera replaced Camilo Polavieja on April 27, 1897, he immediately marched t
o Naic, Cavite to persuade the Filipinos to surrender. The rebels, however, stoo
d their ground.
Aguinaldo realized that Cavite was no longer safe for his men. They moved to Bat
angas, where they temporarily set up camp in the town of Talisay. However, Spani
sh soldiers were able to pursue them there. Thus, they retreated to Morong on Ju
ne 10, 1897 and proceeded to Biak-na-Bato in Bulacan.