Cobacha, Angelo Jude C.

BMLS 2-D
A. First Mass: Limasawa or Masao?
The debate as to where the first mass in the Philippines happened has been
‘circumnavigating’ throughout history and has yet to finally anchor its ‘X’ despite of the
‘concrete’ evidences claiming the exact location of the first mass in our country. I am not a
historian nor an authorized person to present my claims as to where the first mass was held but I
will be presenting valid evidences based on the point of views of legitimate authorities according
to their findings which would support my opinions about the matter.

First of all, this issue is about the location of the first mass and when we are talking about
locations we refer to grid coordinates. Going back to the date of the first mass, the technologies
used in pinpointing directions and locations are not that accurate as compared to what we have
now. So, the claim of Antonio Pigafetta about their exact location might be insufficient to
pinpoint the exact location of the said mass. However, geographical evidences could suffice to
support his lapses in giving the correct coordinates.

One of the readings I came across with was the position paper of Peter Schreus, a parish
priest in Magallanes, Agusan del Norte. According to him, Pigafetta’s “MAZAUA” and Butuan
are separate locations. Primary sources state that there were two kings, which appeared to be
brothers, were present during the first mass. One king, named Colambu, did not live in that place
and only went there to go hunting. The other king was named Siaui, the king of another island
called “Butuan” and “Calagan” which was rich in gold. According to Schreus, these two kings
were visitors of the said island. To wrap things out on the presence of the two kings, I came up
with a conclusion that they were not in Butuan since Siaui was king of Butuan and both kings
were just visitors of the island where the first mass was held.

Analyzing the name itself “Limasawa” and comparing it to the “Mazaua” of Pigafetta is a
bit convincing. For the prefix Li, Schreus reasons out that it has been juggled around long before
B & R. Colin wrote Dimasaua. Juan Francisco de San Antonio on the other hand named the
place la isla de Dimasaua o Limasaua as per Padre Fray Gaspar de San Agustin.
 In the expedition of Legazpi, 44 years after Magellan, Mairin Mitchel’s book Friar
Andres de Urdaneta states that ‘Masava’ and Butuan are two distinct places with a lot of
seawater between them, and that Masava was located where we know Limasawa to be now.

Schreus stated that in the writings of Colin about the First Mass, a Cronista Mayor of the
Royal Court of Spain, named Herrera, gave an important information that “Magellan discovered
many island, and sailing between them, they went ashore at a little one, called Mazagua, near a
small village…” According to him, on Easter day, 1521, a Mass was celebrated there and a Cross
erected on a promontory. In conclusion, that little island i.e. Limasawa celebrated the first mass
and erected the cross.

Based on the above arguments that I have presented from my sources, I firmly believe
that the First Mass in the Philippines was held at Limasawa.

2. Cavite Mutiny: Grand Conspiracy or Mere Labor Issue?

The Cavite Mutiny was a grand conspiracy and I will base my belief on the findings of
John Schumacher. The Cavity Mutiny in 1872 has led to the death of the three notable priests in
Philippine history – Mariano Gómez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora.
Reasons for the said mutiny were the dissatisfaction among the workers of the arsenal as
well as the members of the native army after their privileges were drawn back by Gen. Izquierdo;
Gen. Izquierdo introduced rigid and strict policies that made the Filipinos move and turn away
from Spanish government out of disgust; and the happy days of the friars were already numbered
in 1872 when the Central Government in Spain decided to deprive them of the power to
intervene in government affairs as well as in the direction and management of schools prompting
them to commit frantic moves to extend their stay and power.
According to John Schumacher, the target of the troops of Sgt. Lamadrid did not only
target Fort San Felipe but also Fort Santiago and their main goal was to overthrow the Spaniards
and thus declaring independence and killing all Spaniards who do not obey them. These were the
results
Although they were successful in killing the Spaniards, after an hour Gov. General
Izquierdo ordered reinforcements to conquer the stronghold of the Filipinos eventually killing
them. The grand conspiracy failed because of an anonymous letter given to Gen. Izquierdo
stating the said plan and therefore convinced the other members of the conspiracy to no longer
pursue the plan. This event has led to the supposedly ‘reinforcement’ of Sgt. Lamadrid to not
appear.
On the other hand, the true masterminds of the said mutiny were not the GomBurZa.
According to Schumacher, the real masterminds were three mazons, namely: Maximo Incencio,
Crisanto Delos Reyes, and Enrique Paraiso. However, they were no beheaded due to them being
‘Mazons’ just like General Izquierdo. Instead, they were thrown to Guam.
Schumacher stated that there was a possibility that Francisco Saldua have used the name
of Padre Burgos to encourage the people to join the said movement. For these reasons that I have
presented, I firmly believe that the Cavite Mutiny was a grand conspiracy and not merely a labor
issue.
3. Cry of Rebellion: Balintawak or Pugad Lawin
The Cry of Rebellion by the Katipuneros is one of the most notable historical events that
had happened in the Philippines. Others believe that the ‘cry’ happened in Balintawak while
some insist that it took place in Pugad Lawin. But where did the ever-famous “cry” actually
happened?
In an article of Ambeth R. Ocampo, he presented multiple primary sources as to where
and when the cry of rebellion happened. One notable primary source he presented was from
historian Teodor Agoncillo in which his account is based on the statement of Dr. Pio
Valenzuela’s statement.
According to Agoncillo, Bonifacio scheduled a general assembly of the Katipunan for
August 24, 1896, the Feast of San Bartolome, Malabon. The said date was chosen to enable the
Katipuneros to pass security checkpoints carrying their bolos because Malabon is famous for
manufacturing a long bladed weapon called “sangbartolome.”
Agoncillo also added that Bonifacio and his men were in Balintawak on August 19 and
left for Kangkong on August 21 and on the afternoon of August 22, they went to Pugad Lawin.
Based on the account of Valenzuela, on August 23, in the yard of Juan Ramos, son of Melchora
Aquino a.k.a. Tandang Sora, the Katipuneros listened to the stirring speech of Bonifacio, tore
their cedulas, and vowed to fight for their country.
However, a more “reliable” source have been presented in the name of Gregoria de Jesus
Nakpil, widow of Andres Bonifacio. In her autobiography, entitled “Mga Tala ng aking Buhay,”
she stated that the “cry of Balintawak” happened in Pasong Tamo.
On the other hand, multiple dates and places were mentioned on various primary sources
like Masangkay, Nakpil, Alvarez, and others. According to Milagros Guerrero, this is probably
due to the constant movement of the Katipuneros from one place to another to avoid being
captured by the Guardia Civil. Hence, multiple cries and meetings were held which probably
resulted in the different versions of the places of the “Cry of Rebellion.” So, in my own
perspective, I would go to the accound of Agocillo that the first cry of rebellion happened in
Pugad Lawin.