Instruction: Cry of Balintawak or Cry of Pugadlawin - which has more meaning and significance

Interpretation: Cry of Balintawak

1st reason: Because of the Credibility of its sources. Aside from the inconsistent testimonies of
Dr. Pio Valenzuela in proving that the Cry happened in Pugadlawin, there were two
eyewitnesses to the Cry that happened in Balintawak (Don Vicente Samson and Capt.
Guillermo), and in addition to that, Don Vicente was the cousin of the owner of the house where
the First Cry occurred.

2nd Reason: Because of the Cry’s significance to Philippine Liberation that signified the
Filipinos’ resistance against the Spaniards, it is important to address the actual location of the
Cry, even though it is still unresolved (credibility of the Cry of balintawak stated in reason
number 1)

3rd Reason: Even though it is stated that “Pugadlawin” is sometimes considered as a metaphor,
historians actually consider the place of Pugadlawin to be the location of the Cry. If this is the
case, then its significance would be doubted because of its multiple interpretation. The Cry of
Balintawak only signifies the act of the Filipinos in seeking for liberation.

2. Retraction of Rizal

- If Rizal did retract all of his anti-cleric ideas, it would make me doubt his actual intention
for the Filipinos, especially now that he is considered as the National hero. However,
given the circumstance of the events he was in, it could be that he used that retraction in
order to address Filipinos (particularly, tha Katipunan), to be more aware of the
Spaniards as he is to be exiled. It could be that he was purposively trying to address the
Katipunan that they must take their time in preparing for their battles as the organization
has yet to win against the Spaniards. It may signify that he is trying to protect those who
he has influenced in his writings, in the hope that they can escape the same fate of Rizal
- knowing that those who knew him and have drawn inspiration from him (Bonifacio) will
understand his message, probably.

PURP COMM

Topic: 2020: mark of a new decade

A new chapter means a new storyline. Although it is considered as a continuation of past

chapters, every event of the new chapter becomes a change in the story’s plot. Similarly, the
events of 2020 has significantly changed the plot of human living in the Philippines.
The changes for the course of human living started during the first 3 months of 2020 or what
some people call the pre-lockdown stage. Since January, the threat of the then N-CoV virus is
already warned by Chinese scientists, and suggestions of implementing travel bans from China
has been raised, however, government officials disregarded the issue until the first positive case
made its way in the Philippine borders last March - the start of the lockdown. And now we’re on
the last page of this chapter of 2020, we still have yet to discover the possibility of a post-
lockdown stage. Could there actually be a post-lockdown stage? Or are we just going back to
what life was before the pandemic?

I have understood that wishing for a post-lockdown stage is like starting a new chapter - a
chapter that has regressed its former state of no pandemic threats and restrictions and at the
same time to digress its former state of oppression and ignorance. If we only wish to go back to
what things were pre-pandemic, then it would suppose that we do not change the existing
oppression of the marginalized and the existing ignorance of people in this oppression caused
by privilege. The chapter of 2020 as the mark of a new decade does not impose a continuous
series of events that we can overcome as time progresses but as the mark of a decade that
challenges change in our previous “pre-lockdown” phase and how we can resolve the suffering
we have created.