1|Readings in Philippine History

“CRY OF REVOLUTION”
CRY OF BALINTAWAK ORPUGADLAWIN?

The Fist Cry of the Revolution remains unsolved due to the

different dates and places that were mentioned by different
eyewitnesses of the event. These include Pio Valenzuela's
"Cry of Pugad Lawn", Santiago Alvarez's "The Cry of Bahay
Toro: Gregoria de Jesus's "First Cry" Guillermo Masangkay's
"The Cry of Balintawak".

Cry of Pugad Lawin by Pio Valenzuela

• One of the surviving witnesses of the Cry of Pugad Lawn, and this is confirmed
by the list drawn up by Guillermo Masangkay.
• Only doctor participating in the cry.
• Not known for having impeccable memory. This is demonstrated with his
recollections of his meeting with Rizal at Dapitan, months before the launch of the
Revolution. His confusing statements threw doubt to the cry itself.
• In his first version, he said that the Cry was in Balintawak on Wednesday of
August 26, 1896.
• Later, he wrote his Memoirs of the Revolution and claimed that the Cry took place
at Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896.

This controversial version of the “Cry of the Pugad Lawin” has been authorized by no other than Dr.
Pio Valenzuela, who happened to be the eyewitness himself of the event. In his first version, he told
that the prime staging point of the Cry was in Balintawak on Wednesday of August 26, 1896. He held
this account when the happenings or events are still vivid in his memory. On the other hand, later in
his life and with a fading memory, he wrote his Memoirs of the Revolution without consulting the
written documents of the Philippine revolution and claimed that the “Cry” took place at Pugad Lawin
on August 23, 1896. Below is his account on this topic:

Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine
History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store.)
“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, 1896. Only one man protested and fought
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against a war, and that was Teodoro 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!”

The Cry of Bahay Toro Santiago Alvarez

• Another version of the cry which launched the Philippine revolution is
written by Santiago Alvarez.

• Alvarez was not an eye witness of the historic event. Although he was in
Cavite at that time, this is his version of the first cry.

(August 24, 1896)

This version of the “Cry” was written by Santiago Alvarez, a well-known

Katipunero from Cavite and a son of Mariano Alvarez. Santiago is a
relative of Gregoria de Jesus, who happened to be the wife of Andres
Bonifacio. Unlike the author of the first version mentioned (Valenzuela), Santiago Alvarez is not an
eyewitness of this event. As a result, this version of him is not given of equal value as compared with
the other versions for authors of other accounts are actually part of the historic event. Below is his
account:

Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine
History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store.)Sunday, August 23, 1896
As early as 10 o’clock in the morning, at the barn of Kabesang Melchora [Melchora Aquino-Z.], at a
place called Sampalukan, barrio of Bahay Toro, Katipuneros met together. About 500 of these
arrived, ready and eager to join the “Supremo” Andres Bonifacio and his men …

Monday, August 24, 1896

There were about 1,000 Katipuneros … The “Supremo” decided to hold a meeting inside the big
barn. Under his leadership, the meeting began at 10 o’clock in the morning … It was 12 o’clock noon
when the meeting adjourned amidst loud cries of “Long live the Sons of the Country” (Mabuhay ang
mga anak ng Bayan)!

Next…Gregoria de Jesus’ Version of the First “Cry”

First Cry by Gregoria de Jesus

• One of the participants in the drama of the Philippine Revolution of 1896
was Gregoria De Jesus.
• Custodian of secret documents, seal and weapons.
• Bonifacio and his men gathered in the hills of Balintawak for the war of
liberation. According to her version of the first cry it occurred near Caloocan
on August 25, 1896.
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(August 25, 1896)

This version was written by no other than the “Lakambini of the Katipunan” and wife of Andres
Bonifacio, Gregoria de Jesus. She has been a participant of this event and became the keeper of the
secret documents of the Katipunan. After the Revolution in August 1896, she lived with her parents in
Caloocan then fled to Manila when she was told that Spanish authorities wanted to arrest her.
Eventually, she joined her husband in the mountains and shared adversities with him. In her account,
the First “Cry” happened near Caloocan on August 25, 1896.

(Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine
History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store.)

“The activities of the Katipunan had reached nearly all corners of the Philippine Archipelago, so that
when its existence was discovered and some of the members arrested, we immediately returned to
Caloocan. However, as we were closely watched by the agents of the Spanish authorities, Andres
Bonifacio and other Katipuneros left the town after some days. It was then that the uprising began,
with the first cry for freedom on August 25, 1896. Meanwhile, I was with my parents. Through my
friends, I learned that Spanish were coming to arrest me. Immediately, I fled town at eleven o’ clock
at night, secretly going through the rice fields to La Lorna, with the intention of returning to Manila. I
was treated like an apparition, for, sad to say, in every house where I tried to get a little rest, I was
driven away as if people therein were frightened for their own lives. Later, I found out that the
occupants of the houses which I had visited were seized and severely punished-- and some even
exiled. One of them was an uncle of mine whom I had visited on that night to kiss his hand, and he
died in exile.”
Next…. Guillermo Masangkay’s The “Cry of Balintawak”

The Cry of Balintawak by Guillermo Masangkay

• The first cry of revolution happened in Balintawak, at the house of
Apolonio Samson, on August 26, 1896.
• 9 o'clock in the morning, the board of directors held a meeting for the final
date of uprising.
• Bonifacio went outside the hall and talked to the people waiting outside.
• 5 o'clock in the afternoon, Spaniards were coming to them as their
organization was discovered and they are all marked men.
• Claimed cédulas were torn more than once. (August 24 and August 26)

(August 26, 1896)

This version is written by the Katipunan General Guillermo Masangkay. He is an eyewitness of the
historic event and a childhood friend of Bonifacio. According to him, the first rally of the Philippine
Revolution happened on August 26, 1896 at Balintawak. Correspondingly, 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”.
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(Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine
History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store.)

“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,
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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.