Position Paper

Accounts of the Cry

For years, Philippine historians have been debating whether

the Cry of Revolution in August 1896 happened on August 23 or 26,
of that specific year and if it happened at Pugad Lawin,
Balintawak, or at Bahay Toro. Some claims are from Santiago
Alvarez’s, some are from Pio Valenzuela's and from Guillermo
Masangkay’s version of stories. All of these claims and stories
have their own version of when and where the cry of revolution
happened. Personally, I take stand with the story of Guillermo
Masangkay, “The Cry of Balintawak”.
Guillermo R. Masangkay was one of the Katipunan's founding
members. He is a friend and the adviser of Supremo Andres
Bonifacio, and was given the task of establishing the KKK in
Cavite. He also served in the Philippine-American War as a
general. And as Bonifacio’s adviser, I believe that he wrote the
most accurate story of where and when the cry of revolution
happened. As quoted in “The Cry of Balintawak”, Masangkay stated,
“On August 26, a big meeting was held in Balintawak, at the house
of Apolonio  Samson, then 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.” On this part, he described every single person who is
present at the moment which will make it a lot appealing because
he was able to provide the specific information, compared to Pio
Valenzuela’s “The Cry of Pugad Lawin.”
Many might say that in Philippine history, primary and
secondary textbooks already accepted that the cry happened in
Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896. But if it really happened in
Pugad Lawin, why was an act passed to build a national monument
for Andres Bonifacio, known Father of Philippine Revolution for
his role in fighting for Philippine independence against the
Spanish colonizers? According to the Kahimyang Project, Act No.
2760 was passed by the Philippine Legislature, of which former
Katipuneros, particularly Bonifacio's friend and comrade,
Guillermo Masangkay led the move to build the national monument.
On that note, it clears the doubt of if Masangkay is credible or
not. First, he is a former katipunero and a personal friend of
supremo, unlike Valenzuela or Alvarez, who were just a comrade of
Bonifacio.
In addition, Masangkay also stated what happened
specifically to that said meeting as he wrote, “The purpose  was
to discuss when the uprising was to take place. Teodoro Plata,
Briccio Pantas,  and Pio Valenzuela were all opposed to starting
the revolution too early.” And to further describe the cry, he
added the part where Bonifacio got out of the meeting and talked
to the people waiting outside because he sensed that the meeting
would go out of discussion because of the raging atmosphere of
the leaders of the Katipunan. The specific statement of how
Supremo convinced the people was also stated in Masangkay’s
story, saying: “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?" These are all from the cited Masangkay’s controversial
story which made a big impact on accepting that the cry happened
in Balintawak, August 26, 1896.
It is difficult to oppose these points because of the mere
fact that Masangkay is the personal counselor of Supremo
Bonifacio which we cannot disregard. According to Pinoy Folk
Tales, Bonifacio, Masangkay, and Emilio Jacinto plotted the
Manila invasion from there. Masangkay, a newly appointed general,
was assigned by Bonifacio to lead one of the attack forces
against the city. He is also one of the only first members of
Katipunan who survived the war and became the first hand story
teller of what happened to Katipunan from the very beginning. 
In conclusion, Masangkay’s “The Cry of Balintawak” is the
most accurate and I take a stand with it. But despite these
facts, the Philippines widely accepts the “Cry of Pugad Lawin” of
Pio Valenzuela rather than Masangkay. But still, the fact that
Masangkay is one of the survivors of the founders, the personal
counselor and friend of Bonifacio, and his story is the closest
to Gregoria de Jesus’, wife of Bonifacio, makes it a lot more
convincing than any other stories.
References: 

 Accounts of the Cry

 The Kahimyang Project, retrieved from:
https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/952/today-in-
philippine-history-february-23-1918-an-act-was-passed-to-
build-a-national-monument-for-andres-bonifacio
 Pinoy Folk Tales, retrieved from:
http://pinoyfolktales.blogspot.com/2013/01/filipino-martyr-
guillermo-r-masangkay.html