Readings in Philippine History

Module 9 Assignment 1
Name: Braña, Elaine Myrtle L. Date: November 1, 2022
Section: 1BSA-ABM3 Professor: Mr. Christopher Villaraza

Watch the video titled "Xiao Time: Ang Unang Sigaw ng Himagsikan sa Balintawak, Kalookan"
posted by PTV. Answer the following questions:

1. What does the video tell you about the many different accounts?
Although there are three contradicting perspectives on the first cry of the revolution in
our country, the video discussed some happenings that have little to no conflicting views and are
agreed upon by most historians. The video tells us how the first cry came about, specifically
when Governor-General Ramon Blanco instructed a Juez de Kutsilyo, or the total annihilation of
the Indios. Mr. Xiao Chua, the host of the show, also discussed how Andres Bonifacio called for
a meeting and persuaded the members of the Katipunan to tear up their cedulas as a sign of their
dissociation from the Spanish authorities. The momentous event ended when the Katipuneros
cried “Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!” or when translated to English, “Long live the Philippines!”
The first part of the video answered the question “what?”, “Why?”, and “How?”. It
explained what happened, how it happened, what is meant by this, and what this implied.
However, Chua then explained that it is unclear when and where these events happened.
As the saying goes which I read from the beginning of the module, “There s one past, but
many histories.” The video tells us that the cry of revolution in the Philippines definitely
happened, but it is definitely unclear to us where and where exactly it occurred. It tells us that the
past can be narrated differently by its primary sources and it is up to our matter-of-fact judgment
to find out what actually happened by studying all primary sources objectively.

2. Is there a chance that all sources are valid?

Before answering this question, I needed to know first how a source is considered to be
valid. An article from Wonderopolis.org (2020) explains that currency, relevance, authority,
accuracy, and purpose are the things that measure the validity of the source. In relation to the
three perspectives of the cry of the revolution in the Philippines, I argue that the issue about the
relevance and authority of the three accounts are all strong because Valenzuela, Masangkay, and
Alvarez were all active in the KKK organization and were all in the said event. When it comes to
currency, I think that the account of Guillermo Masangkay has a weak argument because he
changed the date of his claim multiple times, the first one was when he was interviewed in 1932
by the Sunday Tribune Magazine and the second one was when Soledad Buehler-Borromeo cited
sources including the Masangkay papers.
Along with currency is the issue of the accuracy about the three accounts. There were
inconsistencies regarding the setting of the event. However, I think that Masangkay’s account is
the safest argument because according to NHCP (1996), Balintawak, which was Masangkay’s
claim on the setting of the first cry, is a larger area of smaller places such as Pugad Lawin,
Pasong Tamo, Kangkong and other specific places, which were in turn part of "greater
Caloocan". This makes the arguments of Valenzuela and Alvarez’s claims (Pugad Lawin and
Bahay Toro respectively) more specific but more unreliable because if we chose one over the
other without rigorous research, we might come up with the wrong conclusion and thus have
inaccurate narratives of our past.
In addition, I also learned from Study.com, (nd.) that in order for a source to be
reliable, the information presented must be able to be repeated. Moreover, as the name
implies, the first cry of revolution should only have happened in one place and one day because
the event is called the “first” cry of revolution. Therefore only one account can be accepted. In
conclusion, it cannot be possible to accept the three sources given that they claim different days
and places in which the said event took place. Therefore, I think that there is no chance that
all sources are valid.

3. What other information on the revolution did you learn from the video?
In the second part of the video, I learned that three historians namely Milagros Guerrero,
Ramos Villegas, and Emmanuel Encarnacion think that the setting of the first cry of revolution is
unclear because Bonifacio went to different places within Balintawak during the heightened
revolt against the Spanish regime. This can explain why the setting of the event is all the more
unclear to us.
Another interesting thing I learned was the hardships katipuneros went through before the
first cry of revolution in Santiago Alvarez’s account of the event. Alvarez detailed how the rain
was volatile and did not stop, how they endured their clothes being ravaged by mud, how they
froze through the night because of how cold it was, and how they walked silently despite how
tired they were.
Despite the hardships they faced, I learned in the video that there were still people who
were kind enough to help the katipuneros, such as Melchora Aquino, who was a wealthy Cabeza.
Chua explained that many of her resources such as food and shelter were provided to the
members of the KKK in order for them to survive. This tells us that there are still people who
were willing to lend a hand and help the katipuneros fight for our independence.
Lastly, I learned from the video that the Katipunan won a mutiny against a group of
Guardia civils in Banlat, which is now part of Quezon City. It is said in the video that
katipuneros from the area, from Caloocan, and Malabon, were the Filipinos involved in the
mutiny.

Sources:
Assessing the Reliability and Validity of Sources. Study.com. (nd.)
https://study.com/academy/lesson/assessing-the-reliability-and-validity-of-sources.html
Borromeo, S. (1998) The Cry of Balintawak: A Contrived Controversy: a Textual Analysis with
Appended Documents. Books.google.com.
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=RJnMSmXLvr4C&redir_esc=y
Chua, X. (2015) Xiao Time: Ang Unang Sigaw ng Himagsikan sa Balintawak, Caloocan.
Youtube.com https://youtu.be/Dtc9q_V8_hs
GUILLERMO MASANGKAY’S ACCOUNT. (nd.) Coursehero.com
https://www.coursehero.com/file/p3ca6mj/Buhay-Masangkay-changed-his-narrative-stati
ng-that-the-revolution-began-on-Aug/
Guerrero, Milagros; Encarnacion, Emmanuel; Villegas, Ramon (1996), "Balintawak: the Cry for
a Nationwide Revolution", Sulyap Kultura, National Commission for Culture and the
Arts, 1 (2): 13–22.
How Do You Know if a Source is Valid? (nd.) Wonderopolis.com.
https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/How-Do-You-Know-if-a-Source-is-Valid