B.S.

Criminology
MODULE 2:
READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY (GE2) Week 7
TOPIC: Controversies and Conflicting Views in Philippine History
The Cry of Balintawak/Cry of Pugad Lawin
The Philippine National Flag

Some of the apparent confusion is in part due to the double meanings of the terms
“Balintawak and “Caloocan” at the turn of the century. Balintawak referred both to
a specific place in modern Caloocan and a wider area which included parts of
modern Quezon City.

The Cry of Balintawak or Cry of Pugad Lawin has been the subject of
controversies. It is considered a turning point of Philippine History. Various
accounts of the Cry give different dates and places. There were dates for the Cry-
August 23, 24, 25 & 26 and different venues for the first Cry: Balintawak , Pugad
Lawin, Kangkong, Gulod Barangay Banlat Quezon City ( Bahay Toro). 

INTRODUCTION

The “Cry of Pugad Lawin was an event that officially marked the start of the
Philippine Revolution against Spain. The Philippine revolution against over 300
years of Spanish rule began with Andres Bonifacio, leader of the Katipunan, a
secret revolutionary society that sought independence for the Philippines from
Spanish colonial rule.

In August 1896 in the setio of Pugad Lawin in Balintawak, now part of Quezon
City the Katipuneros led by Andres Bonifacio rose up in revolt by tearing up their
“cedulas“ which became a sign of enslavement of the Filipinos. This event called
the “Cry of Pugad Lawin” officially regarded as the start of the Philippine
Revolution against Spain with the use of violence and arms.

Definition of the Cry

The word “Cry” comes from the Spanish el grito de rebelion (Cry of

Rebellon) or el grito for short. The “el grito de rebellion” strictly refers to a
decision or call to revolt. It doesn’t necessarily mean shouting, unlike the Filipino
term Sigaw or Sigao.
Originally the term “Cry” referred to the first clash between the members of
Katipunan and the Civil Guards (Guardia Civil)

The Cry could also refer to the tearing up of cedulas(community tax certificates) in
resistance to Spanish government.

The Cry can also be referred to in the inscriptions of “Viva la Independencia

Filipina” which was literally accompanied by partiotic shouts.

Different Dates and Places

Several accounts provide differing dates and places for the Cry of Pugad
Lawin.

The First Issue: It has been widely accepted and believed that the first Cry
according to Pio Valenzuela (Katipunero), Andres Bonifacio’s close associate and
Teodoro Agoncillo (Filipino Historian), the most prominent proponent of the myth
of the city of Pugad Lawin revolution took place in Pugad Lawin in August 23,
1896       

The Second Issue: The Cry was August 24, 1896 according to Santiago Alvarez
(Katipunero) that the Cry took place in Bahay Toro now Quezon City.

The Third Issue: The Cry was August 25, 1896 according to Lt. Oligario Diaz
officer of the Spanish Guardia Civil stated that the Cry happened in

Balintawak. 

The Fourth Issue: According to Gregorio Zaide (Filipino historian) the Cry was
August 26, 1896 of the revolution that took place in Balintawak. 

The Fifth Issue: Teodoro Kalaw (Filipino Historian) marks the place to be in
Kangkong, Balintawak during the final week of August 1896.

Research by historians Milagros Guerero, Emmanuel Encarnacion, and Ramon

Villegas claimed that the event took place in Tandang Sora’s barn in Gulod,
Barangay Banlat Quezon City on August 24, 1896. 

Some of the apparent confusion about the place where it happened is in

part due to the double meanings of the words “Balintawak and Caloocan” at the
turn of the century.

However from 1908 until 1963, this event was officially recognized as having
happened on August 26 in Balintawak. Ultimately, the Philippine government
declared in 1963 a change from August 26 to August 23 in Pugad Lawin Quezon
City.

The “Cry of Pugad Lawin” was a cry for freedom. Its historic significance to us
consists of the realization that the Filipino people had finally realized the lasting
value of freedom and independence and the need to fight in order to prove
themselves worthy to be called a truly free people.   

The Cry of Pugad Lawin Controversy

Desparity of the Location and Date of the First Cry

One of the controversies that remains undisputable in Philippine History is the Cry
of Pugad Lawin the historical event marked the beginning of the Philippine
revolution and their act of defiance against the Spanish Empire wherein the
Katipuneros, as led by Andres Bonifacion, tore their cedulas. To specify the main
points addressed in the mentioned controversy are

1. Whether the cry happened in Pugad Lawin or Balintawak

2. If it happened on Aug 23, 1896 or August 24, 1896 however the case stands that
the cry of Pugad Lawin happened on August 23, 1896 at Pugad Lawin due to the
credibility of the source and its consistency with other sources. Nonetheless other
historians argue of this statement otherwise.

THE PHILLIPINE NATIONAL FLAG

THE CONTROVERSIAL PHILIPPINE NATIONAL FLAG

Before 1896, the Filipinos had no common flag. The use of flags became common
in the Philippines during the height of the revolution. Different flags were created
and designed by various Katipunan generals signifying the unit or battalion where
they belong. However, these flags cannot be classified as a national flag.

The effort to trace the history of the Philippine Flag has been marked by
controversy and a paucity of reliable sources.
Like the Philippines tumultuous past our flag has its share of controversies
and headlines. This includes the evolution of its design, the many changes to
its much contested shade of blue, and even the whereabouts of the original
flag that Aguinaldo once unfurled in Cavite.

IT TOOK FIVE DAYS TO FINISH THE FIRST PHILIPPINE FLAG 

Aguinaldo hand-delivered his design of the flag to Dona Marcela Mariño de

Agoncillo while the general was in Hong Kong after the signing of the Pact
of Biak-na-Bato in 1897. With the help of her eldest daughter Lorenza M.
Agoncillo and Jose Rizal's niece Delfina Herbosa Natividad, they went on to
work day and night on the first Philippine flag in Hongkong. It was
delivered personally to Aguinaldo on May 17 before he came back to the
Philippines.

No one really knows where the original flag is.

Aguinaldo said in an incident report to Captain Baja on June 11, 1925 that the
original Philippine flag was lost somewhere in Tayug Pangasinan during the
Filipino-American war. Other reports said that he lost the flag in Nueva Vizcaya.
But Marcela M. Agoncillo, daughter of Doña Marcela, claimed that she saw the
original flag in 1919 and that this was deposited in the bank of Monte de Piedad.
This was later transferred to the Aguinaldo Museum in Baguio City by order of
Cristina Aguinaldo-Suntay. Others insist that this was just a replica.

The Philippine National Flag

The younger Marcella had a replica made of the original flag that she previously
saw, and this is now in the custody of a relative named Evelyn Del Rosario Garcia.
The two, however, slightly differ in shade. There's also another flag in the Baguio
museum which the Aguinaldo-Suntay family calls Aguinaldo's battle flag—which
bears a striking resemblance to Marcella's replica. It’s highly possible that the flag
that the younger Marcela recalls seeing was that of the battle flag.

Philippine Flag Banned!

Just like our country and its constitution, the Philippine flag also experienced
different controversies. When the Americans took over the Philippines, mutual
distrust among the Filipinos and Americans sparked. This prompted the Philippine
Commission to enact the Flag Law of 1907 that forbade the Filipinos to use or
display the Philippine Flag anywhere, even inside Filipino homes. The Filipinos
responded with bitter protest so as they so the Flag Law as a violation of the
fundamental principle of free expression. Several efforts were done by Filipino
legislators to repeal the law but to no avail. In 1919, Senator Rafael Palma
sponsored the Senate Bill No.1, a bill repealing the Flag Law of 1907 following
Governor General Francis Harrison’s recommendation that the law should be
repealed since the distrust between the Filipinos and the Americans no longer
exists.

On October 24, 1919, Act No. 2871 was approved and signed by General Harrison,
thus the Flag Law of 1907 was repealed.

Inclusion of a 9th Ray or Crescent in the Flag

In 1970’s appeals for the inclusion of an additional ray or crescent in the Philippine
flag created another hullabaloo. House bill NO 7725 sponsored by Rep Sultan
Omar Dianalan of the 1st District of Lanao del Sur petitioned for the addition of 9 th
ray in the rays of the sun in the Philippine flag to symbolize the Moslems and the
cultural minorities who fought the Spaniards and waged war against them.
However historians headed by

Teodoro Agoncillo singled out that when Aguinaldo himself designed the flag, he
had in his mind the 8 provinces which rise in arms against Spain during the
Philippine Revolution namely: Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija,
Tarlac, Laguna and Batangas. He also pointed out that the 3 stars in the flag
already represent the Moslem and the Moslem lands.

The three stars don't represent Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The Philippine Declaration of Independence, which was publicly read in Spanish

by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista, said that the three stars on the Philippine flag
represent the "three principal islands of this archipelago—Luzon, Mindanao, and
Panay in which the revolutionary movement broke out." At that time the island of
Panay was treated as the Visayan Center of the revolutionary movement. Panay
was part of what the Proclamation of Independence in Kawit Cavite referred to as
Archipelagos 3 principal Islands where the revolution started and not the
principal groupings of islands, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The Flag’s shade of blue was widely contested

Aguinaldo's flag colors came from the flag of the United States of North America
"as a manifestation of our profound gratitude towards this Great Nation," the
Philippine Declaration of Independence said. This means that it should be navy
blue. Other historians, however, insist that the shade of blue used in the Cuban flag
should be followed—it was after all, the inspiration behind our revolution. Other
written accounts claim that it's sky blue, while historian Ambeth Ocampo said the
actual color is pale sky blue, which was the color of the silk cloth available at the
time. This was laid to rest in 1998 when the Flag and Heraldic Code of the
Philippines was enacted and reverted the color from navy to royal, which was used
during the Commonwealth.

Marcos tried to change the flag's colors

In an Executive Order, former president Ferdinand Marcos pointed out the "the
shade of the color blue [of the original flag] was lighter than the present dark
blue being used in the making of Philippine flag." This change in color from
navy blue to light blue proved unpopular and was explicitly rejected after the
1986 EDSA Revolution.

In 1998 the shade of blue was reverted to royal blue the color used during the
commonwealth time as part of the specification observed up until today.

"Lupang Hinirang" was not the first national anthem.  

Andres Bonifacio commissioned Julio Nakpil to compose an anthem for the

Philippines while they were encamped in Balara in November 1896. The piece
was titled "Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan." Despite this, Aguinaldo asked
composer Julian Felipe on June 5, 1898 to write a national hymn, and this
became the "Lupang Hinirang" that we know today. 
A. IDENTIFICATION
1. Appeal for the inclusion of an addition ray or a crescent in the Philippine Flag.

2. Made a sketch of the flag, an anthem during the second phase of Philippine
Revolution

3. Composer of Lupang Hinirang

4. The most important symbol of our country.

5. If the flag is flown upside down with the red field is at the top.

B. Essay

1. What is the importance of Philippine Flag?

2. What is the most important symbol of a country?