11/5/2023

DEFINITION
Sigaw sa Balintawak at FIRST SKIRMISHES
Primaryang Batis nina: Pio
Valenzuela, Gregoria de Jesus HISTORY
at Santiago Alvarez, at “The AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND
Guardia Civil’s Report”
GUARDIA CIVIL’S REPORT

REFERENCES

T A B L E O F C O N TE N T S

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SIGAW SA

BALINTAWAK?

DO YOU KNOW THESE PEOPLE?

The term "Cry" is derived from the Spanish el grito de
rebelion (cry of rebellion) or el grito for short. Thus the
Grito de Balintawak is comparable to Mexico's Grito de
Dolores (1810). However, el grito de rebelion strictly
refers to a decision or c all to revolt. It does not
necessarily connote shouting, unlike the Filipino Sigaw
or Sigao.
The Cry of Pugad Lawin (Filipino language: Sigaw ng
Pugad Lawin), alternately and originally referred to as
the Cry of Balintawak (Filipino language: Sigaw ng
Balintawak, Spanish: Grito de Balintawak ) was the
beginning of the Philippine Revolution against Spanish
rule. At the close of August 1896, members of the
Katipunan secret society (Katipuneros) led by Andres
Bonifacio rose up in revolt somewhere in an area
referred to as Kalookan, wider than the jurisdiction of
present-day Caloocan City and overlapping into
present-day Quezon City.

DEFINITION DEFINITION

1

Originally the term "Cry" referred to the first skirmish between
the Katipuneros and the Civil Guards (Guardia Civil). Other
definitions of the term have been made over the years, but
today it is popularly understood to refer to the tearing of
community tax certificates (cédulas personales) by the rebels
to mark their separation from Spain. This was literally
accompanied by patriotic shouts.
Because of differing accounts and the ambiguity of place
names in these accounts, the exact date and place of the Cry
is disputed. From 1908 until 1963, the official stance was that
the Cry occurred on August 26 in Balintawak. In 1963 the
Philippine government declared a shift to August 23 in Pugad
Lawin, Quezon City.
DEFINITION
At ten in the morning of August 25, some women
came rushing in and notified Bonifacio that the civil
guards and some infantrymen were coming. Soon after,
a burst of fire came from the approaching Spaniards.
The rebels deployed and prepared for the enemy. In the
skirmish that followed, the rebels lost two men and the
enemy one. Because of their inferior weapons, which
consisted mostly of bolos and a few guns, the rebels
decided to retreat. On the other hand, the Spaniards,
finding themselves greatly outnumbered, also decided
to retreat. So both camps retreated and thus prevented
a bloody encounter. This was the first skirmish fought in
the struggle for national emancipation.
The Cry of Balintawak First Skirmishes
• The Cry of the Rebellion in Pugad Lawin marked the beginning of the
Philippine Revolution in 1896 which ultimately led to Philippine
Independence in 1898.
• After Bonifacio’s death on May 10, 1897, in Maragondon, Cavite,
General Emilio Aguinaldo continued the revolution
• He declared the independence of the country from Spain on June 12,
1898, at Kawit, Cavite.
• 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.
HISTORY OF CRY OF PUGAD LAWIN BY PIO VALENZUELA (August 23, 1896)
11/5/2023
In the midst of this dramatic scene, some
Katipuneros who had just arrived from Manila and
Kalookan shouted "Dong Andres! The civil guards are
almost behind us, and will reconnoiter the mountains."
Bonifacio at once ordered his men to get ready for the
expected attack of the Spaniards. Since they had
inferior arms the rebels decided, instead, to retreat.
Under cover of darkness, the rebels marched towards
Pasong Tamo, and the next day, August 24, they arrived
at the yard of Melchora Aquino, known as Tandang
Sora. It was decided that all the rebels in the
surrounding towns be notified of the general attack on
Manila on the night of August 29, 1896.
The Cry of Balintawak First Skirmishes
On August 26, Spanish reinforcements were dispatched to
Pasong Tamo to drive away the rebels. But the latter, who were
going to or were already in Balara, could not be found. The
Spaniards, frustrated in their attempt to contact the Filipino
contingent, shot, instead, two innocent farmers who were leisurely
going on their way home. Returning to Manila, the Spanish soldiers
boasted that a great fight has taken place at Pasong Tamo, and
that they had driven the rebels to the interior. This was the origin of
the so-called "Cry of Balintawak", which neither happened on
August 26 nor in Balintawak.
Meanwhile, the rebels, skirting the mountain trails day and
night, finally arrived in Mariquina. Later in the day, however, they
abandoned it and proceeded to Hagdang Bato on August 27. The
following day, Bonifacio issued a manifesto inciting the people to
take up the Filipino cause and to get set for a concerted attack on
the Spaniards on August 29.
The Cry of Balintawak First Skirmishes
“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, 1986. Only one man protested
and fought against a war, and that was Teodora 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!”
HISTORY OF CRY OF PUGAD LAWIN BY PIO VALENZUELA (August 23, 1896)
2

• Various accounts by participants and historians give differing dates
and places for the Cry. An officer of the Spanish guardia civil, Lt.
Olegario Diaz, stated that the Cry took place in Balintawak on
August 25, 1896. Teodoro Kalaw in his 1925 book The Filipino
Revolution, wrote that the event took place during the last week of
August 1896 at Kangkong, Balintawak. Santiago Alvarez, the son of
Mariano Alvarez, the leader of the Magdiwang faction in Cavite,
stated in 1927 that the Cry took place in Bahay Toro, now in Quezon
City on August 24, 1896. Pío Valenzuela, a close associate of
Andrés Bonifacio declared in 1948 that it happened in Pugad Lawin
on August 23, 1896. Gregorio Zaide stated in his books in 1954 that
the "Cry" happened in Balintawak on August 26, 1896. Fellow
historian Teodoro Agoncillo wrote in 1956 that it took place in Pugad
Lawin on August 23, 1896, based on Pío Valenzuela's statement.
Accounts by Milagros Guerrero, Emmanuel Encarnacion and
Ramon Villegas claim the event to have taken place in Tandang
Sora's barn in Gulod, Barangay Banlat, Quezon City.
HISTORY OF CRY OF PUGAD LAWIN BY PIO VALENZUELA (August 23, 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 wide 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:
• 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)!
• (Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources
of Philippine History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store.)
HISTORY OF CRY OF BAHAY TORO BY SANTIAGO ALVAREZ (August 24, 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
Rev olution happened on A ugust 26, 1896 at B alintawak .
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”.
• “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.
HISTORY OF THE CRY OF BALINTAWAK BY GUILLERMO MASANGKAY (August 26, 1896)
11/5/2023
• Some of the apparent confusion is in part due to the
double meanings of the terms "Balintawak" and
"Kalookan" 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. Similarly, Kalookan referred to modern
Caloocan and also a wider area which included
modern Quezon City and part of modern Pasig.
Pugad Lawin, Pasong Tamo, Kangkong and other
specific places were all in "greater Balintawak", which
was in turn part of "greater Caloocan".
DIFFERENT DATES AND PLACES BY PIO VALENZUELA
• 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.
“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.”
HISTORY OF CRY OF BAHAY TORO BY SANTIAGO ALVAREZ (August 24, 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”.
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.
HISTORY OF THE CRY OF BALINTAWAK BY GUILLERMO MASANGKAY (August 26, 1896)
3

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.
• On July 11, 1869, Pio Valenzuela, a Filipino physician and a major figure
during the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonizers, was born in
Polo, Bulacan (present day Valenzuela City).
• Valenzuela was a medical student at the University of Santos Tomas
when he joined the barely week-old Katipunan, a secret society founded
by Andres Bonifacio on July 7, 1892 in Tondo, Manila.
• He secretly established Katipunan branches in many areas in Morong
(now Rizal province) and Bulacan.
• It was Dr. Valenzuela who was commissioned by Bonifacio to talk to Dr.
Jose Rizal, who was deported to Dapitan in Zamboanga, about the
founding of the Katipunan and its plan to rise against the Spanish
authorities. He left for Dapitan on June 15, 1896.
• Rizal however insisted that the country came first and warned against
embarking on a change of government for which the people were not
prepared. Rizal declared that education was first necessary, and in his
opinion general enlightenment was the only road to progress.
PIO VALENZUELA
• After he retired from politics, he wrote his memoirs on the
revolutionary days but historians have since been wary of his
autobiography because of some inconsistencies in his version of
events, particularly about his meeting with Dr. Rizal in Dapitan in
1896.
• He died on April 6, 1956 at the age of 86.
• In 1963, the town of Polo was renamed Valenzuela in his honor.
The municipality became a city in 1998.
PIO VALENZUELA
11/5/2023
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, 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.
• Notably, Valenzuela helped Emilio Jacinto es tablish the
Katipunan paper, Kalayaan, using stolen types from the Diario de
Manila.
• Valenzuela later availed of the amnesty that the Spanish colonial
government offered. He surrendered on September 1, 1896 and
was then deported to Spain where he was tried and imprisoned
in Madrid. Later, he was transferred to Malaga, Barcelona and
then to a Spanish outpost in Africa. He was incarcerated for
about two years.
• Under American occupation, he was imprisoned again as he was
denounced to the American military authorities as a "radical
propagandist".
• In later years, he served as the first mayor (during the American
regime) of the municipality of Polo (now Valenzuela City) from
1899 to 1900 before he became the governor of Bulacan
province (1921-1925).
PIO VALENZUELA
• Primary source
• On July 25, 1872, Santiago Alvarez, a revolutionary general and founder
and honorary president of the first directorate of the Nacionalista Party,
was born in Imus, Cavite. He was known as Kidlat ng Apoy (Lightning of
Fire) because of his inflamed bravery and dedication as commander in
the battle of Dalhican, Cavite. He was popularly acclaimed the "Hero of
the Battle of Dalahican".
• Although marginalized within the ranks of the revolution with the
ascendancy of a rival faction, Alvarez continued to support the cause of
the revolution. After the revolution, he enrolled at the University of Santo
Tomas, later transferred to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran where he
obtained a Bachelor of Arts. He then took up law at the Liceo de Manila.
• Upon establishment of the American civil government in the Philippines,
Alvarez assisted Pascual H. Poblete, Lope K. Santos and many others in
the organization of the Nacionalista Party, wherein he later became
president of its directorate.
SANTIAGO ALVAREZ AKA “GENERAL APOY”
4

• In 1902, he presided over the Junta Magna de la
Comisión de la Paz (Great Council of the Peace
Commission). The Junta was created to accelerate
the rehabilitation of the country from the destruction
caused by the war.
• He died October 30, 1930, at age 58 in San Pablo
City and was buried at the San Pablo municipal
cemetery.
SANTIAGO ALVAREZ AKA “GENERAL APOY”
• Oriang, as she was fondly called, grew up to be a beautiful
maiden. Many young men called at their house, and one among
them was Andres Bonifacio, who came in the company of
Ladislao Diwa and her cousin Teodoro Plata. Bonifacio wooed
her with his characteristic boldness and persistency. Out of
respect to her parents, who are against Bonifacio for the reason
of him being a freemason, they even tried to keep her away from
Bonifacio by transferring her to an accessoria (apartment) in
B i n o n d o . O r ia n g w h o w a s e i g h t e e n ye a rs o f a g e , w a s
canonically married to Bonifacio (29 years of age) in the Catholic
Church of Binondo in March, 1893, with Mr. & Mrs. Restituto
Javier as wedding sponsors. A week later they were married
again under Katipunan rites in the house of their sponsors, after
which Oriang was initiated as member of the Katipunan. She
took the symbolic name Lakambini which means "princess". She
was the first Filipino woman to join the Katipunan.
GREGORIA DE JESUS
• When Gen Guillermo Masangkay y Rafael was born on 25 June 1867,
in Tondo, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines, his father, Domingo
Masangkay, was 25 and his mother, Victoria Rafael, was 23. He had at
least 4 sons and 3 daughters with Romana Noriel. He died on 30 May
1963, in Philippines, at the age of 95.
• One of the most prominent streets of Manila’s Santa Cruz-Binondo area
is a street called Masangkay, named after a prominent figure in the
Kataastaasang, Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan
or the KKK/Katipunan movement. But more than that, he was also a
good friend and confidant of Andres Bonifacio, the movement’s founder
and Supremo.
• Guillermo Masangkay was one of them, a friend and adviser of Andres
Bonifacio,a bosom friend who joined that underground society when he
was only 17.
• He was born on June 25, 1867 in Meisic, Tondo, Manila. His parents
were Domingo Masangkay of Batangas and Victoria Rafael of Tanza,
Cavite. He was the youngest of four children.
GUILLERMO MASANGKAY
11/5/2023
• On May 9, 1875, Gregoria de Jesus, wife of Andres Bonifacio, a brave
and patriotic woman who played a heroic role in the Philippine Revolution,
was born in Caloocan. She was one of the four children of Nicolas de
Jesus and Baltazara Alvarez Francisco. Her father was a native of
Caloocan, a master mason and carpenter by profession who had been
teniente del barrio and later gobernadorcillo (municipal mayor) of the
town, and her mother, a native of Noveleta, Cavite, was a niece of
General Mariano Alvarez, a plain housewife.
• She attended the local public elementary school and finished the first
grades of instruction. Although she was the recipient of a silver medal in
recognition of her being the winner of an examination given by the
Governor General and the town curate, she stopped schooling to help
support her family and her two brothers Arcadio and Ariston who were
studying in Manila. She relates in her Autobiography:
"I decided to stop studying and to join my sister in looking after my
family interests. Often I had to go out in the country to supervise the
planting and harvesting of our rice, to see our tenants and laborers, or to
pay them their wages on Sundays. Also now and then, I did some sewing
and weaving and assisted my mother in her housework."
GREGORIA DE JESUS
• They stayed about one week in Mr. Restituto Javier's house and decided to look for a
residence of their own. They found one on Calle Anyahan in front of the San Ignacio
Chapel and after that she began to do all she could for the propagation of the
Katipunan (recruiting of new members). The dangerous work of keeping the secret
papers of the society was entrusted to her. It was here that Emilio Jacinto assembled
the printing press of the Katipunan.
• Oriang and her ninang, Benita Rodriguez y Javier, sewed the first flag of the
Katipunan.
• After more than a year, Oriang gave birth to a baby boy in her parent's house in
Caloocan and christened him with his father's name. Dr. Pio Valenzuela acted as the
boy's godfather at baptism. After two months the couple returned to Manila and before
the year's end, they were among the victims of the fire that razed Dulong bayan.
Another sad event that overtook them was the death of their child, a victim of small-
pox, at home of Dr. Valenzuela on Calle Lavezares, Binondo, Manila.
• When the Katipunan was finally discovered, Gregoria had to go into hiding with
Bonifacio. They fled from the city and went to Balintawak. Later on, they went to the
mountains. They traveled at night with assumed names. Gregoria used the name
Manuela Gonzaga.
GREGORIA DE JESUS
• Masangkay had no formal education. However, he had a strong
intellectual drive.Thus, although he was only a bangkero, or
boatman, he became fluent in Spanish and deeply aware of the
political and social conditions of his time.
• He was plying his trade when he heard about a prominent young
man in his neighborhood that he became friends with – Bonifacio.
As they got to know eachother well, they found that they had the
same patriotic aspirations.
• Masangkay was with Bonifacio in April 1896 at the Bernardo
Carpio Cave on Mt. Tapusi, San Mateo, Rizal. It was the site
originally chosen for the start of the uprising, not Balintawak.
• Masangkay, also known as guillermo was born on June 25, 1867
and native of Meisic, Tondo, Manila and one of the first members
of the Katipunan. He died on May 30, 1963
GUILLERMO MASANGKAY
5

• The location and date when the first rally of the Revolution was
in Balintawak and was held last August 25, 1896.
• It is also mentioned that Bonifacio and his 200 followers quickly
fled to the nearby town of Caloocan.
• August 23, 1896 – Bonifacio moved to the barrio of Balintanac
followed by 200 men from Caloocan.
• August 24, 1896 – They were attacked by Guardia Civils then
retreated to their hiding places.
• August 25, 1896 – The Supreme Council called for a big meeting
wherein Bonifacio proposed to take up arms against the Spanish
authorities.
• More than 5000 members attended the said meeting.
GUARDIA CIVIL’S REPORT
11/5/2023
• Olegario Diaz, who was an officer of the Spanish Guardia civil stated
that the Cry happened in Balintawak on August 25, 1896.
• Captain Olegario Diaz is a Spanish commander of the Guardia Civil
Veterans of Manila.
• He is the one in-charge of investigation regarding the Katipunan.
• Cited in his reports are the details about the first cry of the rebellion.
• He was even awed of how Bonifacio wielded a strong influence, as
his proposal, according to Diaz, “was approved by an overwhelming
majority”. This decision being approved was the orders being sent
out to Manila, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, and other provinces for the
katipuneros to strike at dawn on Sunday, August 30th against the
Spaniards.
CAPTAIN OLEGARIO DIAZ