Cry of Balintawak or Pugadlawin

Position Paper

The Cry of Pugad Lawin is one of the unresolved conflicts in Philippine history. The
historical incident, in which the Katipuneros, under the leadership of Andrés Bonifacio, tore
their cedulas, signaled the start of the Philippine Revolution and their act of defiance against
the Spanish Empire. These disagreements are a result of conflicting interpretations of the
"cry" and overlapping claims made by KKK veterans. To be more specific, whether the cry
occurred in Pugad Lawin or Balintawak and whether it occurred on August 23, 1896, or
August 24, 1896, are the primary issues raised in the aforementioned disagreement.
Nevertheless, the evidence indicates that the Cry of Pugad Lawin occurred on August 23,
1896, at Pugad Lawin, and this is supported by the source's authenticity and of the source and
its congruence with other sources support the claim that the Cry of Pugad Lawin occurred on
August 23, 1896 at Pugad Lawin. Although some historians dispute this assertion, others do
not.
Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan (1964), Emilio Aguinaldo's autobiography, makes
reference to two letters written by Andres Bonifacio on August 22 and 24, 1896. As the "Cry
of Balintawak" was a more well-known reference point than Banlat, it was customary
throughout his time. Anyhow, "Pugad Lawin" cannot be historically verified. On August 22,
1896, the Magdalo Council received a covert letter from Supremo Andres Bonifacio in
Balintawak informing them that the Katipunan would be holding a significant meeting on
August 24, and that it would be imperative for them to send two representatives or delegates
on their behalf. The gathering would be scheduled to fall on Saint Bartholomew's Day. Our
emissary reached his destination without incident and came back unharmed with a letter from
the Supremo dated August 24. The surprising revelation that the Katipunan will attack Manila
at night on Saturday, August 29, with the lighting of the Luneta lamps as a signal was the
only thing it included. He continued by saying that many of his teammates had been killed in
Gulod by the Civil Guard and Veterans. In front of the residence where Liga Filipina was
established, on Ylaya Street in Tondo, the first memorial commemorating the Cry was built
in 1903. A founder member and "Supreme Head of the Katipunan, which gave the first war
cry against tyranny on August 24, 1896," according to the tablet, is Andres Bonifacio.
The above facts render unacceptable the stand that the tearing of cedulas in the "Cry
of Pugad Lawin" happened on 23 August 1896, in the house of Juan Ramos, Melchora
Aquino's son. The events of 17-26 August 1896 occurred closer to Balintawak than to
Kalookan. However, Pio Valenzuela, a KKK Veteran who asserts that he was present when
the initial cry in his testimony, denied the claim that the spot was in Balintawak. He
recounted that the decision to revolt had been made at the residence on the Daan Malalim
Road in Pasong Tamo, Caloocan, during a trial court proceeding in 1917. The veteran stated
that Pacpac-lawin was another name for the location (Richardson, 2014). Teodoro Agoncilio
principally drew on Valenzuela's memoirs and the aforementioned assertions while writing
The Revolt of the Masses.
 Additionally, the original memorial for the cry was originally located in Balintawak in
September 1911 but was later transferred to Diliman University owing to road construction
there. Balintawak's claim to be the location of the first Cry has come under increased scrutiny
over time because the monument does not even specify that it marks the precise location, and
it was only put there because that is where the Katipuneros congregated and because the
name Balintawak was frequently used to refer to that general area. Locals may be familiar
with the name Balintawak, but only in its tighter, more specific definition, which refers to a
particular barrio in eastern Caloocan, was not in fact where the Cry had been raised.
Based on the assertions made and corroborated by the relevant evidence, it has been
determined that the Cry of Pugad Lawin occurred on August 23, 1896, since this conclusion
is consistent with the unquestionable historical artifacts displayed. Pio Valenzuela's evidence
may have appeared inconsistent at first, but this was due to the duress he experienced
throughout his trial by the Spanish court. His evidence and declaration, coupled with those of
other KKK veterans Pantas and Pacheco, are sufficient to validate and confirm the existence
of the aforementioned event in Philippine history. In actuality, Teodoro Agoncilio's statement
served as the foundation for the Philippine government's current policy. On August 23, 1963,
President Diosdado Macapagal ordered a change of location for the official commemorations
(1998).
The Filipino people should reflect on the significance the cry bears, quite apart from
the event's differences in time and location. In recognition of this, the Filipinos continue to
honor National Heroes Day, which was inspired by the Katipunan's act of tearing apart their
cedulas and declaring a war of independence. If it weren’t for Cry of Balintawak, no
revolution would have taken place. The freedom that we currently enjoy as Filipinos would
not have been possible without the revolution.