The Philippines faced resistance and uprisings,
The Proclamation of the
Philippine Independence
Every year, the country commemorates the
anniversary of the Philippine Independence
proclaimed on June 12, 1898 in Kawit, Cavite. This
event is a significant turning point in the history of
the country, because this signaled the end of the 333
years of Spanish colonization.
The Philippine Declaration of Independence was a
short 2,000 word document, which summarized the
reason behind the revolution against the spain.
The proclamation of independence in the Philippines
was led by Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy’s dictatorship.
It was first mentioned in Cavite Viejo on June 12,
1898, by Don Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista,
Auditor of War and special commissioner.
June 12 is celebrated annually as Independence
Day in the Philippines, a national holiday that honors
the sacrifices made by Filipino heroes and the
ongoing pursuit of true independence.
The proclamation commenced with a on the masses of the people to insurrection; the
characterization of the conditions in the Philippines
during the Spanish colonial period. The document
specifically mentioned abuses and inequalities
in the colony.
The Proclamation of Philippine Independence,
declared on June 12, 1898, marked the end of
Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines.
leading to the formation of the First Republic.
The document also narrates
the Cavite Mutiny of January
1872 that caused the infamous
execution of the martyred
native priests Jose Burgos,
Mariano Gomez, and Jacinto
Zamora, “whose innocent
blood was shed through the
intrigues of the so-called
religious orders” that incited the three secular priests
in the said mutiny.
The Treaty of Paris was an agreement signed
between Spain and the United States of America
regarding the ownership of the Philippine Islands
and other Spanish colonies in South America. The
agreement ended the short-lived Spanish-American
War. The Treaty was signed on 10 December
1989,six months after the revolutionary government
declared the Philippine Independence. The
Philippine was sold to the United States for $20
million and effectively undermined the sovereignty of
the Filipinos after their revolutionary victory. The
Americans occupied the Philippines immediately
which resulted in the Philippine-American War that
lasted until the earliest years of the twentieth
century.
The Philippine Flag
It was unanimously resolved that the Nation is
independent and used the flag whose design and
colors with accompanying drawing represents the
following; The white triangle represents the
distinctive emblem of the famous Katipunan
Society, which by means its compact of blood urged
three stars represent the three principal Islands of
this Archipelago, Luzon, Mindanao and Panay; the
sun represents the gigantic strides that have been
made by the sons of this land on the road of
progress and civilization, its eight rays
symbolizing the eight provinces of Manila namely
Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Bataan,
Laguna and Batangas; the red and blue colors of
the flag are often associated with courage and
peace, respectively. Our basic education omits the
fact that those colors were taken from the flag of the
United States. While it can always be argued that
symbolic meaning can always change and be
reinterpreted, the original symbolic meaning of
something presents us several historical truths that can
explain the subsequent events, which unfolded after the
declaration of independence on the 12th day of June
1898.
It is ironic especially when renowned Philippine
Revolution historian, Teodoro Agoncillo, stated that
the Philippine Revolution was an agrarian
revolution. The common revolutionary soldiers
fought in the revolution for the hope of owning the
lands that they were tilling once the friar estates in
different provinces like Batangas and Laguna
dissolve, if and when the revolution succeeded.
Such aspects and realities of the revolutionary
struggle were either unfamiliar to the middle class
revolutionary leaders like Emilio Aguinaldo,
Ambrosio Rianzares-Bautista, and Felipe
Buencamino, or were intentionally left out because
they were landholders themselves.
The proclamation also gives us the impression on
how the victorious revolutionary government of
Aguinaldo historicized the struggle for
independence. There were mentions of past events
that were seen as important turning points of the
movement against Spain. The execution of the
GOMBURZA, for example, and the failed Cavite
Mutiny of 1872 was narrated in detail. This shows
that they saw this event as a significant awakening
of the Filipinos in the real conditions of the nation
under Spain. Jose Rizal's legacy and martyrdom
was also mentioned in the document.
However, the Katipunan as the pioneer of the
revolutionary movement was only mentioned once
toward the end of the documentation of the
Katipunan’s foundation. Bonifacio and his
co-founders were also left out. It can be argued,
thus, that the way of historical narration found in the
document also reflects the political of the victors.The
enmity between Aguinaldo’s Magdalo and
Bonifacio’s Magdiwang in the Katipunan is no
secret in the pages of history. On the contrary, the
war led by Aguinaldo’s men with the forces of the
United States were discussed in detail.
Even official records and documents like the
proclamation of independence, while truthful most of
the time, still exude the politics and biases of
whoever is in power. This manifests in the
selectiveness of information that can be found in
these records. It is the task of the historian, to
analyze the content of these documents in relation to
the dominant politics and the contexts of people and
institutions surrounding it.
This tells us a lesson on taking primary sources
like official government records within the
circumstances of the production. Studying one
historical subject, thus, entails looking at
multiple primary sources and pieces of historical
evidence in order to have a more nuanced and
contextual analysis of our past.
References:
Candelaria, P., & Alphora, C. (2018). Readings in
Philippine History (1st ed.)
 The First Mass Site in the
Philippines
This case study focuses on the historiographical
exercise of interpreting historical events rather than
the significance of the site of the First Catholic Mass
in the Philippines.
Butuan has long been believed as the site of the
first Mass. In fact, this has been the case for three
centuries, culminating in the erection of a
monument in 1872 near Agusan River, which
commemorates the expedition's arrival and
celebration of Mass on 8 April 1521. The Butuan
claim has been based on a rather elementary
reading of primary sources from the event.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century and the
start of the twentieth century, together with the
increasing scholarship on the history of the
Philippines, a more nuanced reading of the
available evidence was made, which brought to
light more considerations in going against the more
accepted interpretation of the first Mass in the
Philippines, made both by Spanish and Filipino
scholars.
Two primary sources in identifying the site of
the first Mass.
1. Francisco Albo’s Log
2. Antonio Pigafetta’s Testimony
Albo’s Log
One is the log kept by Francisco Albo,
a pilot of one of Magellan's ships,
Trinidad. He was one of the 18
survivors who returned with
Sebastian Elcano on the ship Victoria
after they circumnavigated the world.
1. MARCH 16, 1521- they sailed in a westerly
course from Landrones, they saw land towards the
northwest: but owing to many shallow places they
did not approach it. They found out later that its
name was Yunagan.
2. They went instead that same day southwards to
another small island named Suluan, and there
they anchored. There they saw some canoes but
they fled at the Spaniards’ approach. This island was
at 9 and two-thirds degrees North Latitude.
3. Departing from those two islands, they sailed
westward to an uninhabited island of “Gada” where
they took in a supply of wood and water. The sea
around that island was free from shallows. ( Albo
does not give the latitude of this island, but from
Pigafetta’s testimony, this seems to be the
“Acquada” or Homonhon, at 10 degrees North
latitude.)
4. From that island they sailed westwards towards a
large island named Seilani that was inhabited and
was known to have gold. (Seilani – or , as Pigafetta
calls it, “Ceylon” – was the island of Leyte.)
5. Sailing southwards along the coast of that large
island of Seilani, they turned southwest to a small
island called “Mazava”. That island is also at a
latitude of 9 and two-thirds degrees North.
6. The people of that island of Mazava were very
good. There the Spaniards planted a cross upon a
mountain-top, and from there they were shown three
islands to the west and southwest, where they were
told there was much gold. “They showed us how the
gold was gathered, which came in small pieces like
peas and lentils”.
7. From Mazava they sailed northwards again
towards Seilani. They followed the coast of Seilani
in a northwesterly direction, ascending up to 10
degrees of latitude where they saw three small
islands.
8. From there they sailed westwards some ten
leagues, and there they saw three islets, where
they dropped anchor for the night. In the morning
they sailed southwest some 12 leagues, down to a
latitude of 10 and one-third degree. There they
entered a channel between two islands , one of
which was called “Matan” and the other “Subu”.
9. They sailed down that channel and then turned
westward and anchored at the town (la villa) of
Subu where they stayed many days
and obtained provisions and entered into a
peace-pact with the local king.
10. The town of Zubu was in an east-west direction
with the islands of Suluan and Mazava. But between
Mazava and Zubu, there were so many shallows that
the boats could not go westward directly but had to
go (as they did) in a round-about way.
It must be noted that in Albo's account, the location
of Mazava fits the location of the island of
Limasawa, at the southern tip of Leyte, 9°54'N.
Also, Albo does not mention the first Mass, but
only the planting of the cross upon a
mountain-top from which could be seen three
islands to the west and southwest, which also
fits the southern end of Limasawa.
Pigafetta’s Testimony
The other, and the more complete,
was the account by Antonio
Pigafetta, Primo viaggio intorno al
mondo (First Voyage Around the
World).
Like Albo, Pigafetta was also a member of the
Magellan expedition and an eyewitness of the
events, particularly, of the first Mass.
1. Thursday, March 28-In the morning they
anchored near an island where they had seen a light
the night before a small boat came with eight
natives, to whom Magellan threw some trinkets as
presents. The natives paddled away, but two
hours later two larger boats (balanghai) came, in
one of which the native king sat under an awning of
mats. At Magellan's invitation some of the natives
went up the Spanish ship, but the native king
remained seated in his boat. An exchange of gifts
was effected. In the afternoon that day, the Spanish
ships weighed anchor and came closer to shore,
anchoring the native king's village. This Thursday,
March was Thursday in Holy Week, i.e., Holy
Thursday. 28
2. Friday, March 29 - "Next day. Holy Friday."
Magellan sent his slave interpreter ashore in a small
boat to ask the king if he could provide the
expedition with food supplies, and to say that they
had come as friends and not as enemies. In reply
the king himself came in a boat with six or eight
men, and this time went up Magellan's ship and the
two men embraced. Another exchange of gifts
was made. The native king and his companions
returned ashore, bringing with them two members of
Magellan's expedition as guests for the night. One of
the two was Pigafetta.
3. Saturday, March 30- Pigafetta and his
companion had spent the previous evening feasting
and drinking with the native king and his son.
Pigafetta deplored the fact that, although it was
Good Friday, they had to eat meat. The following
morning (Saturday) Pigafetta and his companion
took leave of their hosts and returned to the
ships.
4. Sunday, March 31-"Early in the morning of
Sunday, the last of March and Easter day,"
Magellan sent the priest ashore with some men
to prepare for the Mass. Later in the morning
Magellan landed with some fifty men and Mass was
celebrated, after which a cross was venerated.
Magellan and the Spaniards returned to the ship for
the noon-day meal, but in the afternoon they
returned ashore to plant the cross on the summit of
the highest hill. In attendance- both at the Mass
and at the planting of the cross were the king of
Mazaua and the king of Butuan.
5. Sunday, March 31-On that same afternoon,
while on the summit of the highest hill, Magellan
asked the two kings which ports he should go to in
order to obtain more abundant supplies of food than
were available in that island. They replied that
there were three ports to choose from: Ceylon,
Zubu, and Calagan. Of the three. Zubu was the port
with the most trade. Magellan then said that he
wished to go to Zubu and to depart the following
morning. He asked for someone to guide him
though. But later that evening the king of Mazaun
changed his mind and said that he would himself
conduct Magellan to Zubu but that he would first
have to bring the harvest in. He asked Magellan to
send him men to help with the harvest.
6. Monday, April 1 - Magellan sent men ashore to
help with the harvest, but no work was done that day
because the two kings were sleeping off their
drinking about the night before.
7. Tuesday, April 2 and Wednesday, April 3-Work
on the harvest during the "next two days," ie.,
Tuesday and Wednesday, the 2nd and 3rd of
April.
8. Thursday, April 4- They leave Mazaus, bound
for Cebu.
It must be pointed out that both Albo and
Pigafetta's testimonies coincide and corroborate
each other. Pigafetta gave more details on what
they did during their weeklong stay at Mazaua.
The Age of Exploration is a period of competition
among European rulers to conquer and colonize
lands outside their original domains.
It must also be pointed out that later on, after
Magellan's death, the survivors of his expedition
went to Mindanao, and seemingly went to
Butuan In this instance, Pigafetta vividly
describes a trip in a river. But note that this
account already happened after Magellan's
death.
As historians claimed that Limasawa was the place
where the mass took place, NHCP adopted the
recommendation of a panel of experts confirming the
findings. The panel unanimously agreed that the
evidence and arguments provided by the other
party (ProButuan) were not sufficient and convincing
enough to provide the ruling affirming their side.
With this sufficient evidence, Limasawa being the
place where the first Catholic Mass took place
was affirmed. Having this decision, people were
hopeful that it would settle the longtime dispute on
this issue. Also, people on Limasawa, especially
those who were appointed to manage the place
were very expressive about how happy and honored
they are to live in the place where the first Catholic
Mass took place.
______________________________________
______________________________________
What Happened in the
Cavite Mutiny
(1872) A HISTORIC YEAR OF TWO EVENTS: the
Cavite Mutiny and the martyrdom of three priests:
Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto
Zamora (GOMBURZA).
Mutiny is an open rebellion against the proper
authorities, especially by soldiers or sailors against
their officers.
GOMBURZA
They were prominent Filipino priests charged
with treason and sedition. The Spanish clergy
connected the priests to the mutiny as part of a
conspiracy to stifle the movement of secular
priests who desired to have their own parishes
instead of being assistants to the regular friars.
TWO Spanish Accounts of the Cavite Mutiny
1. JOSE MONTERO y VIDAL
2. GOVERNOR RAFAEL IZQUIERDO
MONTERO’S ACCOUNT OF THE
CAVITE MUTINY
● Spanish historian
● His account centered on how the event was
an attempt in overthrowing the Spanish
government in the Philippines.
● His account on mutiny was criticized as
woefully biased.
The abolition of privileges enjoyed by the
laborers of the Cavite arsenal of exemption from
the tribute was, according to some, the cause of
the insurrection.
The Spanish revolution overthrew a secular throne,
leading to the rise of Filipino independence. The
Spanish press, democratic and republican books,
speeches, and preachings influenced Filipinos to
seek independence. The native clergy, along with
the help of the Catholic Church, united against the
Spaniards. In 1872, authorities received anonymous
communications predicting a great uprising against
the Spaniards, including friars. The insurrection was
motivated by native clergy, mestizos, and lawyers,
as well as abogadillos. The instigators protested
against the government's injustice in not paying
provinces for tobacco crop and the usury in
documents. They encouraged the rebellion by
protesting the injustice of forcing workers in the
Cavite arsenal to pay.
GOVERNOR
RAFAEL IZQUIERDO
● Implicated the native clergy, who were active
in the movement toward secularization of
parishes.
● In a biased report, he highlighted the
attempt to overthrow the spanish
government in the Philippines to install new
“hari” in the persons of Father Burgos and
Zamora.
ACCORDING TO IZQUIERDO,
native clergy attracted supporters by giving them
charismatic assurance that their fight would not fail
because they had God’s support, aside from
promises of lofty rewards such as employment,
wealth, and ranks in the army.
It is apparent that the accounts underscore the
reason for the “revolution”: the abolition of privileges
enjoyed by the workers of the Cavite arsenal such
as exemption from payment of tribute and being
employed in “Polos y servicios”.
The Account details that on JANUARY 20, 1972 the
district of Sampaloc celebrated the Feast of the
Virgin Loreto, with some fireworks displays. The
Cabiteño mistook it as the signal to commence
with the attack.
The 200-men contingent led by Sergeant
Lamadrid attacked Spanish officers at sight and
seized the arsenal. Izquierdo, upon learning of the
attack, ordered the reinforcement of the Spanish
forces in Cavite to quell the revolt. The "revolution"
was easily crushed, when the Manilenos who
were expected to aid the Cavitenos did not
arrive.
Leaders of the plot were killed in the resulting
skirmish, while Father Gomez, Burgos, and
Zamora were tried by a court-martial and
sentenced to be executed.
Others who were implicated such as Joaquin Pardo
de Tavera, Antonio Ma. Regidor, Jose and Pio
Basa, and other Filipino lawyers were suspended
from practice of law, arrested and sentenced to
life imprisonment at Marianas Island.
ON FEBRUARY 17, 1872
The GOMBURZA were executed by garrote in
public to serve as a threat to Filipinos never to
attempt to fight the Spaniards again. This is a scene
purposely witnessed by a young Jose Rizal.
DIFFERING ACCOUNTS
OF THE EVENTS OF 1872
DR. TRINIDAD HERMENEGILDO
PARDO DE TAVERA
● A Filipino scholar and researcher
● Wrote a Filipino version of the bloody
incident in Cavite.
According to him, the incident was merely a mutiny
by Filipino soldiers and laborers of the Cavite
arsenal to the dissatisfaction arising from the
draconian policies of Izquierdo (abolition of
privileges and prohibition of the founding of the
school of arts and trades).
The central spanish government was planning to
deprive the friars of all the powers of intervention in
matters of civil government and direction and
management of educational institutions.
EDMUND PLAUCHUT
● A French writer
● Complemented Tavera's account and
analyzed the motivation of the 1872 Cavite
Mutiny
“...The arrival in Manila of General Izquierdo...
put a sudden end to all dreams of reforms... the
prosecutions instituted by the new Governor
General probably expected as a result of the
bitter disputes between the Filipino clerics and
the friars. Such a policy must really end in a
strong desire on the part of the other to repress
cruelly.”
General La Torre (former Governor-General) created
a junta composed of high officials… including some
friars and six Spanish officials… At the same time
there was created by the government in Madrid a
committee to investigate the same problems
submitted to the Manila committee.
 In regard to schools, it was previously decreed that
there should be in Manila a Society of and Trades to
be opened in March of 1871... to repress the growth
of liberal teachings, General Izquierdo suspended
the opening of the school... the day previous to
the scheduled inauguration...
The Filipinos had a duty to render service on
public roads construction and pay taxes every
year. But those who were employed at the artillery,
in the engineering shops and arsenal of Cavite, were
exempted from this obligation from time
immemorial... preliminaries of any kind, a decree by
the Governor withdrew from such old employees
their retirement privileges and declassified them
into the ranks of those who worked on public
roads.
The friars used the incident as part of a larger
conspiracy to cement their dominance, which
had started to show cracks because of the
discontent of the Filipinos. They showcased the
mutiny as part of a greater conspiracy in the
Philippines by Filipinos to overthrow the
Spanish Government .
He fought for freedom in an exceedingly silent but
powerful way. He expressed his love for the
Philippines through his novels, essays and
articles instead of through the utilization of force or
aggression.
What is Retract?
It means to withdraw (a statement or
accusation) as untrue or unjustified. (Oxford
Dictionary)
The great volume of Rizal’s life work was committed
to this end, particularly the more influential ones,
Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
NOLI ME TANGERE is translated as “touch me not”
or “the social cancer”, while the EL
FILIBUSTERISMO is translated as “the reign of
greed”. Both novels were about politically and
historically driven fictional Philippines during the
Spanish colonial period inspired by the writer’s living
conditions, views, beliefs and ideologies under the
Spanish rule.

Unintentionally, and more so, prophetically , the

WHAT WAS THE RETRACTION ABOUT?
Cavite Mutiny of 1872 resulted in the martyrdom
of GOMBURZA , and paved the way to the
Rizal retraction letter
revolution culminating in 1898.
was discovered by
Father Manuel Garcia,
C.M in 1935,its content
______________________________________
has become a favorite
______________________________________
subject of dispute
among academia's and
Catholic. Dated
Did Rizal Retract? December 29, 1896,
was said to have been
signed by the National
Hero himself. Rizal
Jose Protacio Rizal retracted because the
Mercado y Alonso church would not
Realonda allow his marriage to Josephine Bracken unless
he retracted his masonic affiliation.

⮚Born at June 19,1861(Calamba) and Died on

December 30, 1896 (Rizal Park, Manila)
⮚was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active
at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the
Philippines.
⮚Considered as the “NATIONAL HERO OF THE
PHILIPPINES”
JOSE RIZAL is identified as a hero of the
revolution for his writings that center on ending
colonialism and liberating Filipino minds to
contribute to creating the Filipino nation.
There are at least four (4) sources of the alleged
Rizal’s retraction that have surfaced.
1. December 30, 1896. The first text was
published in La Voz Española and Diaro de
Manila on the very day of Rizal’s execution,
Dec. 30, 1896.
2. December 31, 1896. The second text
appeared in El Imparcial on the day after
Rizal’s execution. It is the short formula of
the retraction.
3.February 14, 1897. The third text appeared in
Barcelona, Spain, on February 14, 1897, in the
fortnightly magazine La Juventud. It came from
an anonymous writer who revealed himself fourteen
years later as Fr. Balaguer.
4.May 18, 1935. The alleged “original” text was
discovered by Fr. Manuel Garcia, C.M. on May
18, 1935 in the archdiocesan archives after it
disappeared for thirty-nine years from the afternoon
of the day when Rizal was shot.
The Balaguer Testimony
Father Vicente Balaguer, was one of the Jesuit
priests who visited Rizal during his last hours in
Fort Santiago and claimed that he managed to
persuade Rizal to denounce Masonry and return
to the Catholic fold. In an affidavit executed in
1917 when he had returned to Spain, Balaguer also
claimed that he was the one who solemnized the
marriage of Josephine Bracken and Rizal hours
before the hero's execution.
But since it is the only testimony of allegedly a
"primary" account that Rizal ever wrote a
retraction document, it has been used to argue
the authenticity of the document.
The Testimony Of Cuerpo de Vigilancia
The Cuerpo de Vigilancia de Manila
(Security Corps of Manila)
The Cuerpo de Vigilancia de Manila (Security
Corps of Manila) was the intelligence service that
the Spanish colonial government created in 1895. It
was organized primarily to gather information on
the activities of Katipunan members and
supporters.
According to their statement, Rizal wrote a paper
he heard of the Retraction. Mentions of two Jesuit
priests who entered Rizal's cell - Fr. Jose
Vilaclara and Fr. Estanislao March, and two
others, Juan del Fresno, and Eloy Moure.
It appeared that the two priests, Fr. March and Fr.
Vilaclara gave Rizal something to write as a
preparation for his retraction on his life and deeds
that he refused to sign.
Father March entered the chapel where Rizal
handed what he had written, Senior del Fresno, and
Senior Maure were informed by what Rizal gave in
the chapel.
The two Seniors together with Rizal signed the
document that Rizal had written, which seemed
to be was the Retraction of Rizal.
This account corroborates the existence of the
retraction document giving it credence. However,
nowhere in the account was Fr. Balaguer
mentioned, which makes the friar a mere
secondary source to the writing document.
It should also be pointed out that in the first place;
Rizal did not fight the Catholic Religion; he
fought those who abused that religion.
Rizal was not against the Catholic Religion but
was against the manner of Catholic Religion was
practiced by the friars in the Philippines during
his time.
______________________________________
______________________________________
The Cry of Rebellion
The cry of rebellion marked the beginning of the
Philippine revolution in 1896. The historical
document that stating the Momentous events swept
the Spanish colonies in the late nineteenth century,
including the Philippines.
● can also be referred as “El Grito de
Rebellion”
● marks the start of the revolutionary events
that swept the Spanish colonies in the late
19th Century.
● this happened in August 1896, northeast of
Manila.
The cry of rebellion has many versions like the “cry
of Pugad Lawin, Cry of Bahay Toro, Cry of
Balintawak. ”
Prominent Filipino historian
Teodoro Agoncillo emphasizes
the event when Bonifacio tore
the cedula or tax receipt before
the Katipuneros who also did the
same.

Some writers identified the first
military event with the
Spaniards as the moment of
the Cry for which Emilio
Aguinaldo commissioned an
“Himno de Balintawak” to
inspire the renewed struggle
after the Pact of the
Biak-na-Bata failed.
Primary Sources
1) Guillermo Masangkay
2) Pio Valenzuela
Guillermo R.
Masangkay
(Cry of Balintawak)
was one of the original members of the
Katipunan. He was designated to build the KKK in
Cavite. His accounts contribute to our
understanding of the Cry of Balintawak and the
death of Bonifacio. He was also a general in the
Philippine-American War.
He is an eyewitness of the historic event and a
childhood friend of Bonifacio.
On August 26th, 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
Carrion.
They were all leaders of the Katipunan and
composed the board of directors of the organization
Delegates from Bulacan, Cabanntuan, Cavitcri and
Morong 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,
Briccio Pantas, and Pie Valenzuela were all
opposed to starting the revolution too early...
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 didn't start the uprising, the
Spaniards would 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 was (sic) the cedula tax
charged to each citizen. "If it is true that you are
ready to revolt... I want to see you destroy your
cedulas. It will be a sign that all of us have
declared our severance from the Spaniards."
Pio Valenzuela
(Cry of Pugad Lawin)
● He was born in Polo, Bulacan to well-to-do
parents.
● His first schooling was in his home. In 1880
he learned Latin and Spanish from Telesforo
Evangelista in Quingua. In 1884 he went to
● Colegio de San Juan de Letrán where he
finished his secondary course.
● In 1888, he enrolled at the University of Sto.
Tomas.
● When the Spanish colonial rule was
becoming intolerable, he joined the
Katipunan when he was just 22. He
became the Surgeon General of the
movement.
Bonifacio and Valenzuela became close friends.
They discussed many things about the
Katipunan. He was instrumental in organizing
many Katipunan chapters, especially in
Bulacan.

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, 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, 1896. The discussion was on
whether or not the revolution against the
Spanish government should be started on
August 29, 1896... After the tumultuous
meeting, many of those present tore their
cedula certificates and shouted "Long live the
Philippines! Long live the Philippines!"

Valenzuela's account should be read with

caution:
He once told a Spanish investigator that the
"Cry" happened in Balintawak on
Wednesday, 26 August 1896. Much later, he
wrote in his Memoirs of the Revolution that
it happened at Pugad Lawin on 23 August
1896. Such inconsistencies in accounts should
always be seen as a red flag when dealing with
primary sources.

According to Guerrero, Encarnacion, and

Villegas, all these places are in Balintawak,
then part of Caloocan now, in Quezon city.

As for the dates, Bonifacio and his troops

may have been moving from one place to
another to avoid being located by the
Spanish government, which could explain
why there are several accounts of the Cry.