CONTROVERSY

OF THE
PHILIPPINES
Presentation group 1
 What is controversy?

Controversy means hot issue or matter. When there is controversy, it is often

known by many and what kind of opinions and thoughts we hear from people around.
The issue is hot so many people know about it. Whether personal, television or various
types of social media.
 CONTROVERSIES IN THE PHILLIPINE
HISTORY
1.. Site of the First Mass
2. Jose Rizal’s Retraction
3. Cry of Balintawak / Pugad lawin
4. Battle of Tirad Pass
5. First Man to Circle the Globe
6. Last Filipino General to Surrender to the American
1. Site of the First Mass

◦ The first documented Catholic Mass in the Philippines

was held on March 31, 1521, Easter Sunday. It was
conducted by Father Pedro de Valderrama of
Ferdinand Magellan's expedition along the shores of
what was referred to in the journals of Antonio
Pigafetta as "Mazaua"
Father Pedro de Valderrama
◦SITE OF THE FIRST MASS
Place : Limasawa, Southern Leyte
or Masao Butuan City
Date : March 31,. 1521
Officiated : Father Pedro
Valderama
Place: Mazawa, Masagua, Mazaua,
Masao
Antonio Pigafetta
MAZAO, BUTUAN
◦Arguments in favor of Limasawa,
southern Leyte
◦ Francisco Albo’s account
A journal or log of Magallanes voyage was
written by Francisco Albo , covering the voyage
from Cape San Agustin in Brazil until the
Victoria ( the first ship to circumnavigate to
globe) returned to Spain. The log begins Nov.
29,1519 and end September 4, 1522. From the
account
◦ March 1516, they sight more island giving names to two ,
Suluan and Yunagan- the first island of the archipelago of San
Lazaro( the Philippines).They land succesfuly at the isaland of
Gada , Seilani, and Mazava and pass by anchor at Matan,
Subu, Babai.We left Subu sailing southeast …. Between the
cape of Subu and an isaland name Bohol; and on the western
side of the cape of Subu is another island , by name Panilongo
inhabited by blacks. This island and Subu have gold quantities
of ginger.( NOTICE THE WORD MAZAVA , where the
expedition landed)
◦Miguel Lopez de Legaspe and/ or Hernando
Riquel ( Court Clerk of the Home Office )
account
◦ Base on the May 1564 Report of the Occurrence on the
Voyage and Journey of the Armada of his Majesty
under the4 command of General Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi in the discovery of the island of the west. The
expedition as we know was led by Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi, who was on the board the San Pedro , together
with head technician navigator Andres de Urdaneta
and Hernando Riquel
◦ In the morning of Feb 13, 1564, they caught the site of the
Philippines .The expedition entered at the island of Samar
called Tandaya . Based on the description of the pilots and on
the 4 map drawn on their charts by Martinez Fortun and Diego
Martin , we can conclude without any doubt that the point of
arrival was isalnd of Tubabao on the cost of Samar , situated
Latitude 12 07 and 125 33 east . Magellan had reached the
Philippines making landfall at the same point. On March 9,
after consultation with the officers, it was decided that the
expedtion go to the island of Mazagua now called Limasawa.
Arguments in favor of Masao Butuan City
 ,
◦ Malvar a local historian, is a long-time advocate for the recognition of Butuan as the place
where the first Catholic mass was celebrated in 1521.

“For years, I have made extensive research not only here in the Philippines but also abroad,
including Spain and Portugal, and made researches and studies on the life and travels of
Ferdinand Magellan,” Malvar said in a press conference at the Balanghai Hotel here
Thursday afternoon.

He recalled that Mojares' group is the third panel the government created to resolve the
controversies on the first Catholic mass site; the first was the panel led by Supreme Court
Justice Emilio Gancayco in 1995 and that of Dr. Benito Legarda Jr. in 2008.

“All the three panels concluded that Limasawa was the site of the first mass, but the Legarda
panel’s report was not conclusive as it encouraged local historians and scholars in Butuan to
continue and expand the historical studies to further strengthen their claim,” Malvar said.
In preparation for this year's 500th anniversary of Magellan’s first
circumnavigation of the world and his first contact with Filipinos in 1521,
the government has been preparing for the historic milestone since 2018.

Malvar said the Mojares Panel issued a call in September 2018 for the
submission of position papers for the claim of the first mass held in
Butuan.

“I formally submitted a position paper entitled "Pigafetta’s 9° 2/3N Hidden

Facts" during the panel’s first meeting in Cebu City on December 12 to 13,
2018,” Malvar said.

He said the position paper was anchored on Antonio Pigafetta and

Francisco Albo's accounts on the life and voyages of Magellan.
◦ “Included on the paper was the result of my extensive research during my
travels to the birthplace of Magellan in Sabrosa, Portugal; in Vicenza and
Milan in Italy and in Boston and Yale Libraries in the US where I obtained
the Italian and French versions of the Pigafetta manuscripts,” Malvar said.

The same paper was also discussed before its formal submission,
particularly on November 9, 2018, during a focused group discussion by
the NHCP and the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
in Butuan City, he added.

“My years of research and gathering of evidence made possible the

completion of my position paper pointing to the undisputed fact that the
first Easter Sunday mass was celebrated in Magallanes, Butuan,” Malvar
said.
What are the evidences used by the historians that
first mass was held in Butuan not in Limasawa?

◦ Among the evidences used by the pro-Butuan

group were numerous accounts written by non-
eyewitnesses decades after the 1521 Easter
Sunday mass, as well as the 1872 monument in
Magallanes, Agusan del Norte. All these accounts
claimed the first mass was held in Butuan
Magellan Shrine, Magallanes,
Agusan del Norte
Butuan first mass
By east traveler
◦ Butuanons believe that there city is where Portuguese navigator
Ferdinand Magellan proclaimed Spanish sovereignty over the
Philippines in 1521. 
◦ The 1872 Magellan marker, which claimed that the first Mass was held
in Butuan on April 8, 1521, was erected by the Spanish governor José
Maria Carvallo. A monument containing the marker can be seen by the
bank of the Agusan River, at Butuan’s former poblacion known today as
the town of Magallanes after the Spanish conquistador.
2. Jose Rizal’s Retraction
-Jose Rizal as our National Hero
became one of the significant
personalities in our history that
made a big contribution especially
in the Philippine revolution.
 What is Retraction?

- Retraction is the denial of what was

previously said or any action that
signifies a change in the attitude of the
person who resigned or committed it.
 Retraction of Rizal:
I declare myself a Catholic and in this religion in
I retract with all my heart whatever in my words,
Writings, publications and conduct has been contrary
To my quality as a son of the Catholic Church.
I believe and profess whatever she teaches and I
Submit myself to what ever she commands.
I Abominate Masonry, as the enemy that it is of the
Church, and as a Society prohibited by the Church .
The Diocesan Prelate can, as the Superior Ecclesiastical
Of mine in order to repair the scandals the my acts have
Cause and so that God and the people
May pardon me
 Last Hours of Jose Rizal:
-December 29, 1896
-10:00 AM- He was visited by one of his teachers at the
Ateneo, Padre Jose Vilaclara with Vicente Balaguer.
-3:30 PM-Padre Balaguer returned to talk to Rizal again. His
reason was to discuss Rizal’s retraction of anti-Catholic ideas in
his writing and incarnation of Masonry.
-4:00 PM-After Doña Teodora and Trinidad left, Padre
Vilaclara, Padre March and Padre Rosell arrived.
-10:00 PM - Padre Balaguer sent Rizal the draft of the
recovery sent by Arsobispong anti -Pilipino of Bernardino
Nozaleda, but Rizal did not sign it because he did not like it.
 Version of Father Balaguer
-According to Padre Balaguer, he showed a shorter
draft prepared by Padre Pio Pi. And after some changes
Rizal wrote his retraction, in which he rejected Masonry
and anti-Catholic religious ideas.

-"This Letter has become a big debate among Rizalista

because among Rizalista Masons or anti-Catholics, this
document is fake. And for Rizalista Catholics, it is said to
be a real document.
 English Version of Father Balaguer
-I declare myself Catholic and in this Religion in which I was born and educated
I want to live and die. I wholeheartedly retract what has been contrary to my quality
as a child of the Church in my words, writings, print, and conduct. I believe and
profess what she teaches and I submit to what she commands. I abhor Masonry,
as an enigma that belongs to the Church, and as a Society forbidden by the
Church itself.

-May the diocesan Prelate, as a higher ecclesiastical authority, make public this
spontaneous statement of mine, to repair the scandal that my actions may have
caused, and so that God and men forgive me.

-Manila, December 29, 1896-Jose Rizal

 Pinagkaiba ng text:
-Sa "original copy" ang saliatang mis cualidades at sa kopya ni Fr.
Balaguer mi calidad.
-Mayroong Catholica pagkatapos ng unang Iglesia sa "original copy“
-Sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguer may salitang misma bago sa pangatlong
Iglesias na wala naman sa "original copy“.
-Sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguer di nagsisimula ang pangalawang paragraph
bago sa panglimang pangungusap.
-Sa "original copy" naman ay nagsimula ang pangalawang paragraph
pagkatapos ng pangalawang pangungusap.
-Sa "original copy" mayroong lamang na 4 na comma ngunit sa kopya
ni Fr. Balaguer may 11 Magkaiba ang mga saksi sa parehang kopya.
Mga nagsasabing hindi totoo ang pagreretract ni Rizal
* Sulat ni Rizal kay Blumentritt (Paris 1890)
-"bakit hindi ko kakalabanin ng buo kong lakas ang relihiyon gayong ito ang unang unang
dahilan ng lahat ng kahirapan at hinagpis“

* Letter to be opened after my death (Hongkong 1892)

-"hindi ako nagsisisi sa lahat ng aking nagawa. Dapat itaya ng tao ang kanyang buhay sa
para kanyang tungkulin at paniniwala. Pinaninindigan ko ang lahat ng mga ideang
pinahayag ko tungkol sa kinabukasan ng aking bayan"

*Trining
-"ipakita nila ang dokumento upang paniwalaan namen“

* Ricardo Pascual
-sinabi na ang dokumentong nahanap noong 1935 ay hindi sinulat ni Rizal
* Rafael Palma (former president of UP and a Mason)
-isa tong "pious fraud" dahil hindi tugma ang naging retraksyon sa character ni Rizal

*Frank Laubach (isang nagprotesta na ministro)

*Austin Coates (British Writer)

* Ricardo Manapat (direktor ng National Archives)

*Josephine Bracken
-sinasabi ni josephine na sila raw ay nagpakasal ni Rizal pero wala siyang mapakitang 'marriage
contract’

* Nick Joaquin, Nicolas Zafra, Leon María Guerrero III, Gregorio Zaide, Guillermo Gomez Rivera,
Ambeth Ocampo, John Schumacher, Antonio Molina, Paul Dumol, at Autin Craig (mga kilalang
mananalaysay sa Pilipinas)

*Teodoro Kalaw (eksperto sa mga sulat ni Rizal, isang Mason)

*H. Otley Beyer at Dr Jose Del Rosario (handwriting experts)

3. Cry of Balintawak / 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 Andrés Bonifacio, tore their cedulas. Such disputes
are due to the ambiguous definitions of what the "cry" meant and the
overlapping statements by the KKK veterans.
◦ To specify, the main points addressed in the mentioned controversy are:
(1) whether the “cry” happened in Pugad Lawin or Balintawak and
(2) if it happened on August 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.
◦Emilio Aguinaldo’s memoirs, Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan (1964). To wit:
◦On 22 August 1896, the Magdalo Council received a secret letter from Supremo Andres
Bonifacio, in Balintawak, which stated that the Katipunan will hold an important meeting on
the 24th of the said month, and that it was extremely necessary to send two
representatives or delegates in the name of the said Council. The meeting would be timed
to coincide with the feast day of Saint Bartolome. Our representative arrived safely at his
destination and also returned unharmed, bearing a letter from the Supremo dated 24
August. It contained no orders but the shocking announcement that the Katipunan would
attack Manila at night on Saturday, 29 August, the signal for which would be the putting
out of the lamps in Luneta. He added that many of his comrades had been captured and
killed by the Civil Guard and Veterans in Gulod. The first monument to mark the Cry was
erected in 1903 on Ylaya Street in Tondo, in front of the house were Liga Filipina was
founded. The tablet cites Andres Bonifacio as a founding member, and as “Supreme Head
of the Katipunan, which gave the first battle Cry against tyranny on August 24, 1896.
◦ In addition, the first monument that commemorated the cry was in fact
situated in Balintawak on September of 1911 but later on was moved to
Diliman university due to roadworks at the site. Over the years, Balintawak
as the site of the first Cry was further questioned since the monument did
not even indicate that it was the exact spot as well as because the
monument was placed there only due to the fact that the Katipuneros have
congregated in Balintawak which was the largest and best-known barrio
and its name was often used to denote that general area. The name
Balintawak might be a familiar point of reference for the locals but
Balintawak in the stricter, narrower sense- a particular barrio of eastern
Caloocan, was not in fact where the Cry had been raised
◦ The argument that the site was in Balintawak, however, was refuted
by Pio Valenzuela, a KKK Veteran who claims that he was present
during the first cry in his testimony. The decision to revolt, he
recalled on a trial court on 1917, had been taken at the house on the
road known as Daan Malalim, in Pasong Tamo, Caloocan. The
veteran said the location was “also known as Pacpac-lawin.
◦ Based from the claims formed and supported by the corresponding
evidences, it has been concluded that the Cry of Pugad Lawin happened on
August 23, 1896 since such notion coincides with the indisputable and
historical artifacts presented. The testimony of Pio Valenzuela may have
been inconsistent at first but this was because he was under duress during
his trial under the Spanish court. His testimony and statement along with
other KKK veterans Pantas and Pacheco is enough to authenticate and verify
the mentioned issue in Philippine history. In fact, Teodoro Agoncilio’s account
became the basis of the current stance of the Philippine government. In
1963, President Diosdado Macapagal ordered the official commemorations
shifted to Pugad ng uwak, Quezon City on August 23 (1998)
GREGORIO HILARIO DEL PILAR Y
SEMPIO
Nickname: “Goyo” the Boy General
Born: November 14, 1875 (San Jose, Bulacan,
Captaincy General of the Philippines)
Died:December 2, 1899 (aged 24) (Tirad Pass,
Concepcion, Ilocos Sur, First Philippine Republic)
Rank:Brigardier General

He was a Filipino General of the Philippine

Revolutionary Army during the Philippine-American
War
4. Battle of Tirad Pass
◦ On December 2, 1899, the Battle of Tirad Pass between 60 Filipino soldiers under
General Gregorio del Pilar and more than 300 American soldiers under General
Peyton C. March took place.
◦ General Del Pilar, confidante and right-hand man of General Emilio Aguinaldo, was
ordered to block the Yankees' advance into Tirad Pass, a mountain gap in the
Cordillera Mountains of Northern Luzon.
◦ Del Pilar's heroism won the admiration of American Lieutenant Dennis P. Quinlan,
who ordered the burial of his remains with military honors, and marked his grave with
a headstone bearing this inscription:
◦ "GENERAL GREGORIO DEL PILAR, KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF TIRAD PASS,
DECEMBER 2, 1899, COMMANDING AGUINALDO'S REAR GUARD, AN OFFICER
AND A GENTLEMAN."
Battle in Tirad Pass
Did he died on top of the mountain or he was at the hill top
when he was shot ?Did it happen while he was rallying his
troop to fight the enemies ? Did the bullet of the rifle
penetrated to his heart? Was he the last man standing
depending the pass ? Was he riding a white horse? Was he
23 or 24 years of age when he was killed in the historic
battle ?
There were many different versions of the young generals
death, conflicting as they are , but his love of country can
not be doubled.
(Gregorio del Pilar and his troops, around
1898)
1.Did he died on the top of the mountain or
he was at the hilltop when he was shot?
-Gregorio del pilar, the “Boy general” of the
Philippines revolution, was killed with 52 of
this 60 men while defending Mount Tirad pass
in Ilocos Sur against the American army on
December 2 1899. The last entry of the diary
found on his body contained a premonition of
his death.
The General (Aguinaldo) has given me a
platoon of available men and has ordered me
to defend this pass, I am aware of what a
diufficult task has been given to me.
Nevertheless, I feel that this is the most
glorious moment of my life. There is not
greater sacrifice.
 According to two eyewitness accounts from the
Philippines side, Del Pilar, was killed early on
in the battle as he climbed a hilltop to discern
the enemy. There was no urging of the troops.
Did it happen while he was rallying his troops to fight
the enemies?
Vicente Enriquez Version(Survivor)
Del pilar was warned by our soldier that the enemies
were almost in front of us, but he observed nothing
except an usual movement in the cogon patches, the
general then instructed his men to stop firing as the
enemies halted their fire, too. Then, he stood on the
promontory and checked the enemy when he suddenly a
gunshot hit him, he covered his face with two hands,
falling on his back and died immediately.
TELSEFRO CARASCO VERSION(SURVIVOR)
The general could not see the enemy because of the cogon grass and the and he ordered to stop firing at the enemies, at the moment. I was handling him a carbine and cautioned him that
the Americans were directing their fire at him and that he should crouch down because his life is in danger and that moment he was hit in the neck that caused his instant death.
Article From Manila Freedom News Paper

It is reported that while Del Pilar was fighting the troops

of General March and was Surrounded by the dead and
wounded who fell by his side, he valiantly inspired his
troops by his example, Although seriously wounded, he was
standing on the trenches, inspiring his men, when a bullet
plowed through his heart, and he feel among his comrades
Did the bullet of the riffle Penetrated to his
heart?
John Mc Cutcheon
(American War Correspondent Accompanying the Us Forces)
He was received a shot from a krag-Jergensen at the nape his neck, the
bullet passing through his mount.
Teodoro Agoncillos Account
The American slowly and quietly went up the trail and surprised Del Pilar
and his men. A Fierce battle ensued and Del Pilar was killed by a bullet that
passed through his neck.