THE CRY OF BALINTAWAK

OR PUGAD LAWIN
PRAYER
ATTENDANCE
At the end of this module you will:

1. Understand the significance of the cry of Pugad Lawin in the history of

Philippine Independence.
2. Strengthen the value of patriotism and nationalism towards the Philippine
nation.
3. Examine the needs of the Filipinos to fight in order to prove themselves
worthy to be called a truly free people.
4. Criticize the efforts contributed by the Filipino people in obtaining the
lasting value of freedom and independence.
Prior Events:

These events vitalized the unity of the Filipino

People and brought "thirst" for independence.
Cavite Mutiny
brief uprising of 200 Filipino troops and workers at the
Cavite arsenal, which became the excuse for Spanish
repression of the embryonic Philippine nationalist
movement. Ironically, the harsh reaction of the Spanish
authorities served ultimately to promote the nationalist
cause.
Martyrdom of the Gomburza
Filipino priests Francisco Gomes, Jose Burgos and Jacinto
Zamora (GOMBURZA) were executed with a garrote while
blindfolded and seated on a scaffold at Bagumbayan (now
Luneta Park) on February 17, 1872. They were meted the
death penalty for their alleged participation in the 1872
Cavite Mutiny.
Propaganda Movements and other
Peaceful Campaign for Reforms

The Propaganda Movement was a set of communication

actions through books, leaflets and newspaper articles by a
group of Filipinos who called for political reforms, lasting
approximately from 1880 to 1898 with the most activity
between 1880 and 1895.
Jose P. Rizal's Exile in Dapitan
From July 17, 1892 to July 31, 1896 – a period of four years
and 13 days –Jose Rizal lived the life of a political exile in
Dapitan, the northern Mindanao which today is part of the
province of Zamboanga del Norte, near Dipolog.
Foundation and the Discovery
of the KKK
Founded by Filipino patriots Deodato Arellano, Andrés
Bonifacio, Valentin Diaz, Ladislao Diwa, José Dizon, and
Teodoro Plata, the Katipunan was a secret organization until it
was discovered in 1896. This discovery led to the outbreak of the
Philippine Revolution.
The cry of Pugad Lawin

marked the start of the Philippine Revolution

in 1896 which eventually led to
Independence of the country in 1898.
"CRY"
Originally the term "cry" referred to the first clash between the
Katipuneros and the Civil Guards (Guardia Civil).
The "cry" could also refer to the tearing up of community tax
certificates (cedulas personales) in defiance of their allegiance to
Spain.
The inscription of "Viva la Independencia Filipina" can also be
referred as term for the "cry" literally accompanied by patriotic
shouts.
CRY OF BALINTAWAK?
OR
CRY OF PUGAD LAWIN?
The "Grito de Balintawak Tradition
Teodoro Agoncillo

It has been widely believed that the first cry of the revolution took place in
Balintawak, Caloocan.
Agoncillo gave the exact date for the cry as August 23, 1896, and the exact
place to be not Balintawak but Pugad lawin.
The Balintawak tradition continues to thrive. Nick Joaquin writes in
suppport of Balintawak, which was more popular than that of the Pugad
lawin
Why Balintawak?
The Cry of Rebellion in the Philippines happend in August 1896 . There
are a lot of controversies puzzling the minds of the readers regarding the
real place and date of this event . Some accounts pointing directly to
Balintawak are associated with "The Cry". Lt. Olegario Diaz of te
spanish civil guards wrote in 1896 that the event happened in
Balintawak, which corroboraates the accounts of the historian Gregorio
Zaide and Teodoro Kalaw.
On the other hand, Teodoro Agoncillo based his accounts from that of
Pio Valenzuela that emphasized Pugad lawin as the place where the
"cry" happened.
 Some reasons why Pugad Lawin is not considered as the
place of the "cry"

1. People of Balintawak initiated the revolution against the Spaniards that is why
it is not appropriate to call it "Cry of Pugad Lawin".
2. The place Pugad Lawin only existed in 1935 after the rebellion happened in
1896. Lastly,
3. The term "Pugad Lawin" was only made up because of the hawk's nest at the
top of a tall tree at the backyard of Tandang Sora in Banlat, Gulod, Kaloocan
where it is said to be one of the hiding places of the revolutionary group led
by Andres Bonifacio.
This controversy remains unresolved
There were five dates for the Cry- August 20, 23, 24, 25, and 26
Five different venues for the first Cry:
Balintawak, Pugadlawin, KangKong, Bahay Toro, and Pasong
Tamo

So when and where did it actually

happen?
 Pio Valenzuella, a close associate of
Andres Bonifacio, declared in 1948 that
it happened in Pugad Lawin on August
23, 1896.
Santiago Alvarez, a Katipunero and 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.
 Historian Gregorio Zaide stated in his
books in 1954 that the "Cry" happened in
Balintawak on August 26, 1896.
An officer of the Spanish guardia civil,
Lt. Olegario Diaz, stated that the cry
took place in Balintawak on August 25,
1896.
 Historian 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.
Historian Teodoro Agoncillo wrote in
1956 that it took place in Pugad Lawin
on August 23, 1896, based on Pio
Valenzuela's statement.
Accounts of "Cry"
 The three primary sources are the accounts of Dr. Pio
Valenzuela, Santiago Alvarez, and Guillermo Masangkay. They
participated in the revolution as the witnessess on the
happenings during the revolution. Their accounts becomes our
background knowledge on what really happened that day.
Guillermo Masangcay
On August 26, 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 Carreon. They were all leaders of the Katipunan and
composed the board of directors of the organization. Delegates from Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Cavite,
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 Pio Valenzuela were all opposed to
starting the revolution too early...Andres Bonifacio, sensing that he would lose 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... I want to see you destroy your cedulas. It will be a sign
that all of us have declared our severance from the Spaniards.

 The Cry of Balintawak occurred on August 26, 1896. The Cry, defined as that turning point
when the Filipinos finally refused Spanish colonial dominion over the Philippine Islands.
With tears in their eyes, the people as one man, pulled out their cedulas and tore them into
pieces. It was the beginning of the formal declaration of the separation from Spanish
rule."Long Live the Philippine Republic!", the cry of the people. An article from The Sunday
Tribune Magazine on August 21, 1932 featured the statements of the eyewitness account by
Katipunan General Guillermo Masangkay, "A Katipunero Speaks". Masangkay recounts the
"Cry of Balintawak", stating that on August 26, 1896, a big meeting was held in Balintawak
at the house of Apolonio Samson, then the cabeza of that barrio of Caloocan. 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. In August 1896, after the Katipunan was
discovered, Masangkay joined Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and others in a clandestine meeting
held on the 26th of that month at Apolonio Samson’s house in Caloocan.
Initially, the leaders of the movement quarreled over strategy and
tactics, and many of its members questioned the wisdom of an
open rebellion due to the lack of arms and logistical support.
However, after Bonifacio’s intense and convincing speech,
everyone destroyed their cedulas to symbolize their defiance
towards Spain and, together, raised the cry of “Revolt".
Dr. Pio Valenzuela
In 1936, Pio Valenzuela, along with Briccio Pantas and Enrique Pacheco said (in English
translation) "The first Cry of the revolution did not happen in Balintawak where the
monument is, but in a place called Pugad Lawin." In 1940, a research team of a forerunner
of the National Historical Institute (NHI) which included Valenzuela, identified the
location as part of sitio Gulod, Banlat, Kalookan City. IN 1964, the NHI described this
location as the house of Tandang Sora. (translate: the first cry of revolution was not
happened in Balintawak where it taking place, but in the locality which is known as Pugad
Lawin.
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!"
Santiago Alvarez
Santiago Alvarez regarding the Cry of Balintawak flaunted specific endeavors, as stated:
We started our trek to Kangkong at about eleven that night. We walked through the rain over dark
expanses of muddy meadows and fields. Our clothes drenched and our bodies numbed by the cold
wind, we plodded wordlessly. It was nearly two in the morning when we reached the house of
Brother Apolonio Samson in Kangkong. We crowded into the house to rest and warm ourselves. We
were so tired that, after hanging our clothes out to dry, we soon feel asleep. The Supremo began
assigning guards at five o'clock the following morning, Saturday 22 August 1896. He placed a
detachment at the Balintawak boundary and another at the backyard to the north of the house where
we were gathered. No less than three hundred men assembled at the bidding of the Supremo Andres
Bonifacio. Altogether, they carried assorted weapons, bolos, spears, daggers, a dozen small revolvers
and a rifle used by its owner, one Lieutenant Manuel, for hunting birds. The Supremo Bonifacio was
restless because of fear of sudden attack by the enemy.

 He was worried over the thought that any of the couriers carrying the letter sent by Emilio
Jacinto could have been intercepted; and in that eventuality, the enemy would surely know their
whereabouts and attack them on the sly. He decided that it was better to move to a site called
Bahay Toro. At ten o'clock that Sunday morning, 23 August 1896 we arrived at Bahay Toro. Our
member had grown to more than 500 and the house, yard, and warehouse of Cabesang Melchora
was getting crowded with us Katipuneros. The generous hospitality of Cabesang Melchora was
no less than that of Apolonio Samson. Like him, she also opened her granary and had plenty of
rice pounded and animals slaughtered to feed us. The following day, Monday, 24 August, more
Katipuneros came and increased our number to more than a thousand. The Supremo called a
meeting at ten o'clock that morning inside Cabesang Melchora's barn. Flanking him on both
sides at the head of the table were Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Emilio Jacinto, Briccio Pantas, Enrique
Pacheco, Ramon Bernardo, Pantelaon Torres, Francisco Carreon, Vicente Fernandez, Teodoro
Plata, and others. We were so crowded that some stood outside the barn.
 The following matters were approved at the meeting:

1. An uprising to defend the people's freedom was to be started at midnight of Saturday, 29

August 1896;
2. To be on a state of alert so that the Katipunan forces could strike should the situation arise
where the enemy was at a disadvantage. Thus, the uprising could be started earlier than the
agreed time of midnight of 29 August 1896 should a favorable opportunity arise at that date.
Everyone should steel himself and be resolute in the struggle that was imminent; and
3. The immediate objective was the capture of Manila.

After the adjournment of the meeting at twelve noon, there were tumultuous shouts of "Long
live the Sons of the People!
Tearing of cédulas
Not all accounts relate the tearing of cédulas in the last days of August. Of the accounts that do, older
ones identify the place where this occurred as Kangkong in Balintawak/Kalookan. Most also give the
date of the cédula-tearing as August 26, in close proximity to the first encounter. One Katipunero,
Guillermo Masangkay, claimed cédulas were torn more than once – on the 24th as well as the 26th.
For his 1956 book The Revolt of the Masses Teodoro Agoncillo defined "the Cry" as the tearing of
cedulas, departing from precedent which had then defined it as the first skirmish of the revolution. His
version was based on the later testimonies of Pío Valenzuela and others who claimed the cry took
place in Pugad Lawin instead of Balintawak. Valenzuela's version, through Agoncillo's influence,
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.

 The Cry is commemorated as National Heroes' Day, a public holiday in the Philippines.
The first annual commemoration of the Cry occurred in Balintawak in 1908 after the American
colonial government repealed the Sedition Law. In 1911 a monument to the Cry (a lone
Katipunero popularly identified with Bonifacio) was erected at Balintawak; it was later
transferred to Vinzons Hall in the University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City. In
1984, the National Historical Institute of the Philippines installed a commemorative plaque in
Pugad Lawin.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cry_of_Pugad_Lawin#Other_cries
https://www.britannica.com/event/Cavite-Mutiny
https://www.bicolmail.net/single-post/a-historical-perspective-the-martyrdom-of-
gomburza#:~:text=Filipino%20priests%20Francisco%20Gomes%2C%20Jose,in%20the%201872
%20Cavite%20Mutiny.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Propaganda-Movement
https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/06/23/2107366/rizals-entrepreneurial-life-exile-
dapitan#:~:text=From%20July%2017%2C%201892%20to,Zamboanga%20del%20Norte%2C%2
0near%20Dipolog.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katipunan#:~:text=Founded%20by%20Filipino%20patriots%20De
odato,outbreak%20of%20the%20Philippine%20Revolution.