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Cry of Pugad Lawin

NHCP Marker in Pugad Lawin Shrine

Native name Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin

Date August 23, 1896 (exact date disputed)

Venue Province of Manila, Captaincy General of

the Philippines, exact location uncertain.
See here for more info.

Organised by Katipunan
Outcome Start of the Philippine Revolution

 Formation of an insurgent government

The Cry of Pugad Lawin (Filipino: Sigaw sa Pugad Lawin, Spanish: Grito de Pugad
Lawin) was the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire.[1]

In late August 1896, members of the Katipunan[a] led by Andrés Bonifacio revolted
somewhere around Caloocan, which included parts of the present-day Quezon City.[2][3]

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 (cédulas personales) in defiance of their allegiance to Spain. This was
literally accompanied by patriotic shouts.[4]

Because accounts of the event vary, the exact date and place of the event is unknown. [3]
[4]
From 1908 until 1963, the event was thought to have occurred on August 26
in Balintawak. In 1963, the Philippine government declared August 23 to be the date of
the event in Quezon City.[5][4]

Characterization of the event

[edit]
The term "Cry" is translated 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 call to revolt.
It does not necessarily connote shouting, unlike the Filipino sigaw.[3][4]

Accounts of the Cry

[edit]
List of Katipunan Members present in Balintawak in August 1896 by Guillermo
Masangkay
Guillermo Masangkay
[edit]
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.[citation needed]

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?"[6]

"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.[7]

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".[4]

Pio Valenzuela
[edit]
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.[8]
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!" [9]

Santiago Alvarez
[edit]
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!"[10]

Asserted dates and venues

[edit]
Various accounts give differing dates and places for the Cry of Pugad Lawin. 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. 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. Pío Valenzuela, a close associate
of Andrés Bonifacio, declared in 1948 that it happened in Pugad Lawin on August 23,
1896. Historian Gregorio Zaide stated in his books in 1954 that the "Cry" happened in
Balintawak on August 26, 1896.[7] 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 historians Milagros Guerrero, Emmanuel Encarnacion and Ramon Villegas
claim the event to have taken place in Tandang Sora's barn in Gulod, Barrio Banlat,
Caloocan (now part of Quezon City).[11][12]

Some of the apparent confusion is in part due to the double meanings of the
terms Balintawak and Caloocan. 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, Caloocan 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".[3][4]

Asserted dates and venues of the Cry

Person Place Date

L.T. Olegario Diaz Balintawak August 25,

1896

Last week of
Teodoro Kalaw Kangkong, Balintawak
August

August 24,
Santiago Alvarez Bahay Toro
1896

August 23,
Pio Valenzuela Pugad Lawin
1896

August 26,
Gregorio Zaide Balintawak
1896

Teodoro Agoncillo (according to statements of August 23,

Pugad Lawin
Valenzuela) 1896

Research (Milagros Guerrero, Emmanuel Tandang Sora's barn in August 24,

Encarnacion, Ramon Villegas) Gulod, Banlat 1896

Prior events
[edit]
These events vitalized the unity of the Filipino People and brought "thirst" for
independence. The Cry of the Rebellion in Pugad Lawin, marked the start of the
Philippine Revolution in 1896 which eventually led to Independence of the country in
1898.

Cavite Mutiny
[edit]
On January 20, 1872, about 200 Filipino military personnel of Fort San Felipe Arsenal in
Cavite, Philippines, staged a mutiny which in a way led to the Philippine Revolution in
1896. The 1872 Cavite Mutiny was precipitated by the removal of long-standing
personal benefits to the workers such as tax (tribute) and forced labor exemptions on
order from the Governor General Rafael de Izquierdo.

Izquierdo replaced Governor General Carlos Maria de la Torre some months before in
1871 and immediately rescinded Torre’s liberal measures and imposed his iron-fist rule.
He was opposed to any hint of reformist or nationalistic movements in the Philippines.
He was in office for less than two years, but he will be remembered for his cruelty to the
Filipinos and the barbaric execution of the three martyr-priests blamed for the mutiny:
Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, later collectively called
“Gomburza.”
Izquierdo used the mutiny to implicate Gomburza and other notable Filipinos known for
their liberal leanings.

The three priests were stripped of their albs, and with chained hands and feet were
brought to their cells after their sentence. Gomburza became a rallying catchword for
the down-trodden Filipinos seeking justice and freedom from Spain.

It is well to remember that the seeds of nationalism that was sown in Cavite blossomed
to the Philippine Revolution and later to the Declaration of Independence by Emilio
Aguinaldo which took place also in Cavite. 1872 Cavite Mutiny paved way for a
momentous 1898, it was a glorious event before we came across to victory.
[15]

Martyrdom of the Gomburza

[edit]
The execution of the three Filipino priest, Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto
Zamora, who were linked by the Spanish friars as the masterminds of the Filipino
insurgency in Cavite. They were prominent Filipino priests charged with treason and
sedition. The Spanish clergy connected the priest 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.

Father Mariano Gomez, an old man in his mid-‘70, Chinese-Filipino, born in Cavite. He
held the most senior position of the three as Archbishop’s Vicar in Cavite. He was truly
nationalistic and accepted the death penalty calmly as though it were his penance for
being pro-Filipinos.

Father José Burgos is a Spanish descent, born in the Philippines. He was a parish
priest of the Manila Cathedral and had been known to be close to the liberal Governor
General de la Torre. He was 35 years old at that time and was active and outspoken in
advocating the Filipinization of the clergy.

Father Jacinto Zamora is a 37 years old, was also Spanish, born in the Philippines. He
was the parish priest of Marikina and was known to be unfriendly to and would not
countenance any arrogance or authoritative behavior from Spaniards coming from
Spain. February 17, 1872 in an attempt of the Spanish government to instill fear among
the Filipinos so that they may never commit such daring act again, the Gomburza were
executed. This event was tragic but served as one of the moving forces that shaped
Filipino nationalism.
[16][17][18]

Propaganda Movements and other Peaceful Campaign for

Reforms
[edit]
For more than three centuries the Spanish colonizers became too abusive of their
power, force labor, unjustifiable collection of taxes, and deprivation of education brought
about centralised idea of independence to the majority of Filipinos. Political and social
reforms then were sought through writings themed on liberalism, honoring rights of the
Filipinos, defense against violence and injustices, and sovereignty for the aspirations of
the people.

From 1880 to 1896 propaganda movements became expansive, though it didn't achieve
its purpose for reforms it fostered a sense of nationalism among Filipinos.

Noli Me Tángere and El filibusterismo are some of the literary works written by Jose
Rizal, who is one of the many ilustrados, together with the other prominent
reformist Graciano López Jaena, Mariano Ponce and Marcelo H. del Pilar who aimed
on uniting the whole country, and eventually to achieve independence. It was until the
latter part of the 1890s when the peaceful movement was shifted to bloody revolts led
by Andres Bonifacio who believe that peaceful reforms won't make any change to the
corrupt Spaniards, thus initiating the first phase of revolution after the tearing of cedulas
at the Cry of Pugadlawin

Jose P. Rizal's Exile in Dapitan

[edit]
In June 26, 1892, very excitement was caused among to the Filipinos. His popularity
feared the Spaniards, and as they notice to his every moves - all houses where he had
been were searched and the Filipinos seen in his company were suspected. As he had
planned, on July 3, 1892 he founded the La Liga Filipina in the house of Doroteo
Ongjunco in Tondo, Manila. Four days after the civic organization's foundation, Jose
Rizal was arrested by the Spanish authorities on four grounds: First, he published an
anti-Catholic and anti-friar books and articles. Second, having in possession a bundle of
handbills, the Pobres Frailes, in which violates the advocacies of the Spanish orders.
Third for dedicating his novel, El Filibusterismo to the three “traitors” (Gomez, Burgos
and Zamora) and for giving an highlights to the novel's title page that “the only salvation
for the Philippines was separation from the Spain". And last, had a simply criticizing the
religion and aiming for its exclusion from the Filipino culture.
[19]

Foundation and the Discovery of the Katipunan

[edit]
After the disbandment of the La Liga FILIPINA, some of its former members,
spearheaded by Andres Bonifacio established the Katipunan, with its goal of
independence from Spain. The Katipunan led by Andres Bonifacio started the revolution
preceded by the Cry of Balintawak.

The KKK was revealed by Father Mariano Gil who was disgusted over the governor's
attitude, next ran to the military governor of Manila, General Echaluce, and revealed
what he knew about the Katipunan. But Echaluce, did not believe him, instead he took
precautions to make Manila safe from any disturbances. At almost the same time, an
unfortunate event incident happened between two Katipuneros that are working in the
Spanish-owned Diario de Manila. Apolonio de la Cruz and Teodoro Patiño had a
misunderstanding, and Patiño took his revenge to Apolonio by revealing the secrets of
the society to his sister, Honoria. The latter was reported to have cried. The madre
portera, Sor Teresa, suggested that Teodoro Patiño tell all he knew to Father Mariano.
Afternoon of August 19, Patiño told Father Mariano of what he knew about the secret
society. The friar immediately hurried to the printing shop, Diario de Manila and
searched the premises for the hidden proofs of the existence of the Katipunan with the
accompaniment of the owner of the periodical. The lithographic stone used to print the
Katipunan receipts was found and when it was shown to Patiño, he confirmed that it
was true. At midnight, the locker of Policarpio Turla, whose signature appeared in the
receipts, was forced open and the rules of the society and other pertinent documents
were found. These proofs were turned over to the police and were now convinced to the
existence of a vast underground society whose purpose is to overthrow Spanish
sovereignty in the Philippines.[20]

Legal document
[edit]
The introduction to the original Tagalog text of the Biak-na-Bato Constitution
states:

Ang paghiwalay ng Filipinas sa kahariang España sa patatag ng isang bayang may

sariling pamamahala’t kapangyarihan na pangangalang “Republika ng Filipinas” ay
siyang layong inadhika niyaring Paghihimagsik na kasalukuyan, simula pa ng ika- 24 ng
Agosto ng taong 1896… (English: The separation of the Philippines from the Spanish
empire by the establishment of a self-governing nation called the "Republic of the
Philippines" has been the aim of the current Revolution, starting on August 24, 1896.
The Spanish text also states:

la separación de Filipinas de la Monarquia Española, constituyéndose en Estado

Independiente y soberano con Gobierno propio, con el nombre de República de
Filipinas, es en su Guerra actual, iniciada en 24 de Agosto de 1896… (English: The
separation of the Philippines from the Spanish Monarchy, constituting an independent
state and with a proper sovereign government, named the Republic of the Philippines,
was the end pursued by the revolution through the present hostilities, initiated on 24
August 1896…)
These lines indicate that in so far as the leaders of the revolution are concerned,
revolution began on 24 August 1896.[citation needed] The document was written only one and a
half years after the event and signed by over 50 Katipunan members, among them
Emilio Aguinaldo , Artemio Ricarte and Valentin Diaz.

Emilio Aguinaldo’s memoirs, Mga Gunita ng Himagsikan (1964, English title:Memories

of the Revolution), refer to two letters from Andres Bonifacio dated 22 and 24 August
that pinpoint the date and place of the crucial Cry meeting when the decision to attack
Manila was made.[8]
Tearing of cédulas
[edit]
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.[4]

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.[5][4]

Formation of an insurgent government

[edit]
An alternative definition of the Cry as the "birth of the Filipino nation state" involves the
setting up of a national insurgent government through the Katipunan with Bonifacio as
President in Banlat, Pasong Tamo on August 24, 1896 – after the tearing of cedulas but
before the first skirmish. This was called the Haring Bayang
Katagalugan (Sovereign Tagalog Nation).[3]

Why Balintawak?
[edit]
The Cry of Rebellion in the Philippines happened in August 1896. There are lot of
controversies puzzling the minds of the readers regarding the real place and date of this
event.[21] Some accounts pointing directly to Balintawak are associated with 'The Cry’. Lt.
Olegario Diaz of the Spanish Civil Guards wrote in 1896 that the event happened in
Balintawak,[22] which corroborates the accounts of the historian Gregorio Zaide and
Teodoro Kalaw.[citation needed] On the other hand, Teodoro Agoncillo based his account from
that of Pio Valenzuela that emphasized Pugad Lawin as the place where the ‘cry’
happened.[citation needed]

Here are 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.[23][failed verification]
Other cries
[edit]
In 1895, Bonifacio, Masangkay, Emilio Jacinto and other Katipuneros spent Good
Friday in the caves of Mt. Pamitinan in Montalban (now part of Rizal province). They
wrote "long live Philippine independence" on the cave walls, which some Filipino
historians consider the "first cry" (el primer grito).[4]

Commemoration
[edit]
The Cry is commemorated as National Heroes Day, a public holiday in the Philippines.[24]

The first annual commemoration of the Cry occurred in Balintawak in 1908 after the
American colonial government repealed the Sedition Law. A privately funded Monument
to the Heroes of 1896 (a lone Katipunero popularly identified with Bonifacio) that had
been inaugurated at Balintawak on September 3, 1911 was dismantled in 1968 to make
way for a cloverleaf interchange. Through the efforts of the National Historical
Commission and the University of the Philippines, the monument was re-inaugurated on
November 29, 1968 in front of Vinzons Hall on the UP Dillman campus.[25] In 1984,
the National Historical Institute of the Philippines installed a commemorative plaque in
Pugad Lawin.[4]