Readings in Philippine History

1. 20 March 2023
Readings in Philippine History
LP 2—Lesson 2
“THR CRY OF REBELLION”
FOREWORD:
This learning packet provides different views concerning one of the most memorable events in
Philippine history called the Cry of Rebellion which allows students to compare and contrast the
primary sources from different accounts.
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:
1. Compare and contrast primary sources from different accounts in understanding the Cry
of Rebellion;
2. Express their stand on a particular issue raised in this topic through content and context
analysis.
PRE—ASSESSMENT:
True or False: Read the following statements then raise your right hand if the statement is true
and left if false.
1. Primary sources are never biased.
2. Various primary sources present different perspectives.
3. Primary sources from Filipino accounts are more reliable than Spanish accounts.
4. Historical events must be based on primary sources.
5. Different primary sources give confusion to historians.
6. We cannot rely on primary sources alone.
7. Primary sources reflect the whole truth about our past.
8. Primary sources do not contradict with each other.
9. It is important to have more than one primary source.
10. Primary sources must undergo content and contextual analysis.
SELF--ASSESSMENT:
Multiple Choice: Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. El Grito means…
A. Revolution
B. Rebellion
C. Freedom
D. Cry
2. The piece of paper being torn to prove that members were ready to revolt.
A. Cedula
B. Birth certificate
C. Marriage contract
D. License
3. His account stated that the Cry happened in Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896.
A. Santiago Alvarez
B. Olegario Diaz
C. Teodoro Kalaw
D. Pio Valenzuela
4. His account put the Cry in Bahay Toro in Quezon City on August 24, 1896.
A. Santiago Alvarez
B. Olegario Diaz
C. Teodoro Kalaw
D. Pio Valenzuela
5. His account identified the Cry to have happened in Balintawak on August 26, 1896.
A. Teodoro Agoncillo
B. Gregorio Zaide
C. Teodoro Kalaw
D. Milagros Guerrero, Emmanuel Encarnacion, and Ramon Villegas
6. It was a sign of slavery of the Filipinos.
A. Cedula

2. B. Polo y servicio
C. Encomienda system
D. None of the above
7. In Pio Valenzuela’s Memoir of the Revolution, he wrote that the Cry happened when and
where?
A. August 26, 1896 in Balintawak
B. August 23, 1896 at Pugad Lawin
C. August 25, 1896 in Balintawak
D. August 24, 1896 in Kangkong
8. He was a leader of the Magdiwang faction in Cavite.
A. Santiago Alvarez
B. Olegario Diaz
C. Teodoro Kalaw
D. Pio Valenzuela
9. He was a guardia civil.
A. Santiago Alvarez
B. Olegario Diaz
C. Teodoro Kalaw
D. Pio Valenzuela
11. He presided a meeting on August 26, 1896 in Balintawak.
A. Teodoro Plata
B. Emilio Jacinto
C. Andres Bonifacio
D. None of the above
ANSWER KEY:
1. D/ 2. A/ 3. D/ 4. A/ 5. B/ 6. C/ 7. B/ 8. A/ 9. B/ 10. C
LESSON PROPER:
The event that ushered in the Philippine Revolution against more than 300 years of Spanish
occupation is as significant as it is controversial. Sick of the oppression under foreign rule and
craving for freedom and independence, Filipino revolutionaries under the leadership of Andres
Bonifacio tore their “cedulas” (residence certificate) as a sign of their resistance. When and
where it happened has been the subject of much controversy. It has been called the “Cry of
Balintawak” and celebrated every 26th of August for the longest time. But the National
Historical Commission changed the date to August 23 and the location to Pugad Lawin based
mainly on the accounts of Dr. Pio Valenzuela. There have been many claims, backed up by
multiple and contradictory sources, as to the dates and venue of the “Cry.” The date of the “Cry”
has been placed any time between August 23 and August 25 and the venue in Kangkong,
Caloocan, or in Pasong Tamo in Banlat, Caloocan, or in Bahay Toro, Caloocan.
Pio Valenzuela’s Controversial “Cry of Pugad Lawin”
This controversial version of the “Cry of the Pugad Lawin” has been authorized by no other than
Dr. Pio Valenzuela. In his first version, he said that the prime staging point of the Cry was in
Balintawak on Wednesday of August 26, 1896. He held this account when the happenings or
events are still vivid in his memory. On the other hand, later in his life and with a fading
memory, he wrote his Memoirs of the Revolution without consulting the written documents of

3. the Philippine revolution and claimed that the “Cry” took place at Pugad Lawin on August 23,
1896.
Below is his (Pio Valenzuela) account on this topic:
(Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine History.
Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store)
“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, in 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, 1986. The discussion was on
whether or not the revolution against the Spanish government should be started on August 29,
1986. Only one man protested and fought against a war, and that was Teodora Plata
[Bonifacio’s brother-in-law-Z]. Besides the persons named above, among those present at this
meeting were Enrique Cipriano, Alfonso Pacheco, Tomas Remigio, Sinforoso San Pedro, and
others. After the tumultuous meeting, many of those present tore their cedula certificates and
shouted “Long live the Philippines! Long live the Philippines!”
Santiago Alvarez’s “The Cry of Bahay Toro”
(Below is Santiago Alvarez’s account: Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990).
Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store)
Sunday, August 23, 1896 As early as 10 o’clock in the morning, at the barn of Kabesang
Melchora [Melchora Aquino-Z.], at a place called Sampalukan, barrio of Bahay Toro,
Katipuneros met together. About 500 of these arrived, ready and eager to join the “Supremo”
Andres Bonifacio and his men …
Monday, August 24, 1896 There were about 1,000 Katipuneros … The “Supremo” decided to
hold a meeting inside the big barn. Under his leadership, the meeting began at 10 o’clock in the
morning … It was 12 o’clock noon when the meeting adjourned amidst loud cries of “Long live
the Sons of the Country” (Mabuhay ang mga anak ng Bayan)!
.Gregoria de Jesus’ Version of the First “Cry”
Gregoria de Jesus has been a participant of this event and became the keeper of the secret
documents of the Katipunan. After the Revolution in August 1896, she lived with her parents in
Caloocan then fled to Manila when she was told that Spanish authorities wanted to arrest her.
Eventually, she joined her husband in the mountains and shared adversities with him. Source:
Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine History. Vol. 5.
Manila: National Book Store)
“The activities of the Katipunan had reached nearly all corners of the Philippine Archipelago,
so that when its existence was discovered and some of the members arrested, we immediately
returned to Caloocan. However, as we were closely watched by the agents of the Spanish
authorities, Andres Bonifacio and other Katipuneros left the town after some days. It was then
that the uprising began, with the first cry for freedom on August 25, 1896. Meanwhile, I was with
my parents. Through my friends, I learned that Spanish was coming to arrest me. Immediately, I
fled town at eleven o’ clock at night, secretly going through the rice fields to La Lorna, with the
intention of returning to Manila. I was treated like an apparition, for, sad to say, in every house
where I tried to get a little rest, I was driven away as if people therein were frightened for their
own lives. Later, I found out that the occupants of the houses which I had visited were seized and
severely punished-- and some even exiled. One of them was an uncle of mine whom I had visited
on that night to kiss his hand, and he died in exile.”
Guillermo Masangkay’s “The Cry of Balintawak”
According to the Katipunan General Guillermo Masangkay, the first rally of the Philippine
Revolution happened on August 26, 1896 at Balintawak. Correspondingly, the date and site

4. presented were accepted by the preliminary years of American government. Below is General
Guillermo Masangkay’s version of the “Cry of Balintawak”.
(Source: Zaide, Gregoria and Zaide, Sonia. (1990). Documentary Sources of Philippine History.
Vol. 5. Manila: National Book Store.)
“On August 26th [1896-Z.], a big meeting was held in Balintawak, at the house of Apolonio
Samson, then the 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 (now Rizal,) 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 [Bonifacio’s brother-in-law – Z.], Briccio Pantas, and Pio Valenzuela were all
opposed to starting the revolution too early. They reasoned that the people would be in distress if
the revolution were started without adequate preparation. Plata was very forceful in his
argument, stating that the uprising could not very well be started without the arms and food for
the soldiers. Valenzuela used Rizal’s argument about the rich not siding with the Katipunan
organization. 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 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,” Bonifacio saved, “I want to see you destroy
your cedulas. It will be the sign that all of us have declared our severance from the Spaniards.”
With tears in their eyes, the people as one man, pulled out their cedulas and tore them to pieces.
It was the beginning of the formal declaration of the separation from Spanish rule. With their
cedulas destroyed, they could no longer go back to their homes because the Spaniards would
persecute them, if not for being katipuneros, for having no cedulas. And people who had no
cedulas during those days were severely punished. When the people’s pledge was obtained by
Bonifacio, he returned to the session hall and informed the leaders of what took place outside.
“The people want to revolt, and they have destroyed their cedulas,” Bonifacio said. “So now we
have to start the uprising; otherwise, the people by hundreds will be shot.” There was no
alternative. The board of directors, in the spite of the protests of Plata, Pantas, and Valenzuela,
voted for the revolution. And when this was decided, the people outside shouted: “Long Live the
Philippine Republic!” I still remember Bonifacio as he appeared that day. Although a mere
bodeguero (warehouseman) and earning ₱25 (Mex.) a month, he was a cultured man. He always
wore an open coat, with black necktie, and black hat. He always carried an umbrella. At the
meeting that morning of August 26, Bonifacio took off his coat and was wearing only his shirt,
with collar and tie. Bonifacio’s hobby was weaving bamboo hats. During his spare time, he wove
dozens of them and sold them in Manila. Thus, he made extra money. At about 5 o’clock in the
afternoon, while the gathering at Balintawak was celebrating the decision of the Katipunan
leaders to start the uprising, the guards who were up in trees to watch for any possible intruders
or the approach of the enemy, gave the warning that the Spaniards were coming.
Led by Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto and other leaders of the Katipunan, the men were distributed in
strategic positions and were prepared for attack of the civil guards. I was with a group stationed
on the bank of a small creek, guarding the places where the Spaniards were to pass in order to
reach the meeting place of the katipuneros. Shots were then fired by the civil guards, and that
was the beginning of the fire which later became such a huge conflagration. #
GENERALIZATION:
There may have been different kinds of primary sources containing various dates and places
about the occurrence of the first Cry of Rebellion. One thing is sure, it took place somewhere in
those places mentioned and the Philippine revolution happened that same year.

5. DISCUSSION FORUM:
 What are advantages and disadvantages of having different kinds of primary sources on
the Cry?
ACTIVITY:
 Write a Position paper regarding the date and place where the Cry of Rebellion took
place.
(Refer to the rubric provided in this learning packet as your guide)