Topic:

Cry of Pugad Lawin, Cry of Balintawak, The “Cry of Bahay Toro” and Gregoria de
Jesus version of the first cry
Textbook page 79-82

Content:

Cry of Balintawak or Pugad Lawin

There are different versions on the dates for the first cry of the revolution as well as its venue. It is believed
that the so-called Cry took place in Balintawak; but others say that it happened in Pugad Lawin. The
versions include “Cry of Pugad Lawin” by Pio Valenzuela, “The Cry Bahay Toro” by Santiago Alvarez,
version of the “First Cry” by Gregoria De Jesus, and lastly “The Cry of Balintawak” by Guillermo
Masangkay.

The Philippine Revolution “The Cry of Pugadlawin”

Authorized by : Dr. Pio Valenzuela

The "Cry" of Pugadlawin

The news of the discovery of the Katipunan spread throughout Manila and the suburbs. Bonifacio, informed
of the discovery, secretly instructed his runners to summon all the leaders of the society to a general
assembly to be held on August 24, 1896. They were to meet at Balintawak to discuss the steps to be taken
to meet the crisis. That same night of August 19, Bonifacio, accompanied by his brother Procopio, Emilio
Jacinto, Teodoro Plata, and Aguedo del Rosario, slipped through the cordon of Spanish sentries and
reached Balintawak before midnight. Pio Valenzuela followed them the next day. On the 21st, Bonifacio
changed the Katipunan code because the Spanish authorities had already deciphered it. In the afternoon of
the same day, the rebels, numbering about 500, left Balintawak for Kangkong, where Apolonio Samson, a
Katipunero, gave them food and shelter. In the afternoon of August 22, they proceeded to Pugadlawin. The
following day, in the yard of Juan A. Ramos, the son of Melchora Aquino who was later called the "Mother of
the Katipunan", Bonifacio asked his men whether they were prepared to fight to the bitter end. Despite the
objection of his brother-in-law, Teodoro Plata, all assembled agreed to fight to the last. "That being the case,
" Bonifacio said, "bring out your cedulas and tear them to pieces to symbolize our determination to take up
arms!" The men obediently tore up their cedulas, shouting "Long live the Philippines!" This event marked the
so-called "Cry of Balintawak," which actually happened in Pugadlawin.
The Cry of Balintawak First Skirmishes

In the midst of this dramatic scene, some Katipuneros who had just arrived from Manila and Kalookan
shouted "Dong Andres! The civil guards are almost behind us, and will reconnoiter the mountains."
Bonifacio at once ordered his men to get ready for the expected attack of the Spaniards. Since they had
inferior arms the rebels decided, instead, to retreat. Under cover of darkness, the rebels marched towards
Pasong Tamo, and the next day, August 24, they arrived at the yard of Melchora Aquino, known as
Tandang Sora. It was decided that all the rebels in the surrounding towns be notified of the general attack
on Manila on the night of August 29, 1896.

At ten in the morning of August 25, some women came rushing in and notified Bonifacio that the civil guards
and some infantrymen were coming. Soon after, a burst of fire came from the approaching Spaniards. The
rebels deployed and prepared for the enemy. In the skirmish that followed, the rebels lost two men and the
enemy one. Because of their inferior weapons, which consisted mostly of bolos and a few guns, the rebels
decided to retreat. On the other hand, the Spaniards, finding themselves greatly outnumbered, also decided
to retreat. So both camps retreated and thus prevented a bloody encounter. This was the first skirmish
fought in the struggle for national emancipation.

On August 26, Spanish reinforcements were dispatched to Pasong Tamo to drive away the rebels. But the
latter, who were going to or were already in Balara, could not be found. The Spaniards, frustrated in their
attempt to contact the Filipino contingent, shot, instead, two innocent farmers who were leisurely going on
their way home. Returning to Manila, the Spanish soldiers boasted that a great fight has taken place at
Pasong Tamo, and that they had driven the rebels to the interior. This was the origin of the so-called "Cry of
Balintawak", which neither happened on August 26 nor in Balintawak.

Meanwhile, the rebels, skirting the mountain trails day and night, finally arrived in Mariquina. Later in the
day, however, they abandoned it and proceeded to Hagdang Bato on August 27. The following day,
Bonifacio issued a manifesto inciting the people to take up the Filipino cause and to get set for a concerted
attack on the Spaniards on August 29.

Bonifacio's Manifesto of August 28

This manifesto is for all of you. It is absolutely necessary for us to stop at the earliest possible time the
nameless oppressions being perpetrated on the sons of the people who are now suffering the brutal
punishment and tortures in jails, and because of this please let all the brethren know that on Saturday, the
revolution shall commence according to our agreement. For this purpose, it is necessary for all town to rise
simultaneously and attack Manila at the same time. Anybody who obstructs this sacred ideal of the people
will be considered a traitor and an enemy, except if he is ill or is not physically fit, in which case he shall be
tried according to the regulation we have put in force.

CONCLUSION

The controversial cry of Pugad Lawin was written by Dr. Pio Valenzuala who happened to be the eyewitness
himself of the event. He followed Andres Bonificio, Emilio Jacinto, Procopio Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata,
Aguedodel Rosario who arrived at Balintawak on August 19, 1896 then Pio Valenzuela arrived on August
20, 1896. He held this account when the happenings or events are still vivid in his memory, then later on he
wrote his memoirs of the revolution without consulting the written documents of the Philippine revolution and
claimed that the “cry” took place in Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896. The context mainly focused on the
revolution of the katipuneros towards the Spaniards they tear apart their cedulas or sedula a community tax
certificate (Filipino: sertípiko ng buwís pampámayanan) or sédula (from Spanish cédula), also known as a
residence certificate, is a legal identity document in the Philippines on that period as a sign of rebel towards
the Spanish government, the revolution took many lives of our fellow countrymen for fighting our
independence or freedom.

Philippine Revolution “The Cry of Balintawak”

By: Katipunan General Guillermo Masangkay

As a bosom friend of Andres Bonifacio, the founder of katipunan, General Masangkay was the Supremo’s
personal counselor. He argued that the first rally of the Philippine Revolution happened on August 26,1986
that took place at Balintawak and was accepted by the American government.

According to him, on the 26th day of August 1896 at the house of Apolonio Samson was when a big
meeting was held where all the leaders of katipunan and board of directors as well as the delegates from
Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Cavite and Rizal and was mainly led by Bonifacio and Jacinto.

The meeting was about the uprising was to take place. Teodoro Plata, BriccioPantas and Pio Valenzuela
argued that it was not a good idea to start the revolution too early for it will only leave people tormented due
to the adequate preparation.

Sensing that he will not win the discussion, he left the room and talked to the people. “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?”
As the people agreed on revolving, he asked them to pledge on the revolution by tearing the cedula tax as a
sign of severance from the Spaniards.

When the pledge was obtained, he returned to the discussion hall and informed the people of what took
place outside. The board of directors voted for revolution in spite of the protest of starting the revolution
early or else people of hundreds will be shot to death. The decision was final and people shouted “Long live
the Philippine Republic!”

Led by Bonifacio, Jacinto and other leaders distributed in strategic positions and were prepared to attack of
the civil guards and that was the beginning of the inferno.

The “Cry of Bahay Toro”

Santiago V. Alvarez, a Katipunero and son of Mariano Alvarez; the leader of the Magdiwang faction
in Cavite, he was a revolutionary general and founder and honorary president of the first directorate of
the Nacionalista Party. He was a relative of Gregoria De Jesus, who happened to be the wife of Andress
Bonifacio.He is also known as Kidlat ng Apoy (En: Lightning of Fire; Fiery Lightning) because of his inflamed
bravery and dedication as commander of Cavite's famous battles (particularly that in Dalahican), he was
celebrated in present-day Cavite City as the Hero of the Battle of Dalahican.

Alvarez stated that the Cry took place in Bahay Toro at the house of Tandang Sora, now in Quezon
City on August 24, 1896. But his statement is not given an equal value since he is not an eyewitness of this
event compared to other author of a different version of the “cry”, Below is Alvarez account:

“At ten o’clock that Sunday morning, 23 August 1896, at Sampalukan, Bahay Toro. Our number had grown
to more than 500 and the house, yard, and granary of Cabesang Melchora was getting crowded with us
Katipuneros., she opened her granary and had plenty of rice pounded and animals slaughtered to feed us…

“The following day, Monday, August 24, more Katipuneros came and increased the number to more than a
thousand, the Supremo called a meeting at 10 o’clock that morning inside Cabesang Melchora’s barn…After
the adjournment of the meeting at twelve noon, there were tumultuous shouts of ‘Long Live the Sons of the
People!’ ”
 In his memoirs Ang Katipunan at Paghihimagsik, written in 1927 but based, he said, on records
entrusted to him by the Katipunan’s first leaders and fighters. Internal evidence suggests that Alvarez’s
account of the meeting on August 24 is based on information he obtained from Ramon Bernardo, a
Katipunan leader from Pandacan who was a participant in the “Cry”.

Gregoria de Jesus version of the first cry

Gregoria de Jesus, native of the town of Kalookan in Rizal Province. She was born on Tuesday, May
9, 1875, at number 13, Baltazar Street, now Zamora, in the place where thousands of arms used in the
Revolution were buried, and where the revolutionary leaders met to make the final arrangements for the
outbreak before leaving for the field. Her father was Nicolas de Jesus, also a native of this town, a master
mason and carpenter by occupation, and a government official during the Spanish regime, having been
second lieutenant, chief lieutenant and gobernadorcillo. Her mother was Baltazara Alvarez Francisco, of the
town of Noveleta in Kabite Province, a niece of General Mariano Alvarez of Magdiwang in Kabite, the first to
raise the standard of revolt in that province.

Si Gregoria de Jesus na karaniwang tinatawag ng mga manghihimagsik na "Inang Oriang ay

nagkaroon ng mahalagang tungkulin sa Katipunan. Siya ang taga-ingat ng mga mahahalagang kasulatan
dito. Pinamahalaan ni Oriang ang pagpapakain at pagpapagamot sa mga kasapi ng Katipunan na minalas
na masugatan. Nang minsang may nagtraydor sa Katipunan ay itinuro siya na siyang naghahawak ng
mahahalagang kasulatan ng Katipunan, subalit ang mga ito ay madali niyang naitago sa malayong lugar.

“In those days our situation was extremely perilous, and since the people were already chaffing under
bondage, they rose to a man and quickly swelled the ranks of the K.K.K. and every night our house was
nearly filled with men who came to listen to the voice of the Motherland, among them Enrique Pacheco with
his two sons, Cipriano and Alfonso; Tomas Temigio, and Francisco Carreon, all members of the Supreme
Council of the Katipunan, and others who had joined in the first cry of the Katipunan”.

“Many times on receiving some warning that the house would be searched by the Veterana police,
regardless of the hour, I would immediately gather all the papers, the arms, and the seal, and ordered a
quiles and, abandoning my meals, for quite often this happened at noon or eight o'clock at night, I would go
driving until midnight along the bay front of Tondo and the streets of Binondo in order to save our
countrymen from danger. The thing that grieved me, however, was the fact that whenever I ask some
friends, whom I expected to be cooperative, for help, they would refuse and even keep away from me upon
knowing that I was carrying dangerous things. News was then transmitted not by telephone but verbally
from one man to another, and in this way I knew whenever the danger was over and I could go back home
for some rest and peace”.