This version is written by the

Katipunan General Guillermo

Masangkay. He is an
eyewitness of the historic event
and a childhood friend of
Bonifacio. According to him,
the first
rally of the Philippine
Revolution happened on
August 26, 1896 at Balintawak.
Correspondingly,
the date and site 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
This version is written by the Katipunan General Guillermo Masangkay. He is an eyewitness of
the historic event and a childhood friend of Bonifacio. According to him, the first rally of the Philippine
Revolution happened on August 26, 1896 at Balintawak. Correspondingly, the date and site 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.