GEN. ED.

2-
READINGS IN
PHILIPPINE HISTORY
MRS. CHRISTINE MAE A. PANON
INSTRUCTOR
 The history of the Philippines has numerous
splendid topics to discuss. Many issues have been
briefly explicated and sometimes this brings
confusion in understanding our past as one
nation. In fact, every Filipino student must learn
the different issues in our history so that they
may know their beginnings and understand as to
what chances we, as a people, may have in
upcoming days.
WHICH IS TRUE?
•Cry of Pugad Lawin
•Cry of Bahay Toro
•The First Cry
•Cry of Balintawak
 PIO VALENZUELA’S
CONTROVERSIAL “CRY OF
PUGAD LAWIN”
• Dr. Pio Valenzuela was an eyewitness himself of the
event.
• Wednesday of August 26, 1896 was his first version
of the first cry of rebellion and happened at Balintawak.
• Later in his life and with a fading memory, he wrote in
his Memoirs of the Revolution without consulting the
written documents of the Philippine revolution and
claimed the “cry” took place at Pugad Lawin on
August 23, 1896.
• 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.
• 500 members of the Katipunan met on August 22, 1896 at
house and yard of Apolonio Samson at Kangkong.
• 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.
• After the tumultuous meeting, many
of those present tore their cedula
certificates and shouted “Long live
the Philippines! Long live the
Philippines!”
CRY OF BAHAY TORO
• This version of the ‘Cry’ was written by
Santiago Alvarez, a well-known
Katipunero from Cavite and the son of
Mariano Alvarez. Santiago is a relative of
Gregorio de Jesus, who happened to be the
wife of Andres Bonifacio. Unlike Valenzuela,
Alvarez is not an eyewitness to the
event.
• 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”
GREGORIA DE JESUS’ VERSION
OF THE FIRST CRY
• This version was written by the
“Lakambini of the Katipunan” and
Andres Bonifacio’s wife, Gregoria de
Jesus. She has been a participant of this
event and a keeper of the secret
documents of the Katipunan.
• The first cry for freedom happened near
Caloocan on August 25, 1896
THE CRY OF
BALINTAWAK
• General Guillermo Masangkay is an eyewitness of
the event and a childhood friend of Bonifacio.
• He joined that underground society when he was only
17 and played a role in the Filipino-American revolution.
• 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.
• August 26, 1896, a big meeting was held in
Balintawak, at the house of Apolonio Samson, then the
cabeza of that barrio of Caloocan.
• It was attended by the leaders namely Bonifacio, Emilio
Jacinto, Aguedo del Rosario, Tomas Remigio, Briccio
Pantas, Teodoro Plata, Pio Valenzuela, Enrique Pacheco,
and Francisco Carreon.
• Delegates from Bulacan, Cabanatuan, Cavite and
Morong (now Rizal,) were also present.
• Teodoro Plata [Bonifacio’s brother-in-law], Briccio Pantas, and Pio
Valenzuela were all opposed to starting the revolution too early.
• 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 the cedula tax charged each
citizen.
• 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!”
• 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
 WHO DO YOU THINK TELLS US
THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS EVENT?