Today in Philippine History, August 23,

1896, Katipuneros led by Andres Bonifacio

tore their "cedulas"
(Posted under August Historical Events)

On August 23, 1896, in a then hilly and forested sitio of Pugad Lawin in Balintawak,
now part of Quezon City, the Katipuneros led by Andres Bonifacio tore
their "cedulas" as an expression of their open defiance against the Spanish rule in the
country.

This event, called the "Cry of Pugad Lawin", officially marked the beginning of the
Philippine Revolution against Spain.

Founded by Bonifacio, Ladislaw Diwa, Deodato Arellano and others on July 7, 1892,
the Katipunan was initially a secret society aiming for independence from Spain through
armed revolt.

Bonifacio was forced to bring the fight to the field upon the discovery of the secret
organization. He issued a manifesto inciting people to take up arms against Spanish
tyranny simultaneously in all towns.

The revolt eventually grew in strength and spread to eight provinces --Manila, Bulacan,
Cavite, Pampanga, Tarlac, Laguna, Batangas, and Nueva Ecija -- which were later
represented by the eight rays of the sun in the present Filipino flag.

After the death of Bonifacio on May 10, 1897 in Maragondom, Cavite, General Emilio
Aguinaldo continued the revolution and declared Philippine independence from Spain
on June 12, 1898 at Kawit, Cavite.

Filipino historians offer differing accounts on the date and place of the Cry of Pugad
Lawin. From 1908 until 1963, this event was officially recognized to have occurred on
August 26 in Balintawak. In 1963 the Philippine government declared a shift to August
23 in Pugad Lawin, Quezon City.

Guillermo Masangkay
On August 26th, 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.
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?"
"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. [5]
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
In 1935, 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
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. He 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]