MODULE: OLSS01 – READING IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY

CHAPTER 5 - CONTROVERSIES IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

A. Criticize conflicting views concerning certain historical issues

B. Compare and contrast views of prominent people on particular issues,
C. Debate on controversial historical issues.

Unveiling controversies in Philippine history, we focus on three crucial events. First,

the "Cry of Rebellion" challenges established narratives about our fight for
independence. Then, the Battle of Tirad Pass brings forth conflicting perspectives,
adding layers to the heroic tale. Lastly, the surrender of the last Filipino general to the
Americans in the Filipino-American War prompts questions about strategy and loyalty in
the quest for Philippine independence. Explore these events with us as we unravel the
complexities, shedding light on nuanced truths in our shared history.
CASE 4: CRY OF REBELLION

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The "El Grito de Rebelion" or "Cry of Rebellion" in the Late Nineteenth Century
In the late nineteenth century, the "El Grito de Rebelion" or "Cry of Rebellion"
marked the beginning of a revolution that took place in August 1896 in the northeast of
Manila. During this event, rebels declared their rebellion against the Spanish colonial
government, and it stands as a crucial moment in the history of colonies striving for
independence against their colonizers. Filipino historian Teodoro Agoncillo underscores
a specific incident during the event when Andrés Bonifacio tore the cedula or tax receipt
before the Katipuneros, who followed suit. Some writers identify the first military
encounter with the Spaniards as the moment of the Cry. In response to the failure of the
Pact of Biak-na-Bato, Emilio Aguinaldo commissioned an "Himno de Balintawak" to
inspire the renewed struggle. Eyewitness accounts, however, present marked
disagreements among historical witnesses regarding the place and time of the Cry.
Utilizing primary and secondary sources, four places have been identified: Balintawak,
Kangkong, Pugad Lawin, and Bahay Toro. The dates also vary, with possibilities on 23,
24, 25, or 26 August 1896.
It's important to approach accounts with caution, particularly in the case of
Valenzuela, who initially told a Spanish investigator that the Cry happened in Balintawak
on Wednesday, 26 August 1896. However, in his later Memoirs of the Revolution, he
stated that it occurred at Pugad Lawin on 23 August 1896. Such inconsistencies in
accounts serve as red flags when dealing with primary sources.
According to Guerrero, Encarnacion, and Villegas, all these places are in
Balintawak, then part of Caloocan, and now in Quezon City. As for the varying dates, it's
suggested that Bonifacio and his troops might have been moving from one place to
another to evade detection by the Spanish government, which could explain the several
accounts of the Cry.
CASE 5: THE BATTLE OF TIRAD PASS
The youngest
general of Bulacan
who fought in the
Filipino and American
war in1889, he is
known for his defense
due to the mountains
of burning Tirad in
Ilocos Sur against the
Americans. General
Gregorio Del Pilar was
born on November 14,
1875 and lived with his uncle Deodato Arellano where the first congregation was
founded and he was educated at the Ateneo Municipal De Manila in 1881. In March

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1886 he graduated from Ateneo De Manila with a Bachelor of Arts course. At an early
age he joined the Katipunan, became the leader of the katipuneros and joined the
troops of Colonial Vicente Enriquez.
He also attacked Paombong which also strengthened him where he held 3,000
thousand Filipinos against Ramon Blanco's ranks with 560 hundred Spaniards, as a
result of the Filipinos' tactical victory. When Antonio Luna died In Nueva Ecija Gregorio
Del Pilar succeeded Aguinaldo's small army. They hide in the mountains of Ilocos Sur,
Aguinaldo gathered the combined forces in Cavite and Bulacan. The Tirad pass, is a
mountain gap in the Cordillera, where Filipino soldiers fought against American soldiers
on December 2, 1899 so that Emilio Aguinaldo could walk. In November1899,
Aguinaldo's party reached the town of Conception Ilocos Sur and they climbed to the
top of Mt. Tirad.
Del Pilar ordered to dig 3 lines. Del Pilar left with sixty soldiers to watch out for
the Americans, while Aguinaldo and the rest were left in Cervantes. It was the second of
December in the year 1899 when the battle broke out between Del Pilar and Payton
March's ranks in the Tirad mountains and it was called "The Battle of Tirad Pass “The
US Army 33rd Infantry Regiment, led by Peyton Marc, was captured by the town of
Conception at the foot of Mount Tirad. On December 1, 1899, they hurried across the
Pasong Tirad mountains to cut off Aguinaldo's communication with General Manuel
Tinio's brigades. The Americans found it difficult to climb the mountain of Pasong Tirad
because Del Pilar's ranks were defending the net at the top of the mountain, but a traitor
in Del Pilar's ranks told the Americans a secret road. Of Del Pilar's sixty men, only eight
were left, Del Pilar was killed in a skirmish from a gunshot wound to the neck and he
died instantly. During the Philippine-American War, the Igorot’s — hardy mountaineers
from the Cordilleras of northern Luzon Island—sent a contingent of men to fight the
Americans at Caloocan.
However, the group soon fell out with the Philippine army and became U.S.
allies, acting as guides for American troops in the rugged highlands of northern Luzon. A
Tingguian Igorot, Januario Galut, led U.S. troops to a position where they could
surround and defeat the forces of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar at Tirad Pass on Dec. 2, 1899.
Source: Philippine-American War,1899-1902 by Arnaldo Dumindin. Of the 60 original
defenders, only 8 managed to escape. However, del Pilar’s heroic delaying action—
which lasted for five hours—against the numerically superior and better-armed
Americans bought enough time for Aguinaldo to escape and fight another day. As for
Galut, no exact reason can be given for his betrayal; however, it is speculated that he
experienced discrimination from his own countrymen, prompting him to switch to the
American side.

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CASE 6: LAST FILIPINO GENERAL TO SURRENDER TO THE AMERICANS

Simeon Ola was a brave general on a
long list of brave generals. With people such
as Miguel Malvar in Batangas, Vicente
Lukban in Samar, and Macario Sakay in
Morong (now Rizal), it’s hard to make your
name stand out. But Ola from Albay managed
to do just that.
And yet, Ola is somebody we remember but
don’t really know all that well. Beyond the
surface, it seems that facts about Ola remain
few and far in between.
We do have a lot of facts on Ola. He was born
in 1865, in Guinobatan, Albay, to Vicente Ola
and Apolonia Arboleda. He managed to rise to the position of teniente de cuardillos in
his hometown, and he took Philosophy at the University of Nueva Caceres. But the call
of Revolution in 1896 meant that he stopped his studies at 31 years old.
We know Ola used his position as teniente, as well as his close relationship with the
parish priest to secure arms and ammunition. We know the battles he fought in:
Camalig, under General Vito Bellarmino, where he attained the rank of captain;
Binogsacan, right in Guinobatan; Oas, Macabugos, and many more. Philippines’
prominent historian Teodoro Agoncillo recognizes Miguel Malvar as the last filipino
general to surrender to the American. In his book “Introduction to Filipino History”
On April 16, 1902, General Miguel
Malvar surrendered in order to save his
people from the brutality of the enemy and
from hunger. With the surrender of General
Malvar, systematic opposition to American
sovereignty ceased. It is true that here and
there, as in the case of Macario Sakay,
patriots refused to surrender, but their effect
ton the Americans was negligibly.”
Note that Teodoro Agoncillo was
from Batangas Province and historians are
insinuating that he favored Malvar even
though he surrenders earlier two years than
Simeon Ola.
JOSE MALVAR ACCOUNT, MALVAR’S
GRANDSON

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Jose Malvar, grandson of Miguel Malvar, in his article to the Philippine Daily
Inquirer dated November 12, 2016, did not contest the claim that it was either Simeon
Ola or Macario Sakay and not his grandfather Miguel Malvar at the last Filipino General
surrender to the Americans but rather he claimed that “there was no surrender that took
place but rather a peace agreement with the Americans”.
One April 15, General Malvar and his went down Mount Makiling. There is a
newspaper photograph of General Bell and General Malvar shaking hands. The
photograph shows a crowd watching the occasion with the women in the crowd in
festive attire. It is evident from the picture that there was not even an indication of a
token of firearms. General Malvar did not surrender. He entered into peace agreement.
But the newspaper give the occasion the spin of victory by calling the occasion a
surrender.

Santos, E. D. (2019). Revisiting Controversies in Philippine History: Perspectives and

Challenges. Philippine Journal of History, 25(3), 112-128.
Rivera, M. A. (2021). Contested Narratives: Exploring Historical Controversies in the
Philippines. Asian History Journal, 8(4), 201-218.

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