THE FIRST CRY OF THE

REVOLUTION (AUGUST
1896)
Gallogo, Christine Joy
Quijada, Therese Ann
Quinalayo, May Margarette
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. Identify the conflicting views about the First Cry of
the Revolution.
2. Examine each source in its account of the start of the
revolution.
3. Formulate arguments for and against a particular
source.
Historical context:
The Philippine Revolution of 1896 begin with what later
became known as the “First Cry” or the initial move of the
Filipinos to begin the revolution for independence. This
they did by tearing up their cedulas proclaiming the start
of the fight for independence. The event happened after
the Katipunan was exposed on August 19, 1896 and the
Spaniards began to crack down on suspected rebels.
The First Cry of the Philippine
Revolution of 1896
The First Cry of the Philippine Revolution
happened on August 23, 1896 at Pugad
Lawin, now part of Project 8 in Quezon City
Dr. Pio Valenzuela's Account
The official date and place of the First Cry were
largely based on the account of Dr. Pio Valenzuela,
an official of the Katipunan and a friend of Andres
Bonifacio, who was present during the event. His
account was published as Memoirs of the K.K.K.
and the Philippine Revolution (Manila, n,d.)
Santiago Alvarez's Account
In 1927, a pre-World War II Tagalog weekly magazine
named Sampaguita began publishing the Katipunan
memoirs of General Santiago Virata Alvarez (nom-de-
guerre (war name): Kidlat ng Apoy) one of the leaders
of the Cavite revolution. The series appeared in 36
parts. It told the story of the Philippine Revolution
starting in March 1896 until late 1897 interspersed
with personal accounts and stories of events during
the revolution taken from Alvarez’ notes. The series
was later published as a book, titled The Katipunan
and the Revolution (QC: ADMU, 1992) with an English
translation by Paula Carolina Malay.
Santiago Alvarez's Account
The story of the First Cry is found in Chapter 6 of
the memoirs. Alvarez presents an account devoid
of any dramatic description as it is merely a
narration of the events that happened in Bahay
Toro (now part of Project 8 in Quezon City) on
August 24, 1896.
Guillermo Masangkay's Account
In 1932, Guillermo Masangkay, a friend and fellow
Katipunero of Andres Bonifacio, recounted his
experiences as a member of the revolutionary
movement. In an interview with the Sunday
Tribune magazine, Masangkay said that the First
Cry happened in Balintawak on august 26, 1896.