THE SITE OF THE FIRST MASS IN THE

PHILIPPINES MASAO OR LIMASAWA

• Based on the letters Dr. Rizal wrote, it can be said that his
concept of God could be summarized into three notions. First, he
believed that God existed. Second, he believed that God was Plus
Supra. Lastly, he believed that God was the origin of nature; that
is, nature was the expression of God.
• According to Pigafetta the historian of the Magellan expedition
the first mass in the Philippines archipelago was celebrated on
March 31 1521.
• It was held at the shores of Mazaua Mazaua was believed to be
Limasawa an island located at tip of southern Leyte.
• Priest who led the mass is Fr. Pedro De Valderrama
 Pigaffeta
• Pigaffeta was an Italian who was in the
service of the king Spain.
• He served as the chronicler of the
Magellan expedition and was on of the
men of Magellan who was able to return
to Spain on board the victory the only ship
which survived the expedition.
 Limasawa
• An island and located at the tip of
southern leyte.
• The first mass was celebrated to
limasawa not butuan.
• It was held on March 31 1521.
 The first Philippines
Pigafetta's account of the first mass
• The first Catholic mass in the Philippines was
held Easter Sunday March 31 1521
• It was held along the shores of what was know as
mazaua according to Antonio Pigafetta's chronicle
• Pigafetta joined king Charles I of Spain
expedition to the spice island commanded by
explorer Ferdinand Magellan
• Many people today think the first mass was he'd
in lawasa near the southern tip of leyte while this
is disputed by some who claims that the first mass
was held in masao butuan
• Many people today think the first mass was
he'd in lawasa near the southern tip of leyte
while this is disputed by some who claims that
the first mass was held in masao butuan.
• In commeration of the birth of Christianity in
the Philippines RA NO 2733 was enacted on
June 19 1960.
• Know as the limasawa law it declared the site
in Magallanes limasawa island in Leyte as a
national shrine however it was not signed by
the president.
 Masao
• According to Soria Zalde she identified Masao in
Butuan as the location of the first Christian mass.

• She based on her claim on the diary of Pigafetta.

• The controversy about limawasa and masao was

referred to hate national historical institute ( now
national historical commission to the Philippines) .
• Despite the reaffirmation of the NHI that
limasawa was the site of the first
Christian mass in the archipelago.
• The controversy on the site of the first
mass did not stop there many
Pangasinense claim that first mass was
celebrated in pangasinan in around 1334
by blessed Odorico. However this claim
was considered as one of the hoaxes in
the Philippine history.
 Where was the first kingdom masao or limasawa?
• The first kingdom visited by Magellan in 1521
and the site of the first recorded mass in the
Philippines have been the subject of controversy
since the Spanish era.
• Although limawasa southern leyte currently
holds the official title and dislodging it would
require new law evidence points to Masao
presently a municipality of Butuan Agusan del
Norte as the site of the first kingdom and hence
the first mass.
• The evidence for masao rather than limasawa
are the following .
• First the name of the place according to diary
of pigafetta the name of the place was three
syllables masao.
• Second the route from homonhon according the
record the expedition travelled to 20 to 50
league from homonhon if they have been to
limasawa the distance is about 14.6 leagues.
• Third the latitude position some of sources locate the
place at 90 North latitude and others at 9 2/3 degrees
the latitude position eliminates limawasa because it
is closer by ten degree and strengthen the claims of
masao butuan because it is exactly at nine degrees.
• Fourth the route to Cebu the route to Cebu taken by
the explorers is almost exactly similar to the one now
taken by motor vessels from cebu to butuan.
• Fifth the geographical feature the following physical
feature of the first kingdom point to butuan rather
than limasawa as follows the benefit the Balanghai
and the abudance of gold.
 CAVITE MUTINY
“ONE PAST BUT
MANY
HISTORIES”
CONTROVERCIES AND
CONFLICTING VIEWS IN
PHILIPPINES HISTORY

 The year 1872 is a historic year of two events

 The Cavite Mutiny
 The three priests Mariano Gomez,
Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora,
later immortalize as GOMBURZA.
B. THE CAVITE MUTINY

There are four version related to

the Cavite Mutiny- the Jose Montero
y Vidal, Spanish historian version; the
version of Governor-General Rafael
Izquier; the version of Trinidad
Hermenegildo Pardo de Tavera; and
that of the French writer, Edmund
Plauchut.
 1. The Jose Montero y Vidal and
Governor-General Rafael Izquierdo Versions

• The version of Jose Montero y Vidal and Governor-

General Izquierdo were almost the same except that the
Izquierdo version was more biting. In his documentation of
this event Montero referred to it as a "revolution," an
attempt by Indios to topple down the Spanish government in
the Philippines. Izquierdo on the other hand, used this event
as a vehicle to implicate the Filipino priests who were then
active in their secularization of Philippine parishes
campaign.
 The primary reasons
for the "revolution"
were the removal of
the privileges which
the workers in the
arsenal were
enjoying. These
privileges including
the exemption from Jose Montero y Vidal
the payment of
tribute and from
 Izquierdo, in his report to
the Spanish king pointed
to the intention of the
rebels to topple down the
Spanish government in
order to put in power a
new "king" in the person
of Father Jose Burgos and
Father Jacinto Zamora. He
stressed in his report that
the Filipino priests urged Gov-Gen Rafael Izquierdo
the natives to support the
"revolution."
 Spanish Version
Both Montero and Izquierdo believed that the
Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was planned earlier, that it was a
conspiracy among the educated, the mestizos, the native
lawyers, citizens of Manila and Cavite and the Filipino
priests. They insinuated in their reports that the
conspirators of Manila and Cavite planned to liquidate
the They
top Spanish officials
stated that and toofbethe
the signal followed by thewould be
"revolution"
murder of the friars.
the explosion which would come from Intramuros and
that since that date, January 20, 1872 coincided with the
feast of the Our Lady of Loreto, which the district of
Sampaloc was observing, the rebels mistook the
explosion coming from the fireworks for the signal they
were waiting for to start the "revolution". The 200
contingent under the command of Sargeant Lamadrid
started the "revolution" by attacking the Spanish official
 Spanish Version
The report of Montero and Izquierdo further stated
that when Izquierdo learned of the uprising, he
immediately dispatched reinforcement to Cavite
which made possible the quelling of uprising. They
also added that the reinforcement from Manila which
the rebels were waiting failed to come, thus those
who instigated the “revolution were killed including
Sergeant Lamadrid; the Gomburza was subjected to
investigation through a court martial and were
sentenced to death by garrote; Joaquin Pardo de
Tavera, Antonio Ma Regidor, Jose and Pio Basa, and
other Filipino lawyers were suspended from
practicing their profession, were arrested and
2. TRINIDAD PADRO DE TAVERA VERSION

The Cavite mutiny of all natives, soldiers and

workers in the Cavite arsenal who were
disheartened because of the removal of
privileges which they used to enjoy later. The
report of Tavera stated that on 20 January 1872,
about 200 men comprised soldiers, laborers of
the arsenal, and resident of Cavite headed by
Lamadrid rose in arms and assasinated the
commanding officer and Spanish officer in
sight.
 3. THE EDMUNDE/ EDMUND
PLAUCHUT VERSION

Plauchut in his report also focuses on

execution of the three priest Gomes, Burgos,
and Zamora which he personally witnessed
In 1877, Edmund Plauchut a Frenchmen who was
residing in manila at the time the event happened,
published in the revue des deux mondes, his version
of Cavite mutiny. On January 20, 1872, when they
received their pay, the workers found the amount of
the taxes and the corresponding fee in lieu of the
forced labor deducted from their pay envelops.
 C. THE RETRACTION OF JOSE RIZAL

DID RIZAL RETRACT HIS

MASONIC AFFILIATION?

RIZAL STATED IN HIS RETRACTION..........

I abominate masonry as the enemy of the church and
reprobated by the same "Church" (Rizal" Retraction
letter"1996)
" I declare myself a catholic and in this religion in which
I was born and educate I wish to live and die.
I retract with all my heart whatever in my word, writings,
publication and conduct has been contrary to my character as
son of the catholic church. I believe and I confess whatever
she teaches and I submit to whatever she demands I
abominate Masonry, as the enemy which is if the church, and
society prohibited by the church. The diocesan prelate may,
as the superior ecclesiastical authority, make public this
spontaneous manifestation of mine in order to repair the
scandal which my acts may have caused and so that God and
people may pardon me"
Manila 29 of December of 1896 Jose Rizal - The
Retraction Letter.
 What was the retraction about?

The letter, dated December 29 1896 was said to have

been signed by the National Hero himself. Rizal
retracted because the church would not allow his
marriage to Josephine bracken unless he retracted his
masonic affiliation

WHAT IS RETRACTION?

A public statement made about an earlier

statement that withdraws, cancels, refutes or
reverses the original statement or ceases and
desist from publishing the original statement.
 1. The Rizal’s doubt on the Catholic
Church

What Dr. Rizal meant by "blind faith" was, since it was

impossible to comprehend God as He was Plus Supra, he could
have only hinged his belief on the fact that "God was God." As
such, he did not deny nor did he accept the religious
explanations of the mortals around him. Blind faith was more
of a disposition of philosophy than of religion. It was a
disposition where one did not accept and deny despite having a
personal conviction.
 Based on the letters Dr. Rizal wrote,[1] it can be said
that his concept of God could be summarized into three
notions. First, he believed that God existed. Second, he
believed that God was Plus Supra. Lastly, he believed
that God was the origin of nature; that is, nature was the
expression of God.
Dr. Rizal was not convinced that a sufficient
understanding of God that was as powerful and
metaphysical as the Supreme Being could be contained in
the consciousness of mere mortals who have no capacity to
understand beyond what was in the words of Nietzsche
"divined"[5] to them. Mortals who were so limited could not
have possibly comprehended a limitless being. As such, Dr.
Rizal articulated that the only genuine faith was "blind
faith." In short, the more people tried to explain to him what
and who God was, the more he got convinced that they did
 2.The Beginning of
the Retraction
Controversy
• José Protacio Rizal Mercado y
Alonso Realonda
 3. ANALYZING THE RETRICTION ISSUE
• The retraction issue started with the publication of
Retana claiming that he had the retraction document of
Rizal.
• When this was published, Fr. Pio Pi came out with his
own retraction document which he claimed as the
original.
• He said that the document was given to Archbishop
Nozaleda for safekeeping.
• He had it published in an article entitled La
Muerte Christiana del Rizal, which he claimed he
published to prove that Retana's document was not
original.
 • The issue became more confusing when Fr.
Manuel Garcia revealed that he accidentally
found the original retraction document among
the files of the Archbishop.
• But his revelation came out after four decades of
silence
• Another priest, Fr. Francisco A. Ortiz
published an English document which he
claimed as the original retraction of Rizal.

• This brought more confusion to the retraction issue.

THE THREE RETRACTION
DOCUMENTS
 THE FR. PIO PI RETRACTION DOCUMENT

I declare myself a Catholic and in this religion in which I was

born and bred, I wish to live and die. I retract with all my heart
whatever in my words, writings, publications, and conduct, has
been contrary to my character as a son of the Church. I profess
and believe everything she teaches and I submit to whatever
she commands. I abominate Masonry as a society condemned
by the Church, as an enemy that it is of the Church and as a
society prohibited by the same Church. The Diocesan prelate,
as the superior ecclesiastical authority, may make public this
spontaneous avowal of mine in order to repair the scandal that
my acts might have caused, and in order that God and men
may forgive me.
 THE FR. GRACIA RETRACTION
DOCUMENT

I declare myself a Catholic and in this Religion in which I was

born and bred, I wish to live and die. I retract with all my heart
whatever in my words, writings, publications, and conduct, has
been contrary to my character as a son of the Catholic Church. I
profess and believe everything she teaches and I submit to
whatever she commands. Labominate Masonry as an enemy that
it is of the Church, and as a society prohibited by the same
Church. The Diocesan prelate as the Superior Ecclesiastical
Authority can make public this spontaneous avowal of mine in
order to repair the scandal that my acts might have caused, and so
that God and men may forgive me.
 THE FR. ORTIZ RETRACTION IN ENGLISH

I declare myself a Catholic and in this Religion in

which I was born and bred, I wish to live and die. I retract
with all my heart whatever in my words, writings,
publications, and conduct, has been contrary to my
character as a son of the Catholic Church. I profess and
believe everything she teaches and I submit to whatever
she commands. labominate Masonry as an enemy that it is
of the Church, and as a society prohibited by the same
Church. The Diocesan prelate as the Superior Ecclesiastical
Authority can make public this spontaneous avowal of
mine in order to repair the scandal that my acts might have
caused, and so that God and men may forgive me.
THE CRY OF PUGAD LAWIN
WHERE AND WHEN?
What is the meaning
of Cry of Pugad
Lawin?
• . The "Cry of
Pugad Lawin” was
an event that
officially marked
the start of the
Philippine
Revolution against
spain.
• The word “cry” comes from
the Spanish el grito de
rebellion or el grito for short,
But the “el grito de rebelion”
strictly refers to a decision or
call to revolt.

• The cry can also be referred

to in the inscriptions of “Viva
la Independencia Filipina”
which was literally
accompanied by patriotic
shouts when Andres
Bonifacio wrote Viva la
independencia Filipina in
walls of Pamitinan Cave in
Montalban, Rizal.
• • HOW AND WHEN
DID THIS
CONTROVERSY?
• 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.
 Is it Cry of Pugad Lawin or
Cry of Balintawak?

The monument in Balintawak

was inaugurated in 1911 and as
such, it used to serve as the site
for the annual celebration of
the Cry of Balintawak every
Aug. 26 until 1962
• Where did the Cry of
Pugad Lawin happen?
Santiago Alvarez, a
Katipunero and son of
Mariano Alvarez, the
leader of the Magdiwang
faction in Cavite, stated in
1927 that the Cry took
place in Bahay Toro, now SANTIAGO ALVAREZ
in Quezon City on August
24, 1896.
 Was born in Polo, Bulacan
(now the City of
Valenzuela) to Francisco
Valenzuela and Lorenza
Alejandrino, who both
came from wealthy
families. Pío was the third
eldest sibling of the
Valenzuela family Agustina
(born in 1861), Severo Dr. Pío Valenzuela
(born in 1865) and Tomás
(born in 1871). His father
came from a prominent
GUILLERMO MASANGKAY
• A friend and adviser of
Andres Bonifacio, was
born on June 25, 1867
in Tondo, Manila,
Masangkay died on
May 30, 1963. A street
in Sta. Cruz, Manila has
been named after him.
• Being highly motivated by the killings and arrest of
their fellow members in Manila, they tore up their
cedulas and let out the cry “Long live the
Philippines” or “mabuhay ang pilipinas” which is
known as the Cry of Pugad Lawin in Philippine
history.

• The Cry of the Rebellion in Pugad Lawin marked

the beginning of the Philippine Revolution in 1896
which ultimately led to Philippine Independence in
1898. After Bonifacio’s death on May 10, 1897, in
Maragondon, Cavite, General Emilio Aguinaldo
continued the revolution.