LAST Sunday was the 130th anniversary of the officially accepted date of the first cry of the Philippine Revolution, which was on Aug. 23, 1896. To commemorate this, the Quezon City government, under the leadership of Mayor Joy Belmonte, inaugurated the redeveloped Pugad Lawin Shrine and Interpretation Gallery refurbishing the monument made by National Artist Napoleon Abueva. The facility, instead of making a definite stand on the contentious issue of whether this was the site or not, or was the date or not, intends to make people have a discourse on the debates, but more importantly to make people reflect on the greater importance of this turning point in our history as a people.
For me, the closest to a resolution to what happened during the Cry is the paper of Katipunan expert Jim Richardson titled “Notes on the ‘Cry’ of August 1896” based on a triangulation of existing primary sources.
The Katipunan was already intending to start the revolution by the end of August, but they would lose the element of surprise. On Aug. 19, 1896, Teodoro Patiño, a member of the Katipunan working at the Diario de Manila, had a conflict with a fellow member, so he told his sister Honoria who was a nun at the Mandaluyong Orphanage that their organization would launch a revolt and intended to kill all Spaniards in Manila. Honoria was so scared she became hysterical and told her superior Sor Teresa de Jesús, who in turn advised Teodoro to tell Father Mariano Gil himself about the plans of the organization.
When Teodoro did tell Father Gil, the Tondo curate swore that it was never a confession but just a disclosure, and he proceeded to inform the authorities. The Diario de Manila was promptly raided and they discovered Katipunan dry seals. They set into operation what was called the “juez de cuchillo,” or the law of the knife — the arrest of those suspected to be part of the rebellion.
The Supreme President, Andres Bonifacio, had to call the Supreme Assembly of the Katipunan to decide on whether to begin the revolution already. The messengers sprang into action, going to each chapter on foot to give the announcement, undetected by the Spaniards.
The First Cry of the Revolution is actually confusing because, as Jim Richardson says, we are actually talking about three different events: the “pasya” (decision to revolt), “pagpupunit” (tearing of the cedula), and the “unang labanan/putukan” (first encounter).
Bonifacio, with Emilio Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela, met the hundreds gathered at the house of Apolonio Samson in Sitio Kangkong on Aug. 21, 1896. Most of those who were there agreed that this was where the decision was made to launch the revolution. Reymar Tecson Yson, in his thesis on the Cry, however, emphasized how a lot of eyewitnesses actually heard Bonifacio, after this meeting, ask a few of them if they really wanted to proceed despite the lack of arms, and that they should go home. They overwhelmingly answered yes, brandishing whatever it was they were holding, revolvers, bolos, daggers and machetes, and said they could not go home anymore because they might be arrested. Bonifacio was visibly touched by the bravery of the people and when he addressed them, there were tears in their eyes.
After that, they made a simple act that would put their lives in danger, because no man should be without this requirement, or else the authorities could arrest you if you do not have one. When Bonifacio informed a larger crowd of the decision, he asked them if they would swear that they would reject the government that was suppressing them. Aurelio Tolentino remembered Bonifacio asking them “Kalayaan o kaalipinan? Kabuhayan o kamatayan? Mga kapatid halina’t ating kalabanin ang mga baril at kanyon upang kamtin ang sariling kabuhayan.”
When the crowd agreed, Francisco Carreon remembered Bonifacio saying, “In that case, bring out your cedulas and rip them up as a symbol of defiance!” Which they did and Bonifacio shouted, “Mabuhay ang Katagalugan!” The crowd answered back “Mabuhay!” Guillermo Masangkay also remembered people shouting, “Ligtas na tayo sa pagka-alipin.” (We are now free from slavery)
Some said this happened in Kangkong, some in Pugad Lawin or in Pasong Tamo, where Tandang Sora threw open her compound and fed the revolutionaries from the produce and animals in her farm. Is it possible that for each arriving group, they also repeated the gesture? Anyway, all of these places were in Balintawak.
By the 24th, a thousand were already there. Bonifacio had a meeting with the Supreme Assembly at the barn of Tandang Sora’s son Juan Ramos in Banlat where the Katipunan was transformed into a government appointing generals and leaders of the nation, as Jacinto wrote, “magsisipamahala sa bayan at mag-aakay sa hukbo.” This is also where Andres Bonifacio became president of a national revolutionary government. It was followed by the first encounter with the Spaniards in Pasong Tamo where the revolutionaries under Bonifacio won.
This for me is the real birth of the Filipino nation, making Balintawak, now in Quezon City, its birthplace.
