Cry of Pugad Lawin; Cry of

Balintawak
Comprehensive Summary and Description
The term "cry" referred to the first clash between the Katipuneros and the Civil
Guards (Guardia Civil) of Spain. The actual date and place of the first cry was
being widely debated.
● Dr. Pio Valenzuela (memoir), Brizzio Pantas, and Cipriano Pacheco - Pugad Lawin on
Aug 23, 1896.
● National Historical Commission - Pugad Lawin on Aug. 23, 1896
● Teodor A. Agoncillo - Pugad Lawin on Aug. 23,1986
● Spanish Lt. Olegario Diaz - Balintawak on Aug. 24, 1896
● Gregoria de Jesus Nakpil - Pasong Tamo on Aug. 25, 1896
● Julio Nakpil - Balintawak on Aug. 24, 1896; Kangkong on Aug. 26, 1896
● • Dr. Pio Valenzuela (testimony) - Balintawak on Aug 26, 1896
● • Santiago Alvarez - Bahay Toro on Aug 23, 1896
Significance to Philippine History
● The Cry of Balintawak was the cry of freedom
● The people involved were our fellow Filipinos
Primary Sources
Primary Source
Comprehensive Summary and Description
The written document contains a joint statement of Pio Valenzuela, Briccio Pantas,
and Cipriano Pacheco, veteran members of the KKK. They stated that the “Cry”
did not take place in Balintawak but in a place known by the name of “Pugad
Lawin”.
Sourcing
● The document was published by the Philippine Free Press. It was written in
1928 or 1929, during the celebration of the historical event that marked the
start of the Philippine revolution against the Spanish colonial rule.
● The written document contains a joint statement of Pio Valenzuela, Briccio
Pantas, and Cipriano Pacheco, veteran members of the KKK. They stated that
the “Cry” did not take place in Balintawak but in a place known by the name of
“Pugad Lawin”.
● The article was written for the Filipino people; to share the personal accounts of
the veteran members of KKK on the widely debated issue of where the first cry
actually took place.
Contextualization
● A significant event happening when the document was written was the
celebration of the “Cry of Pugad Lawin”.
● During that time, the actual date and place of the first cry was being widely
debated on so the document was written by the KKK veterans: Valenzuela,
Cipriano, and Pantas, to give clarification and their personal accounts on where
the first cry actually took place.
Corroboration
National Scientist for History Teodoro
Agoncillo, who, in his book, Revolt of
the Masses, provides a narration of the
events leading to the Cry and the first
skirmishes of the revolution. The Cry
took place in Pugad Lawin on August
23,1986.
Corroboration
Santiago Alvarez stated in 1927 that the Cry
took place in Bahay Toro, now in Quezon City
on August 24, 1896. His memoirs were based
on notes he kept about the revolution thus he
was not only an eyewitness but also an active
participant of the events. The memoirs begin on
March 14, 1896.
Primary Source
Comprehensive Summary
The article was written almost 50 years after the event of the Cry of
Balintawak. A member of the KKK named Dr. Pio Valenzuela was interviewed and
then he stated in his interview that the actual Cry of Balintawak did not happen on
the 26th of August in the year 1896 but it was on the 23rd.
Sourcing
● The article was written by Carlos Quirino.
● It was published by the Philippine Free Press on August 26, 1950 in Manila.
● The article was written to inform the Filipino people of the whereabouts of Dr.
Pio Valenzuela, a principal assistant of Andres Bonifacio in the Katipunan.
According to him, the people are wrong in celebrating the “Cry” on August 26
because the tearing of the cedulas happened on August 23 and the first
bloodshed occurred on August 25.
● The intended audience of the article were the Filipino people.
Contextualization
● The article was written on August 26, the day when the “Cry” was being
celebrated.
● During this time, the date and place of the official start of the revolution against
the Spaniards was still being heavily debated on.
● The article imparts the personal account of Dr. Pio Valenzuela that we are
celebrating the “Cry” on the wrong day; that it should be between August 23
and 25 and not on the 26th.
● The motivation of the author in writing the article might be his desire to know
and share the truth about the event, interviewing Dr. Pio Valenzuela in the
process.
● Currently, the “Cry” is now being celebrated on the 23rd of August as based on
the accounts of Dr. Pio Valenzuela.
Corroboration
Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s Memoir

The full details on what happened on the 23rd of

August 1896 was written in Dr. Pio Valenzuela’s
memoir.
Corroboration

■ Gregoria de Jesus’ autobiography entitled “Mga Tala

ng Aking Buhay”

■ The Cry happened on 25th of August, 1896

Secondary Sources
Balintawak or Pugad Lawin?
Comprehensive Summary and Description
The article presented the following claims regarding the date and place of the
historical event:
● National Historical Commission - Pugad Lawin on Aug. 23, 1896
● Teodor A. Agoncillo - Pugad Lawin on Aug. 23,1986
● Dr. Pio Valenzuela - Balintawak on Aug. 26, 1896 (testimony); Pugad Lawin
on Aug. 23, 1896 (memoir)
● Guillermo Masangkay - Balintawak on Aug. 26, 1896
● Spanish Lt. Olegario Diaz - Balintawak on Aug. 24, 1896
● Gregoria de Jesus Nakpil - Pasong Tamo on Aug. 25, 1896
● Julio Nakpil - Balintawak on Aug. 24, 1896; Kangkong on Aug. 26, 1896
● Santiago Alvarez - Bahay Toro on Aug. 25, 1896
Comprehensive Summary and
Description

• September 3, 1911- Monument to

the heroes was built.

• Cry of Balintawak is annually

celebrated on August 26th.

• August 23, 1896- Assembly

• August 24, 1896- Photo of

Bonifacio with Greogoria de Jesus

• September 1896- Testimony of Pio

Valenzuela.

• Pio’s memoir was published after

WW II stating that the revolution
happened on August 23, 2019 at
Pugad Lawin.
 Comprehensive Summary and Description

● Offshoot of a biographical study about Guillermo

Masangkay
● Questions Teodoro Agoncillo’s book, Revolt of the
Masses
● Differences in interpretation of the term “Cry”
-tearing of cedulas
-first encounter against civil guards
● Tale of Pugad Lawin: Pio Valenzuela, Briccio Pantas
and Cipriano Pacheco made public a signed statement
that the Unang Sigaw took place on an earlier date
(from August 26 to August 23) and in a different
place (from Balintawak to Pugad Lawin)
● Masangkay refuted the claims of the three
Synthesis
● Roots of this debate

○ Conflicting accounts

○ Definition of the term “cry”

○ Double meaning of “Balintawak” and ”Caloocan”

● Initial Vs. Final understanding of the issue