Boys Who Cry? Pugad Lawin and the Start of the Revolution

Depiction of the Cry of Pugad Lawin (Sigaw ng Pugad Lawin)
Photo courtesy of GMA's video of Lupang Hinirang

It is said that "real men cry." Surely, scores of Katipunan (KKK) members who gathered one fateful day have the same idea. Since 1963, when President Diosdado Macapagal issued Proclamation Number 149, it has been widely accepted that August 23, 1896 is the date when the "Cry of Pugad Lawin" took place, a momentous event in Filipino history which is known for being the launching point of the Philippine Revolution. It may be comparable to Mexico's Cry of Dolores (September 16, 1810) and to Cuba's Cry of Yara (October 10, 1868). However, to this day, controversy and confusion has haunted the Cry of Pugad Lawin. There is even the notion that it did not happen at all! Is it possible that Filipinos have been remembering an event coming from the figment of imagination? This view has been forwarded as early as 1970 by historian Pedro Gagelonia.

Not long after the Philippine Revolution, the cry has been commemorated in Balintawak on August 26, the supposed date of the cry that was agreed upon at the time. This is shortly before a skirmish took place between Katipuneros and the Spanish guardia civil (Civil Guard), also dated to be on August 26, 1896 or later. The cry primarily involved the tearing of cedulas (tax certificates), and it is supposed to be symbolic of tearing away from the yoke of Spain. Examining Katipunan documents, taxes is one of the paramount issues leading to the Revolution. Still, what led to the confusion and the controversy? Is it possible today to resolve it, and how?

Pio Valenzuela
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

Pugad Lawin Paradox

Imagine some event, maybe an outing or a party, that you and your friends went together in. Then, somehow, someway, the years pass by. Now, you disagree on the details of the event, perhaps even a few doubting it happened at all. Of course, this is putting the paradox in simple terms, but the situation is not as easy as it may look.

Dr. Pio Valenzuela is one of the surviving witnesses of the Cry of Pugad Lawin, and this is confirmed by the list drawn up by Guillermo Masangkay (who himself was present). If we are to believe Masangkay, Dr. Valenzuela would be the only doctor participating in the cry. However, it seems that his statements are not consistent. His first statement mentions a "Katipunan meeting" happening between August 23 and 25 at Balintawak. His second statement, made some 15 years later, mentions the cry to happen at the house of Apolonio Samson in Kangkong, south of Balintawak, on August 23. His third statement, made another six years later, tells of the cry occurring at the house of Melchora Aquino (also known as Tandang Sora) at Pacpac-Lawin (Pugad Lawin) near Pasong Tamo, also on August 23. Pugad Lawin is further north of Balintawak. His fourth statement, made before Masangkay and other surviving Katipunan members recalled the event, tells a meeting at Kangkong on August 22, but the cry occurred at the house of Juan Ramos (Melchora Aquino's son) at Pugad Lawin near Bahay Toro the day after, which is August 23. While Valenzuela seems to be firm on the date, August 23, he is apparently uncertain on where the cry actually occurred. As it is, Valenzuela is not known for having impeccable memory. This is demonstrated with his recollections of his meeting with Rizal at Dapitan, months before the launch of the Revolution. His confusing statements threw doubt to the cry itself. Did it really happen or not?

Pugad Lawin marker
Photo courtesy of Quezon City LGU

Bahay Toro, not Balintawak

In 1933 and 1935, Valenzuela was supported by fellow revolutionaries Cipriano Pacheco and Briccio Pantas in declaring that the cry occurred at the placed called "Pugad Lawin", not in Balintawak. They also confirm Valenzuela's statement that there was a meeting before the cry at Kangkong. Meanwhile, in 1940, the site of "Pugad Lawin" was identified as Sitio Gulod in Barrio Banlat, which is also believed to be the site of Melchora Aquino's house. Did Valenzuela believe that Juan Ramos and Melchora Aquino live in the same home? In 1964, the so-called "Minutes of the Katipunan" as released by the National Historical Institute (NHI) also refers to the cry happening on August 23. However, later research observes that the Minutes are "fake." This is a claim supported by the remaining veterans of the Revolution at the time of release. At any rate, the Minutes did not help. Sure, there must be a place called "Pugad Lawin," but to where it is located exactly is another question. Of course, after the formation of Quezon City in 1939, a large chunk of the Balintawak area was claimed. To this day, there are two Balintawaks, a fraction in Quezon City, and another fraction in Caloocan City. It would be the city's pride to have their place be the location of the famous cry.

The date also became a subject of debate when Masangkay gives two possible dates of the cry, August 24 and 26. This, and Julio Nakpil's mention of a primer grito (first cry) in 1925, seems to forward a new possibility: There might have been two Cries of Pugad Lawin. Another veteran, Santiago Alvarez, mentioned in his memoirs a cry at Bahay Toro, a place between Pasong Tamo and Kangkong, on August 24. Of course, to be fair, neither Nakpil (the husband of Gregoria de Jesus) nor Santiago Alvarez were included in Masangkay's list. However, they seem to support Masangkay's claim of a cry on August 24 and 26. Also, this also throws "Pugad Lawin" into doubt, since neither Masangkay nor Francisco Carreon (Macario Sakay's right hand man) remembers Pugad Lawin, but seems to recall Bahay Toro. For an event attended by more or less 1,000 members (Pacheco even remembers some 2,000 members attending), is it too difficult to correctly recall something so significant in our history? Does the confusion mean that there has not been a cry at all? Or does this only mean that our memory has been dulled throughout the years?

In the 1980s, the search for Pugad Lawin continued. This time, there seems to be stronger evidence of the cry happening at Pugad Lawin near Bahay Toro than at Pugad Lawin near Pasong Tamo. It is also concluded that it is the house of Juan Ramos in Bahay Toro, not in the house of Melchora Aquino in Pasong Tamo, where the cry happened. This is supported by the recollection of the descendants of Juan Ramos, who pointed out where his house is located. Thus, from August 23, 1984 to this day, the official marker for Pugad Lawin lies in Bahay Toro, which is now part of Quezon City. Nevertheless, even to this day, there is still the chance that the location of Pugad Lawin may be changed later on, provided new evidence surfaces in the future.

Two Cries of Pugad Lawin?

Manila Observatory
Photo courtesy of Ateneo de Manila University

Historian Teodoro Agoncillo, whose seminal work "The Revolt of the Masses: The Story of Bonifacio and the Katipunan" (1956) helped organize Katipunan history as we know it today, had the privilege to interview both Masangkay and Valenzuela, among other surviving veterans of the Revolution. Seeing the similarities and the differences between the accounts of the Katipuneros, Agoncillo tried to find possible independent sources to validate their claims. For one, he consulted the Manila Observatory. This is to know which days from August 22 to 28 (just before the first battle at Pinaglabanan in San Juan) may fit the weather described by the existing accounts.

He came to the conclusion that only August 23 may be the viable date to do the cry, because the rest of the days considered are rainy days. It will prove difficult to assemble a thousand people at the yard of someone else's house, and then tear up cedulas into pieces. Agoncillo also notes that August 23 is a windy day. It will be easier for them to clean up, which may explain why Manuel Sityar, one of the guardia civil officers patrolling the area at the time, did not notice them. Agoncillo does not seem to agree to the current site recognized as Pugad Lawin at Bahay Toro. However, the marker he placed to denote the location of Pugad Lawin has disappeared. Despite the reputation of Agoncillo, other historians do not seem to share his ideas all of the time. The location of Pugad Lawin is case in point.

Nevertheless, to this day, there seemed to be supporters of the notion of "two cries." One of them would be Soledad Borromeo-Buehler, a descendant of Masangkay, in her book "The Cry of Balintawak: A Contrived Controversy" (1998). What supports this claim is the supposed meeting that took place before the cry, and the supposed battle that took place after the cry. It is forwarded that there were at least two meetings and two skirmishes prior to the Battle of Pinaglabanan on August 30. On August 24, there must have been a meeting at Kangkong, and on August 26, there must have been a meeting at Balintawak. In between, there is August 23, and August 25. There are two opportunities wherein the Katipunan may have gathered their forces. Consequently, there are two opportunities for the Katipunan to encounter Spanish forces, something that may be derived from the account of Manuel Ros, another guardia civil officer assigned to the area. This does seem to coincide with Masangkay's claim of two cries on August 24 and 26. At any rate, she concludes that the "Cry of Pugad Lawin" as we know today is a "hoax."

There also seems consensus among other Katipunan members who were absent from the cry that there must have been a momentous event on August 24. For instance, the Biak-na-Bato Constitution acknowledges that the Revolution began on August 24, and it was a document ratified by at least one of the Katipuneros who attended the cry, Cipriano Pacheco. The date was also agreed upon by Emilio Aguinaldo, who supposedly received the news about the decision to start the Revolution. Of course, just like Valenzuela, Aguinaldo may not be the most reliable source to consider. Historians Milagros Guerrero, Emmanuel Encarnacion, and Ramon Villegas also agree to August 24, even though they claim only a singular "Cry of Balintawak" which happened at the house of Melchora Aquino at Sitio Gulod in Barrio Banlat. It is now part of Quezon City.

Statues portraying the Cry of Pugad Lawin
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia

However, the question of where the cry happened will float again. Did the two cries happen at Pugad Lawin? Or is Pugad Lawin some code name for a set location to congregate? If it happened in different places, does that explain why there are two Pugad Lawins as well, one near Pasong Tamo and one near Bahay Toro? Or perhaps, as old maps confirm, Pugad Lawin is not a real place at all? in this case, it might be better to revert to "Cry of Balintawak." Where there two cedulas to tear with in the first place, or there were two groups of people who chose to tear their cedulas? Speaking of groups of people, it is interesting to see who attended the said event, at least according to Masangkay's list:

1. Melecia Ruestra
2. Pastor Santos
3. Salustiano Cruz
4. Procopio Bonifacio
5. Juan de la Cruz
6. Emilio Jacinto
7. Andres Bonifacio
8. Pio Valenzuela
9. Vicente Leyva
10. Ramon Bernardo
11. Geronimo Medina y Cristobal
12. Vicente Molina
13. Miguel Resurreccion
14. Patricio Belen
15. Crispulo Chacon
16. Lorenzo Martinez
17. Tomas Villanueva
18. Pio Santos
19. Tomas Alegre
20. Roman Ramos
21. Tito Miguel
22. Aguedo del Rosario
23. Apolonio Cruz
24. Alejandro Santiago
25. Deogracias Fajardo
26. Juan Fajardo
27. Rogelio Borja
28. Isaac del Carmen
29. Hilario Sayo
30. Cipriano Pacheco
31. Teodoro Plata
32. Jose Trinidad
33. Hermogenes Plata
34. Tomas Remigio
35. Pantaleon Torres
36. Enrique Pacheco
37. Faustino Manalac
38. Cosme Taguyod
39. Rafael Gutierrez
40. Guillermo Masangkay (himself)
41. Pedro Zabala
42. Briccio Pantas
43. Estanislao Vargas
44. Apolonio Samson
45. Julio Navarro
46. Alejandro Andaya
47. Marcelo Badell
48. Macario Sakay
49. Nicomedes Carreon
50. Francisco Carreon
51. Sarhento Marcelo
52. Valentin Lagasca
53. Eugenio Santos
54. Calixto Santiago
55. Restituto Javier
56. Hermenegildo Reyes

Is it possible that the reader found a possible family ancestor? Anyway, would have it been easier to know if the rest of the attendees, say Emilio Jacinto or Andres Bonifacio, can clear up the confusion? At the least, there may be a consensus that the week leading to the first battle of the Revolution is eventful.

Significance of boys who cry today

What is so special to a thousand discontented people tearing their tax certificates? We see rallies and demonstrations like that almost every week. Is there significance for the boys who cry today? The day we commemorate our national heroes (fourth Monday of August) is derived from the day the Katipunan tear apart their cedulas, and declared a war of independence. To this day, it is even contended that this must be the proper "Independence Day" of the Philippines, noting that the cry followed an organization of a national government. However, there are also people who view the cry like a widely accepted event like Christmas (birth of Jesus) or Good Friday (death of Jesus) in the sense that the exact date is not important. What is significant is what the event means for all. As for the Cry of Pugad Lawin, it is the culmination of the Revolution which gave birth to our nation. Besides, this is one aspect of history which makes it exciting. It is not confined to absolute conclusions and definitions. Indeed, there is more for the future generations to study about.

See the references here.