THE SITE OF THE FIRST MASS IN THE cross and the formal taking or

PHILIPPINES possession of the islands in the name of

the crown of castile
 Two competing schools of thought
 According to combes, magellan landed
provide differing evidences on where
at butuan and planted the cross in a
the seed of christianity was planted.
solemn ceremony. He does not mention
 The first school said it was in limasawa
the first mass rather he mentions about
island in the province of leyte, while
the other two events in which, from
the other school said it was in mazau
pigafettas account, had occurred on the
butuan, agusan del norte
same day as the first mass, namely the
 In march 1998. The disputed issue was
planting of the cross and the formal
officialy settled when the national
claiming of the archipelago on behalf of
historical institute declared limasawa
the castilian crown.
to be the site of the first catholic mass.
 The evidence in favor of limasawa our
 Pigafetta tells us that it was held on
outlined as follows: 1.) The evidence of
easter sunday, the 31st of march 1521,
albo’s logbook.,2.) The evidence of
on an island. Two native chieftains
pigafetta.,3.) Summary of the evidence
were in attendance: the rajah of mazau
of albo and pigafetta., and 4.)
and the rajah of butuan
Confirmatory evidence from the legaspi
 After the mass the party went up a little expeditions.
hill and planted a wooden crossupon
 According to albos logbook, mazau lies
its summit.
at a latitude of 9 and 2/3 degrees north
 According to father francisco colins and it fits the location of the small
(1592-1660) and father francisco island of limasawa, south of leyte. The
combes (1620-1665), the site of the first islands southern tip is at 90 54’n. Albo
mass was in butuan, agusan del norte. does not mention the first mass, but
Such idea was perpetuated from 17th to only the planting of the cross upon a
19th century. The two priests had lived mountain-top from which could be seen
and worked as a missionary in the three islands to the west and
philippines and they wrote their southwest. This squares well with the
accounts based on second-hand southern end of limasawa. It does not,
information. Their accounts on the however, fit the coast of butuan from
butuan tradition has strong influence which no islands could be seen to the
over sunsequent historians who qouted south ot the southwest, but only
their narratives. towards the north.
 The account of colin is insuffiecient as it  The evidence of pigafetta consideres
abruptly brings magellan to butuan five points: (a) pigafettas testimony as
without explaining how he got there. regards the route taken by the
Then he brings him to limasawa, and expedition from the pacific ocean to
from there the account becomes cebu; (b) the evidence of pigafettas
accurate and detailed again. The colin’s map; (c) the presence of two native
account is valuable as it represented kings; (d) the events of the seven days
the first mass celebration to have taken at the island of “mazau”; and (e) an
place at butuan on easter sunday of argument from omission.
1521 with the solemn planting of the
  According to albo and pigafetta, the the servants, their masters, and the escort of
itinerary of magellans expedition show the captain-general at the malacanang, to
that they did not go to butuan or any dispose the governor himself and to include the
other point on the mindanao coast. The massacre of the friars.
surviors of the expedition went to
2. Thr abolition of the priveleges and the
mindanao later, but after magellan’s
exemption from the tribute enjoyed by the
death.
laborers of the cavite arsenal were the
 The legaspis expedition, sailed into
immediate causes of the cavite mutiny.
philippines water in 1565, forty-four
However, montero enumerated several factors
years after magellan. As understood by
which gave rise to the filipino’s idea of attaining
its pilot mazau was confirmed to be an
their independence as follows: (a) the
island near leyte and panaon while
propaganda was carried on by an unbridled
butuan was on the island of mindanao.
press against monarchichal principles,
The two were entirely different places
attentatory of the most sacred respects towards
and in no way identical.
the dethroned majesty; (b) the democratic and
 The geography of mazau confirms the
republican books and pamphlets; (c) the
description of pigafetta. The island is
speeches and preachings of the postles of these
shaped like a tadpole, running north to
new ideas in spain; (d) the outbursts of the
south. The northern portion is almost all
american publicists and the criminal policy of
hills, with the slopes dropping steeply
the senseless governor whom the revolutionary
to the sea, leaving only a narrow coastal
government sent to govern the philippines, and
strip. But the southern portion of the
who put into practice these ideas; and (e) the
island is almost all level land with a few
presence of the native clergy who out of
hillls. It has a good harbour and the
animosity against the spaniard friars, “conspired
fields of the islands are fertile. Here the
and supported” the rebels and enemies of
mass could have been conducted with
spain.
solemnity and on one of the hills, the
cross could have been planted which 3. Montero presented the firing of rockets from
everyone could see from the plain. the walls of the city to be the pre-concerted
signal among the conspirators of caviter and
manila. However, it just happened that the
CAVITE MUTINY
fiesta of the patron saint, in the district f
1. According to jose montero, the cavite mutiny sampaloc was being celebrated with pomp and
of 1872 was planned earlier with utmost splendor. On the night of the 20 th fireworks
secrecy since the days of governor-general de la were displayed and rockets fired into the air.
torre. The mutiny was a big conspiracy among Those cavite mistook these for the signal of two
the native clergy (e.g. gomburza), filipino revolt, and at nine-thirty in the evening of that
spaniards, native soldiers (e.g. sergeant la day, two hundred native soldiers under the
madrid), mestizos (educated and professional leadership of sergeant la madrid rose up in
class- both chinese and spanish), native lawyers arms, assassinated the commander of the fort
(e.g., joaquin pardo de tavera, antomio ma. and wounded his wife.
Regidor, jose and pio basa), and the residents of
4. Trinidad hermenigildo pardo de tavera, a
manila and cavite. In his narrative, the filipino
filipino scholar and researcher, wrote the
soldiers planned to assassinate their officers,
filipino version of the cavite mutiny. He
presented the incident merely as a mutiny by 10. The native clergy promised wealth of the
the native filipino soldiers and laborers of the spaniards and the regular clergy to the filipino
cavite arsenal. The harsh policy of the despotic spaniards and mestizos. They also promised to
governor as well as the abolishment of the the native soldiers’ employment and ranks in
exemption from paying the annual tribute and the army as well as the creation of fifteen native
from rendering the polo (forced labor) were the batallions, in which the soldiers who revolted
reasons for staging the mutiny. would have jobs as officers and chief.

5. According to tavera, strenghtening the power -they promised to the lawyers and abogandillos
of the friars in the philippine island was one of direct administration and justice of the
the results of the so-called “revolution” of government affairs.
cavite. This influence was felt throughout the
BALINTAWAK
islands, and not only were the friars taken into
the confidence of the government, but the 1.All “Cries Rebellion’ considered milestone in
filipino people looked upon the religious orders several colonial-to-nationalist histories of the
as their real masters. world of the world.
6. Governor-general rafael de izquierdo - was 2.The “Cry” has conflicting meanings among
the general of the philippines when the cavite those who counted it. The historian Teodoro
mutiny and the execution of the gomburza Agoncillo chose to emphasize Bonifacio’s
happened. He also made an official report on tearing the cedula (tac receipt) while Guardia
the cavite mutiny of 1872 to the king of spain. Civil Manuel Sityar chose the pacto de sangre
(blood pact) as the symbol of cry. Some writers
7. The persecutions that the filipino people
consider the first military engagement with the
were desirous of independence because up to
enemy as the defining moment of the Cry.
the time of izquierdo, there had been no
intention of secession from spain. The only 3.On September 3, 1911 until 1962, The Cry of
aspiration of the people was to secure the Balintawak was officially celebrated every
material and educational advancement of the August 26 when a monument to the Heroes of
country. 1896 was erected in what is now the
intersection of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue
8. Izquierdo’s official report on cavite mutiny
and Andres Bonifacio Drive-North Diversion
corroborates and complements the accounts of
Road.
jose monter.
4.According to Pedro A. Gagelonia, the “Cry of
-he also added that the newspapers from
Pugad Lawin”(August 23, 1896) cannot be
madrid inspired the junta because of their
accepted as historical accurate. It lacks positive
advanced and liberal ideas
documentation and supporting evidence from
9. For izquierdo’s, the “revolt” was aimed at the witness. The testimony of only one
overthrowing the spanish government with the eyewitness (Dr. Pio Valenzuela) is not enough to
end goal of installing a new “hari”, placing at authenticate and verify a controversial issue in
the head of the government a priest in the history.
persons of father jose burgos and jacinto
5. Pio Valenzuela had several versions of the
zamora, parish priests of san pedro of manila
Cry. In September 1896, he stated before the
Olive Court, which was charged with
investigating person involved in the rebellion, held to have occurred in the area of Balintawak,
that only Katipunan meetings tookplace from which was distinct from Kalookan and Diliman.
Sunday to Tuesday or 23 to 25 August Therefore, while the toponym “Pugad Lawin” is
Balintawak. However, from 1928 to 1940, more romantic, it is more accurate to stick to
Valenzuela maintained that the Cry happened the original “Cry of the Balintawak”. The Cry of
0n 24 August at the House of Tandang Sora the Balintawak happened on August 24, 1896 at
(Melchor Aquino) in Pugad Lawin, which he now the site of the barn and house of Tandang Sora
situated near Pasong Tame Road. in Gulod, now barangay Banlat, Quezon City.
That was when and where the Filipino nation
6.According to Valenzuela, Pantas and Pacheco,
state was born.
“The first Cry of the revolution did not happen
in Balintawak where the monument is, but in a 10. The cry must be defined as the turning point
place called Pugad Lawin, “ In 1940 a research when the Filipinos finally rejected Spanish
team of the Philippine Historical Committee colonial dominion over the Philippine Islands. In
which included Pio Valenzuela, identified the effect, the Filipinos formally constituted their
precise spot of Pugad Lawin as part of sitio own national government, and invested a set of
Gulod, Banlat, Kalookan City. In 1964, the NHI’s leaders with authority to initiate and guide the
Minutes of the Katipunan referred to the place revolution towards the establishment of a
of the Cry as Tandang Sora’s and not as Juan sovereign nation instead of the other
Ramos’ house, and the date as 23 August. interpretations.

7.As stated in Valenzuela memoirs (1963, 1978),

the Cry took place on 23 August at the house of
ANDRES BONIFACIO AND THE 1896
Juan Ramos at Pugad Lawin. The NHI was
REVOLUTION
obviously influenced by Valenzuela’s memoirs.
1. The katipunan was founded
In 1963 upon the NHI endorsement, President
because the illustrado innitiated
Diosdado Macapagal ordered that the cry be
movement had failed to persuade
celebrated on 23 August and the Pugad Lawin
to madrid government in effecting
be recognized as its site.
urgent reforms in the philippines.
8. Agoncillo used his considerable influence The filipino activists in europe
campaigning for a change in the recognized site realized that the change had to
to Pugad Lawin and the date 23 August 1896. come about from within the
Consequently, President Macapagal ordered archipelago itself.
changing the cry of Balintawak to Cry of Pugad 2. The aims of the katipunan were
Lawin” to be celebrated on 23 August instead of to unite the country and to win
26 August and that Pugad Lawin be recognized independence from spain by means
as its site of a revolution.
3. By April or May 1896, the
9. Cartographic evidences reveal the following:
existence of the katipunan was
First, “Pugan Lawin” was never officially
already known to the guardia civil
recognized as a place name on any Philippine
vetarana. In august, the confession
map before Second World War. Second, “Pugad
of teodoro patino’s sister to fray
Lawin” appeared in histography only from 1928,
marianoo gil, the augustinian curate
or some 32 years after events took place. And
of tondo, merely confirmed what
third, the revolution was always traditionally
the government had already knew.
4. The 1896 revolution was a government was run by consensus.
national endeavor and thus, a Its sub-organization of sangguniang
filipino nation was born through it. bayan on the supra-municipal level,
Although it is known as “rebellion of and the panguluhang bayan (local
the tagalogs against spanish council) on the district or barrio
domination, the term “tagalog” as level constituted the civilian
defined in the katipunan’s kartilla component of the katagalugan
means all persons born in the government.
archipelago, wheter bisayan, 8. Many civilian leaders were
ilocano, pampango, etc, therefore currently military officials because
the tagalog nation or katagalugan the katipunan government was
consisted not only of the tagalog revolutionary. Bonifacio, as the
speakers but included all those who commander-in-chief, supervised the
grew up [tumubo] in the planning of military strategies and
philippines, regardless of the preparation of orders, manifests
ethnolinguistics classification and and decrees. He also adjudicated
ancestry. offenses againts the nation as well
5. The katipunan is considered the as mediated in political disputes.
first filipino government ever 9. The katipunan government
established by the filipinos and it is maintained foreign relations with
republican in nature. From 24 hongkong and japan for political,
august 1896, the katipunan became military and financial aid. This is
an open de facto government. The anticipationof their planned
society has been organized as a uprising towards the end of 1896.
secret organiaztion with its own 10. The katipunan was the first
laws, bureaucratic structure and an anticolonial revolution in asia.
elective leadership. Significantly, the 1896 revolutionary
6. Bonifacio was the first president recognizes andres bonifacio not
of a national government. Thus, the only as the founder of the
government headed by bonifacio katipunan and the leader of the
prior to march 22, 1897 was revolution of 1896. It also
democratic in nature and national recognizes him as the first filipino
in scope. Such is contrary to the president; the father of the nation
contention of some postwar and the founder of our democracy.
historians that bonifacio attempted
to establish a government separate
from aguinaldo’s only after the
tejeros assembly, and was therefore
guilty of treason.
7.the katipunan was a democratic
government because bonifacio RETRACTION RIZAL
provided mechanisms for popular
participation from the national to 1. The four attitudes toward the
the local levels. The katipunan “Retraction” and its bearing on the life
 and character of Dr. Rizal are as follows: my words, writings, publications, and
(a) The official Roman Catholic position conduct that has been contrary to my
insists that the Rizal to be remembered character as a son of the catholic
and honored is the “converted” Rizal; church,” together with the statement “I
(b) Rizal throughout his mature life was believe and profess what it teaches and
a “free thinker and unbeliever”, thus I submit to what it demands.”
the Retraction is of necessity a lie; (c) 5. Father Cavanna provides three stages
The Rizal that matters is the pre- of the Retraction debate as follows: (a)
Retraction Rizal; therefore one can stage of “Concealed attacks” which
ignore the Retraction; (d) Scholarly lasted for twelve years after Rizal’s
investigation of all facets of Rizal’s life death. Debates at this time was wholly
and thought is desirable for everyone one-sided in favor of the church. (b)
has every right, and also an obligation, stage of “open attacks” which lasted
to seek to know the facts with regard from 1908-1935. In this period, the
to the Retraction. masons vigorously and openly attacked
2. The first detailed account about the the pro-retraction camp. (c) stage of
Retraction came out in a series of “major and minor works about Rizal”
anonymous articles in the Barcelona which is from 1935 until the present. In
magazine, “La Juvented,” issues of this time, numerous works have been
January 15 and 31 and Feb. 14, 1897, written on the subject of Rizal’s life and
republished some months later in a thought as a whole and on the
booklet entitled La Masonizacion de Retraction in particular.
filipinas –Rizal y su Obra. Some thirteen 6. Father Manuel A. Garcia, the
years later, Father Vicente Balaguer, archdiocesan archivist, “discovered”
S..J,. the Jesuit priest who claimed to the actual Document of Retraction on
have secured Rizal’s Retraction, May 18, 1935 while he was busily
asserted that this account was his work sorting a pile of documents in their new
which he originally wrote “that very fireproof vault. The Philippine Herald
same night of December 29, 1896. released the news about the Retraction
Subsequently, on August 8, 1917, father Letter on June 16, 1935.
Balaguer repeated his story in a notarial
7. THE MAJOR ARGUMENTS FOR THE
act sworn to by him in Murcia, Spain.
RETRACTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:
3. The account of Father Pio Pi y Vidal,
superior of the Jesuits in the A. THE RETRACTION “DOCUMENT” IS
Philippines in 1896, was the only CONSIDERED CHIEF WITNESS TO THE
detailed account about the Retraction. REALITY OF THE RETRACTION ITSELF;
His account was published in Manila in
1909 in La Muerte Cristiana del Doctor B. THE TESTIMONY OF THE PRESS AT THE
Rizal and he confirmed this account in TIME OF THE EVENT, OF ‘EYE-WITNESS”,
a notarial act signed in Barcelona, April AND OTHER “QUALIFIED WITNESSES
7, 1917. C THE ACTS OF FAITH, HOPE, AND CHARITY’
4. The Retraction contains two significant
REPORTEDLY RECITED AND SIGNED BY DR.
points: (1) the rejection of Masonry (“I
RIZAL AS ATTESTED BY WITNESS AND A
abominate Masonry”) and (2) a
SIGNED PRAYER BOOK
repudiation of two things; “anything in
D. THE ACTS OF PIETY PERFORMED BY RIZAL HIS BURIAL WAS NOT PLACE ON THE PAGE
DURING HIS LAST HOURS AS TESTIFIED TO FOR ENTRIES OF DEC. 3OTH
BY WITNESSSESSS
D. THERE IS NO MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE OR
E. HIS ROMANS CATHOLIC MARRIAGE TO PUBLIC RECORD OF THE MARRIAGE OF
JOSEPHINE BRACKEN AS ATTESTED TO BY RIZAL AND JOSEPINE BRACKEN
WITNESSESS
E. RIZAL’S BEHAVIOR AS A WHOLE DURING
8. THE ARGUMENTS AGAINTS RETRACTION HIS LAST DAYS OF FORT SANTIAGO AND
DURING THE LAST 24 HOOURS IN
A. RETRACTION DOCUMENT IS CONSIDERED
PARTICULAR DOES NOT POINT TO A
TO BE A FORGERY
CONVERSION.
B. OTHER ACTS AND FACTS DO NOT FIT
11. TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE
WELL WITH THE STORY OF THE RETRACTION
RETRACTION LETTER
C. THE RETRACTION IS NOT IN KEEPING
A. LET A NEW EFFORT BE MADE TO KEEP
WITH THE CHARACTER AND FAITH OF RIZAL
PERSONALITIES AND INSTITUTIONAL
AS THIS IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH HIS
LOYALTIES E.G “PRTESTANTS”, THE
PREVIOUS DECLARATIONS OF RELIGIOUS
“MASONIC”, OR THE “ ROMAN CATHOLIC”
THOUGHT.
OUT OF THE FUTURE DISCUSSION
9. THE RETRACTION DOCUMENT IS SAID TO
BE FORGERY BECAUSE OF THE FFG
REASONS B. LET THE RETRACTION DOCUMENT BE
SUBJECT TO NEUTRAL AND SCIENTIFIC
A. THE MATTER OF THE HANDWRITTING
ANALYSIS
B. THE PRINCIPLES OF TEXTUAL CRITICISM
C THE R0MAN CATHOLIC HIERARCHY
C THE CONTENT IS IN PART STRANGELY SHOULD FEEL BOUND TO ALLOW ITS OTHER
WORDED “DOCUMENTS” PERTAINING TO RIZALS
CASE TO BE INVESTIGATED
D. THE “CONFESSION” OF “FORGER”
D. THE STORY CONCERNING THE “FORGER”
10. OTHER ACTS AND FACTS DO NOT FIT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FIURTHER
WELL WITH THE STORY OF THE RETRACTION
E. IF ASSURANCE CAN BE GIVEN THAT THE
A. THE DOCUMENT OF RETRACTION WAS ABOVE STEPS ARE BEING UNDERTAKEN
NOT MADE PUBLIC UNTIL 1935. EVEN THEN LET THERE BE A MORATORIUM ON
RIZAL’S FAMILY DID NOT SEE THE FURTHER DEBATEAND GREATER ATTENTION
DOCUMENT BECAUSE IT WAS SAID YO BE GIVEN TO THE REST OF RIZAL’S LIFE AND
“LOST” THOUGHT, IN PARTICULAR TO HIS MATURE
B. NO EFFORT WAS MADE TO SAVE RIZAL RELIGIOUS FAITH AND THOUGHT.
FROM THE DEATH PENALTY AFTER HIS
SIGNING OF THE RETRACTION

C. RIZAL’S BURIAL WAS KEPT SECRET; HE

WAS BURIED OUTSIDE THE INNER WALL OF
THE PACO CEMETERY; AND THE RECORD OF