Maria Venus I.

Montolo
BEED-2C

Case study No. 1 : Where did the First Catholic Mass Happened? In Butuan or Limasawa?

Knowing the actual location of the first Catholic Mass is difficult, especially in these days when evidence
may have faded with the passage of time. However, tackling this topic piqued my interest because I had
heard that the first Catholic Mass was held in two possible locations. Limasawa and Butuan were the
two suspected locations. Nonetheless, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines raised and
resolved this problem (NHCP).

Going back to when historians believed Limasawa was the site of the mass, the NHCP accepted the
results of a panel of experts who confirmed the findings. The panel unanimously decided that the
evidence and arguments presented by the opposing party (ProButuan) were insufficient and convincing
enough to warrant a finding in their favor. The NHI, the progenitor of the NHCP, had already settled the
problem of the historic Mass' exact site through two expert panels: the first, chaired by former Supreme
Court Justice Emilio Gancayco in 1995, and the second, led by historian Benito Legarda in 2008.
Limasawa Island was determined to be the location of the 1521 Easter Sunday Mass by both panels.

In order to learn more about the subject, the panel reexamined the sources, which included studies,
literature, and copies of Antonio Pigafetta's chronicles and other stories from around the world. They
also conducted surveys in both Butuan and Limasawa to determine the likely locations of the incident.
They also consulted geology and cartography specialists before submitting their paper to history
departments at various Philippine institutions for assessment. Pigafetta's eyewitness account of the first
Mass in the Philippines is the most thorough and only surviving testimony. However, there are various
interpretations of his account depending on where it was held. According to Pigafetta, the
MagellanExpedition's chronicler, the Easter Sunday Mass that expedition chaplain Fr. On March 31,
1521, Pedro Valderama celebrated in a place he identified as Mazaua. However, supporters of the
Limasawa Mass claim that Robertson included a footnote stating that the current name of Mazaua, the
site of the ancient Mass, is Limasawa. Skelton also recognized Limasawa as Mazaua's present name,
according to the report.

With these substantial proofs, Limasawa's status as the site of the first Catholic Mass was confirmed.
People were hopeful that this ruling would end the long-running disagreement over this subject. Also,
inhabitants on Limasawa, particularly those who were selected to maintain the site, expressed their joy
and honor at living in the location where the first Catholic Mass was held. They also argue that the
triumph was for the entire Eastern Visayas, not only Limasawa.
Case Study 4: Where Did the Cry of Rebellion Happen?

“El Grito de Rebellion” or ”Cry of Rebellion” – marks the start of the revolutionary events, identifying the
places where it happened. Happened in August 1896, northeast of Manila, where the rebellion against
the Spanish colonial was declared.Teodoro Agoncillo – a prominent Filipino historian Emphasizes that
the Cry happened when Bonifacio tore the cedula or tax receipt before the Katipuneros who also did the
same. Some writers identified the first military event with the Spaniards as the moment of the Cry, for
which Emilio Aguinaldo commissioned an “Himno de Balintawak” to inspire the renewed struggle after
the Pact of the Biak-na-Bato failed. Monument to the Heroes of 1896 was built in what is now the
intersection of Epifanio de los santos Avenue (EDSA) and Andres Bonifacio Drive-North Diversion road.
From 1962, the Cry of Balintawak was celebrated every 26th of August. The site of the monument was
chosen for unknown reason.

The term cry denoted the first clash between the Katipuneros and the civil guards and the tearing up of
their community tax certificates which was accompanied by their patriotic shouts to defy their
commitment and loyalty to Spain. Sick of the oppression under foreign rule and craving for freedom and
independence, Filipino revolutionaries under the leadership of Andres Bonifacio did those acts as a sign
of their resistance. However, there were two different places and dates that in contention on where and
when the cry of rebellion occurred.
Different Dates and Places of the Cry
Lt. Olegario Diaz – Balintawak on 25 August 1896
Teodoro Kalaw – Filipino historian, marks the place to be in Kangkong, Balintawak, on the last week of
August 1896
Mariano Alvarez – a Katipunero, leader of the Magdiwang faction in Cavite, put the Cry in Bahay Toro in
Quezon City on 24 August 1896
Pio Valenzuela – stated that it happened in Pugad Lawin on 23 August 1896
Gregorio Zaide – a historian who identified the event to have happened in Balintawak on 26 August
1896
Primary Source: Accounts of the Cry Guillermo Masangkay Source: Guillermo Masangkay, “Cry of
Balintawak” in Gregorio Zaide and Sonia Zaide, Documentary of Philippine History, Volume 8 (Manila:
National Book Store,1990), 307-309.
Pio Valenzuela Source: Pio Valenzuela, “Cry of Pugad Lawin,” in Gregorio Zaide and Sonia Zaide,
Documentary Sources of Philippine History, Volume 8 (Manila, National Book Store,1990), 301-302.

The first place of refuge of Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, Procopio Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, Aguedo
del Rosario, and Pio Valenzuela was Balintawak. The first five arrived on August 19, while Valenzuela
arrived on August 20, 1896. 500 members of the Katipunan met on August 22, 1896, at the house and
yard of Apolonio Samson Kangkong. Briccio Pantas, Alejandro Santiago, Ramon Bernardo, Apolonio
Samson, and others. Views were only exchanged, and no resolution was debated or adopted.

In Pugad Lawin, the house, store-house, and yard of Juan Ramos, son of Melchora Aquino. Over 1,000
members of the Katipunan met and carried out considerable debate and discussion on August 23,1896.
The discussion was about whether or not the revolution against the Spanish government should be
started on August 29, 1896 After the meeting, many of those present tore their cedula and shouted
“Long live the Philippines! Long live Philippines!”
Valenzuela’s account should be read with caution because of inconsistencies: He once told to a Spanish
investigator that the Cry happened in Balintawak on Wednesday, in 26 August 1896, but wrote on his
Memoirs of the Revolution that it happened at Pugad Lawin on 23 august 1896.
According to Guerrero, Encarnacion, and Villegas, all these places are in Balintawak, then part of
Caloocan, now, in Quezon City. As for the dates, Bonifacio and his troops may have been moving from
one place to another to avoid being located by the Spanish government, which could explain why there
are several accounts of the Cry.

With that, The Cry of Balintawak was soon changed into Cry of Pugad Lawin. But there is no controversy
about the act of courage of Bonifacio and the Katipuneros and the significance of their act. They tore
their cedulas as an expression of defiance against Spanish rule. Reflecting on this act today, we see the
bravery of Filipinos who fought against a foreign enemy with superior arms. The Katipuneros would
match this symbolic act with attacks in Mandaluyong, Pandacan, and Pasig that prompted the Spaniards
to declare a state of war in the eight provinces—Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, Tarlac,
Nueva Ecija, and Pampanga. One hundred twenty-three years after this historic event, the “Cry” of
Filipino revolutionaries, regardless of the controversies on the dates and venues, should continue to
inspire modern Filipinos.