Ang Unang Sigaw ng Himagsikan: Isang Pagsusuring aklat sa The Cry of Balintawak: A Contrived Controversy ni Soledad Borromeo-Buehler

Abstract

The First Cry of the Philippine Revolution is one of the most important event in our nations history, It served as the spark for the beginning of the Filipino uprising against the Spaniards who ruled and controlled the Philippines as a colony for more than 300 years. The start of the revolution is also a mean in the process of establishing a revolutionary government which is dedicated to fight the once powerful Spanish empire in order to achieve the freedom of the people from foreign oppressors. Despite being a significant historical event, controversies regarding when and where the first cry of revolution took place continue to remain unresolved. To this day, researchers and historians continue to debate and exchange views on this issue. The historical Dispute emerged when Pio Valenzuela provided a statement to general public; coming out as an alleged eyewitness to the events that occurred from August 22 to August 26, 1896 when Andres Bonifacio and the Katipuneros began gathering in the Kangkong area and other places in Caloocan and Balintawak. This issue became a stormy and heated topic in the academic circle particularly from the historians side, when Teodoro Agoncillo proposed the idea of the Cry at Pugad Lawin on August 23, 1896, as the correct date and location of the first cry of the revolution, contradicting the some of the earlier historical claims that it happened on August 26 in Balintawak. This paper will discuss Soledad Borromeo Buehler’s book and her research aimed at examining, corroborating sources to deny and refute the commonly accepted historical fact of the First Cry at Pugad Lawin; Her series of research conducted aimed to prove that the first cry of the revolution actually occurred on August 26, 1896, in Balintawak, aiming to refute the current claim. In order to expand the discussion of this book review, this article will also be referencing ideas related to this topic from other research conducted by other scholars and academicians, which may be in the form of published works such as books and electronic articles regarding the similar topic being discussed. This is to ensure a comprehensive and detailed analysis and discussion on this book review.