The Battle of San Juan del Monte also refers as ''"Battle of Pinaglabanan"'' took place on August 30, 1896. It is considered as the first major battle of the
Philippine Revolution, which sought
Philippine
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
independence from
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. The first battle cry of the
Katipunan
The Katipunan, officially known as the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan or Kataastaasan Kagalang-galang na Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK; en, Supreme and Honorable Association of the Children of the Nation ...
coincided with the pealing of church bells at nine o'clock on the night of August 29, 1896.
[Alvarez, S.V., 1992, Recalling the Revolution, Madison: Center for Southeast Asia Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ]
Background
At 5 pm on the 29th, the ''Supremo''
Andrés Bonifacio
Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (, ; November 30, 1863May 10, 1897) was a Filipino Freemason and revolutionary leader. He is often called "The Father of the Philippine Revolution", and considered one of the national heroes of the Philippines ...
and 800 ''
Katipuneros'' met up with ''Katipunero'' Felix Sanchez, chairman of the Sapa chapter, at Hagdang Bato in
San Felipe Neri.
[ By 7 pm, with a thousand men, including the local police force, they attacked the civil guards, who surrendered immediately.][ However, the Tala chapter chairman, ''Katipunero'' Buenaventura Domingo, allowed the parish priest to escape.][ Troops under General Ramón Bernardo then took the town hall of ]Pandacan
Pandacan is a district in Manila, Philippines which is known in recent history for its former Pandacan oil depot which supplies the majority of oil exports in the country.
Profile
In 2000, Pandacan had a total population of close to 82,194. Th ...
and, by , were dispatched to Santa Mesa
Santa Mesa is a district in Manila, Philippines. It is surrounded by Pasig River on the southwestern side, and by the San Juan River on its southern and eastern side. Land borders include the districts of San Miguel to the west and Sampaloc to ...
.[ Troops under Santiago V. Alvarez, ]Artemio Ricarte
Artemio Ricarte y García (October 20, 1866 – July 31, 1945) was a Filipino general during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. He is regarded as the ''Father of the Philippine Army'', and the first Chief of Staff of ...
and Mariano Trías
Mariano Trías y Closas ( : October 12, 1868 – February 22, 1914) is considered to be the first ''de facto'' Philippine Vice President of that revolutionary government established at the Tejeros Convention - an assembly of Philippine revolu ...
were deployed in Noveleta
Noveleta, officially the Municipality of Noveleta ( tgl, Bayan ng Noveleta), formerly known as Tierra Alta during the Spanish colonial era, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has ...
and San Francisco de Malabon
General Trias, officially the City of General Trias ( fil, Lungsod ng General Trias), is a 1st class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 450,583 people.
Etymology
During ...
in Cavite
Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...
.[ Bonifacio, along with Genaro de los Reyes and Vicente Leyba, proceeded to San Juan del Monte.][
]
Battle
After the Katipunan#Discovery">discovery
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discovery ...
became aware of the Spanish government's plans for military action. On 25 August, Bonifacio deployed several of his men around the Pasong Tamo bridge when he heard infantrymen and Spanish ''guardia civil'' coming to raid communities around the bridge.
On the evening of 29 August, Bonifacio, with his aide Emilio Jacinto, led a group of ''Katipuneros'' towards ''El Polvorin'', a Spanish
. Spanish infantry and artillerymen, armed with
''.
After two successful skirmishes with the civil guards, Bonifacio was joined by 300 men from Santolan.