<figure class="image-550">
<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-29/bonifacio-revolt.webp" alt="Black-and-white illustration of Andrés Bonifacio leading a group of Katipuneros in a charge, holding a bolo, with a large black flag bearing the letters KKK waving behind them; other fighters carry spears and bolos." loading="lazy" />
<figcaption>
Andrés Bonifacio and Katipuneros charge into battle under the KKK flag in this artistic depiction of the 1896 Philippine Revolution. The uprising that began in late August 1896 prompted Governor-General Ramón Blanco to place eight provinces under martial law on August 30.
</figcaption>
</figure>



<p>
This was the Spanish colonial government's formal recognition that the Katipunan-led revolt, long feared and only recently discovered, had become a widespread armed challenge to Spanish authority in Luzon.
</p>
<h2>
Background: From Secret Society to Open Revolt
</h2>
<p>
The <a href="/kauswagan/articles/906/about-the-katipunan" class="news_link">Katipunan</a> (<em>Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan</em>), founded by <a href="/articles/3326/andres-bonifacio-life-legacy-and-the-first-president" class="news_link">Andrés Bonifacio</a> in 1892, had grown into a mass revolutionary organization by mid-1896. Its existence was exposed in early August through confessions and documents seized by Spanish authorities, triggering mass arrests of suspected members and sympathizers. On August 23, Bonifacio and thousands of Katipuneros gathered at Pugad Lawin (in what is now <a href="/articles/2989/the-historical-journey-of-quezon-city" class="news_link">Quezon City</a>), tore their <em>cédulas personales</em> (community tax certificates), and formally committed to armed revolution - an event popularly known as the <a href="/articles/3289/cry-of-pugad-lawin-august-23-1896" class="news_link">Cry of Pugad Lawin</a> (or Balintawak).
</p>
<p>
Plans called for coordinated attacks aimed at seizing key points around Manila, including the powder magazine (<em>El Polvorín</em>) and water reservoir (<em>El Depósito</em>) at San Juan del Monte. The goal was both to arm the revolutionaries and to cut the water supply to the walled city of Intramuros. Many Katipuneros were poorly armed - primarily with bolos, bamboo spears, and a scattering of firearms - while Spanish forces possessed modern rifles, artillery, and better training and organization.
</p>
<h2>
The Outbreak of Hostilities (August 29–30)
</h2>
<p>
Fighting erupted on the evening of August 29. Hundreds of rebels attacked the Civil Guard garrison in Pasig. Simultaneously, forces under Bonifacio and <a href="/articles/3301/emilio-jacinto-brains-of-the-katipunan-biography" class="news_link">Emilio Jacinto</a> massed for the main assault on San Juan del Monte (also called the Battle of Pinaglabanan). Around 4 a.m. on August 30, roughly 800–1,000 Katipuneros struck the powder magazine and nearby water works. They initially overran the small Spanish detachment but were driven back once reinforcements - including elements of the 70th "Magallanes" Infantry Regiment - arrived. Spanish firepower and disciplined volleys inflicted heavy losses: approximately 150 Katipuneros killed and more than 200 captured, against only a handful of Spanish casualties (around two dead and several wounded). Many of the captured were later executed.
</p>
<p>
Rebels also struck other Manila-area towns and suburbs, including Mandaluyong, <a href="/articles/3081/sampaloc-manila-from-tamarind-trees-to-university-hub" class="news_link">Sampaloc</a>, Santa Ana, <a href="/articles/3196/heart-of-the-capital-unearthing-the-soul-of-pandacan" class="news_link">Pandacan</a>, Pateros, Marikina, <a href="/articles/3433/the-history-of-caloocan-city" class="news_link">Caloocan</a> (notably intense fighting around Balintawak), Makati, and Taguig. South of Manila, towns in Cavite - San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias), Noveleta, and Kawit - rose in rebellion under local leaders who would soon include <a href="/articles/3325/emilio-aguinaldos-life-and-leadership" class="news_link">Emilio Aguinaldo</a>. In Nueva Ecija, forces under Mariano Llanera attacked the Spanish garrison at San Isidro (the main fighting there occurred a few days later). By the end of August 30 the revolt had clearly spread beyond isolated skirmishes into multiple provinces surrounding the capital.
</p>

Governor Blanco Places 8 Provinces Under Martial Law

Learn how Spanish Governor Blanco placed Manila, Cavite, Bulacan and 5 other provinces under martial law on August 30, 1896.

August 30, 1896: Governor Blanco placed 8 provinces under Martial Law