Cry of Tarlac

The previous year, eight provinces were put under martial law by the Spanish government in Manila. The eight rays of the Sun on the Philippine flag represent these eight provinces including the province of Tarlac, which had a revolutionary chapter of the Katipunan established by Ladislao Diwa. After the Cry of Pugad Lawin and the later Cry of Nueva Ecija in September, the Spanish government began sending troops to the revolted provinces and local militias from the Visayan islands helped quell the insurrection in central Luzon, however, the main revolutionaries from the area, Mariano Llanera and Manuel Tinio continued a guerilla war up until early January 1897. By that time, the Tarlaqueno revolutionaries were already preparing a major offensive to support the central Luzon revolutionaries.

As early as 1895, Francisco Macabulos had already begun recruiting members for the Tarlac chapter of the Katipunan, many of these members were from the "principalia" or educated class such as Don Aurello Pineda, Don Marciano Barrera, who organized farmers and laborers into militias and Dona Justa Valeriano de Urquico the "Heroine of the revolution in Tarlac". Macabulos, a poet and playwright was chosen to lead the revolt in Tarlac as Caudillo or military leader of the province.

On the morning of January 24, 1897, Macabulos and his men charged at the Cuartel or garrison of Spanish civil guards and soldiers in La Paz, Tarlac, armed with primitive knives and spears along with very few guns, the revolutionaries triumphed and raided the cuartel for arms and ammunition. Later on through the year, the revolution continued to spread to neighboring provinces like Pampanga and Pangasinan, under the leadership of Macabulos, who was later appointed Brigadier General in June, 1897, Tarlac and the rest of central Luzon saw numerous victories and triumphs before the signing of the Pact of Biak-na-Bato in December, 1897.