Cavity Mutiny

About the Characters involved

GOMBURZA

The three priests: Mariano Gomez - 85 years old, Jose Burgos - 30 years old, Jacinto Zamora - 35 years
old

- The three priests summarily tried and sentenced to death at Bagumbayan field in the morning by the
garrote for being linked as instigators of the Cavite arsenal revolt.

- GOMBURZA incurred the hatred of Spanish authorities for fighting for equal rights among priests and
leading the campaign against the Spanish friars.

- They fought on the issues of secularization in the Philippines that led to the conflict of religious and
church seculars

- Dr. Jose Rizal dedicated his book “El Filibusterismo” to the three priests.

What is the issue? Two perspective reference to the death of the three Filipino martyrs:

- 1872 Cavite Mutiny: Spanish Perspective

- A Response to Injustice: The Filipino Version of the Incident

The 12th of June of every year since 1898 is a very important event for all the Filipinos. In this day, the
entire Filipino nation as well as Filipino communities all over the world gathers to celebrate the
Philippines’ Independence Day. 1898 came to be a very significant year for all of us. It is as equally
important as 1896 the year when the Philippine Revolution broke out owing to the Filipinos’ desire to be
free from the abuses of the Spanish colonial regime. But we should be reminded that another year is as
historic as the two - 1872.

Two major events happened in 1872, first was the 1872 Cavite Mutiny and the other was the martyrdom
of the three martyr priests in the persons of Fathers Mariano Gomes, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora
(GOMBURZA). However, not all of us knew that there were different accounts in reference to the said
event. All Filipinos must know the different sides of the story4 since this event led to another tragic yet
meaningful part of our history4the execution of GOMBURZA which in effect a major factor in the
awakening of nationalism among the Filipinos.

1872 Cavite Mutiny: Spanish Perspective

Jose Montero y Vidal

- He is a prolific Spanish historian documented the event and highlighted it as an attempt of the Indios to
overthrow the Spanish government in the Philippines.
- He magnified the event and made use of it to implicate the native clergy, which was then active in the
call for secularization.

- Both Montero and Izquierdo scored out that the abolition of privileges enjoyed by the workers of Cavite
arsenal such as non-payment of tributes and exemption from force labor were the main reasons of the
“revolution” as how they called it.

The Removal of Privileges:

1. Exemption for the tribute

- Taxation (Filipino paid taxes to Spain)

A. Tribute - The Filipinos were compelled to pay tribute called TRIBUTO to the colonial government. The
tributo was imposed as a sign of the Filipinos loyalty to king of Spain. Those who paid tribute were
individuals at the age between 16 to 60 years old.

B. Cedula- In 1884 the tribute was nullified and replace by cedula.

2. Exemption from forced labor

- Also called Polo y Servicios

A. All male Filipinos from 18 to 60 years old were required to give their free labor called polo to the
government. This labor was for 40 days a year, reduce to 15 days in 1884.

Governor Rafael de Izquierdo

- He blamed the unruly Spanish Press for “stockpiling” malicious propagandas grasped by the Filipinos.
He reported to the King of Spain that the “rebels” wanted to overthrow the Spanish government to -
install a new “hari” in the likes of Fathers Burgos and Zamora.

- He even added that the native clergy enticed other participants by giving them charismatic assurance
that their fight will not fail because God is with them coupled with handsome promises of rewards such
as employment, wealth, and ranks in the army.

- In his report lambasted the Indios as gullible and possessed an innate propensity for stealing.

The two Spaniards deemed that the event of 1872 was planned earlier and was thought of it as a big
conspiracy among educated leaders, mestizos, abogadillos or native lawyers, residents of Manila and
Cavite and the native clergy. They insinuated that the conspirators of Manila and Cavite planned to
liquidate high-ranking Spanish officers to be followed by the massacre of the friars. The alleged pre-
concerted signal among the conspirators of Manila and Cavite was the firing of rockets from the walls of
Intramuros. According to the accounts of the two, on 20 January 1872, the district of Sampaloc
celebrated the feast of the Virgin of Loreto, unfortunately participants to the feast celebrated the
occasion with the usual fireworks displays. Allegedly, those in Cavite mistook the fireworks as the sign for
the attack, and just like what was agreed upon, the 200-men contingent headed by Sergeant Lamadrid
launched an attack targeting Spanish officers at sight and seized the arsenal. When the news reached the
iron-fisted Gov. Izquierdo, he readily ordered the reinforcement of the Spanish forces in Cavite to quell
the revolt. The “revolution” was easily crushed when the expected reinforcement from Manila did not
come ashore. Major instigators including Sergeant Lamadrid were killed in the skirmish, while the
GOMBURZA were tried by a court-martial and were sentenced to die by strangulation. Patriots like
Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, Antonio Ma. Regidor, Jose and Pio Basa and other abogadillos were suspended
by the Audencia (High Court) from the practice of law, arrested and were sentenced with life
imprisonment at the Marianas Island. Furthermore, Gov. Izquierdo dissolved the native regiments of
artillery and ordered the creation of artillery force to be composed exclusively of the Peninsulares. On 17
February 1872 in an attempt of the Spanish government and Frailocracia to instill fear among the
Filipinos so that they may never commit such daring act again, the GOMBURZA were executed. This
event was tragic but served as one of the moving forces that shaped Filipino nationalism.

A Response to Injustice: The Filipino Version of the Incident

Dr. Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo de Tavera

- He is a Filipino scholar and researcher, wrote the Filipino version of the bloody incident in Cavite.

- In his point of view, the incident was a mere mutiny by the native Filipino soldiers and laborers of the
Cavite arsenal who turned out to be dissatisfied with the abolition of their privileges.

- He blamed Gov. Izquierdo’s cold-blooded policies such as the abolition of privileges of the workers and
native army members of the arsenal and the prohibition of the founding of school of arts and trades for
the Filipinos, which the general believed as a cover-up for the organization of a political club.

On 20 January 1872, about 200 men comprised of soldiers, laborers of the arsenal, and residents of
Cavite headed by Sergeant Lamadrid rose in arms and assassinated the commanding officer and Spanish
officers in sight. The insurgents were expecting support from the bulk of the army unfortunately, that
didn’t happen. The news about the mutiny reached authorities in Manila and Gen. Izquierdo
immediately ordered the reinforcement of Spanish troops in Cavite. After two days, the mutiny was
officially declared subdued. Tavera believed that the Spanish friars and Izquierdo used the Cavite Mutiny
as a powerful lever by magnifying it as a full-blown conspiracy involving not only the native army but also
included residents of Cavite and Manila, and more importantly the native clergy to overthrow the
Spanish government in the Philippines. It is noteworthy that during the time, the Central Government in
Madrid announced its intention to deprive the friars of all the powers of intervention in matters of civil
government and the direction and management of educational institutions. This turnout of events was
believed by Tavera, prompted the friars to do something drastic in their desire to maintain power in the
Philippines. Meanwhile, in the intention of installing reforms, the Central Government of Spain
welcomed an educational decree authored by Segismundo Moret promoted the fusion of sectarian
schools run by the friars into a school called Philippine Institute. The decree proposed to improve the
standard of education in the Philippines by requiring teaching positions in such schools to be filled by
competitive examinations. This improvement was warmly received by most Filipinos in spite of the
native clergy’s zest for secularization. The friars, fearing that their influence in the Philippines would be a
thing of the past, took advantage of the incident and presented it to the Spanish Government as a vast
conspiracy organized throughout the archipelago with the object of destroying Spanish sovereignty.
Tavera sadly confirmed that the Madrid government came to believe that the scheme was true without
any attempt to investigate the real facts or extent of the alleged “revolution” reported by Izquierdo and
the friars. Convicted educated men who participated in the mutiny were sentenced life imprisonment
while members of the native clergy headed by the GOMBURZA were tried and executed by garrote. This
episode leads to the awakening of nationalism and eventually to the outbreak of Philippine Revolution of
1896.

Edmund Plauchut

- French writer

- He complimented Tavera’s account by confirming that the event happened due to discontentment of
the arsenal workers and soldiers in Cavite fort. The Frenchman, however, dwelt more on the execution of
the three martyr priests which he witnessed.

- He Confirmed that the event happened due to discontentment of the arsenal workers and soldiers in
Cavite fort.

- The event is just a simple mutiny since up to that time the Filipinos have no intention of separation
from Spain but only secure materials and education advancements in the country.

- Also, in this time, the central government deprived friars of the powers of involvement in civil
government and in governing and handling universities.

- This resulted in the friars afraid that their leverage in the Philippines would be a thing in the past, took
advantage of the mutiny and reported it to the Spanish government as a broad conspiracy organized
throughout the archipelago with the object of abolishing Spanish sovereignty.

Unraveling the Truth

Considering the four accounts of the 1872 Mutiny, there were some basic facts that remained to be
unvarying:

1. First, there was dissatisfaction among the workers of the arsenal as well as the members of the native
army after their privileges were drawn back by Gen. Izquierdo;

2. Second, Gen. Izquierdo introduced rigid and strict policies that made the Filipinos move and turn away
from Spanish government out of disgust;

3. Third, the Central Government failed to conduct an investigation on what truly transpired but relied
on reports of Izquierdo and the friars and the opinion of the public;
4. Fourth, the happy days of the friars were already numbered in 1872 when the Central Government in
Spain decided to deprive them of the power to intervene in government affairs as well as in the direction
and management of schools prompting them to commit frantic moves to extend their stay and power;

5. Fifth, the Filipino clergy members actively participated in the secularization movement in order to
allow Filipino priests to take hold of the parishes in the country making them prey to the rage of the
friars;

6. Sixth, Filipinos during the time were active participants, and responded to what they deemed as
injustices;

7. Lastly, the execution of GOMBURZA was a blunder on the part of the Spanish government, for the
action severed the ill-feelings of the Filipinos and the event inspired Filipino patriots to call for reforms
and eventually independence. There may be different versions of the event, but one thing is certain, the
1872 Cavite Mutiny paved way for a momentous 1898.

The road to independence was rough and tough to toddle, many patriots named and unnamed shed
their bloods to attain reforms and achieve independence. 12 June 1898 may be a glorious event for us,
but we should not forget that before we came across to victory, our forefathers suffered enough. As we
enjoy our freedom, may we be more historically aware of our past to have a better future ahead of us.
And just like what Elias said in Noli me Tangere, may we “not forget those who fell during the night.”

The two major events happened in 1872

• First was the 1872 Cavite Mutiny

• Second was the martyrdom of the three martyr priest in the person of Father Mariano Gomez, Jose
Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora or well know of the three as GOMBURZA which led the awakening of
nationalism among Filipinos.

References:

The Two Faces of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny. (2015, 7 september). National Historical Commission of the
Philippines. Geraadpleegd op 22 maart 2022. Retrieved from:

https://nhcp.gov.ph/the-twofaces-of-the-1872-cavite-mutiny/

The Cavite Mutiny: An Essay on the Published Sources on JSTOR. (z.d.). Jstor. Geraadpleegd op 22 maart
2022. Retrieved from:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/42634842

Cavite Mutiny | Summary, Importance, & Facts. (z.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Geraadpleegd op 22
maart 2022, van https://www.britannica.com/event/Cavite-Mutiny
Cavite Mutiny - 12 Events That Have Influenced Philippine History - Publications / StuartXchange. (z.d.).
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http://www.stuartxchange.org/CaviteMutiny.html

Manaog, N. (2021, 2 mei). What Really Happened during the 1872 Cavite Mutiny. Academia.
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https://www.academia.edu/47892211/What_Really_Happened_during_the_1872_Cavite_Mutiny

Access to this page has been denied. (z.d.). Studocu. Geraadpleegd op 22 maart 2022. Retrieved from:

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/st-louis-college-valenzuela/tourism/the-cavitemutiny-position-
paper-pdf/19097288

G. (z.d.). CAVITE MUTINY - PDFCOFFEE.COM. Pdfcoffee.Com. Geraadpleegd op 22 maart 2022, Retrieved

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