The Two Faces of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny

Posted on September 5, 2012

THE TWO FACES OF THE 1872 CAVITE MUTINY

By Chris Antonette Piedad-Pugay

The 12th of June of every year since 1898 is a very important event for all the Filipinos. In this
particular 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 story—since this event led
to another tragic yet meaningful part of our history—the 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, a prolific Spanish historian documented the event and highlighted it as an
attempt of the Indios to overthrow the Spanish government in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Gov. Gen.
Rafael Izquierdo’s official report magnified the event and made use of it to implicate the native clergy,
which was then active in the call for secularization. The two accounts complimented and corroborated
with one other, only that the general’s report was more spiteful. Initially, 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, however, other causes were enumerated by them including the Spanish Revolution which overthrew
the secular throne, dirty propagandas proliferated by unrestrained press, democratic, liberal and
republican books and pamphlets reaching the Philippines, and most importantly, the presence of the
native clergy who out of animosity against the Spanish friars, “conspired and supported” the rebels and
enemies of Spain. In particular, Izquierdo 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. The
general 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. Izquierdo, 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, 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. Indirectly, Tavera 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 dire sedire 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. The French writer Edmund Plauchut’s account 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 actually
witnessed.

Unraveling the Truth

Considering the four accounts of the 1872 Mutiny, there were some basic facts that remained to be
unvarying: 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; Second, Gen. Izquierdo
introduced rigid and strict policies that made the Filipinos move and turn away from Spanish
government out of disgust; 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; 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; 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;
Sixth, Filipinos during the time were active participants, and responded to what they deemed as
injustices; and 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
weenjoy our freeedom, 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.”
One hundred and forty years ago, on January 20, 1872, about 200 Filipino military personnel of Fort San
Felipe Arsenal in Cavite, Philippines, staged a mutiny which in a way led to the Philippine Revolution in
1896. The 1872 Cavite Mutiny was precipitated by the removal of long-standing personal benefits to the
workers such as tax (tribute) and forced labor exemptions on order from the Governor General Rafael de
Izquierdo.
Izquierdo replaced Governor General Carlos Maria de la Torre some months before in 1871 and
immediately rescinded Torre’s liberal measures and imposed his iron-fist rule. He was opposed to any
hint of reformist or nationalistic movements in the Philippines. He was in office for less than two years,
but he will be remembered for his cruelty to the Filipinos and the barbaric execution of the three martyr-
priests blamed for the mutiny: Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, later
collectively called “Gomburza.”

The mutineers were led by Sgt. Fernando La Madrid; they seized the Fort and killed the Spanish officers.
Fearing a general uprising, the Spanish government in Manila sent a regiment under General Felipe
Ginoves to recover the Fort. The besieged mutiny was quelled, and many mutineers including Sgt. La
Madrid were killed. Later, others were sentenced to death or hard labor.

Izquierdo used the mutiny to implicate Gomburza and other notable Filipinos known for their liberal
leanings. Prominent Filipinos such as priests, professionals, and businessmen were arrested on flimsy
and trumped-up charges and sentenced to prison, death, or exile. These include Joaquin Pardo de
Tavera, Jose Basa, and Antonio M. Regidor. It was said that the Cavite mutineers got their cue from
Manila when they saw and heard fireworks across the Manila Bay which was really a celebration of the
feast of the Lady of Loreto in Sampaloc.

When the Archbishop of Manila, Rev. Meliton Martinez, refused to cooperate and defrock the priests,
the Spanish court-martial on February 15 went ahead and maliciously found Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and
Zamora guilty of treason for instigating the Cavite mutiny. Two days later, the three priests were put to
death by garrotte in Bagumbayan, now known as Luneta. (Garrote was a barbaric Spanish method of
execution in which an iron collar was tightened around the prisoner’s neck until death occurred.)

Father Burgos was of Spanish descent, born in the Philippines. He was a parish priest of the Manila
Cathedral and had been known to be close to the liberal Governor General de la Torre. He was 35 years
old at the time and was active and outspoken in advocating the Filipinization of the clergy. He was
quoted as saying, “Why shall a young man strive to rise in the profession of law or theology when he can
vision no future for himself but obscurity?”

Father Zamora, 37, was also Spanish, born in the Philippines. He was the parish priest of Marikina and
was known to be unfriendly to and would not countenance any arrogance or authoritative behavior from
Spaniards coming from Spain. He once snubbed a Spanish governor who came to visit Marikina.
Father Gomez was an old man in his mid-’70, Chinese-Filipino, born in Cavite. He held the most senior
position of the three as Archbishop’s Vicar in Cavite. He was truly nationalistic and accepted the death
penalty calmly as though it were his penance for being pro-Filipinos.

The three priests were stripped of their albs, and with chained hands and feet were brought to their cells
after their sentence. They received numerous visits from folks coming from Cavite, Bulacan, and
elsewhere. Forty thousand Filipinos came to Luneta to witness and quietly condemn the execution, and
Gomburza became a rallying catchword for the down-trodden Filipinos seeking justice and freedom from
Spain.

In the dedication page of his second book, El Filibusterismo, published in 1891, Dr. Jose Rizal wrote, “I
dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to combat…”

It is well to remember that the seeds of nationalism that was sown in Cavite blossomed to the Philippine
Revolution and later to the Declaration of Independence by Emilio Aguinaldo which took place also in
Cavite. As for me, the 1872 Cavite Mutiny bolstered the stereotypical belief that Caviteños were the
most courageous of my fellow Filipinos.

HE CAVITE MUTINY

May 7, 2016

Few events in Philippine history are as important to the establishment of the Philippines national identify
as that of the Cavite mutiny in 1872.
Filipino Soldiers 1872

Filipino Soldiers 1872

In the early 1890's, the Philippines were still under Spanish control, and things went awry when the
Spanish Governor-General (Rafael de Izquierdo) introduced a new reforms including a tax of Filipinos
serving in the Army, requiring them to pay a tax for their service and force them into labour.

In January of 1872, when the soldiers received their pay with the new tax taken out, all hell broke out as
they were furious with the change. At Fort San Filipe (which was the Spanish arsenal in Cavite province in
the Philippines), the soldiers began their uprising. 200 Philippine soldiers proceeded to take the entire
fort killing eleven Spanish soldiers in the process.

The Philippine soldiers were under the belief that they would have support from Manila to start an all
out uprising against the Spanish (a sentiment that had fostering for a while).

Once word of the uprising in Cavite reached the Spanish in Manila, the Spanish army quickly sent an
entire regiment to Cavite led by General Felipe Ginovés. The Spanish laid siege to the captured fort until
all of the mutineers surrendered.

Once the fort was back under Spanish control, Ginovés ordered all mutineers to be executed. When the
soldiers were lined up, Ginovés asked which of the mutineers would not pledge their allegiance to Spain.
One man stepped forward and was swiftly shot and killed, no one else stepped forward, and the rest of
the mutineers were imprisoned. The prisoners were later exiled to the Philippine island of Mindanao.

By late January, the Philippine Governor had sentenced 41 of the mutineers to death, with 11 more
added a week later, but the latter order turned into life imprisonment.

Over the next month the Spanish were relentless in the pursuit of rounding up any and all who were
involved in assisting the soldiers with their uprising, which included three local priests, who were
executed by garrote in late February.
No Filipino was allowed to serve as a priest following the incident, until the Philippines independence
from Spain in 1898.

pag-aalsa sa cavite

Ang Pag-aalsá sa Cavite (o Cavite Mutiny sa Ingles) ay isang pag-aalsa noong 1872 ng umaabot sa 200
Filipinong sundalo at obrero sa arsenal sa Cavite. Madaliang nasugpo ng pamahalaang kolonyal ang pag-
aaklas ngunit naging makabuluhan ito sa kasaysayan dahil ginamit itong dahilan upang supilin ang mga
Filipinong makabayan at humihingi ng reporma sa pamahalaan. Ang pag-aalsa ang ginamit na batayan
upang isakdal at bitayin ang tatlong paring Filipino, sina José Burgos, Jacinto Zamora, at Mariano Gómez
—o mas kilala bilang Gomburza—at ang kanilang pagkamartir ang higit na nagpaalab sa nasyonalismo ng
mga Filipino at magdudulot, sa huli, ng Himagsikang 1896.
Pinaniniwalaang nag-ugat ang pag-aalsa sa pagpapataw ni Gobernador-Heneral Rafael de Izquierdo ng
personal na buwis sa mga kawal at manggagawa, samantalang dati na siláng hindi saklaw nitó. Isinaad ng
buwis ang pagbabayad ng salapi at pagbibigay ng polo y servicio, o sapilitang trabaho. Nang natanggap
ng mga manggagawa ang kanilang sahod, binawasan na ito ng buwis. Sa pamumunò ni Fernando La
Madrid, isang mestisong sarhento, nag-alsa silá noong 20 Enero 1872. Nakubkob nilá ang Fuerza San
Felipe at pinaslang ang 11 Espanyol na opisyal. Inakala ng mga nag-aklas na sasamahan silá ng mga
sundalo sa Maynila. Hudyat dapat ng simula ng labanan ang mga paputok mula sa Intramuros noong
gabing iyon. Sa kasamaang palad, ang hudyat na kanilang nakita at sinunod ay isa lamang pagpapaputok
para sa pagdiriwang ng pista ng Birhen ng Loreto, ang patron ng Sampaloc. Sa pangambang simula ito ng
mas malawakang rebolusyon, isang pulutong ng mga sundalo sa pamumunò ni Heneral Felipe Ginoves
ang lumusob sa moog ng San Felipe. Sumuko ang mga nag-aklas, kabilang si La Madrid, at pinaputukan
siló sa utos ni Ginoves.

Pagkatapos ng pag-aalsa, dinesarmahan ang lahat ng sundalo sa arsenal at ipinatapon sa Mindanao.

Dinakip at binitay o ipinatápon ang mga pinaghinalaang sumuporta sa pag-aaklas. Maraming mariwasa at
ilustrado ang nadawit sa pag-aalsa. Ginamit itong dahilan ng pamahalaang kolonyal at mga prayleng
Espanyol upang idawit ang tatlong paring tinagurian ngayon bilang Gomburza. Pagkatapos ng maigsi at
kahina-hinalang paglilitis, binitay ang tatlong pari sa harap ng publiko sa pamamagitan ng garote. Sa halip
ikatákot, tinandaan ito ng mga patriyota na pruweba ng kalupitan ng mga mananakop. (PKJ)