Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of

Science and Technology

1008 Nagtahan Samapaloc, Manilla

CONTROVERSIES AND CONFLICTING VIEWS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY: THE

1872 CAVITE MUTINY

SUBMITTED BY:
Carlson James S. Viadnes
BSEM 1-5

SUBMITTED TO:
Ms. Carlos
ABSTRACT

Cavite Mutiny was the awakening of Filipino nationalism which leads to

Philippine Revolution in 1896. This term paper shows the reason of the mutiny who

was led by Fernando La Madrid. This will also show the different perspectives of the

said event. The aftermaths of the Cavite Mutiny will also be included in which the

GOMBURZA was killed, and a bloodbath of Filipino workers and soldiers were shed.

The Cavite Mutiny was an unsuccessful “revolutionary act” of the Filipinos.

INTRODUCTION

The 12th of June of every year since 1898 is very momentous for us Filipinos.

In this special day, the independence of each Filipinos in the hands of the Spanish

colonialism was celebrated. 1989 is as significant as 1896— the year of Philippine

Revolution— where Filipinos desires to free themselves and fight for their freedom

from the Spanish colonial regime. But we should also be reminded and not forget of

the year as historic as these two— 1872.

Two historical events happened in 1872, first was the 1872 Cavite Mutiny and

the other was the execution of the three martyr priests— Padre Mariano Gomez,

Padre Jose Burgos, and Padre Jacinto Zamora or everyone known as GOMBURZA.

However, school doesn’t teach or informed us the different sides or perspective of

what really happened in the Cavite Mutiny.

This term paper will discuss the different sides of the story; since every

Filipinos must be knowledgable of the said event. Cavite Mutiny is another tragic yet

significant part of Philippine history in which the execution of the GOMBURZA has

led a big impact to the Filipinos awakening of nationalism.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

1. What was the real reason for the Cavite Mutiny?

2. What are the different perspectives of the Cavite Mutiny?

3. What is the aftermath of Cavite Mutiny?

HYPOTHESIS

If Cavite Mutiny didn’t happen, then the embryonic Philippine nationalist

movement never happens and there was no blood of Filipino laborers and troops

were shed.

And if not for the Cavite Mutiny, the execution of the three martyr priests

would not have occurred and the awakening of Filipino nationalism was never began

which later on leads to Philippine Revolution of 1896.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Abogadillos- native lawyer

Archipelago- group of island

Central government- governs the nation of Spain

Clergy- religious officials

El Filibusterismo- second novel written by Dr. Jose P. Rizal

Friars- member of mendicant order of men

Indios- indigenous people

Iron fist- power in ruthless way

Mutiny- open rebellion against the Spanish government

Treason- GOMBURZA accused of leading the Cavite Mutiny

BODY

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.

RELATED STUDIES

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.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

In account of the different perspectives of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny, there were

scenarios that remained constant: 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. 12th of 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.”

In today's events, I can say that we do not attain true freedom if we continue

to be enslaved by foreigners. The blood of our countrymen who fight for each one of

us and for our country's independence will be nothing if we continue to allow them

claim and take what is justfully ours. In our government and in each of us, we can

only achieve true freedom if we fight and patronized what is our own. Don’t let the

foreigners take away what is owned by our country without fighting for it.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Articles

Dr. Eusebio Koh (2012) The 1872 Cavite Mutiny. Retrieved from

https://filipinojournal.com/the-1872-cavite-mutiny/

Books

Trinidad Pardo de Vera. Philippine Version of the Cavite Munity of 1872

(Zaide, 1990, vol. 7, pp. 274-280)

Jose Montero y Vidal. Spanish Version of the Cavite Munity of 1872 (Zaide,

1990, vol. 7, pp. 269-273)

Rafael Izquirdo. Official Report on the Cavite Mutiny (Zaide, 1990, vol. 7, pp.

281-286)