1872 Cavite Mutiny: Spanish Persperctive

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.