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.”

ANOTHER SOURCE

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.

New source
Text of the report Before the fiscal change, the rebellion against was motivated and prepared by the
native clergy, by the mestizos and native lawyers, and abogadillos. The instigators, to carry out their
criminal reform, protested against the injustice of the government in not paying the provinces for their
tobacco crop, and usury that some officials practice in handling documents that the finance department
gives crop owners who have to sell them at a loss. Text of the report They encouraged the rebellion by
protesting what they called the injustice of having obliged the workers in the Cavite arsenal to pay
tribute starting January 1 (1872) and to render personal service, from which they were formerly
exempted. To seduce the native troops, they resorted to superstitions with which the indios are so
prone to believe; persuading them that the Chief of State would be an ecclesiastic and the rest or the
clergy who backed the uprising would celebrate daily for its success. Text of the report With the
persuasion, they insisted that the God is with them and they would not fail, and to those participate
would be killed immediately. They took advantage of the ignorance of those classes and the prosperity
of the Indio to steal, they offered the wealth of the Spaniards and of the regular clergy. Employment and
ranks in the army, and to this effect they said the fifteen native battalions would be created, in which
the soldiers who revolted have jobs as officers and chiefs. Text of the report The lawyers and abogadillos
would direct the affairs of government, of the administration and of justice. Up to now it has not been
clearly determined if they planned to establish a monarchy or a republic, because the Indios have no
word in their language to describe this different form of government, whose head in Tagalog would be
called hari, but it turns out that they would place at the government a priest The priest selected to be
head would be D. Jose Burgos or D. Jacinto Zamora, Parish priests of S. Pedro of Manila. Text of the
report All the Spaniards, including the friars, would be executed except for the women; and their
belongings. Foreigners would be respected This uprising has roots, and with them were affiliated to a
great extent the regiments of Infantry and artillery, many civilians and a large number of mestizos,
indios and some ilustrados from the provinces Text of the report To start the revolution, they planned to
set fire to the district of Tondo, to divert the authorities attention and the infantry regimes that will
seize Fort Santiago of this capital then will signal the rebels of Cavite of their success. The rebels in
Cavite counted on the artillery detachment that occupied the fort and on the navy helped by 500 natives
led by the pardoned leader Camerino. Text of the report This person and his men, located at the town of
Bacoor and separated from the fort of San Felipe by a small arm of the sea, would cross the water and
reach the fort where they would find arms and ammunition. The rebels in Cavite made the signals
agreed upon by means of lanterns, but the native civilians in Bacoor although they tried, failed because
of the vigilance of the Spanish navy that had placed there a gunboat and armed vessels Text of the
report Loyalist who went to arrest the parish priest of Bacoor found an abandoned vessel loaded with
arms, including carbines and revolvers. The uprising should have started in Manila at midnight abetted
by those in Cavite, but the rebels of this city when ahead of time. The civil-military governor of Cavite
and the commanders of Regiment 7 took very timely precautions; they knew how to keep the soldiers
loyal and behaved with valor and gallantry, obliging the rebels to take refuge in the fort of San Felipe
Text of the report “Such is your Excellency, the plan of the rebels, those who guided them, and the
means they counted upon for its realization. For a long time now, through confidential information and
others of a vaguer character, I have been told that since 1869 – taking advantage of a group that had left
behind plans for an uprising, but was not carried out because of the earthquake of 1862 – there existed
in Manila a junta or center that sought had found followers; and that as a pretext they…” Text of the
report “…had established a society for the teaching of arts and trades. Months ago I suspended it
indirectly, giving an account to Your Excellency in my confidential report No. 113 dated August 1, (1871)
to which Your Excellency has not yet replied.” It has also been said that this center or junta received
inspirations from Madrid, where newspapers of advanced ideas flourish; to sustain them subscriptions
are locally solicited; in effect, newspapers such as El Eco Filipino were sent here from Madrid, which
were distributed by persons now imprisoned, whose articles thundered against everything that can be
found here. Text of the report As in the case of my worthy predecessor, I have continuously received
anonymous letters, but because I was confident that I could put down and punish any uprising, I gave no
credit in order not to cause alarm; and instead continued a vigilant watch wherever possible within the
limited means at my command. I had everything ready for any untoward possibility, taking into account
the limited peninsular force which composes the army. Credibility of the Source The text was credible
because it was the perspective of the governing authority in that situation, to the point accusation from
him are based on him, but it doesn’t mean his accusation were correct. ...