The Mutiny in Cavite, The Martyrdom of Gomburza and Union of Church and State

I. Introduction
The Cavite mutiny of 1872 was an uprising of Filipino
military personnel of Fort San Felipe, the
Spanish arsenal in Cavite on 20 January 1872. Around 200
locally recruited colonial troops and laborers rose up in the
belief that it would elevate to a national uprising. The
mutiny was unsuccessful, and government soldiers
executed many of the participants and began to crack down
on a burgeoning Philippines nationalist movement. Many
scholars believed that the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was the
beginning of Filipino nationalism that would eventually lead
to the Philippine Revolution of 1896.[2]

II. Discussion

Cause of the Cavite Mutiny

The causes of the Cavite Mutiny can be identified through examining the different accounts in this
historic event.

Spanish Accounts of the Mutiny

Jose Montero y Vidal is a Spanish Historian, who interpreted that the Mutiny was an attempt to
remove and overthrow the Spanish Colonizers in the Philippines. His account, corroborated with the
account of Governor - General Rafael Izquidero y Gutierrez, the governor-general of the Philippine
Islands during the Mutiny. They mentioned that the mutiny was powered by a group of native clergy.
Account of Jose Montero y Vidal
The Cavite Mutiny is an aim of natives to get rid of the Spanish government in the Philippines,
due to the removal of privileges enjoyed by the laborers of the Cavite arsenal such as exemption from
the tribute and forced labor. The democratic and republican books and pamphlets, the speeches and
preaching of the apostles of these new ideas in Spain and the outburst of the American publicists and
the cruel policies of the insensitive governor whom the reigning government sent to govern the
country. Filipinos put into action these ideas where the occurring conditions which gave rise to the idea
of achieving their independence.
Account of Trinidad Pardo de Tavera
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. However,
the mutiny was used at a powerful level. 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. The Madrid government without any
attempt to investigate the real facts or extent of the alleged revolution reported by Izquierdo and the
friars believed the scheme was true.
Battle
Their leader was Fernando La Madrid,
a mestizo sergeant with his second in command
Jaerel Brent Senior, a moreno. They seized Fort
San Felipe and killed eleven Spanish officers. The
mutineers thought that fellow Filipino indigenous
soldiers in Manila would join them in a concerted
uprising, the signal being the firing of rockets
from the city walls on that night. Unfortunately,
what they thought to be the signal was actually a
burst of fireworks in celebration of the feast
of Our Lady of Loreto, the patron of Sampaloc.
The plan was to set fires in Tondo in order to distract the authorities while the artillery regiment and
infantry in Manila could take control of Fort Santiago and use cannon shots as signals to Cavite. All
Spaniards were to be killed, except for the women. News of the mutiny reached Manila, supposedly
through the lover of a Spanish sergeant, who then informed his superiors, and the Spanish authorities
feared for a massive Filipino uprising. The next day, a regiment led by General Felipe Ginovés besieged
the fort until the mutineers surrendered. Ginovés then ordered his troops to fire at those who
surrendered, including La Madrid. The rebels were formed in a line, when Colonel Sabas asked who
would not cry out, "Viva España", and shot the one man who stepped forward. The rest were
imprisoned.
Aftermath
In the immediate aftermath of the
mutiny, some Filipino soldiers were disarmed
and later sent into exile on the southern island
of Mindanao. Those suspected of directly
supporting the mutineers were arrested and
executed. The mutiny was used by the colonial
government and Spanish friars to implicate
three secular priests, Mariano Gomez, José
Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, collectively known
as Gomburza. They were executed
by garrote in Luneta, also known in Tagalog as Bagumbayan, on February 17, 1872. These executions,
particularly those of the Gomburza, were to have a significant effect on people because of the shadowy
nature of the trials. José Rizal, whose brother Paciano was a close friend of Burgos, dedicated his
work, El filibusterismo, to these three priests.

GOMBURZA
Gomburza, alternatively stylized
as GOMBURZA or GomBurZa, refers to three Filipino
Catholic priests, Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto
Zamora, who were executed by garrote in 17 February 1872 in
Bagumbayan, Philippines by Spanish colonial authorities on
charges of subversion arising from the 1872 Cavite mutiny. The
name is a portmanteau of the priests' surnames.
Martyrdom of Gomburza
The execution of Gomburza remains as one of the most
controversial issues deeply embedded in Philippine history.
However, their tragic end led to the dawn of the Philippine
Nationalism in the 19th century, intensified by Dr. Jose P. Rizal, in
dedicating his second novel entitled El Filibusterismo which
condemned the Spanish rule and the elite Filipinos. It must be
noted, however, that Rizal's account was erroneous in detail as
the execution took place on 17 February 1872, not on 28 February
1872, as Rizal mistakenly mentions. Additionally, the ages of the
priests were listed down inaccurately. At the time of the execution, Gomez was 72 years old, Burgos was 35
years old, and Zamora was 36 years old.
Their deaths were facilitated in a public execution at Bagumbayan (Luzon) using a garrote due to false
accusations charged against them by Spanish authorities. Their alleged crimes included treason and sedition
for being the supposed masterminds of the insurrection of Indios (native Filipinos) working in the Cavite
arsenal. Furthermore, according to the Spanish military tribunal, they were believed to have been a part of a
clandestine movement aimed to overthrow the Spanish government, making them a threat to the Spanish
Clergy. The execution has since been labeled the Terror of 1872, and is recognized as a pivotal event
contributing to the later Philippine Revolution from 1896 to 1898.

Union of Church and State

The Union of Church and State was expressed in Patronato Real .
The patronato was based on the principle of the state choosing an official
religion and the state's obligation to support such religion. This means
providing financial support for the clergy, the building of churches and
monasteries, and the defense of the Church against her enemies.
During the Spanish regime, there was a union of church and state. Giving
power to friars and archbishops. The governor-general had power over the
church. The friars, on the other hand, played a very important role in the
government.
The Archbishop was only the most powerful in the church. The church
exercised more power than the government. There were times when rulers could even call for Church councils
to settle doctrinal controversies and heresies that threatened the unity of the state. The friars occupied
significant positions in the central government. They dominated the permanent commission on censorship
which some of jose rizal’s works were banned. The friars controlled many of public works of municipalities.
Because of this; the government in the Philippines was called “Frailocracia,” a government controlled by the
friars.

III. Conclusion

The mutiny in Cavite inspired a lot of Filipinos to fight against oppression. This taught every
Filipinos to stand for their rights. Up until now, many Filipinos are still being oppressed and are still
fighting for their rights. The worst of it is some are being oppressed by fellow countrymen. We should
never forget the sacrifices of our fellow Filipinos in the Spanish colonization, their sacrifices that led to
our freedom. We should learn from them, learn how to stand for what is right.

IV. References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1872_Cavite_mutiny#Battle
https://www.britannica.com/event/Cavite-Mutiny
http://malacanang.gov.ph/7695-the-martyrdom-of-the-gomburza/#:~:text=The%20GomBurZa%20were%20publicly
%20executed,moral%20justification%20of%20the%20Cross .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomburza#Cavite_mutiny
https://www.slideshare.net/thelma_villaflores/lesson-4-the-philippines-under-spain
https://spanishcolonization.wordpress.com/topics/politics/