CAVITE MUTINY

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.

CAUSES 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 clergies.

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 Governor-General Rafael Izquierdo y Gutiérrez

He insisted that the mutiny is stimulated and prepared by the native clergy, mestizos and
lawyers as a signal of objection against the injustices of the government such as not paying
provinces for tobacco crops, pay tribute and rendering of forced labor. It is not clearly identified
if Indios planned to inaugurate a monarchy or a republic because they don't have a word in their
own language to describe this different form of government, whose leader in Filipino would be
called "hari". However, it turned out that they would set at the supreme of the government a
priest, that the leader selected would be Jose Burgos or Jacinto Zamora which is the plan of the
rebels who guided them, and the means they counted upon its realization.

THE BATTLE

Ferdinand La Madrid was the mestizo sergeant who led the mutiny after Spanish
authorities subjected his co-soldiers at the Engineering and Artillery Corps to personal taxes
from which they had previously been exempted. The taxes obliged them to pay a monetary sum
and to do the "polo y servicio" or forced labor. Together 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.

On January 27, 1872, Governor-General Rafael Izquierdo approved the death sentences
on forty-one of the mutineers. On February 6, eleven more were sentenced to death, but these
were later commuted to life imprisonment. Others were exiled to other islands of the colonial
Spanish East Indies such as Guam, Mariana Islands, including the father of Pedro Paterno,
Maximo Paterno, Antonio M. Regidor y Jurado, and José María Basa. The most important group
created a colony of Filipino expatriates in Europe, particularly in the Spanish capital of Madrid
and Barcelona, where they were able to create small insurgent associations and print publications
that were to advance the claims of the seeding Philippine Revolution.

Finally, a decree was made, stating there were to be no further ordinations/appointments

of Filipinos as Roman Catholic parish priests. In spite of the mutiny, the Spanish authorities
continued to employ large numbers of native Filipino troops, carabineros and civil guards in their
colonial forces through the 1870s–1890s until the Spanish–American War of 1898.

THE EXECUTION OF GOMBURZA

On February 15, 1872, the Spanish colonial authorities sentenced three martyr Fathers
Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora to death by garrote at Bagumbayan,
Philippines and charged with treason and sedition, and subversion. Two days after their verdict,
they were executed. The charges against Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were their alleged
complicity in the uprising of workers at the Cavite Naval Yard. It was believed by Governor
Rafael Izquierdo that the Filipinos will create its own government and allegedly, the three priests
were nominated as the leader of the planned government in order to break free of the Spanish
government.

The death of Gomburza awakened strong spirits of anger and resentment among the
Filipinos. They grilled Spanish authorities and demanded reforms due to the prejudicial
governance of the Spanish Authorities. The martyrdom of the three priests, ironically, assisted in
the creation of the Propaganda Movement which aimed to seek reforms and inform the Spanish
people on the abuses of its colonial authorities in the Philippine Islands.

THE TWO FACES OF THE 1872 CAVITE MUTINY

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 Gomez, 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.