Filipino Journal

The 1872 Cavite Mutiny

DR. EUSEBIO KOHISSUE » Vol. 26 No. 04POSTED IN » Columnists, Counterpoint

The 1872 Cavite Mutiny

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immediately rescinded Torre’s liberal measures and imposed his iron-fist rule.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.

Dr. Eusebio Koh

About the author: Dr. Eusebio Koh View all posts by Dr. Eusebio Koh

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