Readings in

Philippine
History
Prof. John Cliford M. Alvero
 Chapter 4
The Cavite Mutiny Controversy
1. The Spanish Perspective of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny
2. The Filipino Version of the Cavite Incident
3. The Philippine National Flag
3.1. Philippine Flag was Banned!
3.2. Inclusion of a 9th ray or Crescent in the Flag
3.3. The Blue Color of the Flag
3.4. Where is the Original Flag?
4. Antonio Luna’s Assassination
5. Aguinaldo still be considered a hero or a traitor?

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 Prologue:

El Filibusterismo
The Reign of Greed

Jose Rizal dedicated his novel “El Filibusterismo” to the three

martyred priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora.

It narrates the system of government in the Philippines through

corrupt and self-seeking officials, dominated by friars which can only
lead to disaster for Spain.

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The Three Martyred Priests

Cause of Death: linked as instigators of the Cavite

Arsenal Revolt of January 20, 1872
Way of Death: Sentenced to death by garrote
Effect of Death: Awakened strong feelings of anger and
resentment among the Filipinos
The illustrados led the Filipinos' quest
for reforms

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Spanish Perspective of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny
From the documented events of Jose Montero y Vidal

Highlight

It as an attempt of the Indios to overthrow the Spanish

government in the Philippines.

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Spanish Perspective of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny
From the documented events of Jose Montero y Vidal

Reports of Gov. Izquierdo to the Spanish King

active propagandists proliferated by unrestrained press, democratic, liberal and
republican books and pamphlets reaching the Philippines

the presence of the native clergy who out of animosity against the Spanish friars,
“conspired and supported” the rebels and enemies of Spain
the “rebels” wanted to overthrow the Spanish government to install a new “hari” in
the likes of Fathers Burgos and Zamora.

the native clergies enticed other participants by giving them charismatic assurance
that their fight will not fail because God is with them
in his report, he lambasted the Indios as gullible and possessed an innate propensity
for stealing.

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 The Conspiracy Plan:

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, abogabillos or native lawyers, residents of Manila and
Cavite planned to liquidate high-raking 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.

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Effect of the Said Conspiracy Plan:

On 17 February 1872in 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.

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Filipino Perspective of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny
From the documented events of Dr. Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo de Tavera

Highlight

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.

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Did the Conspiracy Plan Really Happen?

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 expecting support from the
commanding officer and
Spanish officers in sight.
The insurgents were
The news about the mutiny
reached authorities in Manila
bulk of the army
and Gen. Izquierdo
unfortunately, that didn’t
immediately ordered the
happen. reinforcement of Spanish
troops in Cavite. After two
days, the mutiny was
officially declared subdued.

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Filipino Perspective of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny
From the documented events of Dr. Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo de Tavera

The Central Government of Spain welcomed an educational decree authored by

Segismundo Morest promoted the fusion of sectarian schools run by the friars into a
school called Philippine institutes

Tavera believed that the Spanish friars and Izquierdo used the Cavite Mutiny as a
powerful lever by magnifying it as a full-blown conspiracy to maintain power in the
Philippines.

Tavera 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.
Convinced educated men who participated in the mutiny were sentenced to life imprisonment
while members of the native clergy headed by the GOMBURZA were tried and executed by
garrote.

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 The Philippine National Flag
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo aspired to establish a new nation to be signified by
a flag and an anthem during the second phase of the Philippine Revolution

Dona Marcela Agoncilllo who was then living at

535 Morrison Hill Road in Hong Kong was asserted
by her daughter Lorenza and Delfina Herbosa
Natividad.

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The Philippine National Flag
As described by the Dona Marcela Agoncillo

“Made from fine silk with a triangle at the left

containing a sunburst with eight rays at the center, a
five- pointed star at each angle of the triangle, an
upper stripe of dark blue and a lower stripe of red.”

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Alternative Hybrid Education and Asynchronous Distance Learning
 The Philippine Flag was Banned!
When the American took over the Philippines in 1898, mutual distrust
among the Filipino and Americans started. This prompted the Philippine
Commission to enact the Flag Law of 1907 that forbade the Filipinos to
use or display the Philippine flag anywhere, even inside Filipino homes.

In 1919, Senator Rafael Palma sponsored the Senate Bill No. 1, a bill
repealing the law should be repealed since the distrust between the
Filipinos and the American no longer exists.

On 24 October 1919, Act No. 2871 was approved and signed by Gen
Harrison; thus, the Flag Law of 1907 was repealed.

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Inclusion of a 9th ray or Crescent in the Flag
House Bill No. 7725
Sponsored by Rep, Sultan Omar Dianalan of the 1st District of
Lanao del Sur

He petitioned for the addition of 9th rays of the sun in the

Philippine flag to symbolize the Moslems and the cultural
minorities who fought the Spaniards and waged war
against them. Other groups proposed that a crescent be
beside the sun as a form of tribute to the pre-colonial
past.

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 The Blue Color of the Flag

Through studies it appeared that the conflict in the shades of blue might
have resulted from the alleged hasty preparations of the flag that was used
for the Flag day of March 26, 1920 following the repeal of the Flag Law.
The quartermaster was said to have run out of light blue cloth and used
dark blue instead similar to the one used for the American Flag.

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 The Blue Color of the Flag
Aguinaldo specified that the blue color of the flag is “bughaw” neither azul
oscuro nor azul marino.

Juan Luna’s painting of the flag on May 21, 1899 in “Monograph”

illustrated the flag in China blue, not navy blue.

Mariano Ponce in his letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt described the blue

color of the flag “as blue as the sky” symbolizing hope.

Salvador Vivencio del Rosario’s in his article, “La Bander de la Patria”

published in October 1899 where he stated that the flag’s color was “color
celeste” (color of the sky).

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 The Blue Color of the Flag

On 25 February 1985, President

Ferdinand Marcos issued Executive Order
No 1010 which changed dark blue to a
lighter shade, lighter than navy blue but
darker than sky blue or azure which is the
basis of the true shade of blue in the
Philippine flag.

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Where was the original flag?

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Antonio Luna’s Assassination
Please watch the 2015 film “Heneral Luna.”

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 Thank you!

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