Pasay – Edsa

A Position Paper about

Cavite Mutiny

In partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements
in the subject Readings in Philippine History

Submitted by:
Bendo, Christian
Celiz, Darren
Delos Santos, Ariel
Guilaran, Kian Kyle
Ibañez, Wes Jaden
Leones, Ivan
Lumbao, Arlou
Magtulac, Iverson
Monotilla, Paul
Tamesis, Earvin

BSIT303

Submitted to:
Royet Honey Baleña

November 2022
 INTRODUCTION

History of the Philippines documents key events Filipinos accomplished towards

and obtaining freedom. Filipinos' courage and faith have been tested, and their resilience

has been shown. Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora were executed

during the "Cavite Mutiny" in 1896. (GOMBURZA). The 1872 Cavite Mutiny involved 200

Filipino troops and arsenal workers. This occurrence justified Spanish oppression of the

Philippine nationalist movement. The reactionary Governor-General Rafael de Izquierdo

used the occasion to target Filipinos who wanted a new administration. Government

troops killed mutiny suspects. Philippine nationalists were also targeted. Several Filipino

academics were accused of assisting rebels. Gomburza was killed around that time.

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.

 Evidence

Spanish Version of Cavite Mutiny

A prominent Spanish historian by the name

of Jose Montero y Vidal documented the event and brought attention to the fact that it was

an attempt by the Indios to overthrow the Spanish government that was in place in the

Philippines. In the meantime, the official report compiled by Governor General Rafael

Izquierdo exaggerated the event and made use of it to incriminate the native clergy, which

was involved in the movement to secularize the country at the time. The two reports were

consistent with one another and supported one another, with the exception that the

general's report was more vindictive. In the beginning, 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 pa

Izquierdo suggested that the uncivilized Spanish press was to responsible for the

"stockpiling" of harmful information that the Filipinos were exposed to. He reported to the

King of Spain that the "rebels" sought to destroy the Spanish government so that they

could install a new "hari" in the same manner as Fathers Burgos and Zamora. The

general even went so far as to say that the native clergy enticed other participants by

giving them charismatic assurance that their fight will not fail because God is with them
along with handsome promises of rewards such as employment, wealth, and ranks in the

army. In addition, the general stated that these promises were coupled with the assurance

that their fight will not fail because God is with them. Izquierdo criticized the indigenous

people of the Americas in his report, stating that they were easily duped and had an

ingrained tendency to steal.

According to the accounts of the two, the district of Sampaloc celebrated the feast

of the Virgin of Loreto on January 20, 1872. Unfortunately, people at the feast did what

they always did: they set off fireworks. People in Cavite may have thought that the

fireworks were a sign that it was time to attack. As planned, the 200-men led by Sergeant

Lamadrid attacked the Spanish officers as soon as they saw them and took their

weapons. When the news got to the harsh Governor Izquierdo, he quickly ordered more

Spanish troops to be sent to Cavite to put an end to the revolt. When the reinforcements

that were supposed to come from Manila did not show up, the "revolution" was quickly put

down. Sergeant Lamadrid and other major instigators were killed in the fight, and the

GOMBURZA were put on trial and sentenced to die by strangulation. Patriots like Joaquin

Pardo de Tavera, Antonio Ma. Regidor, Jose and Pio Basa, and others were banned from

practicing law by the Audencia (High Court), arrested, and given life sentences on the

Marianas Island. Also, Gov. Izquierdo got rid of the native artillery regiments and ordered

the creation of an artillery force made up of only Peninsulares. On February 17, 1872, the

GOMBURZA were put to death by the Spanish government and Frailocracia. The goal

was to make the Filipinos afraid so they would never do something so brave again.
 Filipino Version of Cavite Mutiny

Filipino scholar and researcher Dr. Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo de Tavera wrote

about the bloody event in Cavite in the Filipino language. From his point of view, what

happened was just a mutiny by the native Filipino soldiers and workers at the Cavite

arsenal. They were upset that their privileges had been taken away. Indirectly, Tavera

blamed Gov. Izquierdo's cold-blooded policies, such as taking away the privileges of the

arsenal's workers and native army members and making it illegal for Filipinos to start

schools of arts and trades, which the general thought was a way to hide the formation of a

political club. On January 20, 1872, about 200 soldiers, people who worked at the arsenal,

and people who lived in Cavite, led by Sergeant Lamadrid, took up arms and killed the

commanding officer and all Spanish officers they could see. The insurgents thought that

most of the army would help them, but that did not happen. When officials in Manila heard

about the mutiny, Gen. Izquierdo gave the order to send more Spanish troops to Cavite

right away. The mutiny was officially put down after two days. Tavera thought that the

Spanish friars and Izquierdo used the Cavite Mutiny as a powerful tool by making it into a

full-blown plot to overthrow the Spanish government in the Philippines. This plot included

not only the native army, but also people from Cavite and Manila, and most importantly,

the native clergy. At the time, it is important to note that the Central Government in Madrid

announced that it planned to take away all of the friars' powers to get involved in civil
government and the running of educational institutions. Tavera thought that this turn of

events made the friars do something extreme because they needed to keep power in the

Philippines so badly.

In the meantime, the Central Government of Spain welcomed an educational decree

written by Segismundo Moret that encouraged the merging of sectarian schools run by the

friars into a school called the Philippine Institute. This was done in order to start reforms.

The decree wanted to improve the quality of education in the Philippines by making it so

that teachers in public schools had to pass exams to get their jobs. Even though the local

clergy was excited about secularization, most Filipinos liked this change. Fearing that they

would lose their power in the Philippines, the friars used the incident to show the Spanish

government that there was a huge plot going on all over the archipelago to get rid of

Spanish rule. Tavera saddenedly confirmed that the Madrid government came to believe

that the plan was true without looking into the real facts or size of the "revolution"

Izquierdo and the friars said they heard about. Men with college degrees who were found

guilty of taking part in the mutiny were given life sentences in prison, while members of

the native clergy led by the GOMBURZA were tried and put to death by garrote. This

event sparks the rise of nationalism, which in turn leads to the Philippine Revolution of

1896. The French writer Edmund Plauchut's account added to Tavera's by showing that

the event happened because the soldiers and arsenal workers in Cavite fort were

unhappy. The Frenchman, on the other hand, talked more about the deaths of the three

priests that he saw.

 Spanish Accounts of the Mutiny

Jose Montero y Vidal

It is thought that the main reason for this mutiny was that General-Governor Rafael

de Izquierdo told the engineering and artillery corps soldiers to pay personal taxes, which

they had not done before. Because of the taxes, they were required to make a monetary

payment in addition to performing forced labor known as "polo y servicio." The workers

began to collect their paychecks on January 20 and learned that the fine that had been

imposed to be free of forced labor would be deducted from their income. This information

was the spark that set off the mutiny. In addition, General-Governor Rafael de Izquierdo

noted in his reports to the King of Spain that the "rebels," including Father Burgos and

Zamora, attempted to overthrow the Spanish government by establishing a new "hari."

Zamora and Father Burgos were both involved in this plot.

Filipino Accounts of the Mutiny

Trinidad Pardo de Tavera

The event that occurred was little more than a mutiny because the Filipinos had no

intention of breaking away from Spain and were instead focused on acquiring resources

and educational advancements for their nation. Around the same time, the native Filipino

troops and laborers of the Cavite arsenal had their privileges stripped away by the central

government of the Philippines. On the other hand, the mutiny served as a useful tool to a

significant extent. As a consequence of this, the friars, who feared that their authority in

the Philippines would be lost, took advantage of the mutiny and reported it to the Spanish

government as a massive conspiracy that was being coordinated across the archipelago

with the intention of removing Spanish rule.

 Positive Stand

In the positive stand, our group agrees with Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera's

Filipino Version. He is well known as a researcher and scholar from the Philippines. In this

version by Tavera, he says that the Cavite Mutiny was a bad plan by Cavite soldiers and

arsenal workers who were upset that the Spanish government led by Gov. General Rafael

de Izquierdo had taken away privileges for Filipinos. And for not letting them set up a

school of arts and trades that should be run by Filipinos here in the Philippines. So, Sgt. of

Madrid led two hundred soldiers and people who worked at the Cavite arsenal to rebel.

When the Mutiny happened, Gov. Izquierdo heard about it right away and sent Spanish

troops to Cavite. The Madrid government has said that it is open to a civil government and

education direction for Filipinos here in the Philippines. But the friars and General

Izquierdo blamed the Filipinos for the Mutiny because they were afraid of losing control

and power in this country. They told the government in Madrid that this was a big plot to

get rid of the Spanish government in the Philippines. The Madrid government believed it

right away, even though there was no investigation into the said Mutiny. Some of the

people who took part in the Cavite Mutiny were given life sentences, and GOMBURZA,

who was thought to be the leader of the revolt, was hanged or strangled in front of the

town. Edmond Plauchut, a French journalist who saw the execution in GOMBURGA

firsthand, agreed with this situation or event. Because of this, he supported Tavera's

flame, which made Filipinos realize that they should be free from foreign control. We

agree with this version of Tavera's story because reports from the Madrid government say

that the Filipinos want equal rights, not to get rid of the Spanish government, which is

what the friars and Gen. Izquierdo fear the most. Everyone wants the same rights, but the

Spanish government won't let the Filipino people have them.

 Negative Stand

We don't agree with the Spanish version when it comes to the negative stand.

Because we feel that they are the only ones who can preserve power and authority over

the Filipino people, we consider them to be the only legitimate government. It was

rumored in Madrid that the Filipinos staged a revolution, and the motivation behind this

was that they desired to dislodge the Spaniards from their leadership positions in this

country. This is not true, and the only reason they had a Mutiny was because of the

dissatisfaction of Cavite workers due to the abolition of their privileges. Because of this,

Governor Izquierdo convinced the Government in Madrid to disqualify the friars from

leading the Government Affairs and Educational Institution. This resulted in the

disqualification of the friars from leading the Government Affairs and Educational

Institution. And out of concern for their own powerlessness In order to achieve that goal,

Gov. Izquierdo provided the Government with a report detailing how they achieved it.

They also accused the three priests of instigating the revolution and preparing at the

outset, which resulted in the priests being sentenced to death for their roles in the revolt.

Therefore, we can observe how unjust the Spaniards were when it came to their rule of

our country throughout that particular period. Therefore, neither their assertion nor their

evidence has our backing.

 Final Stand

Now that we are aware of the two different versions, the one that we choose to

adhere to is the Filipino Version. They initiated the Cavite Mutiny because it was all about

how the Spanish government took the rights of the Filipinos, took their independence, and

took their privileges on top of that. And to demonstrate our ongoing devotion to the

position that we have taken, the following are the primary foundations of the stance that

we will maintain. First, you need to weave in General Izquierdo's idea of Filipino rights and

the resentment that exists among the arsenal staff and the individuals serving in the local

army. During this fair, Izquierdo also put into effect and restricted policies that required

Filipinos living under the Spanish government to be free of their enslavement. The third

issue is that the central government did not conduct an investigation into what took place,

but rather relied on the findings of the inquisitors, the friars, and the general populace. The

fourth possibility is that the Spanish Central government will make the decision to deprive

them of the capacity and the right to participate in the operations of the government. Fifth

would be the Filipino clergy members, who were heavily involved in the secularization

movement and were attempting to encourage Filipino priests to seize control of churches

all around the country as part of that campaign. They are causing themselves to forget

about the friars by acting in this manner, however. The GOMBURZA would then be put to

death as the next step in the process. The three Filipino monks Gomez, Burgos, and

Zamora are known as the Gomburza, and all three of them were put to death as a

consequence of their conduct and their participation in this mutiny. And on that killing of

the three priests the Gomburza it was a misjudgment on the part of the Spanish

government since it put an end to Filipino animosity and encouraged Filipino patriots to

demand freedom and independence from Spanish rule. As a direct consequence of this,

Filipino patriots known and unknown have shed their blood and laid down their lives in the

cause of bringing greater independence, freedom, and justice to our nation. Despite this,

the sixth of June in the year 1898 was a glorious day for all of us Filipinos. And it is

imperative that we do not forget that our ancestors in the Philippines passed away
knowing that we prevailed and achieved success. Dr. Jose Rizal became the leader of the

Philippines after the Spanish government was overthrown in the country by the Cavite

Mutiny. As a result, he composed Noli Me Tangere as well as El Filibusterismo. This is to

demonstrate to the friars how poorly they have managed things in certain parts of the

Philippines. And at one point in the past, the Philippines did succeed in gaining their

independence. The revolution began in 1896, and on June 12, 1898, the Philippines

gained their independence from Spanish rule.

 References:

Koh, D. E. (2012, February 20).The 1872 Cavite Mutiny - Filipino Journal. Filipino Journal.

Retrieve from: https://filipinojournal.com/the-1872-cavite-mutiny/

John N. Schumacher and Nicholas P. Cushner (July 1969). Burgos and the Cavite Mutiny,

Philippine Studies, Vol.17 No.3.

Retrieved from: https://nhcp.gov.ph/the-two-faces-of-the-1872-cavite-mutiny/

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopedia (2021, January 13). Encyclopedia Britannica: Cavite

Mutiny.

Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/event/Cavite-Mutiny

The Cavite Mutiny: Toward a Definitive History.

Retrieve from: https://www.philippinestudies.net/files/journals/1/articles/3093/public/3093-

3829-1-PB.pdf

Zaide, G. F., & Zaide, S. M. (1990). Documentary sources of Philippine history. 12 vols.

Manila: National Book Store.