INTRODUCTION:

Philippine Independence is known to be one of the most important events that was
accomplished by the Filipinos since it brought back our identity and legacy. We often hear the
word ‘indepedence’ today and every time we do, we think of happiness, freedom and victory. But
as a matter of fact, a lot of struggles, violence, and revolts occurred before we finally attain
independence. We tend to forget the dark and rough side of it. Many lives have been sacrificed,
strength and courage of Filipinos have been tested, and one of these revolts was called as the
Cavite Mutiny which forged 1896 Philippine Revolution, the execution of the three martyr
priests (GOMBURZA) and the 1898 Philippine Independence that we, the people of today,
enjoy.

SPANISH VERSION:
For our side, we present to you the Spanish perspective of the 1872 Cavite Munity. Two
accounts were written as evidences to prove the viewpoint the Spaniards and these accounts
belonged to two authors. First, we have Jose Montero y Vidal, a prolific Spanish historian and a
government official residing in Manila in 1872. On the other hand, the second author was Rafael
Izquierdo y Gutiérrez, a Governor-General during the 1872 Cavite mutiny. He was famous for
his use of "Iron Fist" type of government which was actually contrast to the previous
administration of ex-Governor La Torre. The two accounts complimented and corroborated with
one other, only that the general’s report was more spiteful and malicious. Both accounts are
known to be primary sources since Vidal and Izquierdo were both eye witnesses of the munity
itself as they documented the event.

ARGUMENT 1:
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. 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 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

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 friars. The alleged pre-concerted signal among the conspirators of Manila and Cavite was the
firing of rockets from the walls of Intramuros.

ARGUMENT 2:
January 20, the day of the revolt, was payday and the laborers found the amount of taxes
as well as the corresponding fee in lieu of the forced labor deducted from their pay envelopes. Sa
pamumunò ni Fernando La Madrid, isang mestisong sarhento, Forty infantry soldiers and twenty
men from the artillery nag-alsa silá noong 20 Enero 1872. Nakubkob nilá ang Fuerza San Felipe
at pinaslang ang 11 Español na opisyal. Inakala ng mga nag-aklas na sasamahan silá ng mga
sundalo sa Maynila. Apparently, the mutineers had expected to be joined by their comrades in the
7th infantry company assigned to patrol the Cavite plaza. NAGHIHINTAY SILA NG SIGNAL,
Hudyat dapat ng simula ng labanan ang mga paputok mula sa Intramuros noong gabing iyon. But
Manila was quiet. Sa kasamaang palad, ang hudyat na kanilang nakita at sinunod ay isa lamang
pagpapaputok para sa pagdiriwang ng pista ng Birhen ng Loreto, ang patron ng Sampaloc.
Augustinian Friar Casimiro Herrera, writing a thesis on the revolt later, was to say this was an
"act of Divine Providence", for the Sampaloc fiesta, traditionally celebrated in December, had
been postponed to January 20 that year.
Sa pangambang simula ito ng mas malawakang rebolusyon, isang pulutong ng mga sundalo sa
pamumunò ni Heneral Felipe Ginoves ang lumusob sa moog ng San Felipe. Sumuko ang mga
nag-aklas, kabilang si La Madrid, at pinaputukan sila sa utos ni Ginoves. Informed of the mutiny,
Governor Izquierdo dispatched two infantry regiments and an artillery brigade with four
cannons, under the command of General Felipe Ginoves Expinar. General Ginoves arrived in
Cavite by sea on the boats of Filipino, Manila, Isabel I and Isabel II, to find the 7th infantry
company under the command of Lt. Col. Sawa successfully keeping the rebels at bay in the front.
From then on, it was just a matter of hours before the mutineers, out-numbered, out-armed and
ill-prepared even in the matter of provisions to enable them to weather a siege, began filing out
of the fort waving the white banner of surrender. But the first to march out were met by a volley
of shots from General Ginoves' men. They fell to a man and Gen. Ginoves then ordered a charge
into the fort. The rebels inside the fort did not offer any resistance.

ARGUMENT 3: EXECUTION OF GOMBURZA

Insurrection --- a revolt or rebellion, it is a violent uprising against the authority or
government, this is motivated by the native clergy, some local residents and intellectuals. To
carry out their criminal project, they (instigators), not only the GOMBURZA but also Maximo
Paterno, Antonio Maria Regidor, and Joaquin Pardo De Tavara, protested against the injustice of
the government such as abolition of rights and forced labor. This protest against the injustices
acts of the government is just a way so that the GOMBURZA will take the authority to rule the
country. Spaniards took advantage of Indio’s ignorance by making use of superstitions, and made
them believe that the “hari” will minister. Those who will not support will be killed immediately.

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 GOMBURZA were great probabilities, to be the head of the Government. And because of this
they were charged of treason and sedition, which is the main reason why they were executed and
in addition to that is it is also an attempt of the Spanish government to instill fear among the
Filipinos so that they may never commit such daring act again, the GOMBURZA were executed.
The GOMBURZA were publicly executed, by garrote, on the early morning of February 17,
1872 at Bagumbayan. However, the plan of the Spaniards to threaten the natives, instead it
shaped the Filipinos nationalism and the death of GOMBURZA awakened strong feelings of
anger and resentment among the Filipinos.

FILIPINO VERSION:
Mutiny comes from an old verb, mutine, which means "revolt". Politically speaking,
mutiny is a rebellion against the authority, a criminal conspiracy among a group of people to
openly oppose, change, or overthrow a lawful authority to which they are subject.
(Mark) One hundred and forty years ago, on January 20, 1872, about 200 Filipino
military personnel of Fort San Felipe Arsenal in Cavite, staged a mutiny which in a way led to
the Philippine Revolution in 1896. Also, during the same year, another tragic part of our history
happened – the martyrdom of the three martyr priests. However, not all of us knew that there
were different accounts in reference to the said event. That being said, we are here disclose our
countrymen’s response to this injustice through the version of Dr. Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo
de Tavera, a Filipino scholar, scientist and historical researcher, and Edmund Plauchut, a French
writer who actually witnessed the execution of GomBurZa.

ARGUMENT 1: Governor Izquierdo’s iron-fist rule including the abolition of long-standing

personal benefits to the workers such as tax (tribute) and forced labor exemptions.
(Maricel) Just a short background, Tributo or Tribute was a tax paid by individuals
between 16 to 60 years old as a sign of loyalty to the colonial government and the King of Spain
himself. On the other hand, Polo Y Servicio or Forced Labor was a practice employed to all male
Filipinos, age 18 to 60 years old, to offer their services to the government for FREE such as
cutting of trees, and construction of buildings and churches.
(Maricel) In Tavera’s 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. Governor General Rafael de Izquierdo, who replaced Governor General Carlos
Maria de la Torre, imposed his iron-fist rule and opposed to any hint of reformist or nationalistic
movements in the Philippines.
(Alyssa) 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. Also included in
the governor’s first official act are the prohibition of the founding of school of arts and trades for

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 the Filipinos, which the general believed as a cover-up for the organization of a political club,
and classification of those who had offered their support to ex-Governor La Torre as personas
sospechos (suspects).
(Alyssa) These happenings forged about 200 men comprised of soldiers, laborers of the
arsenal, and residents of Cavite headed by Sergeant La Madrid to rise in arms and assassinate the
commanding officer and Spanish officers in sight. The insurgents were expecting support from
the bulk of the army which unfortunately 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.

ARGUMENT 2: Filipinization and Secularization of the clergy, and the Deprivation of Political
Power among Friars as a command from Madrid’s Central Government.
(Jasmine) 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. Also, the Propaganda Movement
never asked for Philippine independence because its members believed that once Spain realized
the pitiful state of the country, the Spaniards would implement the changes the Filipinos were
seeking.
(Jasmine) 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.
(Jasmine) 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.

ARGUMENT 3: Execution of GomBurZa and Life Imprisonment (Marianas Island)

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 (Mark) Convicted educated men who participated in the mutiny were sentenced life
imprisonment while members of the native clergy headed by Mariano Gomez, 85 years old, Jose
Burgos, 30, and Jacinto Zamora, 35, or also known as GOMBURZA were maliciously charged
with treason and sedition, and executed by garrote - a barbaric Spanish method of execution in
which an iron collar was tightened around the prisoner’s neck until death occurred.
Prominent Filipinos such as priests, professionals, and businessmen were also 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. 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. These
executions, particularly those of the GOMBURZA, were to have a significant effect on people
because of the shadowy nature of the trials. Dr. Jose Rizal dedicated his work, El Filibusterismo,
to the executed priests. Many scholars believe that the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 was the beginning
of Filipino nationalism which eventually led to the 1896 Philippine Revolution.

CONCLUSION:
Considering the four accounts of the 1872 Mutiny, there were some basic facts that remained to
be unvarying:
(1) 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;
(2) Second, Gen. Izquierdo introduced rigid and strict policies that made the Filipinos move
and turn away from Spanish government out of disgust;
(3) 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;
(4) 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;
(5) 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;
(6) Sixth, Filipinos during the time were active participants, and responded to what they
deemed as injustices; and
(7) 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.

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 Therefore, our group favors the version of Dr. Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo de Tavera, the
Filipino perspective and response to injustice as it presents all of these unvarying facts.
To conclude, 12 June 1898 may be a glorious event for us, but we should not forget that
before we came across to victory, our forefathers suffered enough. As we enjoy our freeedom,
may we be more historically aware of our past to have a better future ahead of us. And just like
what Elias said in Noli me Tangere, may we “not forget those who fell during the night.”

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