CAVITE MUTINY: SPANISH vs FILIPINO

On 20th of January 1872, Filipinos awakened their patriotism and nationalism that led to the Philippine
Revolution against the abuses of the Spanish colonial regime, calling the event as the Cavity Mutiny.
However, these events had two versions which now becomes a controversy in the Philippine History.

SPANISH Perspective

• Jose Montero y Vidal – highlighted, it is an attempt of the Indios to overthrow the Spanish
government in the Philippines
• Gov. Gen. Rafael Izquierdo – reports, magnifying the event and made use of it to implicate the
native clergy, which was then in the call for secularization
The two accounts complimented and corroborated each other but Izquierdo’s report was more
spiteful. Both ruled out that the abolition of privileges enjoyed by the workers of Cavite arsenal such as
non-payment of tributes and exemption form force labor were the main reasons of the “revolution”,
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. Izquierdo, in his report lambasted [criticized] the Indios as gullible and possessed an
innate propensity [predisposition] for stealing.
It was thought as a big conspiracy among educated leaders, mestizos, abogadillos, residents of
Manila and Cavite, and the native clergy.
[implying that the conspirators of Manila and Cavite planned to bring down the 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.
[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.]
The “revolution” was easily crushed when the expected reinforcements from Manila did not come
ashore. And a lot has been affected and various measures with the iron-fisted Gov. Izquierdo’s authority.
[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 sentenced to life imprisonment at the Marianas
Island.]
On 17 February 1872, to instill fear among the Filipinos to never commit with the daring act, the
GOMBURZA were executed which served as one of the moving forces that shaped Filipino nationalism.

A Response to Injustice: The FILIPINO Version of the Incident

• Dr. Trinidad Hermenegildo Pardo de Tavera – 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 the privileges
On 20th of January 1872, about 200 men composed 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.
Spanish friars and Izquierdo used the Cavity Mutiny as a powerful lever by managing it as a full-blown
conspiracy to overthrow the Spanish government in the Philippines.
[During this time the Central Government in Madrid announced its intention to deprive the friars of all
the powers of intervention in matters of the civil government and the direction and management of
educational institutions.]
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.
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”.
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 first-handedly witnessed.

Unraveling the Truth

1. There was a dissatisfaction among the workers of the arsenal as well as members of the native
army after their privileges were drawn back by Gen. Izquierdo
2. Gen. Izquierdo introduced rigid and strict policies that made the Filipinos move and turn away
from Spanish government out of disgust
3. The Central Government failed to investigate on what truly transpired but relied on reports of
Izquierdo and the friars and the opinion of the public
4. 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. 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. Filipinos during the time were active participants, and responded to what they deemed as
injustices
7. 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