1872 Cavite Mutiny

Way back to our past history, from the year 1872, certain events was an essential part in the Philippine
history because it sparked the start of the resistance against the authority for Philippine Independence
in 1898. The Spanish colonial period in the Philippines began since 1571-1898. Before the Spaniards
leave the Philippines, two events happened which started the fire to build up the nationalism from the
Filipinos’ blood. It was the Cavity Mutiny and the execution of GOMBURZA that was so tragic yet
wonderful incidents from the 1872. Since it served as the moving force to shape the FILIPINO
NATIONALISM. It has to faces of the event were narrated, one is based on Spanish Perspective by Jose
Montero y Vidal a Spanish historian and the Filipino Version by Dr Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo de
Tavera (a Filipino scholar and researcher) supported by Edmund Plauchut (a French writer).

In Montero’s account Spanish version, the filipinoes wanted to overthrow the Spanish government in
the Philippines. Gov. Gen. Rafael Izquierdo’s report magnified the incident and used it as an excuse to
clamp down on those Filipinos who had been calling for governmental reform. 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. Izquierdo, in his report lambasted the Indios as gullible and
possessed an innate propensity for stealing. 20th day of January year 1872, a revolution broke out. The
fireworks from a feast were mistook by the rebels as a sign of the attack, which leads for the mutiny to
begin. Laborers and troops from the Cavite arsenal lead the reformation, but was then crushed because
they were outnumbered. Which lead for Spaniards to take the said event for grated to execute the three
priest martyrs who is fighting for the freedom of the church and the country. However, the narration of
the Spanish historian is less detailed and biased compared to the perspective of the Filipinos.

The reasons why there was a mutiny by the native Filipino soldier and laborers of the Caviter arsenal
was dissatisfied with the abolition of their privileges. Tavera blamed Gov. Izquierdo’s cruel policies sush
as the abolition of privileges of the workers and native army members in terms of taxes and forced labor
and the prohibition of the founding of school of arts and trades for the Filipinos, which the general
believed as a cover-up for the organization of a political club. After the failed attempt, the 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. The execution of
GOMBURZA left a great impact on many Filipinos, especially to Jose Rizal who was 10 years old at that
time, who dedicated his second novel, El Filibusterismo in memory of these three martyred priests and
the Noli Me Tangere which his first novel express how unfortunate the Filipinos by their harsh law and
discriminated by their own land. 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 addressed Spanish authorities and demanded reforms.

Twenty years after the 1872 revolt, Filipino nationalists began to organize secretly. In 1892 Jose Rizal
founded Liga Filipina, and in 1895 Andres Bonifacio organized the Katipunan, a fraternal brotherhood of
Filipino nationalists committed to independence. Emilo Aguinaldo joined the Katipunan in 1895 and
became its leader in the Cavite Province. Once initiated, Aguinaldo became known as Magdalo, named
after Mary Magdalene. In 1896 the armed struggle began in Manila and quickly spread throughout the
country. Aguinaldo defeated Spanish forces in several battles and rose to become the leader of
Katipunan. Aguinaldo had Bonifacio arrested and executed in 1897. When the United States and Spain
went to war over Cuba, the Philippines joined the side of the U.S. On June 12, 1898, Aguinaldo declared
the independence of the Philippine islands, and in January 23, 1899 he became the president.

Throughout of every history of revolutions, colonization, and cruelty, there will always be a battle
between the oppressor and the oppressed. It shows how powerful people power is. This mutiny
becomes a warning tale that those who hold power should be careful in abusing it because people’s
patience has limit and people’s nationalistic spirit is unlimited.