What Happened in the Cavite Mutiny?

(1872) – It is a historic year of two events: the Cavite Mutiny and the martyrdom of three priests:
Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora (GOMBURZA).

SPANISH ACCOUNTS OF THE CAVITE MUNITY

The documentation of Spanish historian Jose Montero y Vidal centered on how the
event was event was an attempt in overthrowing the Spanish government in the
Philippines. Although regarded as a historian, his account of the mutiny was criticized as
woefully biased and rabid for a scholar. Another account from the official report written by
the Governor General Rafael Izquierdo implicated the native clergy, who were then active in
the movement toward secularization of parishes. These two accounts corroborated each
other.

PRIMARY SOURCES: EXCERPTS FROM THE OFFICIAL REPOST OF

GOVERNOR IZQUIERDO ON THE CAVITE MUTINY OF 1872
Source: Rafael Izquierdo, “Official Report on the Cavite Mutiny,” in Gregorio Zaide and Sonia
Zaide, Documentary Sources of Philippine History, Volume 7 (Manila: National Book Store,
1990),281-286.

 It seems definite that the insurrection was motivated and prepared by the native
clergy by the mestizos and native lawyers, and by those known here as abogadillos.
 The instigators, to carry out their criminal project, protested against the injustice
of the government in not paying the provinces for their tobacco crop, and against the
usury that some practice in documents that the Finance department gives crop
owners who have to sell them at a loss.
 They encouraged the rebellion by pretesting what they called the injustice of having obliged
the workers in the Cavite arsenal to pay tribute starting January 1 and render personal
service, from which they were formerly exempted.
 Up to now it has not been clearly determined if they planned to establish a monarchy or a
republic, because the Indios have no word in their language to describe this different form of
government, whose head in Filipino would be called hari; but it turns out that they
would place at the head of the government a priest that the head selected
would be D. Jose Burgos, or D. Jacinto Zamora
 Such is the plan of the rebels, those who guided them, and the means they counted upon for
its realization. It is apparent that the accounts underscore the reason for the “revolution”: the
abolition of privileges enjoyed by the workers of the Cavite arsenal such as exemption from
the payment of tribute and being employed in polos y servicios, or force labor.
 They also identified other reasons which seemingly made the issue a lot more serious,
which include the presence of the native clergy, who, out of spite against the
Spanish friars, “conspired and supported” the rebels.
 Izquierdo, in a report, highlighted that attempt to overthrow the Spanish government in the
Philippines to install a new “hari” in the persons of Fathers Burgos and Zamora.
 According to him, native clergy attracted supporters by giving them charismatic
assurance that their fight would not fail because they had God’s support, aside
from promises of lofty rewards such as employment, wealth, and ranks in the army.
DIFFERING ACCOUNTS OF THE EVENTS OF 1872
Other primary account seems to counter the accounts of Izquierdo. The account of Dr.
Trinidad Hermenegildo Pardo de Tavera, a Filipino scholar and researcher, who wrote a Filipino
version of the bloody incident in Cavite.

PRIMARY SOURCE: EXCERPT FROM PARDO DE TAVERA’S ACCOUNTOF THE

CAVITE MUTINY
Source: Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, “Filipino Version of Cavite Mutiny,” in Gregorio Zaide and
Sonia Zaide, Documentary Sources of Philippine History, Volume 7 (Manila; National Book
Store,1990),274—280.

 According to this account, the incident was merely a multiply by Filipino soldiers and
laborers of the Cavite arsenal to the dissatisfaction arising from the
draconian policies of Izquierdo, such as the abolition of privileges and the
prohibition of the founding of the school of arts and trades of Filipinos, which the
General saw as a smokescreen to creating a political club.
 Tavera is of the opinion that the Spanish friars and Izquierdo used the Cavite Mutiny as a
way to address other issues by blowing out proportion the isolated mutiny attempt.
During this time, the Central Government in Madrid was planning to deprive the
friars of all the powers of intervention in the matters of civil government
and direction and management of educational institutions. The friars needed
something to justify their continuing dominance in the country, and the mutiny
provided such opportunity.

conspirators of Manila and

Cavite planned to liquidate
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.
According to the accounts of
the two, on 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.
When the news reached
the iron-fisted Gov. Izquierdo,
he readily ordered the
reinforcement of the Spanish
forces in Cavite to quell the
revolt. The “revolution” was
easily crushed when the
expected reinforcement from
Manila did not come ashore.
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
were sentenced with life
imprisonment at the Marianas
Island. Furthermore, Gov.
Izquierdo dissolved the native
regiments of artillery and
ordered the creation of artillery
force to be composed
exclusively of the Peninsulares.
 On 17 February 1872 in 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.
A Response to Injustice: The
Filipino Version of the Incident
Dr. Trinidad Hermenigildo
Pardo de Tavera, a Filipino
scholar and researcher, wrote
the
Filipino version of the bloody
incident in Cavite. In his 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.
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 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.
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
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
Edmund Plauchut
Edmund Plauchut is a french writer and journalist who was residing in Manila. He published the
Revue des Deux Mondes (his version of Cavite Munity)
Edmund Plauchut Version
 In 1877, Edmund Plauchut a Frenchman who was residing in Manila at the time the
event happened, published in the Revue des Deux Mondes, his version of Cavite Munity.
 His account was a dispassionate one which reaffirmed the Tavera Version.
 It stated that the Cavite Munity happened because of discontentment of the arsenal
workers and soldiers in Cavite fort which originated from the order of the governor
(Izquierdo) which exacted taxes from the Filipino laborers in the engineering and
Artillery Corps in the Cavite arsenal , and required them to perform forced labor which
they had been exempted from both.
 On January 20,1872 when they received their pay, the workers found the amount of the
taxes and corresponding fee in lieu of the forced labor deducted from their pay envelopes.
 That night they mutinied. Forty infantry soldiers and twenty men from the Artillery took
over command of the Fort of San Felipe and fired cannonades to announce their victory,
which was a short-lived one.
 Apparently, the mutineers had expected to be joined by their comrades in the 7th infantry
company assigned to patrol the Cavite plaza. But when they beckoned to them, the rebels
bloted the gates and decided to wait for morning expecting support from Manila.
Plauchut in his report also focused on the execution of the three priests, Gomez, Burgos,
and Zamora which he personally witnessed.