Balunan, Bea Eloisa February 29, 2024

Bachelor of Public Management - 4A Ateneo de Davao University

GOMBURZA Reflection Paper

When did we become Filipinos? How did we become one?

These are just some of the questions that I have in mind as a Filipino. As a child, I have
heard of the three priests, GOMBURZA, as three of our national heroes but I don’t think I
understood what made them to be heroes of the nation. It is rather fortunate that the Philippine
film industry decided to adapt the life of the priests into a movie, and more fortunately, that the
Ateneo de Davao University gave their students an opportunity to watch the movie at full length.
The movie adaptation of GOMBURZA primarily speaks of the martyrdom of the three secular
priests during the Spanish colonization and how it all happened based on historical facts. The
movie started with the narrative about Hermano Pule who founded the Cofradia de San Jose in
1841 which initially fought for the concept of secularism against the Spanish government. The
efforts of Hermano Pule and the Cofradia resulted in secularism, which is being pioneered by
believers like Padre Pelaez who unfortunately died inside the Manila Cathedral during a tragic
earthquake.
The film portrayed Padre Jose Burgos as an intelligent priest who is also at the same
time, a professor. He is a good follower of Padre Pelaez which influenced him to give
importance to education, especially as a Filipino. Burgos, as a professor, also somehow became
an inspiration to his students in sparking a movement against the Spanish government through
the leaflets demonstration done by his students like Paciano and Buencamino. Burgos warned his
students that what they did poses a danger to themselves, but the students were merely proud that
they felt they stood up for themselves against the Spanish government.
Padre Mariano Gomez, on the other hand, is an older priest that is known to be a partner
of Padre Pelaez. He is also a well-loved priest by his parish. It can be depicted that Padre Gomes,
although he was a secular priest, was also keen in warning Burgos about the dangers of being
outspoken against the Spanish government. Finally, Padre Zamora is portrayed as a priest who
loves to gamble. He would usually gamble with the regular or Spanish priests.
The story unfolds when some of the elite Filipinos who were members of the Comite de
Reformadores, and at the same time bore privileges as a mason, orchestrated a movement against
the Spanish government which resulted in the Cavite Mutiny. The members of the Comite de
Reformadores convinced the Filipinos under polo y servicio in Fort San Felipe to unite and
revolutionize against the system. The mutiny, although slain a number of Spanish officials, was
unsuccessful due to a Filipino whistleblower.
Such mutiny will then be instrumental in the lives of the three priests. Zaldua, who is a
member of the Comite de Reformadores, shifted the blame to the GOMBURZA. He insisted that
the three priests had tasked him to perform a mutiny as a way of revolutionizing against the
Spanish government. Being secular priests, it did not take a lot of time and effort to convince the
Spanish court to arrest and judge the priests which resulted in their unfortunate execution.

The Role of Government during the Spanish Regime

Based on the film, it can be asserted that the government or administration that is applied
to the Philippines is based on the assignment of Spain. The Governor General is someone that is
a representative of the King of Spain. The Governor General also has a major influence in the
flow of ideology and acceptance of secularism in the Philippines. For instance, the time of
General Dela Torre opened the gates to the acceptance and understanding of the seculars. He
understands that there are other ideologies that are present in the nation that when General
Izquerdo replaced him, he put a note for Izquerdo to also acknowledge such ideologies.
However, Izquerdo had a different stance on these things. It was also relevant to
emphasize that it was during his time when the Cavite Mutiny happened which was a movement
against the Spanish government, because of the dire suffering of Filipinos who were, at that time,
under polo y servicio.
Aside from this, the influence of the Church to the government is also apparent. The
priests at that time were political mainly as regular priests and as seculars. The passive
aggressive war between the priests can also be observed the way that it was depicted in the
movie. It seems that some of the regular priests saw the seculars skeptically.

The Conflict Between Politics and State

Filipinos, at this time, are not poor at all. The way the movie was depicted, almost all, if
not all Filipinos, were educated. There were also associations or groups like the Comite de
Reformadores, who were elite and well-educated. Even the secular priests, like Padre Burgos,
were able to go to school and finish multiple degrees at a young age. However, all these were not
recognized by the Spaniards. It is as if their ability and identity is only rooted to their race - being
Filipinos - which was also tagged as indios.
The conflict between the state and politics was so relevant at this time that it sparked
interests among the youth, especially to the students of Padre Burgos. It was at the time that they
realized and felt that they were being treated unfairly due to their race and their prejudice against
them. This spark led to their demonstration through the leaflets left in the corridors and hallways
of the university. At this time, it appears that the politics and the state of the Philippines are in
conflict because the Filipinos have become more courageous and aware of their situation and
what they can do to get out of it.

Reflection
The film portraying the lives lived by the GOMBURZA has led me to three points of
reflection: 1) Education is powerful; 2) Faith is helpful and 3) Consciousness always follows
death.
The story of GOMBURZA elucidates how important education is. While the youth at that
time used it as a weapon to insist on their rights as Filipinos, the three priests saw education vital
to make known the abilities and capabilities of each Filipino. It was not a mistake that the
Filipino youth made a demonstration at that time because the times called for action. Padre
Burgos also advised his students that they make themselves aware of their ancestors and the
history of their nation so that they may be conscious of their love for the country. He believed
that investing in one’s education is useful and crucial for Filipinos so that the Spanish
government, for instance, may realize that Filipinos are more than what they think of. That
Filipinos are not indios.
Second, when the three priests were ruled to be executed by garotte, they all showed the
different faces of faith. Padre Gomes, who was the oldest among all of them, portrayed a man
ready to face his death because he knew that the Highest Being knows how clean their
consciences are. He was the calmest among them all when he faced his execution. Padre Zamora,
who was genuinely taken aback by the fate that he has, was also shown by his comrades the
power of the last rites before dying. I’d like to think that Padre Zamora had come to terms with
his faith before he died in vain. Padre Burgos, who was very passionate with his ideologies, also
portrayed faith when he faced his death head high knowing he did nothing wrong to orchestrate a
mutiny. He expressed his angst and regret on how injustice was being served that day, but he
remained faithful to the plans of the Lord. Even the executioners at that time, asked for their
forgiveness for being the person to execute them and the priests forgave them as the Lord God
does.
After the unfortunate execution of the GOMBURZA, the Filipino people were awakened
by their situation which inspired them to revolt against the current government. One notable
influence that the three priests had was to Dr. Jose Rizal who was the younger brother of one of
the students of Burgos, Paciano. Their death started the spark of nationalist consciousness among
Filipinos which was instrumental and vital in attaining our freedom from Spanish colonialism.
To name, here are a few that I know was inspired by the lives and death of the GOMBURZA
which effected to revolution:
1. Emilio Jacinto - a member of the KKK
2. Andres Bonifacio - leader of the KKK which its password was GOMBURZA
3. KKK - which asserted that their movement is a revenge to the death of the priests
4. Dr. Jose Rizal - wrote a book dedicated to the GOMBURZA, the El Filibusterismo

Conclusion
The death of GOMBURZA is a blessing in disguise for Filipinos. Their lives and
unfortunate death have led us to realize our love for our country. It led us to believe that we are
amidst an unjust system and that we are not incapable of doing anything to improve our lives.
For more than 300 years we were deemed to believe what the Spaniards tell us what to do and
who we are that we’ve almost lost the identity that we commonly have. The death of
GOMBURZA made sense why we now call ourselves, in union, Filipinos.
I wish things had happened differently, that innocent people should not have been
executed without due process, but as the three priests would have believed - everything happened
for a reason. At least, today, they could hopefully see the purpose and significance of their death,
of their martyrdom. True, they had opposing stances with the Spaniards, but they did not
orchestrate that mutiny, they did not ask the Filipinos to do such a thing. Yet, they were not
given ample opportunity to defend themselves and make justice.
I hope that the generation of today and future generations appreciate the sacrifice and the
lessons left by the GOMBURZA for the Philippines and Filipinos. The film moved me to be
grateful for the freedom we enjoy today, and to love the country more. Our ancestors fought for
the life that we are living today, and it was not an easy path to take, it was painful and it was a
sacrifice.
To end this rather long reflection, I have come to an understanding when and how we all
became Filipinos: it was on the morning of February 17, 1872, when the three martyr priests
were executed by garotte, and afterwards the Filipinos felt the need to kneel before their cold
bodies and prayed in unison. I could only imagine the pain felt by Filipinos, but I am sure it was
the start for something that led us to where we are today - patriotism and nationalism.