OBJECTIVES:

INTRODUCTION:
For all Filipinos, June 12th has been a highly significant date since 1898.

Philippine Independence Day is celebrated on this specific day by the entire Filipino population
as well as Filipino communities around the globe.

For all of us, 1898 proved to be a very important year.

However, it is important to remember that 1872 is another year that is just as historic as 1898.

Without the 1872 Cavite Mutiny, there will be no 1896 Philippine Revolution.

Two major events that happened in 1872:

1. 1872 Cavite Mutiny
2. Martyrdom of the (3) three martyr priests—GOMBURZA: Mariano Gomes, Jose Burgos,
and Jacinto Zamora

DISCUSSION:

The Cavite Mutiny, also known as the "1872 Cavite Mutiny" or the "Revolt of the Forty-Seven,"
was an uprising that occurred on January 20, 1872, at Fort San Felipe, the Spanish arsenal in
Cavite, Philippines.

Mutiny means a rebellion against authority.

It came from an old verb, “mutine”, which means, “revolt”

Spanish Perspective:
Jose Montero y Vidal - a prolific Spanish historian who documented the event and highlighted it
as an attempt of the Indios to overthrow the Spanish government in the Philippines.
Rafael Izquierdo - a Governor General

Gov. Gen. Rafael Izquierdo’s official report magnified the event and made use of it to implicate
the native clergy, which was then active in the call for secularization.

In the Philippine context, "secularization" meant merely "nationalizing" the Catholic Church by
replacing the friars with native secular priests.

Governor General Izquierdo 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 general even added that the native clergy enticed other participants by giving them
charismatic assurance that their fight will not fail because God is with them coupled with
handsome promises of rewards such as employment, wealth, and ranks in the army.

Izquierdo, in his report, lambasted the Indios as gullible and possessed an innate propensity for
stealing.

Based on the two narratives, the Sampaloc area celebrated the feast of the Virgin of Loreto on
January 20, 1872. Regretfully, those in attendance marked the event with traditional fireworks
displays. The 200-man contingent led by Sergeant Lamadrid allegedly launched an attack on
Spanish officers at sight and gained control of the arsenal after those in Cavite allegedly
misinterpreted the pyrotechnics for an attack signal.

When the news reached the iron-fisted Gov. Izquierdo, he quickly ordered the reinforcement of
Spanish forces in Cavite to put down the insurrection. The "revolution" was quickly put down
when the anticipated reinforcement from Manila failed to arrive on the ground.

Major instigators, notably Sergeant Lamadrid, were slain in the skirmish, while the GOMBURZA
were prosecuted by a court martial and sentenced to death by strangling. Patriots like Joaquin
Pardo de Tavera and Antonio Ma. Regidor, Jose, and Pio Basa, along with other abogadillos,
were prohibited from practicing law by the Audencia (High Court), arrested, and given life
sentences on Marianas Island. Furthermore, Governor Izquierdo disbanded the local artillery
regiments and ordered the formation of an artillery force consisting entirely of Peninsulares.

Filipino Perspective:
Dr. Trinidad Hermenegildo Pardo De Tavera - a Filipino scholar and researcher who wrote a
Filipino version of the bloody incident in Cavite.

According to Dr. Pardo De Tavera

The incident was merely a mutiny by native Filipino soldiers and laborers at the Cavite arsenal,
who were dissatisfied with the abolition of their privileges and the prohibition on the
establishment of schools of arts and trades for Filipinos, which the general suspected was a
cover-up for the formation of a political club.

The privileges are:

● non-payment of tributes or taxes
● exemption from Polo y Servicio (forced labor)

Arsenal means a place where weapons and military equipment are stored or made.

Polo Y Servicio, also known as Servicio personal, was a form of forced labor used in the
Philippines during the Spanish colonial era.
It was mandatory for all physically fit men between the ages of 16 and 60 to labor on building
churches, bridges, and galleon ships. They referred to them as polista.

Previously, polistas were obligated to work for 40 days; however, the number of days was
reduced to 15 days in 1884 as a result of a tax reform granted via Royal Decree.

CAVITE MUTINY
On January 20, 1872, soldiers of Fort San Felipe, the Spanish arsenal in Cavite, Philippines,
rose up in rebellion.

About 200 laborers and soldiers stood up, hoping the insurrection would spread to the entire
country. The revolt was unsuccessful, and many of those involved were executed by
government soldiers.

GOMBURZA- refers to three Filipino priests who played significant roles in Philippine history
during the 19th century. The acronym stands for their surnames: Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora.
They were prominent figures in the movement advocating for reforms in the Spanish colonial
government and the Catholic Church in the Philippines.

● the three priests' collective name who were martyred

● suspected to be the Cavite mutiny's masterminds

● Father Mariano Gomez: He was a parish priest and a leader in the secularization
movement, which sought to give Filipino priests more authority and responsibilities within
the Catholic Church. He was known for his strong advocacy for the rights of Filipinos and
his criticisms of the Spanish colonial administration.

● Father Jose Burgos: Like Gomez, Burgos was a strong advocate for the rights of
Filipino priests. He was involved in various reformist movements and was critical of the
discriminatory treatment of Filipinos by the Spanish authorities. He is often remembered
for his efforts to promote Filipino leadership within the Church.

● Father Jacinto Zamora: Zamora was a Filipino priest who, along with Gomez and
Burgos, was implicated in the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. Although there is debate about his
level of involvement in the mutiny, he was arrested, tried, and executed alongside
Gomez and Burgos. Their martyrdom served as a catalyst for Filipino nationalism and
the desire for independence from Spanish colonial rule.

● are prominent Filipino priests charged with treason and sedition.

 ● The Spanish clergy connected the priests to the mutiny as part of a conspiracy to stifle
the movement of secular priests who desired to have their own parishes instead of being
assistants to the regular friars.
● They were sentenced to public execution by garrote in the same year.

Spanish friars are the ones who controlled the churches in this time.

Garrote
● kill (someone) by strangulation, typically with an iron collar or a length of wire or cord.
● was charged to them by the Spanish authorities

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 acts again, the GOMBURZA
were executed. This event was tragic but served as one of the moving forces that shaped
Filipino nationalism.

This is a sceneurpotedly witnessed by a young Jose Rizal.

CONCLUSION:
Analyzing the Cavite Mutiny from many angles is necessary. Filipino reports emphasize the
concerns that precipitated the insurrection, whereas Spanish ones depict it as a rebellion. To
create a true image, historians work hard to consider all relevant perspectives and the larger
picture. The rebellion itself and the national awakening it sparked are not the only reasons the
event is significant. Although the Cavite Mutiny ended without a Filipino military triumph, it
served as a catalyst for the country's independence movement. It signaled a turn away from
reformist movements and toward a more revolutionary course. acts as a warning that even
seemingly little things can have far-reaching effects. It serves as evidence of the Filipino
people's tenacity and their ongoing fight for independence.

ACTIVITY:

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