What Happened in the Cavite Mutiny?
The year 1872 is a historic year of two events: the Cavite Mutiny and the martyrdom of the
three priests: Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, later immortalized as GOMBURZA.
These events are very important milestones in Philippine history and have caused ripples throughout
time, directly influencing the decisive events of the Philippine Revolution toward the end of the
century. While the significance is unquestioned, what made this year controversial are the different
sides to the story, a battle of perspectives supported by primary sources. In this case study, we zoom
in to the events of the Cavite Mutiny, a major factor in the awakening of nationalism among the
Filipinos of that time.
Spanish Accounts of the Cavite Mutiny
The documentation of Spanish historian Jose Monteroy Vidal centered on how the 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 then 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 Source: Excerpts from Montero's Account of the Cavite Mutiny
Source: Jose Montero y Vidal, "Spanish Version of the Cavite Mutiny of 1872," in Gregorio Zaide and
Sonia Zaide,
Documentary Sources:
Philippine History, Volume 7 (Manila: National Book Store, 1990), 269 273.
The abolition of privileges enjoyed by the laborers of the Cavite arsenal of the of exemption
from the tribute was, according to some, the cause of the insurrection. There were, however, other
causes.
The Spanish revolution which overthrew a secular throne; the propaganda carried on by an
unbridled press against monarchical principles, of the most sacred respects towards the dethroned
majesty; the democratic and republican books and pamphlets; the speeches and preaching of the
apostles of these new ideas in Spain; the outbursts of the American publicists and the criminal policy
of the senseless Governor whom the Revolutionary government sent to govern the Philippines, and
who put into practice these ideas were the determining circumstances which gave rise, among certain
Filipinos, to the idea of attaining their independence. It was towards this goal that they started to
work, with the powerful assistance of a certain section of the native clergy, who out of spite toward
friars, made common cause with the enemies of the mother country.
At various times but especially in the beginning of year 1872, the authorities received
anonymous communications with the information that a great uprising would break out against the
Spaniards, the minute the fleet at Cavite left for the South, and that all would be assassinated,
including the friars. But nobody gave importance to these notices. The conspiracy had been going on
since the days of La Torre with utmost secrecy. At times, the principal leaders met either in the house
of Filipino Spaniard, D. Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, or in that of the native priest, Jacinto Zamora, and
these meetings were usually attended by the curate of Bacoor, the soul of the movement, whose
energetic character and immense wealth enabled him to exercise a strong influence.
Primary Source: Excerpts from the Official Report 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 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
protesting what they called the injustice of having obliged the workers in the Cavite arsenal to pay
tribute starting January 1 and to 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 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 included the presence of the native clergy, who,
out of spite against the Spanish friars, "conspired and supported" the rebels. Izquierdo, in an
obviously biased 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.
In the Spaniard's accounts, the event of 1872 was premeditated and was part of a big
conspiracy among the educated leaders, mestizos, lawyers and residents of Manila and Cavite. They
allegedly plan to liquidate high ranking Spanish officers, then kill the friars. The signal they identified
among these conspirators of Manila and Cavite was the rockets fired from Intramuros.
The accounts detail that on 20 January 1872, the district of Sampaloc celebrated the feast of the Virgin
of Loreto and came with it were son fireworks display. The Caviteños allegedly mistook this as the
signal to commence with the attack. The 200-men contingent led by Sergeant Lamadu attacked
Spanish officers at sight and seized the arsenal. Izquierdo, upo po learning of the attack, ordered the
reinforcement of the Spanish forces Cavite to quell the revolt. The "revolution" was easily crushed,
when the Manileños who were expected to aid the Caviteños did not arrive. Leaders
the plot were killed in the resulting skirmish, while Fathers Gomez, Burgos ne draconian policies of
Izquierdo, such as the abolition of privileges Filipinos, and the prohibition of the founding of the
school of arts and trades for Filip which the General saw as a smokescreen to creating a political club.
Tavera is of the opinion that the Spanish friars and lzquierdo used the Cavite Mutiny to address other
issues by blowing out of 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 matters of
civil government and direction and management or educational institutions. The friars needed
something to justify their continuing dominance in the country, and the mutiny provided such
opportunity. However, the Central Spanish Government introduced an educational decree fusing
sectarian schools run by the friars into a school called the Philippine Institute. The decree aimed to
improve the standard of education in the Philippines by requiring teaching positions in these schools
to be filled by competitive examinations, an improvement welcomed by most Filipinos. Another
account, this time by French writer Edmund Plauchut, complemented Tavera's account and analyzed
the motivations of the 1872 .
Cavite Mutiny.
Primary Source: Excerpts from Plauchut's Account of the Cavite Mutiny
Source: Edmund Plauchut, "The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 and the Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za," in
Gregorio Zaide and Sonia Zaide,
Documentary Sources of Philippine History, Volume 7 (Manila: National Book Store, 1990), 251268.
General DeLa Torre... created a junta composed of high officials... including some friars and six
Spanish officials. At the same time there was created by the government in Madrid a committee to
investigate the same problems submitted to the Manila committee. When the two finished work, it
was found that they came to the same conclusions. Here is the summary of the reforms they
considered necessary to introduce
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Changes in tariff rates at customs, and the methods of collection.
Removal of surcharges on foreign importations.
Reduction of export fees.
Permission for foreigners to reside in the Philippines, Duy real estate, enjoy freedom of
worship, and operate commerce, transports flying the Spanish flag.
Establishment of an advisory council to inform the Minister of Overseas Affairs in Madrid on
the necessary reforms to be reimplemented.
Changes in primary and secondary education. Establishment of an Institute of Civil
Administration in the Philippines, rendering unnecessary the sending home of shortterm civil officials every time there is a change of ministry.
Study of direct-tax system.
Abolition of the tobacco monopoly.
The arrival in Manila of General Izquierdo... put a sudden end to all dreams of reforms... the
prosecutions instituted by the new Governor General were probably expected because of the bitter
disputes between the Filipino clerics and the friars. Such a policy must really end in a strong desire
on the part of the other to repress cruelly. In regard to schools, it was previously decreed that there
should be in Manila a Society of Arts and Trades to be opened in March of 1871... to
repress the growth of liberal teachings, General Izquierdo suspended the opening of the school... the
day previous to the scheduled inauguration... The Filipinos had a duty to render service on public
roads construction and pay taxes every year. But those who were employed at the maestranza of the
artillery, in the engineering shops and arsenal of Cavite, were exempted from this obligation from
time immemorial... Without preliminaries of any kind, a decree by the Governor withdrew
from such old employees their retirement privileges and declassified them into the ranks of those
who worked on public roads. The friars used the incident as a part of a larger conspiracy to cement
their dominance, which had started to show cracks because of the discontent of the Filipinos. They
showcased the mutiny as part of a greater conspiracy in the Philippines by Filipinos to overthrow the
Spanish Government. Unintentionally, and more so, prophetically, the Cavite Mutiny of 1872
resulted in the martyrdom of GOMBURZA, and paved the way to the revolution culminating in 1898.
The GOMBURZA is the collective name of the three martyred priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos,
and Jacinto Zamora, who were tagged as the masterminds of the Cavite Mutiny. They were prominent
Filipino priests charged with treason and sedition. It is believed that 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 merely assistants to the regular friars. The
GOMBURZA were executed by garrote in public, a scene purportedly witnessed by a young Jose Rizal.
Their martyrdom is widely accepted as the dawn of Philippine nationalism in the nineteenth century,
with Rizal dedicating his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to their memory: "The Government, by
enshrouding your trial in mystery and pardoning your co-accused, has suggested that some mistake
was committed when your fate was decided; and the whole of the Philippines, in paying homage to
your memory and calling you martyrs, totally rejects your guilt. The Church, by refusing to degrade
you, has put in doubt the crime charged against you."