What Happened in the

Cavite Mutiny?
Case Study 2
The year 1872 is a historic year of two events:

•The Cavite Mutiny

•The martyrdom of the three priest Mariano Gomez,

Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora,
These events are 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
Cavity Mutiny
The documentation of Spanish
historian Jose Montero y Vidal
centered on how the event was an
attempt in overthrowing the
Spanish government in the
Philippines. Although regarded as a
Historian, this 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

with each other
Primary Source: Excerpts from Montero's
Accounts of Cavite Mutiny

Source: Jose Montero y Vidal, “Spanish Version of the Cavite of

1872,” in Gregorio Zaide and Sonia Zaide, Documentary Source
Philippine History, Volume 7 (Manila: National Book Store, 1990)
273.
The Spanish revolution which overthrew a secular throne the propaganda carried
on by an unbridled press against monarchical principles, attentatory of the most
sacred respects towards the dethroned majesty.

The outbursts of the American publicists and the communal policy of the
senseless Governor whom the Revolutionary government sent ta Sovern the
Philippines, and who put into practice these ideas were the determing
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 Dr. 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 General 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 communal project, Protected against the
injustice of the goverment 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 at tums out that they would place at the
head of the government a priest that the head selected would be D Jose
Burgos, and 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 previleges 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 the attempt to

overthrow the Spanish government in the Philippines to install a new “hari”
In the persons of Fathers Burgos and Zamora.
Spanish Accounts of Cavite
Mutiny
Primary Sources:

Jose Montero Y. Vidal

Governor Rafael Izquierdo
In the Spaniards accounts, the events 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 account detail that on 20 January 1872, the district of Sampaloc

celebrated the feast of the Virgin of Loreto, and came with it were some
fireworks display The Cavitenos allegedly mustook thus as the signal to
commence with the attack

* The 200-men contingent led by Sergeant Lamadrid attacked Spanish

officers at sight and seazed the arsenal.
Izquierdo, upon learning of the attack, ordered the reinforcement of the
Spanish forces in Cavite to quell the revolt

The “revolution” was easily crushed, when the Manileños who were
expected to aid the Caviteños did not arrived.

Leaders of the plot were killed in the resulting skirmish, while Fathers
Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were tried by a court martial and sentenced to
be executed.
Others who were implicated such as Joaquin Pardo De Tavera, Antonio
Ma. Regidor, Jose and Pio Basa, and other Filipino lawyers were
suspended from the practice of law, arrested, and sentenced to life
imprisonment at the Marianas Island.

Izquierdo dissolved the native regiments of artillery and ordered the

creation of an artillery force composed exclusively by Peninsulares.

On 17 February 1872, the GOMBURZA were executed to serve as a threat

to Filipinos never to attempt to fight the Spaniards again.
 A Response to Injustice:
The Filipino Version of the Incidents
Two other primary accounts exist that
seem to counter the accounts of
Izquierdo and Montero.

First, 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: Excerpts from Pardo de
Tavera's Accounts of Cavite Mutiny

Source: Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, “Filipino Version of the

Cavite Mutiny,” in Gregorio Zaide and Sonia Zaide,
Documentary Sources of Philippine History, Volume 7 (Manila:
National Book Store, 1990), 274280.
This uprising among the soldiers in Cavite was used as a
powerful level by the Spanish residents and by the friars, the
Central Government in Madrid had announced its intention to
deprive the friars in these islands of powers of intervention in
matters of evil government and of the direction and
management of the university it was due to these facts and
promises that the Filipinos had great hopes of an improvement
in the affairs of their country, while the friars, on the other
hand, feared that their power in the colony would soon be
complete a thing of the past .
According to this account, the incident was merely a mutiny by Filipino soldiers and
laborers of the Cavite arsenal to the dissatisfaction arising from the draconian_
policies of Izquerdo, such as the abolition of privileges and the prohibition of the
founding of the school of arts and trades for 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 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 in 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.
However, the Central Spanish Government introduced an
educational decree fusing sectarian schools 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
te be filled by competitve 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 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), 251 268.
General La Torre created a junta composed of high officals 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, at was
found that they came to the same conclusions.

The arrival in Manila of General Izquierdo put a sudden end to all dreams of
reforms the prosecusions instituted by the new Governor General were
probably expected as a result of the bitter disputes between the Filipino
clerics and the friars Such a policy must really end with 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 af those who
worked on public roads.
Filipino Version of the 1872 Cavite Mutiny
The friars used the incident as a part of a larger conspiracy to cement
their dominarice, which had started to show cracks because of the
discontent ofthe Filipinos.

They showcased the mutiny as part of a greater conspiracy t the

Philippinea by Filipinos to overthrow the Spanish Government.
Unintentionally and more so, prophetically, the Cavite Mutiny of 1872
rebel in the martyrdom of GOMBURZA, and paved the way to the
revolution culminating in 1898.
 GOMBURZA
• They were 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.
 GOMBURZA

Mariano Gomez Jose Burgos Jacinto Zamora