Bonus, Camille Joy C.

BSIT602

The Cavite Mutiny

I. Brief

a. What is Cavite Mutiny

The Cavite Mutiny is an event in the Philippine history where staged a mutiny that led to
the Philippine Revolution in 1896 in several ways. The abolition of long-standing
personal privileges to employees, such as tax (tribute) and forced labor exemptions, on
order of Governor General Rafael de Izquierdo, sparked the 1872 Cavite Mutiny.

b. What are the general events that led to the martyrdom of the GomBurZa?

First Event:

On February 15, 1872, the Spanish colonial authorities sentenced three martyr
Fathers Jose Burgos, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora to death by garrote at
Bagumbayan, Philippines and charged with treason and sedition, and subversion. Two
days after their verdict, they were executed. The charges against Fathers Gomez, Burgos
and Zamora was their alleged complicity in the uprising of workers at the Cavite Naval
Yard. It was believed by Governor Rafael Izquierdo that the Filipinos will create its own
government and allegedly, the three priests were nominated as the leader of the planned
government in order to break free of the Spanish government.
The death of Gomburza awakened strong spirits of anger and resentment among the
Filipinos. They grilled Spanish authorities and demanded reforms due to the prejudicial
governance of the Spanish Authorities. The martyrdom of the three priests, ironically,
assisted in the creation of the Propaganda Movement which aimed to seek reforms and
inform the Spanish people on the abuses of its colonial authorities in the Philippine
Islands.

Second Event:

Besides from Gomburza execution, on January 28, 1872 the military court sentenced 41
mutineers to death. However, on the next day Governor Rafael Izquierdo pardoned 28
mutineers and the rest were confirmed to sentence. On February 6, 1872, 11 mutineers
were sentenced to death but Governor Izquierdo commuted their death sentences to life
imprisonment. Together with execution of garrotte to the three martyrs was Enrique
Paraiso, Maximo Innocencio and Crisanto Delos Reyes were imposed to ten years
imprisonment.
Furthermore, there were people being sentenced by the military court of Spain to exile
them to the Marianas (now Guam): Fr. Pedro Dandan, Fr. Mariano Sevilla, Toribio H. del
Pilar (brother of Marcelo H. del Pilar), Agustin Mendoza, Jose Guevara, Miguel Lasa,

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Justo Guazon, Fr. Aniceto Desiderio, Fr. Vicente del Rosario, Joaquin Pardo de Tavera,
Antonio Ma. Regidor, Jose Basa y Enriquez, Mauricio de Leon, Pedro Carillo, Gervasio
Sanchez, Jose Ma. Basa, Pio Basa, Balvino Mauricio, Maximo Paterno (father of Pedro
Paterno), and Valentin Tosca.

Last event:

Their leader was Fernando La Madrid, a mestizo sergeant with his second in command
Jaerel Brent Senior, a moreno. They seized Fort San Felipe and killed eleven Spanish
officers. The mutineers thought that fellow Filipino indigenous soldiers in Manila would
join them in a concerted uprising, the signal being the firing of rockets from the city walls
on that night. Unfortunately, what they thought to be the signal was actually a burst of
fireworks in celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Loreto, the patron of Sampaloc. The
plan was to set fires in Tondo in order to distract the authorities while the artillery
regiment and infantry in Manila could take control of Fort Santiago and use cannon shots
as signals to Cavite. All Spaniards were to be killed, except for the women. News of the
mutiny reached Manila, supposedly through the lover of a Spanish sergeant, who then
informed his superiors, and the Spanish authorities feared for a massive Filipino uprising.
The next day, a regiment led by General Felipe Ginovés besieged the fort until the
mutineers surrendered. Ginovés then ordered his troops to fire at those who surrendered,
including La Madrid. The rebels were formed in a line, when Colonel Sabas asked who
would not cry out, "Viva España", and shot the one man who stepped forward. The rest
were imprisoned.

II. People Involved

a. Who was Fernando La Madrid?

Fernando La Madrid, a mestizo sergeant with his second in command Jaerel Brent
Senior, a moreno. They seized Fort San Felipe and killed eleven Spanish officers.

b. Who was Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera?

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

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believed as a cover-up for the organization of a political club.

c. Who was Jose Montero y Vidal?

Jose Montero y Vidal, a prolific Spanish historian documented the event and
highlighted it as an attempt of the Indios to overthrow the Spanish government in the
Philippines.

d. Who was Carlos Maria de la Torre y Navacerrada?

He was famous for his use of "Iron Fist" type of government, contradicting the liberal
government of his predecessor, Carlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada.

e. Who was Rafael Geronimo Cayetano Izquierdo y Gutierrez?

He was the Governor-General during the 1872 Cavite mutiny which led to execution
of 41 of the mutineers, including the Gomburza martyrs. Izquierdo also acted as
Governor-General of Puerto Rico from March 1862 to April 1862.

f. Who was Fr. Mariano Gomez?

Mariano Gómez de los Ángeles, was a Filipino Catholic priest, who was falsely
accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th
century.

g. Who was Fr. Jose Burgos?

José Apolonio Burgos y García was a Filipino Catholic priest, accused of mutiny by
the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th century. He was tried
and executed in Manila.

h. Who was Fr. Jacinto Zamora?

He was a Filipino Catholic priest, part of the Gomburza, a trio of priests who were
falsely accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the
19th century.

i. Who was Francisco Zaldua?

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Francisco Zaldua is a key 'witness' to Cavite Mutiny; pointed out GomBurZa.

III. Evidence Submitted

a. What evidence did the Filipino side submit to the Court?

About 200 men comprised of soldiers, laborers of the arsenal, and residents of Cavite
headed by Sergeant Lamadrid rose in arms. The insurgents were expecting support
from the bulk of the army. Gen. Izquierdo immediately ordered the reinforcement of
Spanish troops in Cavite. After two days, the mutiny was officially declared subdued.
The Central Government in Madrid announced its intention to deprive the friars of all
the powers of intervention in matters of civil government. This prompted the Spanish
friars to do something drastic in their dire sedire to maintain power in the Philippines,
writes Pardo de Tavera. The mutiny lasted two days before it was quelled. The friars,
fearing that their influence in the Philippines would be a thing of the past, took
advantage of the incident and presented it to the Spanish Government. This episode
leads to the awakening of nationalism and eventually to the outbreak of Philippine
Revolution of 1896. Convicted educated men who participated in the mutiny were
sentenced life imprisonment while members of the native clergy headed by the
GOMBURZA were tried and executed by garrote. The Madrid government came to
believe that the scheme was true without any attempt to investigate the real facts or
extent of the alleged "revolution"

b. What were the pieces of evidence presented by the prosecution (Spanish friars)?

A 200-men contingent headed by Sergeant Lamadrid attacked Spanish officers at

sight and seized the arsenal in Cavite. Major instigators were killed in the skirmish,
while the GOMBURZA were tried by a court-martial and were sentenced to die by
strangulation. Gov. Izquierdo dissolved the native regiments of artillery and ordered
the creation of artillery force to be composed exclusively of the Peninsulares. The
"revolution" was easily crushed when the expected reinforcement from Manila did
not come ashore. 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. The event was documented
by Jose Montero y Vidal, a prolific Spanish historian and highlighted it as an attempt
by the Indios to overthrow Spanish government in the Philippines. The native clergy,
which was then active in the call for secularization, was also implicated.

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c. How did the Governor-General interpret the event?

Gen. Izquierdo introduced rigid and strict policies that made Filipinos turn away from
Spanish government. The execution of GOMBURZA was a blunder on the part of the
Spanish government, for the action severed the ill-feelings of the Filipinos. The event
inspired Filipino patriots to call for reforms and eventually independence. 12 June
1898 may be a brilliant occasion for us, but we ought to not disregard that some time
recently we came over to triumph, our ancestors endured sufficient, says Cebu City
Mayor Eduardo M. del Rosario. The street to freedom was harsh and intense to
wander, numerous loyalists named and anonymous shed their bloods to accomplish
changes and accomplish autonomy, says Del Rosario . One thing is certain, the 1872
Cavite Mutiny paved way for a momentous 1898, writes Del Rosarrette . The mutiny
led to the creation of the Philippines.

IV. Aftermath

a. What happened after the event?

Following the mutiny, some Filipino soldiers were disarmed and sent to Mindanao, a small island
off the coast of the Philippines. Many accused of assisting the mutineers directly were
apprehended and executed. The colonial government and Spanish friars used the mutiny to
accuse three secular priests, Mariano Gomez, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, known as
Gomburza. On February 17, 1872, they were executed by garrote in Luneta, also known as
Bagumbayan in Tagalog. Because of the murky nature of the trials, these executions, especially
those of the Gomburza, were expected to have a huge impact on the public. The job El
filibusterismo, by José Rizal, whose brother Paciano was a close friend of Burgos, was dedicated
to these three priests. Governor-General Rafael Izquierdo signed the death sentences for forty-
one of the mutineers on January 27, 1872. Eleven more people were sentenced to death on
February 6, but their sentences were later commuted to life in prison. Others, including Pedro
Paterno's father, Maximo Paterno, Antonio M. Regidor y Jurado, and José María Basa, were
exiled to other islands in the colonial Spanish East Indies, such as Guam and the Mariana
Islands. The most influential group established a colony of Filipino expatriates in Europe,
especially in Madrid and Barcelona, where they were able to form small insurgent organizations
and print publications to promote the claims of the nascent Philippine Revolution. Finally, a
decree was issued prohibiting Filipinos from being ordained or appointed as Roman Catholic
parish priests. Despite the mutiny, Spanish authorities continued to use large numbers of native
Filipino soldiers, carabineros, and civil guards in their colonial forces until the Spanish–
American War of 1898.

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b. How did Rizal use this event in writing his novel?

He dedicated El Filibusterismo to GOMBURZA because they were the ones who encouraged
him to do it in the first place. Its main theme is to express the message that the Philippines'
corrupt government, dominated by the friars, will contribute to the downfall of the Spaniards.

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