Source Trinidad Pardo de Tavera
Source Trinidad Pardo de Tavera
Source Trinidad Pardo de Tavera
SOnia Zaide, Documentary Sources of Philippine History , Volume 7 (Manila National Book:
Store, 1990), 274.
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 civil 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 ah improvement in the friars 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.
.. Up to that time there had been no intention of secession from Spain and the only aspiration
of the people was to secure the material and education advancement of the country...
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 polices of Izquierdo, 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 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 General 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
institution. The friars needed somethmg to justify their continuing dominance in the countrv
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 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 Taveras account
and analyzed the motivations of the 1872 Cavite MutIny.
Source:Edmund Plauchut “The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 and the Martyrdom of Gom Burza in
Gregorio Zaide and Senia Zaide Documentary Sources of Philippine History , Volume 7
(Manila:National Book Store, 1990), 251-268.
General La Torre created a Junta composed of high officials including some friars and 6 Spanish
officials. At the same time there was created by the government Madrid Ia‘ 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:
4. Permission for foreigners to reside in the Philippines, buy real estate, enjoy freedom of
worship, and operate commercial transports flying the Spanish flag.