THE CAVITE MUTINY OF 1872 AND THE MATYRDOM OF GOMBURZA

BY EDMUND PLAUCHUT

The arrival in Manila in 1871 of General Izquierdo y Gutierrez put a sudden end to all dreams of reforms.
The Filipino group agitating for reforms stopped their polemics in the newspapers in Spain, and the
prosecutions instituted by the new Governor General were probably to be expected as a result 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 one to rise up in arms, and on the part of the other to repress cruelly.

On the day that Don Rafael Izquierdo took over the government, he announced the things he planned to
do in accordance with orders from Madrid. "I shall govern," he said to the officials and the friars around
him, holding in one hand a cross and in the other a sword.” Afterwards he pointed to the pictures of
Magellan and Legazpi which decorated the hall, and added regretfully that there were no pictures to be
seen of the great founders of the monastic orders whose sons were around him. Incomparable joy filled
the hearts of the people who subdues Mexico through the sword and the Gospel.

General Izquierdo suspended the opening of the school on the day the previous to the scheduled
inauguration. Because recent law, the friars had been granted permission to withdraw their oaths as
friars, but after Izquierdo came, those friars who made such recantations were automatically separated
from the corporations and made to lose their properties.

Many officials, mestizos as well as natives, were deprived of their posts in civil and military services,
Even Spaniards were deprived of their positions in the, municipalities because of their excessive
inclination to reformist ideas.

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.

These employees were pulled out of the ranks of the marine infantry, and there would not be any
promotion in rank for them while in that military service.

It was not long after this new order was announced that forty men of the marine infantry, together with
22 artillerymen, attacked and captured the Fort of San Felipe in Cavite, They killed the officers who
resisted. At ten o’clock at night, the time of the fall of the fort, the first thing the rebels did was to fire a
cannon to announce their victory to the sleeping populace. The following morning, at break of day, the
revolutionists, who had hoped for the support of the Seventh Infantry guarding Cavite, were terror-
stricken when they saw that the soldiers had remained loyal to their flag. From top of the walls the
mutineers called on the soldiers, promising them all sorts of things, reminding them of their promise to
join in the revolt, but all to no avail. When the rebels saw the regiment was making no signs of joining
them, but instead were getting ready to attack them, they withdrew inside the fort in the hope that they
would be assisted by their allies in Manila. No help came from Manila.

News of that revolt reached Manila the morning that followed, and there, it must be understood, there
was no public disturbance at all. A force consisting of two regiments of infantry, a brigade of artillery
carrying four cannons, headed by General Felipe Ginoves Espinar, proceeded to Cavite to subdue the
rebels. The government forces made a few fruitless tries at the fort.
The rebels acquitted themselves in the exchange of fire with the government soldiers so much so that,
in order to reduce casualties, it was decided to lay a siege on the fort and starve the rebels. This was
quite easy to do since there was no food at all inside the fort. The place was heavily surrounded by the
loyal soldiers, and it was not long before the white flag of surrender was hoisted above the walls.
Immediately, the General organized two groups of soldiers to assault the place. At the moment that the
two groups were being formed, the big door of the fort was opened and out came a small group of
rebels carrying the usual symbol that they wanted to parlay with the besiegers.

The plan of the rebels, according to the most reliable rumors which went around, was known to some
people in Manila and in the provinces. But the truth of the matter was that on the same day the news of
the rebellion reached Manila, the following were apprehended and brought to prison: Jose Burgos,
Agustin Mendoza (curate of Sta. Cruz), Mariano Gomez (curate of Bakoor), Feliciano Gomez, Antonio
Ma. Regidor (well-known lawyer and counselor), Joaquin Pardo de Tavera (government ad-viser),
Enrique Paraiso, Pio Basa, Jose Basa, Maximo Paterno, Crisanto Reyes, Ramon Maurente and many,
many others who were seized later. After a few more days, a new group of Filipino priests was
imprisoned in the fortress. The fear and panic which seized the hearts of the townspeople was
indescribable. As a consequence, many people did not dare go to the market to bring their products. A
group of Spaniards went to the place to remind the Governor General that, because of these
imprisonments, there was a serious danger di completely paralyzing commerce, but the Governor
General did not even receive them.

The arrival of French, English, American and Italian war vessels added to the fears of the townspeople.
The regiment of Filipino artillerymen was disarmed and promptly placed on a boat for Mindanao, and
their place was taken over by 2,000 soldiers who had been sent from Spain.

After eight hours of debate, the military court decreed the execution of the priests Jose Burgos, Mariano
Gomez, and Jacinto Zamora. One surnamed Saldua, who was hopefully waiting for his pardon since it
was he who denounced the alleged traitors to the government, was also sentenced to be executed
along with the three priests.

Enrique Paraiso and Jose Basa Enriquez were sentenced to ten years at hard labor together with the
vicars Mendoza, Guevara, Gomez (Feliciano), Laza, Desiderio, Dandan, del Pilar, etc., as well as lawyers
and businessmen like Regidor, Paterno, Pardo, Mauricio and many others, all of them to be banished to
the Marianas for a period of from two to eight years.

The other accused, from the ranks of the common people, would total about 200 in all; seventy of them,
who were sentenced to be executed, were later given ten years at hard labor. One of them, who was
executed, was a sergeanti0 of the Guias, one of the most notorious tulisanes there was.

It was eleven o'clock at night on the 15th of February, 1872, when the military court rendered its
decision on the case against the three priests. But before leaving the courtroom to retire to the chamber
where the votes would be taken, the presiding officer of the court asked the accused if they had
anything to add in their defense.

Burgos and Zamora reiterated their innocence and tried to prove that they never had anything to do
with the rebels in Cavite and further saying that the witnesses did not prove anything against them.
Padre Gomez, an old man of about seventy, and of venerable mien, said nothing except that he had faith
in the ability of the judges to discern his innocence. But because he was not permitted to confront his
accusers, he was convinced that there would be no value in his selecting a lawyer to try to change the
mind of those who have made pre-judgments against him.

The accused were herded inside the fortress, and the following day, at 5:00 a.m. the dreadful message
of the death sentence was delivered to them by a government representative. Burgos and Zamora, both
30 years of age, l1 were deeply saddened upon hearing the sentence. The former was convulsed in
tears, while the latter lost his mind and never recovered it. As for Padre Gomez, he listened calmly to
the terrifying message as was his wont.

The whole day of the 15th of February up to the morning of the 16th, the people never tired of visiting
the chapel where the condemned were confined. On the 16th, Filipinos from nearby provinces, like
Bulakan, Kapang-pangan, Kabite and Laguna came to see once more those whom they called their
parents, their three beloved martyrs. About 40,000 people, almost all in mourning black, crowded into
the space between the cells and the four garrote platforms.

At seven in the morning the doleful roll of drums announced to all that the funeral procession was
starting, and complete stillness descended upon the multitude.

Saldua, wearing white and with a smiling face, headed the quarter; after him were the three priests.
Burgos cried like a child, but managed to greet with shakes of his head all his friends whom he
recognized in the huge crowd. Zamora was like one dazed and unconscious of what was going on. But
Padre Gomez, with eyes open and with his furrowed brows up, blessed the multitude who knelt at his
feet as he passed by. All the people had their heads un-covered; all the mouths were murmuring their
prayers. Even the Spaniards in the midst of the crowd removed their hats.