CAVITE MUTINY

SPANISH VERSION

According to Jose Montero y Vidal, a Spanish historian, the event was an attempt of the indos to overthrow the Spanish government in the Philippines which happened on January 20, 1872. This armed uprising of the Filipino-workers and soldiers in the arsenal was led by Sergeant Lamadrid.

Gov. Gen. Rafael Izquierdo in his official report to the King of Spain, magnified the rent and implicated the native clergy, particularly Fr. Jose Burgos, Fr. Mariano Gomez, and fr. Jacinto Zamora. Vidal and Izquendo reported that the reasons for this misadventure were:

• The abolition of privileges of the workers of Cavite arsenal such as non-payment of tributes and exemption from "polo y servicio" or force labor.

• To overthrow the Spanish government and install a new "harn" in the likes of GomBurza.

Gov. Gen, Izquierdo added that the native clergy enticed Filipinos, assuming them victory as God is with them, they also bribe them with rewards such as employment, high ranks in the army and wealth. He insulted the indios calling them gullible.

According to Vidal and Izquierdo, there was a "conspiracy among educated leaders, mestizos abogadillos, residents of Manila and Cavite, and the native clergy. The revolution was planned but back-fired due to miscommunication and they were defeated by the reinforcements of the Spaniards.

Filipino version

Dr. Trinidad Hermenigildo Pardo de Tavera (scholar, researcher). He debunk the Spanish allegations about the "conspiracy", rather it was a mere "mutiny" by the native Filipino workers and soldiers of the Cavite Arsenal due to dissatisfaction with the abolition in their privileges. He blamed Gov. Izquierdas cold blooded policies for the mutiny which inspired revolution among the Filipinos.

Tavera believed that the Spanish friars and Esquerdo used the Cavite mutiny as a powerful lever by magnifying it as a full-blown conspiracy of the natives in order to deprives friars of all powers of intervention in matters of civil government and direction and management of educational institutions so that the Spanish government will maintain and brave power by themselves.

Tavera stated that the Madrid government did not conduct further investigations about the conspiracy and solely believed the alleged revolution as reported by Izquierdo and other friars.

• French writer Edmund Plauchut backed up Tavera's account that the event happened due to discontentment of the arsenal workers and soldiers of Cavite fort.

• GOMBURZA were charged by the Spanish government with the crime of subversion which was punishable by death penalty. They were executed by garrete on February 17, 1872. They were implicated by the Spanish friars in the Cavite Mutiny due to their vocal advocacy on the secularization of Catholic penshes in the Philippines, a position reserved to Spanish friars.

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