MUTINY,

-ANY OVERT ACT OF DEFIANCE OR ATTACK UPON MILITARY (INCLUDING NAVAL) AUTHORITY BY TWO OR MORE PERSONS

SUBJECT TO SUCH AUTHORITY. THE TERM IS OCCASIONALLY USED TO DESCRIBE NONMILITARY INSTANCES OF DEFIANCE

OR ATTACK—SUCH AS MUTINY ON BOARD A MERCHANT SHIP OR A RISING OF SLAVES IN A STATE IN WHICH SLAVERY IS

RECOGNIZED BY LAW OR CUSTOM. MUTINY SHOULD BE DISTINGUISHED FROM REVOLT OR REBELLION, WHICH INVOLVE

A MORE WIDESPREAD DEFIANCE AND WHICH GENERALLY HAVE A POLITICAL OBJECTIVE.

CAVITE MUTINY

-TWO MAJOR EVENTS HAPPENED IN 1872, FIRST WAS THE 1872 CAVITE MUTINY AND THE OTHER WAS THE MARTYRDOM

OF THE THREE MARTYR PRIESTS IN THE PERSONS OF FATHERS MARIANO GOMES, JOSE BURGOS AND JACINTO ZAMORA

(GOMBURZA). HOWEVER, NOT ALL OF US KNEW THAT THERE WERE DIFFERENT ACCOUNTS IN REFERENCE TO THE SAID

EVENT. ALL FILIPINOS MUST KNOW THE DIFFERENT SIDES OF THE STORY—SINCE THIS EVENT LED TO ANOTHER TRAGIC

YET MEANINGFUL PART OF OUR HISTORY—THE EXECUTION OF GOMBURZA WHICH IN EFFECT A MAJOR FACTOR IN THE

AWAKENING OF NATIONALISM AMONG THE FILIPINOS.

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. MEANWHILE, GOV. GEN.

RAFAEL IZQUIERDO’S OFFICIAL REPORT MAGNIFIED THE EVENT AND MADE USE OF IT TO IMPLICATE THE NATIVE CLERGY,

WHICH WAS THEN ACTIVE IN THE CALL FOR SECULARIZATION. THE TWO ACCOUNTS COMPLIMENTED AND

CORROBORATED WITH ONE OTHER, ONLY THAT THE GENERAL’S REPORT WAS MORE SPITEFUL. INITIALLY, BOTH MONTERO

AND IZQUIERDO SCORED OUT THAT THE ABOLITION OF PRIVILEGES ENJOYED BY THE WORKERS OF CAVITE ARSENAL

SUCH AS NON-PAYMENT OF TRIBUTES AND EXEMPTION FROM FORCE LABOR WERE THE MAIN REASONS OF THE

“REVOLUTION” AS HOW THEY CALLED IT, HOWEVER, OTHER CAUSES WERE ENUMERATED BY THEM INCLUDING THE

SPANISH
REVOLUTION WHICH OVERTHREW THE SECULAR THRONE, DIRTY PROPAGANDAS PROLIFERATED BY UNRESTRAINED

PRESS, DEMOCRATIC, LIBERAL AND REPUBLICAN BOOKS AND PAMPHLETS REACHING THE PHILIPPINES, AND MOST

IMPORTANTLY, THE PRESENCE OF THE NATIVE CLERGY WHO OUT OF ANIMOSITY AGAINST THE SPANISH FRIARS,

“CONSPIRED AND SUPPORTED” THE REBELS AND ENEMIES OF SPAIN. IN PARTICULAR, IZQUIERDO BLAMED THE UNRULY

SPANISH PRESS FOR “STOCKPILING” MALICIOUS PROPAGANDAS GRASPED BY THE FILIPINOS. HE REPORTED TO THE

KING OF SPAIN THAT THE “REBELS” WANTED TO OVERTHROW THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT TO INSTALL A NEW “HARI” IN

THE LIKES OF FATHERS BURGOS AND ZAMORA. THE GENERAL EVEN ADDED THAT THE NATIVE CLERGY ENTICED OTHER
PARTICIPANTS BY GIVING THEM CHARISMATIC ASSURANCE THAT THEIR FIGHT WILL NOT FAIL BECAUSE GOD IS WITH

THEM COUPLED WITH HANDSOME PROMISES OF REWARDS SUCH AS EMPLOYMENT, WEALTH, AND RANKS IN THE ARMY.

IZQUIERDO, IN HIS REPORT LAMBASTED THE INDIOS AS GULLIBLE AND POSSESSED AN INNATE PROPENSITY FOR

STEALING.
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 BELIEVED AS A COVER-UP FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF A POLITICAL CLUB.
TAVERA BELIEVED THAT THE SPANISH FRIARS AND IZQUIERDO USED THE CAVITE MUTINY AS A POWERFUL LEVER BY MAGNIFYING IT AS

A FULL-BLOWN CONSPIRACY INVOLVING NOT ONLY THE NATIVE ARMY BUT ALSO INCLUDED RESIDENTS OF CAVITE AND MANILA, AND

MORE IMPORTANTLY THE NATIVE CLERGY TO OVERTHROW THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES. IT IS NOTEWORTHY THAT

DURING THE TIME, THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IN MADRID ANNOUNCED ITS INTENTION TO DEPRIVE THE FRIARS OF ALL THE POWERS

OF INTERVENTION IN MATTERS OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT AND THE DIRECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS. THIS

TURNOUT OF EVENTS WAS BELIEVED BY TAVERA, PROMPTED THE FRIARS TO DO SOMETHING DRASTIC IN THEIR DIRE SEDIRE TO

MAINTAIN POWER IN THE PHILIPPINES.

PLAUCHUT

-EDMUND PLAUCHUT, A FRENCHMAN RESIDING IN MANILA AT THE TIME OF THE REVOLT, GIVES A DISPASSIONATE ACCOUNT OF IT AND

ITS CAUSES IN AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN THE REVUE DES DEUX MONDES IN 1877. HE TRACED THE IMMEDIATE CAUSE TO A

PEREMPTORY ORDER FROM THE GOVERNOR, IZQUIERDO, EXACTING PERSONAL TAXES FROM THE FILIPINO LABORERS IN THE

ENGINEERING AND ARTILLERY CORPS IN THE CAVITE ARSENAL, AND REQUIRING THEM TO PERFORM FORCED LABOR LIKE ORDINARY

SUBJECTS. UNTIL THEN, THESE WORKERS IN THE ARSENAL HAD BEEN ENJOYING EXEMPTIONS FROM BOTH TAXES AND FORCED LABOR.

JANUARY 20, THE DAY OF THE REVOLT, WAS PAYDAY AND THE LABORERS FOUND THE AMOUNT OF TAXES AS WELL AS THE

CORRESPONDING FEE IN LIEU OF THE FORCED LABOR DEDUCTED FROM THEIR PAY ENVELOPES.
“WITHOUT PRELIMINARIES OF ANY KIND, A DECREE BY THE GOVERNOR WITHDREW FROM SUCH OLD EMPLOYEES THEIR RETIREMENT

PRIVELEGES AND DECLASSIFIED THEM INTO THE RANKS OF THOSE WHO WORK ON THE PUBLIC ROADS. “THE SENTENCES WHICH WERE

DECREED WHOLESALE TO ONE GROUP AFTER ANOTHER – THE SPANISHBORN (CREOLES), THE MESTIZOS AND THE NATIVE ALIKE – CAN

BE CONSIDERED A GREAT MISTAKE.” “AFTER THIS ACCOUNT, I BEG LEAVE TO SAY TO THE SPANISH MINISTERS THAT SPAIN CANNOT

AROUSE THE AFFECTIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES THROUGH SUCH TERRORIZING TACTICS.”

HERE IT SHOWS THAT THE AUTHOR SIGNIFIED DISAGREEMENT TO THE SPANISH AUTHORITIES IN HANDLING THE

SITUATION AND AFFAIRS OF THE FILIPINO. THE WAY HE WROTE IT WAS AS IF HE EMPATHIZED THE RESENTMENT AND ANGER OF THE

FILIPINOS TOWARD THE SPANIARDS. HE ALSO IMPLIED THE INNOCENCE OF THE THREE PRIESTS OF THE MUTINY AND IT WAS A MISTAKE

TO CONDEMN THEM WITHOUT ANY PROBABLE CAUSED.

ANALYSIS AND RELEVANCE

THIS EVENTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT MILESTONES IN THE PHILIPPINE HISTORY AND HAVE CAUSED RIPPLES THROUGHOUT TIME,

DIRECTLY INFLUENCING THE DECISIVE EVENTS OF THE PHILIPPINES REVOLUTION TOWARD THE END OF THE CENTURY. 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.

ON THE ACCOUNTS OF THE AUTHORS THERE IS NO QUESTIONS ABOUT IT BECAUSE IS IT WAS SAID THEY WERE WITNESSED THE

THINGS HAPPENED AT THAT TIME AND ALSO THEY WERE ONE OF THE FAMOUS WRITERS IN THEIR LAND, IN THE PHILIPPINES AND AT

SPAIN.
 IT IS WELL TO REMEMBER THAT THE SEEDS OF NATIONALISM THAT WAS SOWN IN CAVITE BLOSSOMED TO THE PHILIPPINE

REVOLUTION AND LATER TO THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE BY EMILIO AGUINALDO WHICH TOOK PLACE IN CAVITE.

THE EVENT INSPIRED FILIPINO PATRIOTS TO CALL FOR REFORMS AND EVENTUALLY INDEPENDENCE.

MANY BELIEVE THAT THE CAVITE MUTINY OF 1872 WAS THE BEGINNING OF FILIPINO NATIONALISM THAT WOULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO

THE PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION OF 1896.

THERE MAY BE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE EVENT, BUT ONE THING IS CERTAIN, THE 1872 CAVITE MUTINY PAVED WAY FOR

MOMENTOUS 1898 DECLARATION OF PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE.

SOURCES
PAJALLA, KENNIELA ANN ET. AL. “CAVITE MUTINY”. RETRIEVED FROM FILE:///C:/USERS/PC-
00/DOWNLOADS/409104075-CAVITE-MUTINY.PDF
APOLINARIO MABINI (1969). THE PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTPS://WWW.UNIVIE.AC.AT/KSA/APSIS/AUFI/HISTORY/MABINI03.HTM
EDMUND PLAUCHUT, AS QUOTED BY JAIME VENERACION. THE EXECUTION OF GOMBURZA. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTP://MALACANANG.GOV.PH/7695-THE-MARTYRDOM-OF-THE-GOMBURZA/
PIEDAD-PUGAY, CHRIS ANTONETTE (2012). THE TWO FACES OF THE 1872 CAVITE MUTINY. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTP://NHCP.GOV.PH/THE-TWO-FACES-OF-THE-1872-CAVITE-MUTINY/
CAVITE MUTINY 1872. RETRIEVED FROM FILE:///C:/USERS/PC-00/DOWNLOADS/414230364-VERSIONS-OF-THE-
CAVITE-MUTINY-1872.PDF