CAVITE MUTINY

VERSIONS OF
THE 1872
CAVITE
MUTINY
 1872 CAVITE MUTINY
• Uprising of Filipino military personnel
of Fort San Felipe, the
Spanish arsenal in Cavite, on January 23,
1872.
• Around 200 locally recruited colonial
troops and laborers rose up in the belief
that it would elevate to a national
uprising.
• The mutiny was UNSUCCESSFUL.
• Government soldiers executed many of the
participants and began to crack down on a
burgeoning Philippines nationalist movement
• Many scholars believe that the Cavite Mutiny of
1872 was the beginning of Filipino nationalism
that would eventually lead to the Philippine
Revolution of 1896.
 CAUSE OF THE MUTINY
• The primary cause of the mutiny is
believed to be an order from
Governor-General Rafael de
Izquierdo to subject the soldiers of
the Engineering and Artillery Corps
to personal taxes, from which they
were previously exempt.
• The taxes required them to pay a monetary
sum as well as to perform forced
labor called, polo y servicio.

• The mutiny was sparked on January 20,

when the laborers received their pay and
realized the taxes as well as the falla, the
fine one paid to be exempt from forced
labor, had been deducted from their
salaries.
• 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.

Dr. Trinidad H.
Pardo de
Tavera of
Manila
VS
Jose Montero
y Vidal of
Madrid
Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera
- Born on April 13,1875
- Lived in Cablido St.,
Intramuros
- Son of Felix de Tavera and
Julianna Gorricho
- Studied at Ateneo Municipal
de Manila
- Received his licentiate in
medicine at the Faculte de
Medicine de Paris in 1880
- Received his diploma in
Malay Language in 1885
 POLITICAL BACKGROUND
• The Arrival of
Governor-General
Rafael de Izquierdo
• Polo y Servico
• Central Government
• Sentenced to life
imprisonment on the
Marianas Islands
• Executed through
garrote
 Jose Montero y Vidal
- Born on January 28, 1851
- Born in Andalusian Town
of Gergal
- Went to Madrid to study
law
- Government official
residing in Manila in1872
- Civil Governor in colonial
provinces of the Spanish
Empire in 1875
- Married Carolina Marin-
Baldo Burgueros in Murcia
with 4 children
 POLITICAL BACKGROUND
• The call of
secularization
• Securalization is a
process that religion
losses social and
cultural significance
• Feast of Feast of the
Virgin of Loreto
• Execution of
GOMBURZA
 SPANISH VERSION
Jose Montero y Vidal
Call for Secularization
• Filipinos wanted to overthrow the Spanish
Government to install new kings in the likes of the
three priests Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jose Burgos,
and Fr. Jacinto Zamora (the GOMBURZA)

• These priests enticed participants by giving them

charismatic assurance that their fight will not fail
because God is with them coupled with promises
of rewards such as employment, wealth, and ranks
in the army.
Feast of the Virgin of Loreto
• In the evening of January 20, 1872, fireworks
were displayed and rockets fired into the air to
celebrate the feast.

• The conspirators in Cavite mistook these for the

signal to revolt. Hence, at 9:30 pm of that day 200
native soldiers under the leadership of Sergeant
La Madrid rose up in arms, assassinated the
commander of the fort and wounded his wife.
Execution of GOMBURZA
• On February 17, 1872, in an attempt of the
Spanish government 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.
Prisoners pointed out these individuals:

• GOMBURZA
• MAXIMO PATERNO
• ANTONIO MARIA REGIDOR
• JOAQUIN PARDO DE TAVARA
 FILIPINO VERSION
T.H. Pardo de Tevera

Polo y Servicio
• The incident was merely a mutiny by the Filipino
soldiers and laborers against Gen. Izquiedo's harsh
policy.

• The abolition of the privileges enjoyed by the

laborers of the Cavite arsenal of exemption from
the tribute was the main cause of the
insurrection.
The Arrival of General Izquierdo
• A complete change in the aspect of affairs.

• He made it clear that his views were different from

those of La Torre (the general who was replaced
by Izquierdo).

• Intended to govern the people "with a crucifix in

one hand and a sword in the other."
First Official Act
• To prohibit the founding of a school of arts and trades.
• All of those who had offered their support to ex-Governor
La Torre were classed as personas sospechos (suspects).

Night of January 20, 1872

• The workmen in the arsenal at Cavite and engineer corps'
old-time privileges were abolished by General Izquierdo
and caused them dissatisfaction and discontent.
• Leads to an uprising among the soldiers in the San Felipe
fort, and the commanding officer and the other Spanish
officers in charge were assassinated.
Central Government
• The Central Government of Madrid announced its
intention to deprive the friars in matters of civil
government and of the direction and management of
the university.

• The friars feared that their power in the colony

would be a thing of the past and took the advantage
that those who favored the continuation of the
colonial modus vivendi presents as a vast conspiracy
with the objective of destroying Spanish sovereignty.
Dared to oppose themselves to the friars
• Condemned to death and executed by garrote.
• Sentenced to life imprisonment on the Marianas
Islands
• Antonio M. Regidor
• Joaquin Pardo de Tavara
• P. Mendoza
• Curate of Santa Cruz, Guevarra and Quiapo
• The priests Mariano Sevilla, Feliciano Gomez, Ballesteros, Jose Basa
• Lawyers Carillo, Basa, Enriquez, Crisanto Reyes, Maximo Paterno
• and many others ...