On the night of January 20, 1872, about 200 Filipino soldiers and workers in Cavite arsenal
mutinied. Their leader was Lamadrid, a Filipino sergeant. The mutineers had been led to believe
that Filipino 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, the suburb of Sampaloc in Manila
celebrated their fiesta on that very night with a gay display of fireworks. The Cavite plotters,
thinking the hostilities had been started by Manila troops, rose in arms, killed their Spanish
officers, and took control of the arsenal and fort.
The following morning, government troops under Don Felipe Ginoves were
rushed to Cavite. A bloody fight ensued. Many of the mutineers, including
Lamadrid, were killed in the fighting. On January 22, the survivors were
subdued, taken prisoner and brought to Manila.
This mutiny was magnified by the Spaniards into a revolt to implicate the
Filipino priest and patriots. It was in reality only a violent outburst of the Cavite
workers and soldiers who resented the government action in abolishing their
former privileges, notable exemption from forced labor and the tribute. Spanish
writers alleged that it was seditious revolt directed against the Spanish rules
and investigated by Fathers Burgos, Gomez, Zamora and other Filipino leaders.
Such charge, although false, was made the Spanish authorities because it gave
them justification to persecute Filipino patriots who advocate reforms.
Immediately after the mutiny, scores of Filipino priest and patriots were arrested and thrown into
jail. They were tried by a military court behind closed doors on the charge of treason and sedition.
On January 27, 1872, Governor Izquierdo approved the death sentence on 41 of the mutineers. On
February 6, eleven more were condemned to death, but the governor commuted their death
penalty into life imprisonment. On February 8, Camarino was sentenced to die and eleven of the
Guias de la Torre was each given a ten-year prison sentence for their complicity in the mutiny.
Other patriots and priest were exiled to Guam.
The most illustrious victims of the Cavite Mutiny were Fathers Mariano Gomez,
Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora. Their trial, like those of their fellow accused,
was a farce. There was no positive evidence of their guilt. The star witness of
the government, Francisco Zaldua, former Bicolano soldier of the Batallion of
Artillery, was bribed by the government authorities to testify against Gom-BurZa. He incriminate the three heroic priests. Thus was the triumvirate of priestmartyrs railroaded to their doom.
During the farcical trial the lawyers of the Gom-Bur-Za defense made no effort
for the acquittal of their clients. One of them, Attorney Jose Arrieta, Burgos
vindictive enemy, did not plead the case to prove Burgos innocence. On the
contrary he merely requested the court for clemency, declaring that Burgos
had confessed his guilt.
Aroused by his lawyers damaging perfidy, Father Bugos flared up in the
courtroom and exclaimed: I have not confessed any guilt, for I am not guilty!
That is not my defense that gentleman (pointing to Arrieta) has changed it. I
deny all the charges against me. They had no foundation in fact or law.