GOMBURZA (An NHCP Documentary)

Summary

The NHCP documentary on GOMBURZA skillfully delves into the complexities of the social, political, and religious climate of the Philippines leading up to the 1872 execution of three priests: Mariano Gomes, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora. The coverage spans multifaceted perspectives, highlighting the gradual tension between secular and regular clergy, the influence of liberal European ideals, and racial discrimination practices by Spanish authorities. GOMBURZA became a rallying point and symbol of resistance that inspired a wave of nationalist movements. The execution marked a turning point as it awakened the Filipinos' national consciousness, ultimately contributing to the movements that led to the country's eventual independence in 1898.

Highlights

• GOMBURZA's execution in 1872 was a flashpoint that awakened Philippine nationalism. 🔥
• Fr. Jose Burgos, a key figure, pushed for educational reforms and equality. ✊
• The liberal beliefs from Europe slowly penetrated the Philippines, challenging the status quo. 🌍
• Racist policies and powerful friars disrupted the harmony between native secular and Spanish regular clergy. ⚔️
• The swift execution following the Cavite Mutiny cast doubts on justice, symbolizing colonial oppression. 🕊️
• GOMBURZA inspired future heroes and revolutionaries, connecting the past struggle to the eventual independence. 📜

Key Takeaways

• The execution of GOMBURZA ignited a nationalist fervor in the Philippines, breeding heroes like Rizal and Bonifacio. 🇵🇭
• Racial discrimination and ecclesiastical clashes between secular and regular clergy were prevalent under Spanish rule. 💥
• Fr. Jose Burgos advocated for the ability and equality of Filipinos, fostering reformist ideals. 📚
• De la Torre attempted reforms to win Filipino support but was succeeded by the harsh governance of Izquierdo. ⚖️
• The Cavite Mutiny was viewed as a conspiracy, leading to the swift and politically charged execution of GOMBURZA. ⚔️
• The deaths of GOMBURZA became the cornerstone for the forthcoming Propaganda and Revolution movements. 🌿

Overview

Dive into the gripping story of GOMBURZA, a documentary that captures a pivotal moment in Philippine history. It's 1872, and the winds of change are rustling through the archipelago. Enter Mariano Gomes, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, three valiant priests who stood against the oppressive colonial rule of the Spanish. Their fight started from a simple desire for reform, but soon turned into a fiery demand for justice and equality. Little did they know, their eventual execution would light the flames of national consciousness, sparking the revolution that was to come.

Underneath the cloak of colonial rule, tensions were brewing. The Cavite Mutiny, often seen as the spark that set the powder keg ablaze, was a reaction to oppressive policies and a loss of privileges. In this heated climate, fingers pointed to the GOMBURZA priests as conspirators, despite the lack of clear evidence. Their martyrdom served as a stark reminder of the costs of rebellion but also as an undying symbol of the Filipino spirit.

Their legacy? It transcended their tragic end at Bagumbayan. The seeds they planted grew into a full-fledged movement, nurtured by subsequent heroes like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio. The rallying cry of GOMBURZA echoed through the years, igniting the passion of many to fight for what became the Philippine Revolution, ultimately leading to independence from colonial rule and the birth of a nation. Let's take a moment to honor their bravery and the instrumental role they played in shaping our history.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Revolts and Religious Orientation In the chapter titled 'Revolts and Religious Orientation', the focus is on the various revolts against Spanish colonial rule that occurred before 1872, highlighting figures like Gabriela Silang. This period is characterized by a rise in religious awareness and resistance towards colonial powers.
• 01:00 - 05:00: Hermano Pule and Aftermath The chapter discusses various revolts in the Philippines, such as the Palaris and Tamblot revolts, emphasizing their lack of unity which led to defeat by colonizers. It highlights the long tradition of struggle for independence starting from early rebellions with religious motivations, mentioning figures like Bancao in Leyte.
• 05:00 - 10:00: Pedro Pelaez and Secularization The chapter discusses historical figures like Sumuroy in Samar and Tapar in Panay during the 17th century, who were influenced by their backgrounds as babaylans or descendants and sought to return to their traditional religious roots.
• 10:00 - 15:00: Economic Changes and Rise of Liberal Ideas This chapter discusses the persecution of the Cofradia de San Jose by the friars, who saw them as competitors. Despite winning a battle, the members of the Cofradia were eventually massacred, and their leader, Hermano Pule, was beheaded and dismembered.
• 15:00 - 20:00: Friars and Frailocracy The chapter 'Friars and Frailocracy' discusses a significant revolt by the Tayabas regiment in response to the government's oppressive measures. This revolt was partly in reaction to the mistreatment of Hermano Pule (Apolinario de la Cruz), a notable figure from Tayabas. The regiment, aware of the injustices faced by Hermano Pule, launched an attack on Fort Santiago between January 19 and 20, 1843.
• 20:00 - 25:00: Mariano Gomes' Community Work The chapter titled 'Mariano Gomes' Community Work' discusses the desire for independence from Spain among the people, highlighting their aspiration to sever ties with the colonial power. Despite their efforts, they did not succeed. The chapter also touches on historical interactions, particularly between Hermano Pule and a priest named Pedro Pelaez, as evidenced by discovered documents.
• 25:00 - 30:00: Burgos, Zamora, and Their Education Fr. Pedro Sebastian Pelaez played a pivotal role as a pioneer in the secularization movement within the Philippines. This chapter highlights the link between the fight for self-empowerment and the secularization of parishes, which were intended to be managed by secular priests. The narrative extends to connecting the struggle for religious freedom to historical figures like Bancao and Sumuroy.
• 30:00 - 35:00: Secular Priests and the Gomburza The chapter discusses the influence of secular priests in the Philippines, highlighting figures such as Tapar and Hermano Pule, leading up to the martyrdom of the Gomburza priests. It places this within the context of the wider political changes happening in Spain, specifically the Glorious Revolution of 1868, which saw the monarchy replaced by a republican government. This change led to the appointment of Carlos Maria de la Torre as the liberal governor-general in the Philippines, marking a period from 1869 to 1871.
• 35:00 - 40:00: Secularization Movement and Challenges The chapter highlights the efforts of De la Torre to appeal to liberal and progressive sectors in the Philippines, such as priests, lawyers, and businessmen. However, the political landscape changed with the fall of the republican government in Spain and the restoration of the Monarchy, which impacted the definitions of liberal and conservative under different governor-generals.
• 40:00 - 45:00: Spanish Suspicion and Secular Priests The chapter introduces the arrival of Rafael de Izquierdo from Spain, who is characterized as very strict and not fond of liberals. This contrasts with another governor-general, Carlos Maria de la Torre, who is noted for his open-mindedness, suggesting a tension or problem between these differing governing styles.
• 45:00 - 50:00: Committee of Reformers and Student Movement The chapter discusses the Committee of Reformers and the Student Movement, focusing on the advice given by a predecessor to Izquierdo regarding balancing seculars, local priests, and friars in the mission work from Spain. These issues were anticipated to continue into future administrations.
• 50:00 - 55:00: Cavite Mutiny Details In the 19th century, Europe experienced widespread liberalism, which included significant changes in government.
• 55:00 - 60:00: Arrest and Trial of Gomburza The chapter discusses significant changes in policies affecting the Philippines during Spanish rule, including the abolition of the Galleon Trade. This trade route was Spain's monopoly, connecting the Philippines through Mexico. It started with Legazpi in 1565 and lasted until 1815, aligning with Mexico's move towards independence, which subsequently led to the end of the Galleon Trade. The chapter poses the question of what will replace this crucial economic route for the Philippines.
• 60:00 - 70:00: Execution of Gomburza The chapter discusses significant historical events that influenced the Philippines in the 19th century, particularly examining the period post-1834 when the country opened to world trade. The arrival of foreign traders marked the beginning of a new era of economic interaction and cultural exchange.
• 70:00 - 75:30: Aftermath and Impact on Nationalism This chapter discusses the liberal philosophical influences in Europe, particularly the ideas of Voltaire, the French and American Revolutions, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Locke, especially in relation to good governance. It highlights how education was gradually becoming more liberal, introducing ideas the friars opposed.

GOMBURZA (An NHCP Documentary) Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Before 1872 there were revolts against Spanish colonialism, like Gabriela Silang,
• 00:30 - 01:00 Palaris Revolt, Tamblot revolt. They were all revolts but they were not united, separate, so that’s probably why they were always defeated by the colonizers. On the other hand, I also would like to say that our long tradition of struggle our long tradition of struggle to obtain independence, goes back to the first Filipinos whose revolts had religious orientation. Let’s mention for example, Bancao in Leyte,
• 01:00 - 01:30 Sumuroy in Samar, Tapar in Panay, all in the 17th century. Many of them were babaylans or their children who wanted to go back to their original religion. And one of the significant ones who continued that tradition was Hermano Pule. We all know how in 1841 the Spanish colonial government crushed their organization, Cofradia de San Jose, in Tayabas.
• 01:30 - 02:00 Their members were already spread throughout all of the Tagalog regions. Some of the friars saw that they were competitors, so they moved to persecute this Cofradia de San Jose. They resisted and even won one of the battles, but they were massacred, obliterated. And the story was that Hermano Pule was beheaded and his body was dismembered.
• 02:00 - 02:30 The government’s way of suppression was horrible. After about two years, the Tayabas regiment revolted, because Hermano Pule was from Tayabas. Apolinario de la Cruz. The Tayabas regiment knew that what happened to Hermano Pule was horrible. They attacked Fort Santiago. This was January 19 to 20 of 1843.
• 02:30 - 03:00 These people were shouting "independence." We can see here that there was an aspiration to cut the relationship with Spain, but of course, they failed. Historians believe that one of Hermano Pule’s dealings, based on discovered documents, was with a priest named Pedro Pelaez.
• 03:00 - 03:30 And we know from Philippine history that Fr. Pedro Sebastian Pelaez was one of the pioneers of what we call secularization. So this fight for self-empowerment was connected to the secularization of the parishes, which was supposed to be handled by the secular priests. So it's all connected. We can connect the fight for religious freedom to Bancao, Sumuroy,
• 03:30 - 04:00 Tapar, Hermano Pule, all the way to the Gomburza. but not ending with the Gomburza. It was in 1868 when what they call Glorious Revolution happened in Spain. The Monarchy fell. and was replaced by a republican government. So to the colonies, like the Philippines, a liberal governor-general was sent - Carlos Maria de la Torre. Within two years, 1869 to 1871,
• 04:00 - 04:30 changes were implemented. De la Torre did everything he could to win the hearts of liberal and progressive people in the Philippines, including priests, lawyers, and some businessmen. But after about two years, the republican government in Spain fell and the Monarchy was restored. Our concept of what was liberal and what was conservative was based on the kind of governor-general
• 04:30 - 05:00 that would be sent from Spain. It so happened that Rafael de Izquierdo was sent to us. Rafael de Izquierdo was very strict. He didn’t like the liberals much. There was a problem because Carlos Maria de la Torre was a governor-general that showed open mindedness.
• 05:00 - 05:30 When we look at his advice to Izquierdo, his successor, he also mentioned the balance between the seculars, the local priests, and the friars who were doing mission work here from Spain. During his administration, he foresaw those issues prevailing in the next administration.
• 05:30 - 06:00 In the 19th century there was widespread liberalism in Europe. There was a change of government,
• 06:00 - 06:30 which affected policies in the Philippines. One was the abolition of the Galleon Trade. It used to be the monopoly of Spain. We were ruled by Spain through Mexico. Legazpi started it in 1565, and it persisted until 1815, when Mexico was about to become independent. We had a long relationship with Mexico. When Mexico became independent, the Galleon Trade ended. What will replace it?
• 06:30 - 07:00 We were opened to world trade in 1834. Various foreign traders entered the country. In 1869, first, there were already steamships, which made travel faster. Then, the route through Egypt was opened. From the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean up to the Philippines, going through Suez Canal, in 1869. So the opening of the Suez Canal facilitated the quick entry of ideas -
• 07:00 - 07:30 the liberal thinking or philosophies in Europe, like Voltaire's, the ideas of the French Revolution, the ideas of the American Revolution, the liberal ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and John Locke about good government. And of course education was also slowly being liberalized. So many liberal ideas came in, which the friars did not like,
• 07:30 - 08:00 because there was now the insinuation that “we have the right to be free, we have the right to be treated as equals by the Spaniards.” These were the ideas that entered in 1869. At this time, Spain had only four colonies left, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. By 1872 the Spanish empire had fallen in Latin America. This was the situation in the Philippines. The progressive natives in the Philippines were thinking, “the reforms are too long in coming,
• 08:00 - 08:30 so many perspectives in Europe have changed, but here we still need to kneel down before the friars.” That was the atmosphere in the Philippines from 1869 to 1872. In olden times we had what was called babaylans. Later on, the friars came.
• 08:30 - 09:00 So the respect of the Filipinos for the babaylans transferred to the friars. If we look at the history of frailocracy in the Philippines, and why Marcelo H. del Pilar said there was monastic supremacy in the Philippines, it’s just like this: The civil officials, the provincial governors, the governors-general were only here for a few years, three years.
• 09:00 - 09:30 But the friars stayed in a town for about 40 years or more. That means if people say their confessions to you, you know their secrets, you gain power. And because they had power, some, just a few, abused that power. And one reason also was that there was a racial aspect; at that time, they looked down on us.
• 09:30 - 10:00 We were Indios. From their perspective, they were giving us culture, and they were helping us. But there was a bad side to that, like the policies, such as the polo y servicios, the bandala the encomienda system, the hacienda system, which were imposed.
• 10:00 - 10:30 The friars had the power to own haciendas. The haciendas did not only mean land. There was profit involved, because if they were converted into a farm, a ranch, or what we call an estancia, then you’re no longer just a spiritual leader. You gain financial power and political power
• 10:30 - 11:00 Talagang dumami rin noong ika-19 na siglo In the 19th century, bandits or outlaws multiplied because the only way to have some justice was to become a bandit in order to get back at the friars who became... a problem. In Cavite there were so many tracts of land and so many people were displaced
• 11:00 - 11:30 because of land grabbing. Cavite came to be known as "La Madre de los Ladrones." Or, "mother of the thieves," according to the time of the Spaniards, because of so many lawless elements in Cavite. But in the study of Dr. Isagani Medina, in his book “Cavite Before the Revolution”, he proved that there were many “lawless elements” in Cavite because their lands were grabbed by the friars.
• 11:30 - 12:00 They had no choice but to fight the government system. They think that they were just getting back what was theirs. An example was the uprising in Silang in 1745. Such things persisted up to the 19th century, but of course there had to be peace...
• 12:00 - 12:30 Mariano Gomes was not originally from Cavite.
• 12:30 - 13:00 He was from Sta. Cruz, Manila and was assigned to Bacoor, Cavite as parish priest. He lasted for 48 years. A truly long time. That's why he became known here as a community worker, not only in the church. He was like a one-man non-governmental organization. He was very close to the community. He built roads, he improved services to the people…
• 13:00 - 13:30 in fact even in the economy, like planting salt farms …since Bacoor is along the coast, when people there asked for capital, Fr. Gomes would give them so they could start salt industries. So there were such stories that he was open to lending money for the betterment of the people’s lives in Bacoor. He would help, so he became well-loved in Bacoor.
• 13:30 - 14:00 So he became involved not only in the spiritual care of Filipinos during that time, but also in their economic development. He also became known as mediator for people fighting against the law at that time.
• 14:00 - 14:30 The Luis Parang case was an agrarian unrest, A man went to the mountains because of land grabbing. Fr. Gomes climbed the mountains to convince him to go down. And he succeeded. There was a peace pact between Luis Parang and the governor-general signed in Malacañang Palace. Fr. Mariano Gomes was invited. During his time, Fr. Mariano Gomes was instrumental
• 14:30 - 15:00 ang panunulisan sa Cavite in the weakening of banditry in Cavite.
• 15:00 - 15:30 The mother is really very influential in the lives of Filipinos. So, it was always the dream of the mother, I think in this particular case, for him to become a lawyer, but Fr. Zamora preferred to become a priest.
• 15:30 - 16:00 If we look at Zamora's roots, he was from Pandacan, Manila. Fr. Gomes was from Sta. Cruz, Manila. They were Manileños. Manila was the center, there was the Manila Cathedral, there was Letran, there was UST (University of Santo Tomas). so there was a great probability that your dream would revolve around those.
• 16:00 - 16:30 He and Burgos were classmates, so in the exams for appointments in 1863/1864, he was in the top three, along with Burgos and another Zamora. He was really good, brilliant.
• 16:30 - 17:00 If Fr. Gomes was an NGO worker, Fr. Burgos really burned the midnight oil. He had seven degrees, two of which were doctorates. And he was only 35 years old. The three of them had almost the same education. They studied in San Juan de Letran College,
• 17:00 - 17:30 then UST. They had different courses: theology, philosophy. And then they also had to study in the seminary in Manila to become a priest. In the case of Fr. Gomes, on one occasion when there was a vacancy in the parish of Ermita, he submitted his application
• 17:30 - 18:00 but since he was younger than another candidate, he didn’t get it. But he got Bacoor finally. Mariano Gomes was the oldest of the three; and he was the one who stayed the longest in one place. He was the parish priest of Bacoor since 1824, if we base it on his appointment papers. And if we are to believe his nephew, Marcelino, saying he was born in 1799.
• 18:00 - 18:30 And on his last will, he was over 70. Some sources would say he was of Chinese descent, others, Japanese descent, but we cannot really be sure for now, since when he signed his last will, he did not put any ethnicity. One of the partners of Fr. Pelaez, it was believed, was Fr. Mariano Gomes.
• 18:30 - 19:00 Jacinto Zamora was the second oldest, although he was close in age to Burgos, in his mid-thirties. He served the most number of parishes (of the three). He had been to Batangas, Pasig, Marikina. At times he alternated with Burgos in Manila. We do not know his descent either,
• 19:00 - 19:30 like Fr. Gomes, we cannot ascertain for sure what he’s half of. Jose Burgos was very famous because he was teaching at that time, which was a way to influence the youth. Paciano Rizal was his student, so the Rizals were linked to Fr. Jose Burgos.
• 19:30 - 20:00 Like Zamora, he was brilliant. He was really serving in Manila. He was so close to the highest church officials in the Philippines. In fact, Fr. Jose Burgos, a known liberal, was a friend of Carlos Maria de La Torre and would even be present in his feasts. His life was public. He was very open to the people. Unlike Zamora, about whom we know very little. Burgos was more well-known,
• 20:00 - 20:30 even outside his home province. He was a Criollo, born in Vigan, Ilocos province. His parents were Spanish and it was said that he had two sisters and was the only son. When he was orphaned he was sent to Manila from Vigan to continue his studies.
• 20:30 - 21:00 There was a time at the beginning of the 19th century when actually, there were already secular priests For example, Fr. Mariano Gomes was already the parish priest of Bacoor, Cavite. Fr. Jacinto Zamora was the parish priest of Marikina. Fr. Jose Burgos held the most important church
• 21:00 - 21:30 in Filipino Christendom: the Manila Cathedral. We can see there that there were already secular priests. The problem was that by the 1850’s, 1860’s,
• 21:30 - 22:00 there was a taking back. There were secular parishes that would be taken over again by the order. In the 1850’s, secularization was already a hot issue. Let us go back to Fr. Pedro Pelaez who was really the forerunner of the movement campaigned by the indio, mestizo, and insular priests in the Philippines
• 22:00 - 22:30 that the friars or regular priests should abandon the parishes because it was really the job of the secular priests to handle the parishes. But the friars did not want to turn them over or let them go, because as we know, the friars were enjoying privileges. When the Spaniards came, they referred to certain rules issued by the Council of Trent.
• 22:30 - 23:00 According to the Council of Trent, in new places that will be colonized, there should be division of work. The regulars will only do mission work, conversion. They will not handle parishes. The parishes will be run by the seculars. So the assignment of work was very clear so that there won't be confusion. But in the beginning, because there were only few Spanish seculars,
• 23:00 - 23:30 the parishes went to the regulars. I’d like to clarify the difference between the regular priest and the secular priest. The word “friar” means “brother.” They are also called regular priests from the word regla or reglas or reglamentos - bound by the rules. The friars obey vows.
• 23:30 - 24:00 The Dominicans, Agustinians, Recollects, and Franciscans have three vows – vow of poverty, vow of celibacy, and vow of obedience to the head of the religious order. The Jesuits or Society of Jesus have a fourth vow – vow of obedience to the Pope. So the Jesuits can claim that they are not friars, because they have a fourth vow.
• 24:00 - 24:30 The unifying factor was that they were all Spanish, peninsulares, full-blooded Spaniards born in the Iberian Peninsula. On the other hand, the seculars were composed of other social classes who were not full-blooded Spaniards born in the Peninsula. When you say “secular” these are priests that are under the bishop or a diocese. There is a clash between the seculars and the regulars because the friars
• 24:30 - 25:00 do not want to be under the bishop. They say, we have a religious order, we have our head, that’s where our loyalty is. If there is an order from the bishop or archbishop, we are not going to automatically obey that. So there was an ecclesiastical clash between the seculars and regulars. We know that during the long Spanish period there was royal patronage, in which the government, the state, and the church are united.
• 25:00 - 25:30 The government should support the needs and protect the friars from Spain and Mexico. On the other hand, the friars should also support the government. But in 1768, the King of Spain happened to have a conflict with Pope. That rarely happened and the King of Spain was so angry that he took it out on the Jesuits in the Philippines and in Latin America,
• 25:30 - 26:00 because they had a fourth vow, vow of loyalty to the Pope of Rome. What happened then? In 1768, all Jesuits were expelled from the Philippines. Their parishes were taken by the Recollects. The parishes of the Recollects were taken by the secular priests. At that time the secular priests gained a great privilege because they were able to handle parishes. That was really their dream.
• 26:00 - 26:30 The Jesuits came back after almost nine decades. They came back in 1859. They took their parishes back especially their parishes in Mindanao from the Recollects who were handling them. The Recollects were forced to take back the parishes that were handled by the secular priests. So the secular priests took a loss. It was like a domino effect.
• 26:30 - 27:00 So the call for wider secularization intensified. And it was time for Filipino priests to lead the church. Of course the Spanish friars were not enthusiastic or comfortable about it, because having a parish is power.
• 27:00 - 27:30 When you say secularization, the regular priests should leave it to the secular priests. But why did the issue take long in moving forward. It was because of racism. It was rooted in “purity of blood” or racial purity. To the Spaniards, they were the pure blood. They were superior. If you are a mestizo, you are low quality.
• 27:30 - 28:00 How much more if you do not even have a mestizo blood. That’s even lower. Hierarchy depended on blood in the colonial society. That was very unfair for the Filipinos. Another reason why the friars or the Spanish government did not allow secularization was that they had a very strong suspicion that the native secular priests were perhaps planning a revolution
• 28:00 - 28:30 that would oust them. Let us look at the context. It happened in the case of Mexico in 1810 when Mexico wanted to be independent from Spain, the revolution was led by a priest, Fr. Miguel Hidalgo. Fr. Hidalgo died but in 1821, Mexico officially became independent. Of course, the Spaniards learned from history, and that in the Philippines, the priests could also be feared.
• 28:30 - 29:00 They became suspicious that the Filipino secular priests might potentially launch a revolution. If you look at the main players in the secularization movement, there were many. But the central one was Fr. Pedro Sebastian Pelaez. He was the mentor of many of them,
• 29:00 - 29:30 including Fr. Jose Burgos. The problem was that Pedro Sebastian Pelaez died in the 1863 earthquake. He was crushed when Manila Cathedral fell. Very sad. So the priests pursued their struggle. Before 1872, they already had a movement. It included Fr. Mariano Gomes, and Fr. Jacinto Zamora - they were the priests but with the are some businessmen, lawyers,
• 29:30 - 30:00 and journalists. They were called the "Committee of Reformers", This committee pushed for reforms needed at the time so that the Philippines would progress and there would be changes among the people. This Committee of Reformers had followers, students of the University of Santo Tomas.
• 30:00 - 30:30 If you look at the works of Fr. Jose Burgos, he is considered by some anthropologists as one of the pioneer anthropologists in the Philippines. According to some records, he explored some aspects of early Philippine culture. That is what Rizal and Isabelo de los Reyes would also do during the Propaganda Movement.
• 30:30 - 31:00 Look at history, go back to Lapu Lapu, go back to the culture of the bagani and the babaylans to show that what the Spaniards were saying is not true that the Filipinos are not good. They were always saying that, and that’s why they did not want Filipinos to become parish priests. Because their view of Filipino priests was not good. Eventually, these students
• 31:00 - 31:30 in what we call “demonstration of 1869" in UST, distributed leaflets in the classrooms, basically saying that the indios should not be receiving insults from our professors because if you will open the books of history you will see that we are worthy of respect.
• 31:30 - 32:00 Imagine: the problem then in the Philippines was not really poverty because many indios became rich at the end of the Galleon Trade, with the entry of other countries in trade, and they were engaged as middle men. So the indios were able to study. They studied in UST. But their main problem was that even though they were able to study, they were still looked down upon by the Spaniards.
• 32:00 - 32:30 Without honor. The Spaniards became insecure and they identified the leaders. And they said, Fr. Burgos is involved there because he is their idol. Who were these young people? Familiar names. Some of them were Maximo Paterno, Paciano Rizal, Felipe Buencamino, and the one who read our Declaration of Independence, Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista.
• 32:30 - 33:00 In the future they would be part of the Propaganda Movement and the Revolution The students and the Committee of Reformers. That was one of the first student movements in the Philippines. And they suspected the involvement of Burgos there. Fr. Burgos led the issue of secularization.
• 33:00 - 33:30 He was together with Fr. Gomes, who was parish priest of Bacoor, in the call to install secular priests. Zamora was with Fr. Burgos at the Manila Cathedral. If you see the picture of Burgos, he is Spanish, but he probably had charisma
• 33:30 - 34:00 because he could convince his fellow criollo, Pilipino, Chinese mestizo, to take action to correct the situation. His main message was that the Filipinos are capable, that discrimination against them should end, discrimination saying that they do not have abilities, uneducated, etc. He opened up. In a sense he was brave.
• 34:00 - 34:30 I think that during this time, the Filipinos were becoming brave, slowly, and that they could not be suppressed anymore. They were already expressing themselves, despite the lack of freedom of expression and the press. They were coming out with self-expression, telling the truth, asking for reforms, asking for change.
• 34:30 - 35:00 I think that at this time, the Filipinos had reached the point where they could not take it anymore. Forced labor and taxes were very harsh and oppressive for the Filipinos. De la Torre tried to win the hearts of the Filipinos by initiating changes.
• 35:00 - 35:30 There were the exemption privileges. But Izquierdo ruled with an iron hand. He removed the privileges. The indios were not the only ones disgusted with the situation. There were big people who thought that the colonial system would not work.
• 35:30 - 36:00 Because they could not oust this system, action was needed. Some powerful people made plans. The Cavite Mutiny broke out on January 20, 1872, at the Spanish arsenal in Fort San Felipe,
• 36:00 - 36:30 in Cavite City. The Filipinos revolted. According to some accounts of history, the reason for this was a reaction of Filipinos who were soldiers working in the arsenal who were stripped of their privileges by the government. The effect was the provocation of the feelings
• 36:30 - 37:00 of the Filipinos who were there, under the leadership of Sgt. La Madrid. What we could read is that they were only soldiers. It was not a revolt that included civilians. They were able to control the place and killed the Spaniards. The governor-general was informed early in the morning; the incident happened the night before.
• 37:00 - 37:30 He sent reinforcements and they were able to crush the mutiny. The result of it was not only the death of some of the mutineers, but some were also arrested who were not part of the mutiny.
• 37:30 - 38:00 So the mutineers were defeated. They were surrounded. They were about to surrender. They were asked to come out. When they were all outside, they were all shot, when they were already surrendering. You see, no mercy.
• 38:00 - 38:30 First of all, we thought that the Cavite mutiny was only planned in Cavite. They were the only ones who rose up at that time so there were also Filipinos like Pardo de Tavera who were saying it was only a localized event. Apparently, according to document studies by Fr. John Schumacher, a Jesuit historian
• 38:30 - 39:00 who passed away recently, there was a bigger conspiracy planned. From the perspective of the Spanish government, this revolt was actually planned to topple the whole government and it was funded by Filipino liberals. So the Cavite mutiny was not only a Cavite mutiny. A mutiny would also happen in Manila.
• 39:00 - 39:30 The problem was that Governor-General Rafael de Izquierdo received a letter revealing this plot. So the planned uprising was discovered. It was revealed that Maximo Inocencio, Crisanto de los Reyes and Enrique Paraiso, masons,
• 39:30 - 40:00 were the masterminds, according to the documents. But the worst they got was that they were arrested and exiled to Marianas in Guam. The blame was shifted to the three priests. The theory of Fr. Schumacher was that Governor-General Izquierdo was a mason He saw that the masterminds were fellow masons,
• 40:00 - 40:30 so he just exiled them. Somebody testified that in the Cavite mutiny, there was a priest who paid the mutineers. And that the name of the priest was Jose Burgos. The name of the person who implicated Jose Burgos is Francisco Zaldua. Francisco Zaldua was one of the mutineers, but he recanted and made up stories implicating Fr. Burgos. That became the basis for arresting
• 40:30 - 41:00 the three priests connected to the secularization movement. During that time the issue of secularization was also a hot topic. There was an “investigation” on the allegation that the three priests, Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were involved. So even our history books say they were just implicated. There was not enough evidence accordingly. It became very convenient to arrest the supposed suspicious Filipinos.
• 41:00 - 41:30 What we can see is that all these were speculations. No document has surfaced directly proving that they were the brains of the Cavite mutiny. So Fr. Burgos was really just implicated. And then the two other priests. Fr. Gomes was already 72 years old;
• 41:30 - 42:00 he was really the one based in Bacoor, Cavite. When he was arrested, the people did not want to give him up to the Guardia Civil. They were protecting him. But he said, "Let them. I will come back." He said, "don’t worry, I will come back." That was how Fr. Gomes was loved by the people of Bacoor. At that time Burgos and Zamora were quite young,
• 42:00 - 42:30 Burgos was 35, Zamora was 36. They were at the Manila Cathedral. It was said that a different Zamora was being sought but in the house of Jacinto Zamora, a letter was found, saying, bring the "bullet and gunpowder." “Bullet and gunpowder” was code for money used in gambling. That’s allegedly why he was arrested. Even if it was true that it was an invitation to gamble
• 42:30 - 43:00 using the code of “bullet and gunpowder”, I think he was also implicated because it was true that he was part of the secularization movement. Jacinto Zamora is also a hero here. We have already seen him with Jose Burgos even before. Therefore the three priests were arrested. The connection was really very tenuous. They were placed in Fort Santiago. Before they were executed in Bagumbayan,
• 43:00 - 43:30 now Luneta, they were imprisoned in Fort Santiago also within Intramuros. The three priests were subjected to trial because they were identified as the brains of the Cavite mutiny.
• 43:30 - 44:00 Francisco Zaldua, who was the key witness then, introduced himself as Burgos’ messenger. He only did this to escape the verdict. The problem was he was also convicted. His sentence was the same as the Gomburza’s-- execution. The mutiny was on January 20.
• 44:00 - 44:30 In less than a month, the trial was over. The trial was very swift. It was a military trial. What is strange is that the documents of the trial have never been found up to this time, when that should have been declassified. They had many prisoners from the mutiny, but their statements cannot be ascertained because all we have are sources beyond the trial.
• 44:30 - 45:00 We don’t have trial documents, for now. All the more, it shows it was a mockery of the trial. They were sentenced to die. The Archbishop of Manila, Meliton Martinez, was approached by Governor-General Rafael de Izquierdo, saying they should not die wearing their habit because they were heretics, traitors. It was betrayal, rebellion
• 45:00 - 45:30 that they should be stripped of their priesthood. But the Archbishop of Manila said that they would be wearing their religious garb when they would be executed. And the Archbishop also said, "I will toll the bells for them." That meant he believed in the innocence of the three. If he did not believe, then he would follow the orders of the governor-general.
• 45:30 - 46:00 But he did not. They day before the execution, they were transferred to the cuartel of the Spaniards in Bagumbayan, formerly standing at the present Japanese Garden of Rizal Park Luneta. When they were detained there, it appears there were those who heard their last words.
• 46:00 - 46:30 One thing they heard, when Father Mariano Gomes was asked to choose a priest who would hear his last confession, Mariano Gomes said, "you can get even the priest, who hates us the most so they would know how clean our conscience is." If he really said this, this shows what the historian Luis Camara Dery, says that these priests came into conflict with friars,
• 46:30 - 47:00 especially Burgos, which marked them. Allegedly, Fr. Burgos was able to impart some last words It is believed that he mentioned these to his visitors. He reportedly said, "go to the museums and libraries in other countries, so you will know
• 47:00 - 47:30 who your ancestors are." As if he said something like, "be a good Filipino, but an educated Filipino." We cannot verify this statement, but I will not be surprised if it really came from him, because his whole life was consistent with that statement – "Discover history so you will know you are not stupid,
• 47:30 - 48:00 you are great, your race is great, your ancestors are great. And the importance of education. He himself demonstrated that. It was him.
• 48:00 - 48:30 On the morning of February 17, 1872,
• 48:30 - 49:00 there were so many people in Bagumbayan. The people were curious about the three priests to be executed. Executions then were done by garrote involved tightening of screw on an iron collar gradually until the spinal column broke. Usually the head was covered.
• 49:00 - 49:30 That was one form of death penalty during that time. Zaldua was executed first. Second was Fr. Gomes. Based on available descriptions, he was ready.
• 49:30 - 50:00 He faced death calmly. Third to be executed was Fr. Zamora who already lost his mind. When he was placed on the platform, according to some records, he was just quiet, stunned, insane. Because of what would happen to him, he lost heart and he lost his mind.
• 50:00 - 50:30 Last was Fr. Jose Burgos. Fr. Burgos was the one really crying. According to Professor Ambeth Ocampo, he wailed not because he was going to die, but rather he was asking why he should die. He was innocent. It was a senseless death, 35 years old, with seven degrees, and this is what would happen to you.
• 50:30 - 51:00 A lot of people were thinking that he felt his life was coming to waste. We can see that the unfolding of events climaxed with the execution of Fr. Burgos.
• 51:00 - 51:30 The bells tolled mournfully to give respect to the three priests. It was said that after they were executed their remains were brought to an unknown place. Finally it was discovered
• 51:30 - 52:00 that they were brought to the Paco Cemetery, and there you will now see a spot where the three priests were supposed to have been buried. If we consider their effect on the revolution and our nationhood,
• 52:00 - 52:30 the three priests did have a great impact. Because if we are going to read the writings of Emilio Jacinto, who became a member of the Most High, Most Respectable Society of the Children of the Nation founded by Andres Bonifacio, he had an essay entitled Gomes, Burgos, anf Zamora. And it was said that the portmanteau “Gomburza” was made a password in the movement. And according to Emilio Jacinto in his essay,
• 52:30 - 53:00 we are avenging the death of the three priests. That is why we are revolting. The historian Teodoro Agoncillo, said that the Philippines did not have a history before 1872. You might be surprised. What about our ancestors? What about Lapu Lapu? But what he meant was
• 53:00 - 53:30 if 1872 did not happen, Filipinos would not have nationalistic sentiments, because before that time, they looked at themselves as Bicolano, Ilocano, Tagalog, Kapampangan, Bisaya but not Filipino. But because there came to be one manifestation of fear due to what happened to the three priests, eventually, this would be an inspiration
• 53:30 - 54:00 to promote nationalism by the likes of Jose Rizal and eventually Andres Bonifacio. He has a point. Although many historians also say that we should not just focus on 1872, but we should look at what happened before and after. 1872 was a very dramatic change.
• 54:00 - 54:30 With the execution of the three priests, the Filipinos could not come to terms with the fact that the Spaniards could kill priests. Where can you see priests being killed? As an ordinary citizen you would ask, "why are the priests being killed?" When they are close to being saints. So, there must have been a problem with the system.
• 54:30 - 55:00 There was an account of a French, (Edmund) Plauchut, who gave a narrative of the day of the execution. When they were about to be executed by garrote, the Filipinos knelt down, especially when it was Burgos’ turn, and they prayed. So I think it was very traumatic for the Filipinos
• 55:00 - 55:30 to witness that. Apparently since that time, 1872, the Filipinos became quiet, and the one who dared mention the three priests was Jose Rizal, when he dedicated El Filibusterismo to the three priests. Rizal and Paciano were very close. Pepe and Paciano.
• 55:30 - 56:00 The relationship of the brothers was deep, so Paciano might have influenced Pepe about the death of the three priests in Bagumbayan. He said it was somewhat late but still I have you in my memory. The events were connected. If there was no Gomburza, if they were not executed, there would not be a new generation
• 56:00 - 56:30 called the Propaganda Movement Rizal, del Pilar, Lopez Jaena, Ponce. But the Propaganda Movement was only about reforms. And then their cause was continued by Rizal's La Liga Filipina. But Rizal was caught and was exiled to Dapitan. After that, Bonifacio's Katipunan was established. And this Katipunan paved the way for the Philippine Revolution. This was not only a struggle of one class in society. They all united against the peninsulares at the top. The significance of 1872 was the start
• 56:30 - 57:00 of the creation of the nation. The concept of the nationalist campaign of the Filipinos was deemed to have started here, it was the reason why Filipinos have a nationalist consciousness That is the significant contribution of the three priests’ martyrdom. It was made the rallying cry of those who gave birth to our nation, our heroes.
• 57:00 - 57:30 These martyrs became the inspiration of the Propaganda Movement, the Katipuneros, up to the time of the revolutionary period until Aguinaldo declared our independence in 1898. They were remembered, and they became a battle cry for the Filipinos. Attack! Long live the Republic of the Philippines!
• 57:30 - 58:00 Long live! Long live the Republic of the Philippines! Long live!