Arianne Julian A.

Cruz

STL 12 – 3P

Readings in Philippine History

Gomburza is a term that refers to the names of the three priests, Mariano Gomez, Jose

Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, who were executed during the Spanish colonial period. Their

execution marked the beginning of the Philippine Revolution. This analysis presents the argument

that the execution of the Gomburza symbolizes the oppression and inequality that the Filipinos

were facing during the Spanish colonial period, and this event in partnership with religion served

as the main factor that sparked the beginning of Philippine history.

Before the execution, several events happened. One notable event involves Hermano Pule’s

creation of a new religious order and friars regaining control of parishes from secular priests. As a

response, secular priests began fighting to regain control of their parishes; Fr. Pedro Pelaez led this

movement. However, due to his death, Fr. Jose Burgos was motivated to continue and advocate

his movement for secularization and equality.

Governor General Carlos María de la Torre, known for his liberal reforms and policies,

was replaced by Rafael Izquierdo, his complete opposite. Izquierdo abolished almost all the laws

that were set by the previous governor-general, which caused dissatisfaction within the Filipinos

and caused the Cavite Mutiny, a small uprising in which Filipino soldiers from Cavite led due to

the growing discontent about the reforms of the newly appointed governor-general, Izquierdo,

towards the soldiers. The mutiny, which was unsuccessful, was used as a scapegoat to arrest and

later execute the three priests. The execution then ignited a sense of nationalism in the Filipino

spirits.
 During the Spanish colonial period, the political landscape of the Philippines was led by

the Spanish government, especially friars. Discrimination against Filipinos was widespread,

especially with how the governor general and the friars treat the Filipino people with their reforms

and protocols.

The film Gomburza tells the story of three priests and the key events that led to their

execution. These events include the fight for secularization and equality, the fight between seculars

and friars, the proclamations of the governor generals, and the Cavite mutiny. These are the notable

events that led to the execution of the three priests and are relevant in our history.

In the film, Jose Burgos is one of the three priests; initially, he wasn’t a vocal advocate of

fighting for secularization and equality for Filipinos. However, he was motivated to continue the

work of Fr. Pedro Pelaez after he passed away. After the death of his mentor, his eyes opened and

he realized the inequality that his movement wanted to address, which made him fight for it as

well.

Mariano Gomez is also one of the three priests in the film; he wanted to fight for the

secularization program more vocally but deemed it difficult to achieve due to the political situation

at the time, which was heavily controlled by the Spanish friars. He was portrayed as an optimistic

person; he believed that everything happens for a reason, which hints at a slight foreshadowing

about what is to come after their execution.

The last priest, Jacinto Zamora, in the film is shown to be a person who doesn’t want to

dwell in religious politics and is also shown as an occasional gambler. He represented a Filipino

who experienced oppression and injustice from the Spaniards.

Spanish period. They were stripped away from their parishes, arrested without any formal warrant,

and sentenced to death just with insufficient evidence. There are also some notable side characters

in the film; the two governor generals Dela Torre and Izquierdo were there as well. Dela Torre

was portrayed as a leader who was loved by the Filipinos, while Izquierdo was quite the opposite.

He was portrayed as a harsh leader who discriminated against the Filipinos and created programs

that were anti-Filipino and is possibly the one who created accusations and ordered the execution

of the three priests.

Fernando La Madrid, Francisco Zaldua, and Filipino elites are shown as some of the first

non-religious figures to resist the oppression and inequality that they are experiencing. They

represent the Filipino’s frustration with how the Spaniards are governing our country. Felipe

Buencamino and Paciano Mercado, students of Fr. Burgos symbolized the younger generation of

Filipinos who challenged the use of Latin in education. Their characters symbolize the future of

the country with their movements.

The film featured themes of nationalism, oppression, inequality, and social justice. Fr.

Pelaez fought not only for church secularization but also for Filipino equality, a movement later

fought by Fr. Burgos as well. Their execution awakened a sense of nationalism in Filipinos,

inspiring figures like Jose Rizal and the creation of the KKK. The oppression and inequalities

under Spanish rule were reflected in Izquierdo's anti-Filipino policies, while the fight for social

justice is symbolized by the priests' struggle and the soldiers' experiences in the film.

The film is not only made to entertain viewers but to portray and educate the present

Filipino people. It helped us understand and visualize the sacrifices that our ancestors made in
order for us to attain the freedom that we are experiencing right now. Additionally, it helped

viewers to know to reflect and be educated on the origin of their identity as a citizen of this country.

The execution of the Gomburza was pivotal in obtaining our independence. I argue that

this event marks the true beginning of our history in which religion also played a key role in this

narrative. Pule’s creation of a religious group is what made friars be more wary of secular priests,

which made the tensions rise between the two groups. While the film is largely accurate, some

areas, such as Jacinto Zamora’s political involvement are undermined. According to the Philippine

Star, Jacinto Zamora wasn’t that ignorant about politics; Zamora joined a demonstration against

the mayor of Manila at the time. The film focused on Fr. Burgos’ contribution and kind of left out

the contributions of Fr. Zamora and Fr. Gomez. Additionally, according to Zapanta (2024), Rizal

wasn’t really at the execution site when the Gomburza were executed, it was that event that

inspired Rizal to write his novels. Ultimately, their sacrifice laid the foundation for our freedom,

as symbolized by the quote of Fr. Gomez: “Naway maging mitsa ang aming pagkamatay—para sa

liwanag" ("May our deaths be the spark for the light").

Ocampo, A. R. (2023, December 29). Gomburza: Conflicted details. INQUIRER.net.

https://opinion.inquirer.net/169445/gomburza-conflicted-details

Zapanta, L. K. M. (2024, February 17). Debunking some misses in hit film ‘GomBurZa.’ The

Varsitarian. https://varsitarian.net/circle/20240217/debunking-some-misses-in-hit-film-

gomburza

#January24 | On this day in 1860, Filipino. . . - Everyday History | Facebook. (n.d.).

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2198055300468221&id=14271436542

26060&mibextid=xfxF2i&rdid=GqlrrmfFsVuYDpK7