Cavite Mutiny a grand conspiracy or a labor issue PDF

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The motion of the debate is about the:“WAS THE CAVITE MUTINY A GRAND CONSPIRACY OR A LABOR ISSUE?” and the debate was held in Bulwagang Andres Nowe of the University of St. Louis Tuguegarao.Speaker A1: To our board of adjudicators, to our worthy opponents, and to my dear classmates good afternoon. T...

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The motion of the debate is about the: “WAS THE CAVITE MUTINY A GRAND CONSPIRACY OR A LABOR ISSUE?” and the debate was held in Bulwagang Andres Nowe of the University of St. Louis Tuguegarao.

Speaker A1: To our board of adjudicators, to our worthy opponents, and to my dear classmates good afternoon. The topic of this debate is all about the 1872 Cavite Mutiny. As first speaker our side firmly believes that Cavite Mutiny was merely a labor issue. As first speaker, I will be defining key terms and outlining our main arguments. Our second speaker will explain the supporting reason for our argument. And our third speaker will summarize our arguments. Before I proceed to our arguments, let me first define terms that are included in this debate. First is Conspiracy; according to Webster dictionary, conspiracy is a secret plan made by two or more people to something harmful or illegal. Next is Mutiny, as for the definition of Oxford dictionary, Mutiny is an open rebellion against the proper authorities, especially by soldiers and/or sailors against their officers. Cavite Mutiny was an uprising among the native and some laborers in San Felipe fort, Cavite. Wherein the commanding officer and other Spanish officers in charge of the fort were assassinated. This debate will talk about the premise of the mutiny and the event itself. Let me now state our arguments. First argument is that, the abolishment of exemption from paying tribute tax and force labor is the only possible reason why the mutiny happened in the first place. On January 1, 1872, Rafael Izquierdo abolished the exemption of the laborers to pay tribute tax and force them to render personal labor. This abolishment resulted to the wrath of the workers that led them to do what they have actually done. Come to think of it, if we students react relentlessly if we are bombarded with academic requirements, how much more those who are involved in the mutiny, who were denied of their exemption to pay tribute tax and were forced to provide force labor even in days they weren’t supposed to. Cavite mutiny is merely a labor issue because it is only natural for them to go on a strike after the abolishment of their privileges. Second argument is that Gomburza weren’t the real instigators of the said mutiny. In Izquierdo’s account, he claimed that Gomburza were behind the mutiny. When in fact, they were only active in the secularization of the church. Which means secularization is the separation of the church from the state or the government. Our third argument is that it was only after the Gomburza’s death that the Philippine revolution really started. …That’s all sir, our arguments will be expounded by our next speaker. Time: 3mins 7 secs (Applause)

Speaker B1: Good evening to the respected speakers, cautious time keeper, notable judges, members of the opposite team, and members of the floor. Before I proceed in my speech, I would like to define first the terms we are going to use in our arguments. For the information of everyone, the term conspiracy according to the definition of the Meriam Webster, it is a secret plan made by two or more people to do something that is harmful and illegal. Therefore, a secret plan was made with a purpose to abolish the Spanish government in a form of revolution. Cavite mutiny happened during the year of 1872. This was believed to happened because of the said labor issue. The labor issue happened during the time of Gobernador Izquierdo when he removed the privileges of exemption from annual tribute and from rendering labor. But the affirmative said believes that it is not. With this, I would like to defend our stand that Cavite mutiny is a grand conspiracy and not labor issue by presenting our arguments. According to the account of Jose Montero Vidal, the conspiracy had been going on since the days of Governor Latore with utmost secrecy. Therefore, at the time of Governor Izquierdo succeeded before Governor Latore, there has been suspicious acts that information on great uprising would break the Spanish rule even before the abolision of privileges enjoyed by the laborers of Cavite. It is also stated that the labor issue was not only the cause of this revolution, because the mere fact that there is a revolution with the purpose to overthrow the Spaniards, then there is a existing conspiracy. The Spanish revolution was planned to overthrow the secular throne. Here are some causes. The propaganda carried on by an uncontrolled press against Spaniards. The democratic and republic books and pamphlets. The speeches and preachings of the apostles of the new ideas in Spain. The outburst of the American publicist and the criminal policy of the senseless Governor. It was towards their goal that they were started to work with powerful assistance of a certain section to achieve their independence. It was also suspected that the principal leaders met either in the house of the Filipino-Spaniard Joaquin Pardo de Tavera or the native priest Jacinto Zamora and this meeting were usually ammended by the curate of Bacoor, the soul of the movement to plan the revolution. The garrison of Manila composed mostly of the native soldiers were involved in this conspiracy as well as a multitude of civilians. The plan was for the soldiers to assassinate their officers, their servants, their masters, and the escort of the general at Malacanang to dispose the Governor himself. These explains that the revolution was already planned carefully. According to Dr. Trinidad de Tavera, Morette, the Colonial Minister, had drawn up a scheme by which he proposed to make a radical change in the colonial system of government which was to harmonize with the principles for which the revolution in Cavite has been fought. It was due to the facts and promises that the Filipinos had great hopes of an improvement in the affairs of the country. POI: Speaker A3: How did it become a conspiracy if Gomburza and Joaquin were only suspected? There is no confirmation because it was only a suspicion. Speaker B1: Come to think of it. 1521 Spaniard reached Manila. And the Cavite Mutiny was in the year 1872. Hundreds of years have passed. Don’t you think that the Filipinos have grudges and sufferings from Spaniards?

This uprising has roots and with them are affiliated to a great extent the soldier of infantry, artillery, many civilians and large number of Mestiso, Indiyo, and some Illustrados from the provinces. And it explains that it was not only laborers that made the revolution. And with that, I rest my case. Time taken: 4mins 15secs (Applause) Speaker A2: To the board of adjudicators, to our worthy opponents, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon. Before I proceed with my arguments, allow me first to rebut the faulty arguments made by the opposition. The opposition made mention that they were only suspected but it was not really proven that they did what they did and then if they really had grudges in earlier times, then how come the suspected conspiracy didn’t happen in earlier times. Also, let me just inform you that according to John M. Schumacher, Jose Montero’s account is only reliable when it comes to the actual course of the revolt and not the reasons of the mutiny. With that let me now lay our arguments. Cavite mutiny is only a labor issue for the reasons that; Firstly, the only possible reasons why the soldiers uprose was because of the abolishment of the exemption to pay tribute tax and force labor. From time immemorial, the workmen in arsenal at Cavite in the barracks of artillery and engineer corps has been exempted from payment of tribute tax and from obligation to work for certain days each year on public improvements. However, on January 1, 1872, Rafael Izquierdo, the then General of Philippines abolished this privileges and ordered that all workmen should pay tribute and labor for public improvements. This produced great dissatisfaction among the workmen affected and the men employed in the arsenal of Cavite went on a strike. It was because of their volcanic wrath regarding the issue that they were able to do such action and not because it has been long planned for the reasons mentioned by Montero which he assumed pushed the involved people to execute the mutiny to attain independence. Also, with the definition of conspiracy laid out by both teams, it was said that a conspiracy entails plan. However, it was never mentioned that there was a plan or it was planned by the laborers or workers. POI: Speaker B3: Do you think that the laborers were the only people who joined in the uprising or in the revolution? Speaker A2: Yes. Second argument is that Father Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora weren’t really the instigators of the said mutiny.National commission of the Philippines mentioned that the native clergies then were active participants in the secularization movement of the church. In order to allow Filipino priests take hold of the parishes in the country and not actually to convince people to overthrow the Spanish government through the said mutiny. Lastly, how can the Cavite Mutiny become a conspiracy to overthrow the Spanish government when in fact, it was only after the Gomburza’s execution that the nationalism of the Filipinos

were awakened which led to the foundation of secret organizations and movements to overthrow the Spanish rule in the Philippines. So, with this I rest my case. Time taken: 4mins 54secs (Applause) Speaker B2: So good evening everyone, we are debating about the topic about “Was the Cavite mutiny a labor issue or a grand conspiracy?”and this house believes that the Cavite mutiny was a grand conspiracy, and not a labor issue. As a second speaker, I will present few arguments and will also refute the arguments presented by the previous team. So the first speaker of the opposition team has tried to tell you that there are only laborers who are involved in the revolution of the mutiny wherein there are also native soldiers, Filipino-Spaniards, native clergy that are involved in the Cavite mutiny. And they also said that the start of the revolution began after the death of the Gomburza which is wrong. Part of the revolution was before the death of the Gomburza, and it was stated that this plan is secretly planned before the ruling of the exGovernor de La Torre. So as our first speaker has already stated that the conspiracy had already been going on with utmost secrecy and also, it was stated that the labor issue was not the only cause of this revolution because there were other causes of the insurrection. So to support the claims of the first speaker, may I present to you my arguments. My first point to you is that in the account of Dr. Trinidad Hermenegildo Pardo de Tavera, according to him, this incident was merely a mutiny by the native Filipino soldiers and laborers of the Cavite arsenal against the harsh policy of the governor and captain general Rafael Izquierdo which abolished their old time privilege of exemption from paying amount tribute and rendering the forced labor. However, it was stated by Schumacher that the account of Pardo de Tavera prescinding from the emotion anti-friar tone that pervades it gives evidence of being the most reliable even though fairly general, except for its failure to recognize that de La Torre had been suspicious of the Filipino reformist that Montero, apart from his anti-Filipino tone and supposition of a revolutionary conspiracy contain the most details, and all the appearances, most reliable account of the actual course of the revolt itself as well as the execution of these priests. In here the account of Tavera was obviously biased, because he speaks subjectively. And according to the account of Jose Montero Vidal, POI: Speaker A2: Can you please define for us what is the meaning prescinding? Speaker B2: Based from Merriam Webster, prescinding, it means withdrawal to the emotional anti-friar. But I also said that “However, it was stated in the account of Schumacher that the most reliable account was the actual course of the Montero.” Now for my second point, the mutiny Cavite give the conservative element which means this favored the continuation of the colonial modest videndi which means an opportunity to represent the Spanish government the vast conspiracy was a footed organized throughout the archipelago with object of destroying Spanish sovereignty. This stated that the Spanish government in Madrid was to blame for the propagation of the permissious doctrines and for the hopes that had been held out by the Madrid for the Filipino people.

POI: Speaker A1: How can you say or defend that they already planned the conspiracy even in the time of de La Torre? Speaker B2: I said that there.. no, I didn’t said that. I will answer your question by stating the fact that the principal leaders of the Cavite revolution are the Filipino-Spaniards, native priests involved which are Dr. Joaquin de la Tavera and the priests, Gomburza has attended the meeting in their house. So for my third and final point, Izquierdo’s official report on the Cavite Mutiny corroboration and compliments the accounts of Jose Montero. For Izquierdo’s, the revolt was aimed at overthrowing Spanish government with the end goal of installing a new “Hari” Placing at the head of the government a priest in the persons of Fr. Jose Burgos, Jacinto Zamora and Mariano Gomez. So my question is, if you will be in the situation, do you think that you can plan immediately the revolution without preparing a certain plan if your supreme goal is to execute the plan successfully which takes time in order to overthrew the Spanish government. And this basically shows that the mere fact of executing overthrown Spanish government justifies that what happened in the mutiny is a grand conspiracy and not a labor issue. POI: Speaker A1: How can you say that it is a fact that Gomburza are behind the mutiny when it is said in the account of Montero Vidal that they were only suspected. Speaker B2: No, I didn’t say that they were behind POI: Speaker A1: Yes, you said that they were the leaders, isn’t it also stating that they were behind? Speaker B2: Since the account of Trinidad Pardo de Tavera said that they were emotionally anti-friar tone. And I think that during that time, the priests wants to increase the powers of the priests. It’s like.. So in conclusion Cavite mutiny of 1872 was planned earlier with the utmost secrecy since the days of Governor General de La Torre. And that Cavite mutiny is a big conspiracy among the native clergy, Filipino-Spaniard, native soldiers and mestizos, native lawyers and residents of Manila and Cavite. And with that I rest my case. Thank you.

Time Taken: 8mins 30secs (Applause) Open Rebuttal Team B questions Team A Speaker B2: So for the first question, do you think that executing a revolution doesn’t need a concrete plan? Speaker A2: No.

Speaker B2: Why? Speaker A2: When you do a revolution, you are to overthrow someone from a position. You have to really plan for you to succeed. Speaker B2: Do you think that the labor issue that they will succeed without that concrete plan? Since the Spaniards back then were too powerful for the Filipinos. Speaker A2: It doesn’t really revolution because they did that to express their wrath regarding the issue. Speaker B2: Then why is there a need for them to kill the Spaniard officials, these people from the Spanish government. Don’t you think that itself is a revolution? Speaker A2: The topic here isn’t really about questioning the revolt of the laborers. The question we should be answering is if the mutiny is a labor issue or a grand conspiracy. You can’t really control your emotions if you’re angry. Anger can drive you to do worst things. They didn’t do that to resolve the problem. They did that out of anger. (Time ended) Team A questions Team B Speaker A2: You mentioned about the increasing power of the priest, what specific account did you get that? If that’s the case, if a priests wants to increase their power, does that signify that it’s already a conspiracy? Speaker B2: I think for clarification, that increase of the power of the friars was after the Cavite mutiny because it strengthened now the government of the Spaniards to strictly govern the people in order for them to still have their control in the lands. Speaker A1: Friars are Spanish right? Why do they need to increase their power? Because that is after the Cavite mutiny. Speaker A3: Then why are you talking about the Cavite mutiny when our topic only revolved around… Speaker B2: Uhh, I’m just clarifying. Speaker A3: Ohh you’re just clarifying.. (Laughters)

Speaker A3: You said a while ago, the first speaker said that there were not only laborers that took part in the mutiny, when they said there were soldiers and native who joined the mutiny. Mind you soldiers are also considered laborers right? Speaker B1: No. Speaker A2: Why not? Speaker B1: It was stated that it was a large number of mestizos and indios. Speaker A2: Whose account is that? Speaker B1: The official report of Governor Izquierdo. Speaker A2: Don’t you think that he’s biased? Since he’s the governor general. And don’t you think he made the Cavite mutiny only a cover up for the death of the Gomburza? Since the Gomburza then were acting… (Time ended) Speaker A3: To the board of adjudicators, to our worthy opponents, to my colleagues, a pleasant afternoon. Our team strongly believes that Cavite mutiny which happened during the year 1872 is a labor issue and not a conspiracy. The only reason behind the Cavite mutiny is the laborer’s disaffection towards the abolition of tax exemption and forced labor. It is not because they want to overthrow the Spaniards from their position in the government rather just to be separated from the Spaniards. The Cavite mutiny isn’t a conspiracy due to the fact that secret groups before were formed just after the execution of the 3 priest, namely the Gomburza, which also awakened the sense of nationalism of Filipinos. In addition, there is no detailed narration of the Indiyo’s plan of the said mutiny. If they planned something, how come that those who took part on the mutiny were immediately killed without further investigations. If they have established a plan, then why would they not plan of an escape. If it is a conspiracy then would not just simply accuse someone as a mastermind of the incident. Ladies and gentlemen, our opponents failed to recognize that the account of Rafael Izquierdo regarding the Cavite mutiny was exaggerated. It is biased and could be a way of washing off their hands to give reason for the execution of the 3 priests. The 3 priests acted for the movements of the church which is the secularization from government which Izquierdo denied. Father Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were falsely accused as the mastermind of the Cavite mutiny that’s why they were ruthlessly killed. But in fact, they just made use of the Cavite mutiny to cover up the real reason why they were executed. The reason why Father Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were executed is because Izquierdo was threatened of the capability and ability of Filipinos to stand alone once the church is separated from the state or government since the 3 priests are asking for secularization. Ladies and gentlemen, there may be different versions of the events but one thing is certain. The 1872 Cavite mutiny paved way for a momentous 1898 and with that, we rest our case.

Time Taken: 2mins 53secs (Applause) Speaker B3: Before I start my speech, I would just like to say a statement. “There is no warrior who comes to war before being prepared.” Good evening ladies and gentlemen, to all present here in this venue, our dear opponents, my colleagues, to my classmates and to our dear judges. For clarifications from the questions earlier, we explaining here that the Cavite mutiny happened before the death of Gomburza. And with the accounts of the official report and even the account of Jose Vidal, he just explains not only the positive side but also what really happened in that Cavite mutiny. So for us to have a smooth flow on this debate. I would like to summarize our arguments based on the earlier speakers. We, the affirmative side, believes that Cavite mutiny is not a labor issue, but a grand conspiracy. The Cavite mutiny happened during the year of 1872 in th...