Gomburza's resting place blessed, laden with wreaths on 154th martyrdom anniversary
The 154th anniversary of the martyrdom of Filipino Catholic priests Father Mariano Gómes, Father Jose Burgos, and Father Jacinto Zamora—Gomburza in shorthand—was commemorated with a blessing of their graves in Paco Park, among other activities on Feb. 16.
At 7 a.m., the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, represented by NHCP commissioner Dr. Ma. Eloisa P. De Castro, led a wreath-laying ceremony at the Gomburza execution site in Rizal Park, Manila. She was joined by representatives from the National Parks Development Committee, the City of Manila, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Following the ceremony, the NHCP and NPDC attended the blessing of the martyr priests' final resting place in Paco Park, conducted by priests from the San Vicente de Paul Parish Church.
The NHCP followed this up with a flower offering at the Gomburza National Monument in front of the National Museum of Fine Arts along Padre Burgos Drive in Manila. Representatives from the National Museum of the Philippines and Intramuros Administration offered flowers, as well.
By 11 a.m., the congregation was at the NCCA-Metropolitan Theater to watch the NHCP documentary Gomburza.
Elsewhere, commemorative activities will also be held by the local government units of the City of Manila, City of Bacoor, Cavite, and City of Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
Who is Gomburza?
Gómes, Burgos, and Zamora were secular priests—i.e., they didn't belong to a specific religious order—who were accused by Spanish authorities of taking part in the Cavite Mutiny that took place on Jan. 20, 1872. The uprising, done by Filipino troops and workers, sought to fight against forced labor and unfair tributes.
Although the mutiny was suppressed by Spanish authorities within days, and the accusation was unsupported by evidence, the priests were arrested. They went through a rushed sham trial at the Spanish-controlled Fort Santiago, where, according to historian and academic Ambeth Ocampo, historian Teodoro Agoncillo opined the charges and evidence were fabricated.
Father Mariano Gomes, 73, was the oldest of the three arrested, and served as the parish priest of Bacoor, Cavite. He worked with the marginalized and was vocally against the abuses of Spanish friars.
Father Jacinto Zamora, 37, was a reformist from Pandacan, Manila, who served in several parishes, including in Marikina and Pasig, which were just settlements then. He communicated his reformist principles with Gomes and Burgos, which the Spanish authorities ultimately used to implicate him.
Father Jose Burgos, 35, was a scholar who hailed from Vigan, Ilocos Sur. He had a doctorate in theology and fought for equal rights for Filipino priests while advocating for secularization.
On Feb 15, 1872, the priests were sentenced to death by garrote and executed two days later at Bagumbayan, now Rizal Park.
The aftermath of Gomburza's martyrdom, historians believe, served as the turning point of the Philippine revolution. Not only were Filipinos awakened to the cruelty of the Spanish authorities, the priests' death also awoke Jose Rizal's nationalistic fire. He manifested this inspiration by dedicating his second novel El Filibusterismo to the memory of the Gomburza.
