Mayor Lim lauds GOMBURZA

Landscape
by Gemma Cruz Araneta


On that breezy Sunday morning, one hundred thirty six years after three Filipino priests were garroted at Bagumbayan, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim commemorated the nationalism of Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora and connected it to the current "communal action".

Addressing the students in the audience, Mayor Lim said that both Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio were inspired by Frs. Gomez, Burgos and Zamora. Dr. Rizal, a twelve-year old lad when the priests were executed, dedicated to them his novel EL FILIBUSTERISMO. Apparently, the acronym GOMBURZA is attributed to Andres Bonifcaio as it was one of the passwords of the Katipunan.

Fr. Jose Burgos , an Ilocano, son of a Spanish lieutenant was only thirty five when he was killed. He was a brilliant theologian and became the second curate of the Manila Cathedral as well as fiscal of the Ecclesiastical Court. Perhaps, his being a Spanish mestizo helped him attain such elevated positions, denied to indio-Filipino priests who were just as qualified.

Fr. Jacinto Zamora was a native of Pandacan and only two years older than Fr. Burgos on execution day. He became parish priest of Marikina and Pasig and was later appointed to the Manila Cathdral, after passing with flying colors the qualifying examination. At the time of his death, Fr. Mariano Gomez, a mestizo Chino from Santa Cruz, Manila, was already seventy –three.(Mayor Lim took note of the age similarity). He had a Bachelor of Theology and was also a lawyer and parish priest of Bacoor, Cavite. He founded the newspaper called "La Verdad" ( "Truth") where he exposed the abuses of the Spanish colonial government as well as the religious orders.

Why were they garroted by the Spanish colonial government and why didn't the Church object? GOMBURZA were members of the COMITE REFORMADOR which was fighting to secure equal rights for Filipino secular priests who, for centuries, were discriminated against by reason of race in the appointments for parish priests. In the early years of Christianization, friars of the religious orders had to man the newly-established parishes for lack of secular clerics, but eventually, when many native Filipino became secular priests they were considered undeserving to be appointed as full parish curates. Those positions were still reserved for full-blooded Spanish priests most of whom were from religious orders and who had grown accustomed to hold political sway as intermediaries between the State and the native population.

Because the Church and State were one , colonial authorities always took the side of the Church and native priests who clamored for their rights were considered rebels. On 20 January 1872, a mutiny exploded in the Spanish naval base in Cavite and although it had absolutely nothing to do with the activities of the COMITE REFORMADOR, the three priests were deliberately implicated, arrested, charged with sedition, incarcerated at Fort Santiago and two weeks later were sentenced to death by garrote.

A reign of terror followed and many Filipino males who showed talent and courage, like GOMBURZA, were rounded up and killed Many of them went into hiding, some concealed their identities like Paciano Mercado who changed the family name to Rizal because he was a friend of Fr. Burgos and his younger brother a pupil.

After the ceremony, Mayor Alfredo Lim rushed to La Salle Greenhills to attend the protest Mass for "communal action" sparked by the revelations of Eng. Jun Lozada. What a fitting tribute to GOMBURZA! (gemma601@yahoo.com)