José Burgos

José Burgos (born Feb. 9, 1837, Vigan, Phil.—died Feb. 17, 1872, Manila) was a Roman Catholic priest who advocated the reform of Spanish rule in the Philippines. His execution made him a martyr of the period preceding the Philippine Revolution.

Burgos studied at San Juan de Letran College and the University of Santo Tomás in Manila, earning a doctorate of philosophy and a licentiate in canon law. His scholarship and ability enabled him to rise quickly within the Philippine hierarchy, serving both in the university cathedral at Manila and as university chaplain. He was dismayed, however, by the apathetic and reactionary attitudes of the clergy, who supported the most oppressive aspects of Spanish rule. In “To the Spanish People,” an open letter of 1871, he appealed for reform and a greater measure of self-determination for the Filipinos and attacked the power and privilege of the church. When 200 Filipino soldiers and workers mutinied at Cavite, a town across the bay from Manila, the Spanish authorities, as a retaliatory measure, arrested Burgos, although he was in no way associated with the revolt. On Feb. 17, 1872, he and two other priests, Mariano Gómez and Jacinto Zamora, were publicly executed in Manila.

Burgos’ death, in convincing many Filipinos that Spanish rule was an intolerable evil, sparked a movement that was to culminate in the expulsion of the Spanish 24 years later. José Rizal, the great reformer and novelist, acknowledged Burgos’ contribution by dedicating his masterpiece El filibusterismo to him in 1891.