MANILA — The 154th anniversary of the martyrdom of Fathers Mariano Gomes, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, collectively known as GOMBURZA, is commemorated today, February 16, 2026, through a series of wreath-laying and remembrance ceremonies held in key historical sites across Manila.
The main rites begin this morning at the GOMBURZA execution site in Rizal Park, Luneta, where officials and representatives from various government agencies, civic organizations, and youth groups gather to honor the three Filipino priests who were executed in 1872.
National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) Commissioner Dr. Eloisa P. De Castro serves as guest of honor during the wreath-laying ceremony, joined by Manila Vice Mayor Chi Atienza, NHCP Chair Regalado Trota Jose Jr., National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Chair Eric B. Zerrudo, and National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) Executive Director Cecille A. Lorenzana.
Also offering wreaths are the Department of Education – Schools Division Office of Manila, the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines, the Knights of Columbus, the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, and the Girl Scouts of the Philippines. And a wreath is sent by President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr.
Lorenzana delivers the welcome remarks while Atienza gives a solidarity message. In her address, De Castro highlights the historical significance of GOMBURZA and the lasting impact of their martyrdom on the Filipino struggle for freedom.
After the Luneta ceremony, a second commemoration is held at Paco Park, where the martyr priests were buried following their execution.
Lorenzana and NHCP Deputy Executive Director for Administration Rosario V. Sapitan offer wreaths at the memorial, while Rev. Fr. Joel L. Rescober, C.M. leads prayers and blesses the site. Members of the NHCP and NPDC, as well as representatives from the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, also join the ceremony. A wreath from President Marcos is again offered in the rites.
Another commemorative program is held at the GOMBURZA National Monument along Padre Burgos Drive, in front of the National Museum of Fine Arts, led by the NHCP in partnership with the National Museum of the Philippines (NMP), the Intramuros Administration (IA), and the Knights of Columbus.
National Museum Director-General Jeremy R. Barns, together with NHCP Executive Director Carminda R. Arevalo and Intramuros Administrator Atty. Joan Padilla, leads a flag-raising and wreath-laying activity. Wreaths are also sent by President Marcos and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso.
GOMBURZA were Filipino secular priests and leading advocates of the secularization of parishes, calling for churches to be turned over from Spanish religious orders to diocesan priests who were largely indigenous, mestizo, and creole. Though the issue began as ecclesiastical, it evolved into a political and social struggle due to the influence parish priests held in colonial society.
The three priests were falsely linked to the Cavite Mutiny of January 1872 and were sentenced to death despite lack of substantial evidence. They were executed by garrote in Bagumbayan — now Rizal Park — on February 17, 1872, and were interred at what is now Paco Park.
Historians widely recognize the martyrdom of GOMBURZA as one of the turning points that helped ignite Filipino national consciousness and later inspired key figures such as Jose Rizal, whose writings helped fuel the Philippine Revolution of 1896.
