GomBurZa (film)

GomBurZa is a 2023 Philippine historical biographical film co-written and directed by Pepe Diokno. Starring Dante Rivero, Cedrick Juan, and Enchong Dee, it features and follows the lives of the Gomburza, three native Filipino Roman Catholic priests executed during the latter years of the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines.

Produced by Jesuit Communications, MQuest Ventures, and CMB Film Services, and distributed by MQ Worldwide and Solar Pictures, it serves as an official entry to the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival and was released in cinemas nationwide on December 25, 2023.

Plot
During the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, secular priest Father Pedro Pelaez retells the story of Apolinario de la Cruz, a native who was rejected for priesthood because his race and founded a sect of his own before being suppressed and executed by the Spaniards, to his student, Jose Burgos, and fellow secular priest Mariano Gomez. The trio fights attempts by the friars from the religious orders led by Padre Mosqueda to take over parishes administered by predominantly Filipino secular priests. Pelaez later dies in the 1863 Manila earthquake, while Burgos finishes his studies for the priesthood.

In 1869, Burgos is a teacher at the University of Santo Tomas and develops a close relationship with his students, Felipe Buencamino and Paciano Mercado. They rejoice at the arrival of the liberal Governor-General, Carlos Maria de la Torre, and Felipe and Paciano form a student association. However, they are disillusioned when Felipe is arrested and Dela Torre tells Burgos to tone down his liberal advocacies in exchange for Buencamino's freedom.

In 1871, De la Torre is replaced by the repressive Rafael Izquierdo, who asks the friars about Burgos' activities. He also lifts tax exemptions for native soldiers at Fort San Felipe, prompting a failed mutiny the following year by Sergeant Fernando La Madrid, who had been paid to launch the rebellion by a group of radicalized Filipino elites through their intermediary, Francisco Zaldua. Gomez, Burgos and another priest, Jacinto Zamora, are arrested for their alleged involvement in the mutiny and are subjected to a hurried court-martial during which they are subjected to numerous judicial injustices. In contrast, the real instigators of the mutiny (excluding Zaldua) are sentenced to exile.

During the trial, Zamora suffers a nervous breakdown after a written invitation he made to a card game is misconstrued to be a letter about an arms delivery, while Gomez and Burgos denounce the trial as a sham as Zaldua, bearing signs of torture, falsely implicates Burgos in the mutiny. The three priests, along with Zaldua, are convicted and sentenced to death by garrote. After witnessing the course of the trial, Padre Mosqueda realizes that they have been used by the Spanish government to absolve itself of responsibility and voices regret at how history will blame them for their impending deaths.

Izquierdo requests that Manila Archbishop Gregorio Meliton Martinez strip the cassocks of the priests for their crimes, but the latter refuses, believing in their innocence and insisting that they will die as priests, and restores their cassocks, which had been confiscated during their arrest. Paciano along with his brother Pepe, Felipe and others witness the execution at Bagumbayan. Zaldua is scorned by the crowd as a traitor as he is being executed. A catatonic Zamora is lifted to the scaffold, followed by a nonchalant Gomez, while Burgos, after accepting an apology from his executioner, protests his innocence as he is killed. The crowd kneels in grief over their execution as Martinez lets the church bells toll for their deaths.

In an epilogue, an adult Pepe is shown dedicating his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to the three priests, and is executed in 1896 at the same place where they died, while a former servant of Padre Mosqueda, who witnessed the execution of the three priests, joins the Katipunan in their fight for independence against the Spaniards.

Cast

 * Dante Rivero as Padre Mariano Gomez de los Ángeles: A member of the Gomburza.
 * Cedrick Juan as Padre José Apolonio Burgos y García: A member of the Gomburza.
 * Enchong Dee as Padre Jacinto Zamora y del Rosario: A member of the Gomburza.
 * Ketchup Eusebio as Francisco Zaldua: A civilian who is executed alongside the Gomburza.
 * Piolo Pascual as Padre Pedro Pelaez: The mentor of Padre Burgos.
 * Elijah Canlas as Paciano Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda: One of Padre Burgos's students and the older brother of José Rizal.
 * Tommy Alejandrino as Felipe Buencamino: One of Padre Burgos's students.
 * Jaime Fabregas as Archbishop Gregorio Meliton Martinez
 * Khalil Ramos as José Rizal: The younger brother of Paciano.
 * Alexandre Lucas Martin as young Jose Rizal (aged 10)
 * Ronnie Lazaro as Francisco Rizal Mercado: The father of Paciano and Jose. Lazaro reprises his role from the 1998 film, José Rizal.
 * Sue Prado as Teodora Alonso Realonda: The mother of Paciano and Jose.
 * Neil Ryan Sese as Máximo Inocencio
 * Epy Quizon as Joaquin Pardo de Tavera
 * Brian Sy as Crisanto delos Reyes
 * Paolo O'Hara as Antonio Regidor
 * Bombi Plata as Enrique Paraiso
 * Leo Rialp as Padre Jose Mosqueda
 * Nanding Josef as Padre Miguel de Laza
 * Arnold Reyes as Sergeant Fernando La Madrid
 * Jomari Angeles as Lt. Manuel Montesinos
 * Giovanni Baldeserri as General Felipe Ginovés
 * Carlos Siguion-Reyna as Bishop Francisco Gainza
 * Jerry O'Hara as Bishop Romualdo Jimeno
 * Kuya Manzano as Padre Tressera
 * Jon Achaval as Padre Corominas
 * Sheenly Gener as Zaldua's wife
 * Danna Simbre as Inocencio's wife
 * Marco Lobregat as Carlos María de la Torre y Navacerrada
 * Borja Saenz De Miere as Rafael Izquierdo y Gutiérrez
 * Timothy Castillo as Sgt. Bonifacio Octavo
 * DMs Boongaling as Recoleto main servant
 * Gerardo Kaimo as Rafael Echague
 * Dylan Ray Talon as Hermano Pule
 * Gary Guarino as Andrés Bonifacio
 * Floyd Tena as Executioner

Production
GomBurZa was produced under Jesuit Communications and MQuest Ventures, in collaboration of CMB Film Services. Pepe Diokno is the director, who was motivated by patriotism to create the film.

The film focuses on the rise of the secularization movement led by Roman Catholic priest Pedro Pelaez in the Spanish Philippines as well as the struggles and execution of the eponymous trio priests, the Gomburza. This was his first historical film.

The production team said they gave focus on historical accuracy for GomBurZa. They coordinated with historians and the Jesuits in creating the film. Among them was Jesuit priest and Ateneo de Manila University professor René Javellana.

Director Diokno, however, added that they have to utilize some creative liberties to fill in the gaps, such as the portrayal of Francisco Zaldua who was killed alongside the Gomburza whose role in history is still debated.

Filming locations include Intramuros, Tayabas Basilica and Taal Basilica, interalia.

Filming took 17 days to complete.

Release
GomBurZa premiered in cinemas in the Philippines on December 25, 2023, as one of the official entries of the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival.

On April 9, 2024, GomBurZa was released on Netflix as the second entry from the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival.