THE GRAND LODGE & MASONIC LODGES
All constituent lodges of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines work a form of the American Webb Ritual, closely aligned to Californian forms. Consequently, lodges open in the third degree, and conduct normal lodge business at separate meetings.
Somewhat consequential to its parentage in the masonic sense, the "higher" degrees are popular in the Philippines, particularly the Scottish Rite. The York Rite and Shrine (AAONMS) also enjoy an active membership. Other appendant bodies that are Masonically-affiliated are also present, and these include the Amaranth Order and the masonic youth organizations: Demolay for boys, Rainbow for Girls, Eastern Star, and Job's Daughters.
The majority of Philippine lodges meet at a time between 2 PM and 7 PM, and meetings are followed by an informal fellowship. Toasts in the English sense are not known, although there may be a few short addresses, and visitors recognized.
Dress used by Philippine masons is almost invariably the Barong Tagalog, which is a national-type dress. It consists of a particularly fine jusi, worn with open neck, and dark trousers. These barongs often feature coloured embroidery. Visitors are welcome to wear a lounge suit, or jacket and tie, but they might feel slightly out of place in such attire. Hence, some lodges provide barong to visitors if only to allow one to come in properly clad. Visitors can bring and use their own regalia, although this will be supplied to those without it.
Visitors to the Philippines are advised, in the first instance, to make themselves known at the Grand Secretary's Office in Manila, if possible. If wishing to visit elsewhere in the Philippines, the visitor can obtain all details and assistance there.
Alternatively, a full directory of lodges is published annually in the Grand Lodge's periodical, the Cabletow, usually in the May-June Edition. A listing of lodges may also be found in the Grand Lodge website, under Reference tools - Find a Lodge.
If you are a visiting brother, may you experience the warmth of fellowship and Brotherly Love that Filipino Freemasonry has to offer!
ADDENDUM:
In 2006, there were 316 lodges with a gross membership of 18,652 members under the Jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines (as per the Report of the Grand Secretary on 23 April 2007).
The Grand Lodge of the Philippines also presides over the following lodges overseas:Contact Details:
- Japan - Rising Sun Lodge No. 151 (Camp Zama)
- Japan - Okinawa Lodge No. 118
- South Korea - MacArthur Lodge No. 183
- South Korea - Morning Calm No. 189
- Saipan - Emon Lodge No. 179
- Guam - Charleston No. 44
- Guam - Milton C. Marvin No. 123
- Guam - Micronesia No. 173
New Plaridel Masonic Temple,
1440 San Marcelino Street, P. O. Box 990
Malate, Manila, Philippines 1000
A Brief History of Freemasonry
in the Philippines
by Bro. Geminiano V. Galarosa, Jr.
Dagohoy Lodge No. 84 /
Masonic Brotherhood
of the Blue Forget-Me-Not
In the
Beginning...
The history of
Philippine Masonry may be likened to the history of the first Grand Lodge. On
the Feast of St. John the Baptist in 1717, four of the pre-existing Masonic
lodges in Great Britain organized what became the first Grand Lodge of the
world. On December 19, 1912, three lodges that were chartered under the
Constitution of the Grand Lodge of California finally succeeded in establishing
the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippine Islands, the
forerunner of what is now officially known as the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge
of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines.
Masonry existed in England long before the creation of the first Grand Lodge,
so was Philippine Masonry already alive even before the formation of the Grand
Lodge of the Philippine Islands. In 1856, for example, Primera Luz Filipina,
the first Masonic lodge in the Philippines, was formed by Jose Malcampo y Monge,
a naval captain who subsequently became Governor General of the Philippines. Primera
Luz was chartered by Gran Oriente Luisitano and admitted only Spaniards in its
fold. Subsequently, three other lodges were established one after the other:
the first by the Germans, the second by the British consul in Nagtahan, and the
third by the Spaniards in Pandacan.
Not only that, Dr, Serafin Quiazon, head of the National Historical Institute
of the Republic of the Philippines, while researching in London on the British
trade with the Philippines, stumbled upon a significant piece of historical
data. Guissippe Garibaldi, that brilliant Italian revolutionary whom President
Abraham Lincoln offered a command in the United States Army during the American
Civil War, captained a vessel that anchored in Manila Bay sometime in the
middle of the nineteenth century. There is little doubt that the tenets of the
Craft landed with Garibaldi in the sandy beaches of the Philippine Islands
during that period.
The Filipino Patriots Embrace the Tenets of Freemasonry Abroad...
It was the influx of the students who pursued higher studies in Europe, among
them Marcelo H. del Pilar from Bulacan, Graciano Lopez Jaena from Iloilo, the
Luna brothers from Ilocos, Galicano Apacible from Batangas, Domingo Panganiban
from Camarines Norte, Jose Alejandrino from Pampanga, Tomas Arejola from Camarines
Sur, Ariston Bautista from Manila, Julio Llorente from Cebu, and the country's
foremost hero, Jose Rizal from Laguna, that made a conglomeration of Masonic
patriots from the entire archipelago. In 1886, some of them joined Lodge Solidaridad
No. 53 in Barcelona, Spain, while others joined Lodge Revoluccion, and, exposed
to the tenets of the fraternity, established local lodges upon their return to
the islands. Nilad Lodge was formed first on January 6, 1891, and, in no time,
several lodges mushroomed in Manila and its environs, even reaching as far as Zamboanga
in the southern backdoor. By 1893, they had succeeded in establishing the Grand
Regional Council under the leadership of Ambrocio Flores. Three years later,
the Philippine Revolution conflagrated an armed rebellion that was initiated by
the Katipunan led by Andres Bonifacio. Bonifacio's organizational skills and
the secret codes that he employed were said to have been copied from the
Masonic secret rules and procedures. These ultimately led to the downfall of
the nation's conquistadors who for more than three centuries wielded the stick
without dangling any carrot over the subjects of the entire archipelago.
It can be said, however, that Masonry during those tumultuous and rebellious
years was in suspended animation. The "hawks," among them Andres Bonifacio
and Emilio Aguinaldo, became Katipuneros; the "doves," which included
among others, Jose Rizal, Numeriano Adriano and the thirteen martyrs of Cavite
were herded in the dungeons and ultimately shot at Bagumbayan. A third group
called the "chameleons" or balimbings, simply changed their coats and
did what they thought best, be pliant as a bamboo and swing to the rhythm of
nature, wherever the wind blows.
The Americans Enter the Political and the Masonic Scenes...
Then came the American conquerors that hounded the self-proclaimed Philippine
President Emilio Aguinaldo and his ragtag band to the boondocks. Many of these
Philippine Masons, already sporting their avowed roles as "Rebolucionarios,"
were at their wits’ end, eluding the pursuing Gringos. What the Filipinos did
not realize was that these soldiers were led mostly by Masons: Generals Arthur
MacArthur; John J. Pershing who was then but a captain, a Shriner and who
answers to the monicker "Black Jack Pershing;" Harry Bandoltz; and
James G. Harbord; the last two named generals later forming the forerunner of
the Philippine Constabulary, or the present-day Philippine National Police (PNP).
The Country As A Free-For-All Masonic Jurisdiction...
The surrender of General Aguinaldo effectively ended the armed insurrection
against the Americans and also resulted in a field day for the different Grand
Lodges and appendant bodies of the Masonic fraternity. Early to make their
presence felt were the American Military Lodge led by the United States
Volunteers from North Dakota, the Knights Templar, and the Prince Hall Grand
Lodge of Missouri, a lodge composed of Negro soldiers from the United States.
These were immediately followed by the Grand Lodge of California through the
creation of what is called "The Sojourners Club" and thereafter was
followed by creation of Manila Lodge No. 342, Cavite Lodge No. 350 and Corregidor
Lodge No. 386
On the local front, first to reorganize was Grand Master Ambrocio Flores who
attempted to establish the Filipino Grand Orient in 1899. This was followed by
the Gran Oriente Espanol through the reactivation of Modestia Lodge No. 199,
the Grand Orient of France that was introduced by Dr. Trinidad Pardo H. de Tavera,
the Philippine Grand Orient that was established by Jose Utor y Fernandez, and
the Grand Lodge of Scotland that established Lodge Perla de Oriente 1034 in
Manila and Cebu Lodge No. 1106 in the Visayas. Gran Oriente de Espana also came
into existence and so did Gran Oriente Luisitano Unido, making the country a
conglomeration of several Masonic disciplines and jurisdictions.
Furthermore, the Americans brought to the fore several appendant organizations,
notably the Scottish Rite, the York Rite, the Mystic Shrine and the Order of
the Eastern Star. Even the Chinese secret societies composed of Chinese Masons
who claimed kinship with the worldwide fraternity entered the picture. All
these complemented and co-existed with one another.
The Formation of the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands...
Invariably, confusion ensued. The Americans kept membership in their lodges to
themselves; the Filipinos clamored for recognition, until, finally, the three
American lodges that were chartered under the constitution of the Grand Lodge
of California sought dispensation from their Mother Grand Lodge to form their
own and thus established in 1912 what came to be the Grand Lodge of the
Philippine Islands. Their respective Lodge numbers were also changed and became
Manila Lodge No. 1, Cavite Lodge No. 2 and Corregidor Lodge No. 3,
respectively.
Masonry Silently Works by the Sidelines...
It is interesting to note that Masonry worked in mystic ways. Unknown to many,
Generals Harry H. Bandholtz and Gary G. Harbord took Manuel Luis Quezon into
their protective wings and gave him his political start in Tayabas by helping
him get elected an Assemblyman. It was most reasonably because of his close
association with the two that encouraged Quezon to join the Masonic fraternity
by petitioning for membership at Sinukuan Lodge No. 273 in 1907. His
appointment as Resident Commissioner in Washington would later serve as guiding
light in his future Masonic endeavors when he was refused admission in a lodge
in the United States on the ground that his lodge in the Philippines was
clandestine. At about the same time that Quezon was initiated into the
mysteries of Masonry, Rafael Palma petitioned for membership at Bagong Buhay
Lodge 291 while Juan Sumulong joined a lodge of Gran Oriente de España and
later became member of Bagumbayan Lodge No. 4 under the jurisdiction of the
newly-formed Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands; three illustrious Freemasons
who were all admitted to the Philippine bar and would make their respective
presence felt in the corridors of power of the American-guided government.
The Polarization of the Brethren into Two Main Bodies...
The existence of lodges under several jurisdictions became as confusing as
would two amateur players playing chess with so many boisterous kibitzers
watching the game on a chessboard. The California Lodges recognized the
Scottish Lodges but did not accept brethren from the Filipino Lodges. The
Scottish Lodges maintained relationship with both the American and Filipino
lodges but completely ignored the black-skinned Prince Hall lodges. Until
finally the Masonic field polarized into only two main bodies, the Grand Lodge
of the Philippine Islands composed of the white-skinned Americans, and the
Regional Grand Lodge which consists of the brown-skinned Indios of the land.
Merging Into One Masonic Roof...
It is doubtful whether Masonry in the Philippines could have achieved easy
unification and harmonious relationship without the combined talents of
Governor Francis Burton Harrison and Manuel Luis Quezon. Harrison was appointed
Governor General in the Philippines and had publicly acknowledged that he owed
his appointment to Quezon. The Governor was raised to the sublime degree of
Master Mason on July 11, 1916 and brought with him his pro-Filipino inclination
to the Masonic world. It was therefore inevitable that the fusion gained
headway on both sides and when the election for Grand Master was held for the
first time under the fused bodies in 1917, the Americans who were easily
outnumbered, were surprised to see MW William H. Taylor reelected during the
first year of fusion. It was also the start of what would later amount to a
Rigodon de Honor of electing a Grand Master, much like the checkered floor of
King Solomon's Temple; if it is white this year, then it should be brown next
time. Una sin otra were the Spanish words for it.
Growth, Expansion, and the Role of Filipino Masons...
The years that followed the unification registered impressive growth for the
Craft. In four years time starting in 1918, thirty-eight lodges were
established. The Filipinos that were elected Grand Masters, alternating with
the Americans every two years, was led by Manuel L. Quezon. MW Quezon was
followed by Rafael Palma, Quintin Paredes, Wenceslao Trinidad, Francisco Afan
Delgado, Teodoro M. Kalaw and Vicente Carmona, in succession. These illustrious
gentlemen were also quite active in the corridors of power. At this point and
time, most of the notable political figures were Freemasons. It was therefore
no wonder that Monsignor Michael O'Doherty wrote in his diary in 1917 shortly
after his installation as Archbishop of Manila, "Masonry is a menace.
Osmena, (the incumbent Speaker of the House) is the only government official of
any standing who is not a Mason here in Manila."
The Nation Gains Independence...
The 1935 Constitution led to the granting of the country's Commonwealth status
and ultimately her independence. This Philippine independence was gained
largely through the efforts of Masons. No wonder, the names Manuel L. Quezon,
Rafael Palma, Quintin Paredes and Manuel L. Roxas alternated in shuttling to
and from the United States to lobby for the untangling of the country's
umbilical cord with the United States. When the election of the Constitutional
Convention delegates were tallied, 42 out of 202, or 21 percent of the total,
were Masons.
The War Years...
Wars always inflict destruction not only to the country and its people but more
so to the Masonic fraternity whose tenets would not allow them to stay idle by
the sidelines. Masonic records were destroyed and countless of its sons were
either incarcerated or suffered heroic deaths. Topping the list is MW Jose Abad
Santos who was executed by the Japanese government for non-cooperation. Grand
Master John Robert McFie, RW Jose P. Guido, Deputy Grand Master and RW Antonio
Ramos, Junior Grand Warden, also became casualties. So did many more of its
sons.
Rebuilding From the Ashes...
It is a truism that after the storm is peace. Lodges were rehabilitated, new
ones were added and, progressively, the tenets of the Craft were indelibly
imprinted in the country's history unnoticed by many as it vaulted through the
21st Century.
Freemasonry...
The sheer lack of drum-beaters within the Craft does not allow that the
sterling qualities of members go unnoticed. A major factor that influence this
situation is the generally subdued attitude of the members themselves. Except
for the brethren who are in the know, the public does not realize that Freemasonry
and its adherents always play important roles in the nation's history.
The two EDSA revolutions have produced Freemasons from both sides of the
political fence whose names, because of the lapse of time, will no longer be
mentioned.
The Recent Political Turmoil- Results updated to March 1, 2007
But the political
turmoil that rocked the country that was caused by the allegation that the nation’s
president won through dubious means has shown several members of the
Craft unflinchingly doing their duties on both sides of the political
fence. Eight brothers whose sterling qualities are admirable may
indirectly be mentioned.
At the other side
A brother from Salug Valley No. 216 and the whistle blower who produced the
tapes that rocked the entire country, a former Deputy Director of the National
Bureau of Investigation, whose dedication to the cause he believed in is beyond
compare. What happened to him, his whereabouts and the status of the cases
filed against him are unknown.
A brother from Luzon No. 57-the Philippine Army’s Brigadier General who
sacrificed his expected pension six days before retirement by honoring the
Senate investigation on the alleged election irregularities in Mindanao and
even subjected him to court martial for his heroic deed. A case was filed
against him at the military tribunal but media has since been ominously silent
on the status of the case.
From the Philippine National Police
From Bontoc No.140-the Director of the PNP who walks the tight rope doing
police functions to the best of his abilities, cognizant of the constitutional
rights of his fraternal brothers at the other side that these are duly
protected. He has since retired as PNP Chief and after retirement was
appointed head of the National Irrigation Administration.
From. Pampanga No. 48- the Deputy General of the PNP for the National Capital
Region who is in charge of the peace and order in the entire metropolis and
whose ending statement when interviewed over the radio is invariably "May
God bless us all always," debunking the myth that Freemasons are Godless.
Word has it that he was recently appointed ambassador to Indonesia.
From
Congress
From Jacobo Zobel Memorial No. 202- The debonair Chairman of the Public
Information Committee whose finesse and fair play at conducting the
investigation is indeed admirable. His political fortunes still reverberating,
it would be safe to guess that he is running for reelection on his seat at
Congress.
From. Kutang Bato No. 110- The Chairman of the Justice Committee, who formerly
was both Justice, and Public Works and Highways secretary, adeptly steered the
proceedings exonerating the lady president from impeachment charges and thus
eluded being thrown to the wolves at the upper branch of the Legislature called
the Senate. His present preoccupation is
undermined but if his stint at Congress has not yet reached the final third
term, may again present himself as a candidate for reelection in his home
province.
At
the Judiciary
From Hiram Lodge No. 88- a past Grand Master and revered elder in the
Fraternity whose appointment as the most eminent jurist of the judicial branch,
being the most senior member at the bench was thought certain, was bypassed by
the appointing authority using the political maneuver called revolving-door
-policy. Although publicly admitting he was hurt, he accepted calmly the slings
and arrows of outrageous fortune and promptly continued his work at the bench
doubly aware that the All Seeing Eye never sleeps and that he will ultimately
be vindicated by God Almighty.
On
December, 2006, he was finally appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
thus vindicating his case and finally reached the apex of his illustrious
career at the bench.
And finally, from the Executive Branch
The Fraternity’s immediate past Grand Master, member of Alfonso Lee Sin No. 158 whose indispensable duty as
Secretary of Public Works and Highways require that he performs without fanfare
at the sidelines and also to do the tasks and biddings that his superior
dictates.
In
February 2007, he was appointed Secretary of the Department of National Defense
by the country’s president thus pole vaulting from the Department of Public
Works and Highways to the more awesome task of defending the nation’s citizenry
This
brief history, first written in 2002, updated in 2006 and again revised to
cover significant events to March 2007, can never end for as the earth
rotates upon its own axis each day, worthy brothers also etch out daily their
own accomplishments that bring honor and glory to this ancient and honorable
Fraternity.
Updated March 3, 2007
Sources:
Votaries of Honor by MW Reynold S. Fajardo,
PGM
The July-August 1982 issue of the Cabletow
The March-April 1988 issue of the Cabletow
