FREEMASONRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Primera Luz Filipina, the first Masonic lodge in the Philippines, was established in 1856 by Jose Malcampo y Monge through a Charter issued by the Gran Oriente Luisitano. Only Spaniards were admitted as members of the lodge and consequently, 3 other lodges were established: one by the Germans, another by the British, and a fourth by the Spaniards.

According to Wikipilipinas, the first Filipino mason is Jacobo Zobel y Zangroniz who joined the Scottish Lodge in Nagtahan in 1869. On the other hand, the web site of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines says that the first Filipinos to join a Masonic lodge were the patriots Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Gen. Antonio Luna and his brother Juan, Galicano Apacible, Domingo Panganiban, Jose Alejandrino, Tomas Arejola, Ariston Bautista, Julio Llorente, and Jose Rizal. They joined either the Logia Solidaridad 53 or the Lodgia Revoluccion sometime in the 1880s while studying in Spain. These brethren upon their return to the Philippines established the Nilad Lodge on 06 January 1891. By 1893, a Grand Regional Council was established under the leadership of Ambrocio Flores.

After the Philippine-American War, Masonic lodges mushroomed in the Philippines with the establishment of American lodges led by the American Military Lodge, the Knights Templar, and the African-American Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Missouri. Not to be outdone, several Filipino lodges were also established: Ambrocio Flores’ Filipino Grand Orient, the Gran Oriente Espanol, the Grand Orient of France through Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, Jose Utor y Fernandez’s Philippine Grand Orient, the Grand Lodge of Scotland which established a lodge in Manila and Cebu, the Gran Oriente de Espana, and the Gran Oriente Luisitano Unido.

Ultimately, the lodges were in constant friction against its other until 19 December 1912 when the Grand Lodge of California succeeded in establishing a single and unified Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippine Islands. Under this new Grand Lodge of the Philippines, the Manila Lodge became Lodge No. 1. But since race was still an issue then, the brethren were polarized into two main factions: the Americans’ Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands and the Filipino Regional Grand Lodge.

In 1917, the two Masonic factions finally united together with an agreement of electing an alternating American and Filipino Grand Masters. The first Grand Master of the united lodge was MW William H. Taylor who is an American, and was succeeded by MW Manuel L. Quezon who was the first Filipino Grand Master. This lodge is now known today as the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines.

FOOTNOTE: Wikipedia listed Jose Malcampo y Monge, Marquis of San Rafael and Count of Jolo, as having served as Prime Minister of Spain for almost 3 months from October to December 1871. Unless cited, almost all iformation in this article is sourced from the website of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines. All errors in the interpretation of its work are the blog administrator's alone. The photo showing Dr. Jose P. Rizal (Logia Solidaridad 53, Nilad Lodge 144), Marcelo F. Del Pilar (Logia Solidaridad 53, Logia Revoluccion), and Mariano Ponce (Logia Solidaridad 53, Logia Revoluccion) was downloaded from Wikipedia while that of Manuel L. Quezon was downloaded from Our Famous Brother Masons.

FREEMASONRY 102: Proven History

Freemasonry history as backed by solid empirical evidence has been traced back to 1390 as illustrated by the following timeline:

1390. The year when the Regius Manuscripts, the oldest authenticated Masonic documents, was written. The Masonic phrase “So Mote it be” originated from this document.

1450. The year when the Cooke Manuscript was written by a Speculative Mason. This document of immense Masonic significance was the source of many important Masonic usages including Andersen’s Constitutions written in 1723, and references to the seven liberal arts and sciences, and King Solomon’s Temple. It consists of 100 manuscripts known collectively as The Old Charges.

1473. The London Company of Freemasons was granted its coat and arms.

1583. Appointment of William Schaw by King James IV as a Master of the Work and Warden General. He issued the Schaw Statutes which spelled out the duties owed by members to their Lodges. His second Statute issued in 1599 included requiring all Lodges to keep written records, meeting at specific times, and testing members in the Art of Memory. Schaw is regarded as the founder of modern Freemasonry.

1600. The first recorded Masonic initiation was that of John Boswell in the Lodge of Edinburgh.

1717. Four London lodges formed the Premier Grand Lodge of England on June 24 --- the feast day of St. John the Baptist.

1730. Masonic ritual was widely published for the first time by Prichard in his Masonry Dissected. The words “hele”, “conceal” and “points of fellowship” were first published in 1696 in the Edinburgh Register House Manuscript; the square, compass and bible in 1710 in the Dumfries Manuscript No. 4; and the Five Noble Orders of Architecture and Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth in 1724.

1731. The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, the first American Grand Lodge, was given its Constitution.

1738. First Papal Bull banning Freemasonry was issued by Pope Clement 12.

1751. The Antients followed the “Grand Lodge of All England Held at York” in breaking away from the Premiere Grand Lodge of England (i.e. the Moderns) and established The Grand Lodge of England. The main reasons cited for the split was the drastic changes made to the ritual and passwords supposedly to prevent their abuse by immigrant Freemasons from Ireland and Scotland, and the creation of a third degree. A Second Papal Bull banning Freemasonry was issued at this time.

1777. The motto “Vide Aude Tace” first appeared in a Masonic calendar.

1813. The Antients and Modern Freemasons were reunited under the United Grand Lodge of England on December 27, the feast day of St. John the Evangelist.

1877. Split between the United Grand Lodge of England and the Grand Orient de France. The main reasons cited for the split were when the Grand Orient de France started accepting atheists and recognized women masonry as co-masonry

1884. Third Papal Bull banning Freemasonry was issued. All the 3 Papal Bulls issued banning Freemasonry were rescinded by the Vatican in 1974.

FOOTNOTE: The images used in this article were downloaded from the following sources: a portion of the Regis Manuscript from the web site of the Brattleboro Lodge No. 102; portions of the Cooke Manuscript and Prichard's Masonry Dissected from the web site of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon; and a portion of the Schaw Statutes from The Masonic Trowel. Almost all information in this article is from the web site of the Old Epsomian Lodge. Any errors in the interpretation of their work are the Blog Administrator’s alone.

FREEMASONRY 101: Legends of Masonic History

The history of Freemasonry has been categorized into two distinct eras: the era of legends that make up most of its ancient history, and its proven history as supported by empirical evidence.

Solid facts supporting the history of Freemasonry prior to the 18th Century is hard to find and as such, it has no commonly accepted ancient history. Most historians though agree that Freemasonry in its current form probably evolved from the medieval stonemasons that eventually spawned the Operative Stone Masons Guilds. This transition from Operative Guild Free Stone Masonry to Speculative Intellectual Freemasonry probably took place between 1600 and 1700.

The following shows the probable timeline of the ancient history of Freemasonry as gleaned from various perspectives:

7100 BC-2500 BC. Probable beginnings from the Megalithic Tribes of what is now England who were knowledgeable in astronomy which is said to have been explained in the Book of Enoch from the Dead Sea Scrolls that were brought to the East before a great flood in 3150 BC.

945 BC. Masons from the Tyre in Phoenicia built King Solomon’s Temple, and Masonic words and meanings were said to have originated from the Egyptians of this period.

70 AD. The tradition as contained in the Book of Enoch was probably practiced by the Enochian-Zadokite priests who were expelled from Jerusalem by the Romans. It is said that they hid their scrolls and treasures under the ruins of King Solomon’s Temple.

926 AD. Athelstan was said to have established York Rite Masonry when he granted them a Royal Charter.

1118. Hugues de Payens established a military order of fighting monks that became known as the Knights Templars who were said to be descended from the Enochian-Zadokite priests. These Knights were said to have returned to Jerusalem in 1140 AD and retrieved the hidden scrolls and treasures.

1057-1220. Operative Masonic Guilds were said to be in existence in Scotland and England during this period.

1307. The Knight Templars were said to have settled in Scotland to escape their persecution in France.

1600s. Another theory claims that Masonic lodges evolved from the box clubs of this period who provide charitable services for their members.

1446. Sir William St. Clair, who was said to be a direct descendant of Hugue de Payens, started building Rosslyn Chapel which were adorned with Templar, Enochian, and Masonic imagery which include the Apprentice Pillar. St. Clair was said to have been granted by King James II a charter in 1441 recognizing the hereditary character of the position of Grand Master of Scotland to the St. Clairs.

1737. Ramsay in his Oration attributed the origins of Freemasonry to the Crusaders and the Knights of St. John.

FOOTNOTE: Almost all information in this article is from the web site of the Old Epsomian Lodge. Any errors in the interpretation of their work are the Blog Administrator’s alone. The image of King Solomon’s Temple was downloaded from Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry, that of the Knights Templar from HubPages, and that of Rosslyn Chapel’s Apprentice Pillar from National Galleries of Scotland.