FAMOUS FILIPINO MASONS: DR. JOSE P. RIZAL

José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896), was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by the National Heroes Committee. His execution day in 1896, now known as Rizal Day, is a national holiday in the Philippines.

Rizal was born to a rich family in Calamba, Laguna and was the seventh of eleven children. He attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, earning a Bachelor of Arts, and enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas. He continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid in Madrid, Spain, earning the degree of Licentiate in Medicine. He also attended the University of Paris and earned a second doctorate at the University of Heidelberg.

Rizal was a polyglot, conversant in twenty-two languages. He was a prolific poet, essayist, diarist, correspondent, and novelist whose most famous works were his two novels, Noli me Tangere and El filibusterismo. These social commentaries on Spanish rule formed the nucleus of literature that inspired peaceful reformists and armed revolutionaries alike.

As a political figure, José Rizal was the founder of La Liga Filipina, a civic organization that subsequently gave birth to the Katipunan led by Andrés Bonifacio, which would start the Philippine Revolution against Spain, leading to the foundation of the First Philippine Republic under Emilio Aguinaldo. He was a proponent of achieving Philippine self-government peacefully through institutional reform rather than through violent revolution, although he would support "violent means" as a last resort. Rizal believed that the only justification for national liberation and self-government is the restoration of the dignity of the people, saying "Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow?" The general consensus among Rizal scholars is that his execution by the Spanish government ignited the Philippine Revolution.


Masonic Life

Rizal was made a Master Mason on November 15, 1890 at Logia Solidaridad 53 in Madrid, Spain. He affiliated with a lodge under the jurisdiction of Grand Orient of France on October 14, 1891, and was made honorary Worshipful Master of Nilad Lodge No. 144 in 1892. There he delivered a lecture entitled “La Masoneria”.

Rizal's Apostasy Was World Ecumenism

By Dean Jorge Bocobo 

POPE John XXIII, "the good Pope" as he was called, might have been proud of our Jose Rizal. They were kindred spirits, who stood for religious tolerance and understanding among all faiths and peoples. So whatever happened to Vatican II and the world ecumenical movement that held so much promise for an end to religious strife in the world? Was all that ''Kumbaya'' singing for nothing? The priests turned to face the people, but they still preach the same stubborn and intolerant doctrine that Catholicism is the one true faith and all others are infidels. 

So, irony of ironies. Asia's only Catholic country has an excommunicated Free Mason and apostate for its national hero in Rizál. This was the man who fought the 19th century's version of the Taliban in the Philippines, not with bombs, but with something more lethal, which are, noble ideas and sentiments, delivered by the technology of Gutenberg. 
    
He sent two B52s in the form of two novels, ''Noli Me Tangere'' and ''El Filibusterismo,'' whose telling truths exploded in the hearts of his countrymen, opening their eyes to the cancer of Spanish oppression. Like bunker-busters, these powerful stories destroyed the metaphorical caves and dungeons of the friars, full of simony and injustice, into whose oblivion his people had been cast for centuries. 

He was shot in the back, like a traitor, on Bagumbayan Field, on Dec. 30, 1896, at the instigation of Catholic friars, who saw in his brilliant mind and satiric pen, the dying light of the Spanish Empire, and the death knell of their centuries-old religious dictatorship. Rizal's capital crime and essential heresy was to deny the supreme Catholic vanity of being the "one true faith." Pope John was too far in the future to prevent his unjust execution. 

Influenced by Miguel Morayta, a history professor at the Universidad de Madrid, Rizal joined Masonry, under the Gran Oriente de Español, adopting the Masonic name, Dimasalang. He was automatically excommunicated, expelled from the Catholic Church, a fate decreed for all Catholics becoming Masons since 1738 and reaffirmed by the CBCP in 1990. Rizal had plenty of illustrious company including Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, Ladislao Diwa, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Juan Luna, Deodato Arellano, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, H. Pardo de Tavera, and so many others in the Propaganda Movement and La Liga Filipina. 

It was a Masonic trader, Jose Ramos, who first smuggled copies of the ''Noli Me Tangere'' into Manila. 

In 1912, Rizal's family rejected a petition from the Jesuits to rebury their famous pupil. Instead, that honor was accorded to the Masons, led by Timoteo Paez, who, in full regalia, carried Rizal's remains in a long procession to the Masonic Temple in Tondo for funeral rites, before final interment at the Luneta in December 1912. 

The true meaning of his life has been obscured by his enemies, who have claimed that in the end, he abjured Masonry and returned to the Faith. If he did, why was he martyred? Luckily, most of his written work (50 volumes!) has been available, since his birth centenary in 1961, despite strident opposition from the Catholic Church. In this way, Rizal may still get the final word. The tragedy is, most Filipinos have not read Rizal at all, being mainly exposed to seriously flawed films about him. (These much-awarded movies portray him at his execution, clutching rosary beads around his neck, a sop thrown in to mollify Church hierarchy.) 

We treasure his two famous novels, of course. But there is also his poetry (some sophomoric, some sublime). Then there is the epistolary, or long letters, that he exchanged with Pablo Pastells, S.J., a mentor at the Ateneo. Though portions were published by Retana, the original, complete texts were suppressed and hidden by the Jesuits at a monastery in Spain for over a century. Why? The authoritative bilingual edition by Fr. Raul Bonoan, S.J. became available only in 1998, when some embargo must have lapsed, or their toxicity deemed expired. Read the letters for yourself and see if you agree with my interpretation of them, because I think they were the damning evidence of heresy and apostasy that were used at his one day trial on Dec. 26, 1896. That is why they were hidden for so long. They were used as a murder weapon. 

The 1956 Rizal Law (RA 1425) of Sen. Claro M. Recto should be amended to make these letters required reading in Philippine schools. For in these letters, Rizal speaks for himself, not through fictional characters, but directly and undeniably from his heart, to all of us, in the vast audience of history, about his deepest beliefs. Even if he had, hypothetically, signed some made-up retraction document, to save his family from persecution and to marry Josephine Bracken, the letters prove he could not have done so sincerely. Freed from Catholic indoctrination by wide exposure to many cultures and religions, the heart and mind that one encounters in the epistolary just could not have made a genuine retraction, for he was, irreversibly, a global citizen, an  ecumenical man. 

Rizal believed that you can be a good and moral person without believing in a specific supernatural deity or purported representatives on earth. Of course, faith can also lead to a strong moral conscience, but religion is not the only route to virtue. Participation in an organized religion may be a sufficient impetus to a virtuous life, as is fear of eternal damnation, but it is not a necessary condition. 

Rizal upheld democratic tolerance and ecumenism. He rejected dogmatism and the towering vanity of a "one true faith." In so doing he found true freedom and understood the deepest meaning of democracy before it was born in his country. 

That is why he chose to die an apostate, excommunicated from the Catholic Church, rather than be a traitor to himself and the future of humanity.

FAMOUS FILIPINO MASON: GAT ANDRES BONIFACIO

Andrés Bonifacio y de Castro (30 November 1863 – 10 May 1897) was a Filipino nationalist and revolutionary. He is often called "the great plebeian," "father of the Philippine Revolution," and "father of the Katipunan." He was a founder and later Supremo ("supreme leader") of the Katipunan movement which sought the independence of the Philippines from Spanish colonial rule and started the Philippine Revolution. He is considered a de facto national hero of the Philippines, and is also considered by some Filipino historians to be the first President, but he is not officially recognized as such. Bonifacio joined Freemasonry in 1892 at Taliba Lodge No. 165.

Katipunan

On 7 July 1892, the day after Rizal's deportation was announced, Bonifacio and others founded the Katipunan, or in full, Kataastaasang Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan ("Highest and Most Respected Society of the Children of the Country"). The secret society sought independence from Spain through armed revolt. It was influenced by Freemasonry through its rituals and organization, and several members aside from Bonifacio were also Freemasons. Within the society Bonifacio used the pseudonym May pag-asa ("There is Hope").

For a time, Bonifacio worked with both the Katipunan and La Liga Filipina. La Liga eventually split because less affluent members like Bonifacio lost hope for peaceful reform, and stopped their monetary aid. Wealthier, more conservative members who still believed in peaceful reforms set up the Cuerpo de Compromisarios, which pledged continued support to the reformists in Spain. The radicals were subsumed into the Katipunan. From Manila, the Katipunan expanded into several provinces, including Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija. Most of its members, called Katipuneros, came from the lower and middle classes, with many of its local leaders being prominent figures in their municipalities. At first exclusively male, membership was later extended to females, with Bonifacio's wife Gregoria de Jesús as a leading member.

From the beginning, Bonifacio was one of the chief Katipunan officers, though he did not become its Supremo (supreme leader) or Presidente Supremo (Supreme President) until 1895, and he was the third head of the Katipunan after Deodato Arellano and Román Basa. Prior to this, he served as the society's comptroller and then as its fiscal. The society had its own laws, bureaucratic structure and elective leadership. For each province it involved, the Katipunan Supreme Council coordinated provincial councils in charge of public administration and military affairs and local councils in charge of affairs on the district or barrio level.

Within the society, Bonifacio developed a strong friendship with Emilio Jacinto who served as his adviser and confidant, as well as a member of the Supreme Council. Bonifacio adopted Jacinto's Kartilya primer as the official teachings of the society in place of his own Decalogue, which he judged as inferior. Bonifacio, Jacinto and Pio Valenzuela collaborated on the society's organ Kalayaan (Freedom), which only had one printed issue. Bonifacio wrote several pieces for the paper, including the poem Pag-ibig sa Tinubúang Lupà (approx. "Love for the Homeland) under the pseudonym Agapito Bagumbayan. The publication of Kalayaan in March 1896 led to a great increase in membership. The Katipunan movement spread throughout Luzon, to Panay in the Visayas and even as far as Mindanao. From less than 300 members in January 1896, it had about 30,000 to 40,000 by August.

The rapid increase of Katipunan activity drew the suspicion of the Spanish authorities. By early 1896, Spanish intelligence was already aware of the existence of a seditious secret society, and suspects were kept under surveillance and arrests were made. On 3 May, Bonifacio held a general assembly of Katipunan leaders in Pasig where they debated when to start their revolt. While Bonifacio wanted to revolt as soon as possible, Emilio Aguinaldo of Cavite expressed reservations due to a lack of firearms. The consensus was to consult José Rizal in Dapitan before launching their revolt, and Bonifacio sent Pio Valenzuela to Rizal, who was against a premature revolution and recommended more prior preparation.

Philippine Revolution

Start of the uprising

The Spanish authorities confirmed the existence of the Katipunan on 19 August 1896. Hundreds of Filipino suspects, both innocent and guilty, were arrested and imprisoned for treason. José Rizal was then on his way to Cuba to serve as a doctor in the Spanish colonial army, in exchange for his release from Dapitan. When the news broke, Bonifacio first tried to convince Rizal, quarantined aboard a ship in Manila Bay, to escape and join the imminent revolt. Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto and Guillermo Masangkay disguised themselves as sailors and went to the pier where Rizal's ship was anchored. Jacinto personally met with Rizal, who rejected their rescue offer. Rizal himself was later arrested, tried and executed.

Eluding an intensive manhunt, Bonifacio called thousands of Katipunan members to a mass gathering in Caloocan, where they decided to start their revolt. The event, marked by the tearing of cedulas (community tax certificates) was later called the "Cry of Balintawak" or "Cry of Pugad Lawin"; the exact location and date of the Cry are disputed. The Supreme Council of the Katipunan declared a nationwide armed revolution against Spain and called for a simultaneous coordinated attack on the capital Manila on 29 August. Bonifacio appointed generals to lead rebel forces to Manila. Other Katipunan councils were also informed of their plans. Before hostilities erupted, Bonifacio reorganized the Katipunan into an open de facto revolutionary government, with him as President and commander-in-chief (or generalissimo) of the rebel army and the Supreme Council as his cabinet. On 28 August, Bonifacio issued the following general proclamation:

This manifesto is for all of you. It is absolutely necessary for us to stop at the earliest possible time the nameless oppositions being perpetrated on the sons of the country who are now suffering the brutal punishment and tortures in jails, and because of this please let all the brethren know that on Saturday, the 29th of the current month, the revolution shall commence according to our agreement. For this purpose, it is necessary for all towns to rise simultaneously and attack Manila at the same time. Anybody who obstructs this sacred ideal of the people will be considered a traitor and an enemy, except if he is ill; or is not physically fit, in which case he shall be tried according to the regulations we have put in force. Mount of Liberty, 28 August 1896 – ANDRÉS BONIFACIO

On 30 August 1896, Bonifacio personally led an attack on San Juan del Monte to capture the town's powder magazine and water station (which supplied Manila). The defending Spaniards, outnumbered, fought a delaying battle until reinforcements arrived. Once reinforced, the Spaniards drove Bonifacio's forces back with heavy casualties. Bonifacio and his troops regrouped near Marikina, San Mateo and Montalban. Elsewhere, fighting between rebels and Spanish forces occurred in Mandaluyong, Sampaloc, Santa Ana, Pandacan, Pateros, Marikina, Caloocan, Makati and Taguig. The conventional view among Filipino historians is that the planned general Katipunan offensive on Manila was aborted in favor of Bonifacio's attack on San Juan del Monte, which sparked a general state of rebellion in the area. However, more recent studies have advanced the view that the planned offensive did push through and the rebel attacks were integrated; according to this view, Bonifacio's San Juan del Monte battle was only a part of a bigger whole – an unrecognized "battle for Manila". Despite his reverses, Bonifacio was not completely defeated and was still considered a threat. Further, the revolt had spread to the surrounding provinces by the end of August.

Campaigns around Manila

By December 1896, the Spanish authorities recognized three major centers of rebellion: Cavite (under Emilio Aguinaldo, Mariano Alvarez and others), Bulacan (under Mariano Llanera) and Morong (under Bonifacio). The revolt was most successful in Cavite, which mostly fell under rebel control by September–October 1896.

Apolinario Mabini, who later joined the rebels and served as Aguinaldo's adviser, wrote that the government troops in Cavite were limited to small, scattered constabulary detachments and thus the rebels were able to take virtually the entire province. The Spanish government had transferred much of its troops from Cavite (and other provinces) to Manila in anticipation of Bonifacio's attack. The Cavite rebels won prestige in defeating Spanish troops in set piece battles, using tactics like trench warfare.

While Cavite is traditionally regarded as the "heartland of the Philippine Revolution", Manila and its surrounding municipalities bore the brunt of the Spanish military campaign, becoming a no man's land. Rebels in the area were generally engaged in hit-and-run guerrilla warfare against Spanish positions in Manila, Morong, Nueva Ecija and Pampanga. From Morong, Bonifacio served as tactician for rebel guerrillas and issued commands to areas other than his personal sector, though his reputation suffered when he lost battles he personally led.

From September to October 1896, Bonifacio supervised the establishment of Katipunan mountain and hill bases like Balara in Marikina, Pantayanin in Antipolo, Ugong in Pasig and Tungko in Bulacan. Bonifacio appointing generals for these areas, or approving selections the troops themselves made.

In November, Bonifacio led an assault on San Mateo, Marikina and Montalban. The Spanish were forced to retreat, leaving these areas to the rebels, except for the municipal hall of San Mateo where some Spanish troops had barricaded. While Bonifacio's troops laid siege to the hall, other Katipunan forces set up defensive lines along the nearby Langka (or Nangka) river against Spanish reinforcements from Marikina. After three days, Spanish counterattacks broke through the Langka river lines. The Spanish troops thus recaptured the rebel positions and surprised Bonifacio in San Mateo, who ordered a general retreat to Balara. They were pursued, and Bonifacio was nearly killed shielding Emilio Jacinto from a Spanish bullet which grazed his collar.

In Balara, Bonifacio commissioned Julio Nakpil to compose a national anthem. Nakpil produced a hymn called Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan ("Honorable Hymn of the Tagalogs"). However, it was rejected years later in favor of the Marcha Nacional Filipina commissioned by Emilio Aguinaldo.

Bonifacio in Cavite

There were two Katipunan provincial chapters in Cavite that became rival factions: the Magdalo, headed by Emilio Aguinaldo's cousin Baldomero Aguinaldo, and the Magdiwang, headed by Mariano Álvarez, uncle of Bonifacio's wife. Leaders of both factions came from the upper class, in contrast to Bonifacio, who came from the lower middle class. After initial successes, Emilio Aguinaldo issued a manifesto in the name of the Magdalo ruling council which proclaimed a provisional and revolutionary government – despite the existence of the Katipunan government. Emilio Aguinaldo in particular had won fame for victories in the province. The Magdalo and Magdiwang clashed over authority and jurisdiction and did not help each other in battle. Bonifacio was called to Cavite to mediate between them and unify their efforts. In late 1896 he travelled to Cavite accompanied by his wife, his brothers Procopio and Ciriaco, and some troops.

In Cavite, friction grew between Bonifacio and the Magdalo leaders. Apolinario Mabini, who later served as Emilio Aguinaldo's adviser, writes that at this point the Magdalo leaders "already paid little heed to his authority and orders." Bonifacio was partial to the Magdiwang, perhaps due to his kinship ties with Mariano Álvarez, or more importantly, due to their stronger recognition of his authority. When Aguinaldo and Edilberto Evangelista went to receive Bonifacio at Zapote, they were irritated with what they regarded as his attitude of superiority. In his memoirs Aguinaldo wrote that Bonifacio acted "as if he were a king". Another time, Bonifacio ordered the arrest of one Magdalo leader for failing to support his attack in Manila, but the other Magdalo leaders refused to surrender him. Townspeople in Noveleta (a Magdiwang town) acclaimed Bonifacio as the ruler of the Philippines, to the chagrin of the Magdalo leaders (Bonifacio replied: "long live Philippine Liberty!"). Aguinaldo disputed with Bonifacio over strategic troop placements and blamed him for the capture of the town of Silang. The Spanish, through Jesuit Superior Pio Pi, wrote to Aguinaldo about the possibility of peace negotiations. When Bonifacio found out, he and the Magdiwang council rejected the proposed peace talks. Bonifacio was also angered that the Spanish considered Aguinaldo the "chief of the rebellion" instead of him. However, Aguinaldo continued to arrange negotiations which never took place. Bonifacio believed Aguinaldo was willing to surrender the revolution.

Bonifacio was also subject to rumors that he had stolen Katipunan funds, his sister was the mistress of a priest, and he was an agent provocateur paid by friars to foment unrest. Also circulated were anonymous letters which told the people of Cavite not to idolize Bonifacio because he was a Mason, a mere Manila employee, allegedly an atheist, and uneducated. According to these letters, Bonifacio did not deserve the title of Supremo since only God was supreme. This last allegation was made despite the fact that Supremo was meant to be used in conjunction with Presidente, i.e. Presidente Supremo (Supreme President) to distinguish the president of the Katipunan Supreme Council from council presidents of subordinate Katipunan chapters like the Magdalo and Magdiwang. Bonifacio suspected the rumor-mongering to be the work of the Magdalo leader Daniel Tirona. He confronted Tirona, whose airy reply provoked Bonifacio to such anger that he drew a gun and would have shot Tirona if others had not intervened.

On 31 December, Bonifacio and the Magdalo and Magdiwang leaders held a meeting in Imus, ostensibly to determine the leadership of Cavite in order to end the rivalry between the two factions. The issue of whether the Katipunan should be replaced by a revolutionary government was brought up by the Magdalo, and this eclipsed the rivalry issue. The Magdalo argued that the Katipunan, as a secret society, should have ceased to exist once the Revolution was underway. They also held that Cavite should not be divided. Bonifacio and the Magdiwang contended that the Katipunan served as their revolutionary government since it had its own constitution, laws, and provincial and municipal governments. Edilberto Evangelista presented a draft constitution for the proposed government to Bonifacio but this had earlier been rejected as too similar to the Spanish Maura Law. Upon the event of restructuring, Bonifacio was given carte blanche to appoint a committee tasked with setting up a new government; he would also be in charge of this committee. He requested for the minutes of the meeting to establish this authority, but these were never provided.

The Tejeros Convention

The rebel leaders held another meeting in a friar estate house in Tejeros on 22 March 1897 on the pretense of more discussion between the Magdalo and Magdiwang, but really to settle the issue of leadership of the revolution. Amidst insinuations that the Katipunan government was monarchical or dictatorial, Bonifacio maintained it was republican. According to him, all its members of whatever rank followed the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity, upon which republicanism is founded. He presided over the elections that followed, despite his misgivings over the lack of representation by other provinces. Before elections started, he asked that the results be respected by everyone, and all agreed. The Cavite leaders voted their own Emilio Aguinaldo President in absentia, as he was in the battlefield. That revolutionary government, now known as the Republic of Biak-na-Bato, styled itself as the Philippine Republic or Republic of the Philippines. It lasted just over a month. A later revolutionary government now commonly known as the as First Philippine Republic and also with Aguinaldo as President was inaugurated on 23 January 1899 as the Republica Filipina (Philippine Republic). That later government is now considered to be the first Republic of the Philippines, the present-day government of the Philippines being the fifth.

Bonifacio received the second-highest number of votes for President. Though it was suggested that he be automatically be awarded the Vice Presidency, no one seconded the motion and elections continued. Mariano Trías of the Magdalo (originally Magdiwang) was elected Vice President. Bonifacio was the last to be elected, as Director of the Interior. Daniel Tirona, who had helped distribute the ballots, protested Bonifacio's election to Director of the Interior on the grounds that the position should not be occupied by a person without a lawyer's diploma. Tirona suggested a prominent Cavite lawyer for the position. Hurt and angered, Bonifacio demanded an apology, since the voters had agreed to respect the election results. Instead, Tirona left the room. Bonifacio drew his gun and nearly shot Tirona again, but he was restrained by Artemio Ricarte of the Magdiwang, who had been elected Captain-General. As people left the room, Bonifacio declared: "I, as chairman of this assembly and as President of the Supreme Council of the Katipunan, as all of you do not deny, declare this assembly dissolved, and I annul all that has been approved and resolved."

The next day, Aguinaldo surreptitiously took his oath of office as President in a chapel officiated by a Catholic priest Cenon Villafranca who was under the authority of the Roman pope. According to Gen. Santiago Alvarez, guards were posted outside with strict instructions not to let in any unwanted partisan from the Magdiwang faction while the oath-taking took place. Artemio Ricarte also took his office "with great reluctance" and made a declaration that he found the Tejeros elections "dirty or shady" and "not been in conformity with the true will of the people." Meanwhile Bonifacio met with his remaining supporters and drew up the Acta de Tejeros (Act of Tejeros) wherein they gave their reasons for not accepting the election results. Bonifacio alleged the election was fraudulent due to cheating and accused Aguinaldo of treason due to his negotiations with the Spanish. In their memoirs Santiago Álvarez (son of Mariano) and Gregoria de Jesús both alleged that many ballots were already filled out before being distributed, and Guillermo Masangkay contended there were more ballots prepared than voters present. Álvarez writes that Bonifacio had been warned of the rigged ballots before the votes were canvassed, but he had done nothing.

Aguinaldo later sent a delegation to Bonifacio to get him to cooperate, but the latter refused. Bonifacio appointed Emilio Jacinto general of the rebel forces in Manila, Morong, Bulacan and Nueva Ecija. In Naik, Bonifacio met with Artemio Ricarte and others, including generals Pío del Pilar and Mariano Noriel of the Magdalo who had gone over to his side. Bonifacio asserted his leadership of the revolution with the Naik Military Agreement, a document which appointed Pio del Pilar commander-in-chief of the revolutionary forces. Bonifacio's meeting was interrupted by Aguinaldo himself, and del Pilar and Noriel promptly returned to Aguinaldo's fold. In late April Aguinaldo fully assumed presidential office after consolidating his position among the Cavite elite – most of Bonifacio's Magdiwang supporters declaring allegiance to Aguinaldo. Aguinaldo's government then ordered the arrest of Bonifacio, who was then moving out of Cavite.

PHILIPPINE MASONIC HISTORY: Grand Lodge of the Philippines

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.

FAMOUS FILIPINO MASONS: 10 OF THE THIRTEEN MARTYRS OF CAVITE

THIRTEEN MARTYRS OF CAVITE

Even before the execution of Jose Rizal on December 30, 1896 and those of the thirteen martyrs of Bagumbayan on January 11,1897, mass arrests and summary executions were already done in other parts of the country, the more notable of which are the “Thirteen Martyrs of Cavite.”  Executed on September 12, 1896,their ages range from 31 to 64 years. Ten of them were masons as follows:

1. Mariano Inocencio, aged 64 , (born November 18, 1833 in Cavite)a rich proprietor, was the oldest of the martyrs. Being a freemason, he was implicated in the Cavite Mutiny of 1872 and was subsequently exiled to Ceuta in Spanish Morocco or Cartagena, Spain for 10 years. Upon his return he rebuilt a fortune from building and bridge contracting, shipbuilding, sawmilling, logging and trading. He was married to Narcisa Francisco with whom he had nine children,
2. Jose Lallana, 54, (born 1836 in Cavite) was a tailor whose shop was used by the Katipunan as a meeting place. Lallana was married to Benita Tapawan of Imus, by whom he had two children, Clara and Ramón. Ramón would later join the Philippine Revolution to avenge his father's death, but he never returned and is believed to have been killed in action. Former Corporal in the Spanish Army and a Spanish Mason,
3. Eugenio Cabesas, 41, (born 1855 in Santa Cruz, Manila) was a goldsmith who was a freemason and Katipunero. He was married to Luisa Antonio of Cavite by whom he had seven children. He owned a jewelry and watch repair shop on Calle Real (now called Trece Martires Street) in Cavite which was used by the Katipunan as a meeting place. A watchmaker and member of the Katipunan.
4. Maximo Gregorio, 40, (born November 18, 1856 in Pasay, Morong) was drafted into the Spanish colonial army while he was studying at the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán. After training in San Antonio, Cavite, he was inducted into Regiment No. 72 and dispatched to Jolo, Sulu to fight the Muslims. Upon his return from Mindanao, was appointed chief clerk of the Comisaría de Guerra in Cavite where he worked for 20 years. He became a freemason and joined the Katipunan in 1892. He organized two Katipunan branches, namely, the Balangay No. 1 named Marikit (Bright) in Barrio San Antonio, Cavite and Balangay No. 2 called Lintik (Lightning) in Barrio San Rafael, also of Cavite. Among the people he initiated into the Katipunan were the jail warden Severino Lapidario, Feliciano Cabuco, tailor José Lallana, watchmaker Eugenio Cabezas and tailor Eulogio Raymundo. He was married to Celedonia Santiago with who he had four children.a clerk of the Cavite Arsenal,
5. Hugo Perez, 40, (born 1856 in Binondo, Manila) was a physician. There is little biographical information about Perez except that he was a freemason.
6. Severino Lapidario, 38, (born January 8, 1847 in Imus, Cavite) was a corporal in the Spanish Marine Infantry who was implicated in the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. He later regained the confidence of the Spanish colonial authorities who named him warden of the Cavite provincial jail in 1890. Chief Warden of the Provincial Jail and member of the Katipunan,
7. Alfonso de Ocampo, 36, (born 1860 in Cavite) was a Spanish mestizo, who had been sergeant in the Spanish colonial army before his appointment as assistant provincial jail warden. He was both a freemason and Katipunero. He was married to Ana Espíritu by whom he had two children.
8. Luis Aguado, 33, was the son of a captain in the Spanish navy. He would later become supply chief of the Spanish arsenal in Fort San Felipe in the town of Cavite (now Cavite City). He was married to Felisa Osorio, sister of Francisco Osorio and oldest daughter of Antonio Osorio, a Chinese-Filipino businessman reputed to be the richest in Cavite at that time. Aguado's widow would later marry Daniel Tria Tirona.
9. Victoriano Luciano, 32 (born March 23, 1863) was a pharmacist and freemason who was recognized for his formula of rare perfumes and lotions and was a member Colegio de Farmaceuticos de Manila. He studied at the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán and University of Santo Tomas. He owned a pharmacy, Botica Luciano, on Real Street (now Trece Martires Avenue) in Cavite whih was also a meeting place of the Katipunan.a pharmacist and poet.
10. Feliciano Cabuco, 31, (born June 9, 1865 in Caridad, Cavite Puerto) was born to a wealthy family in Cavite el Viejo (now Cavite City). He worked at the Navy Hospital in Cavite.. He was married to Marcela Bernal of Caridad by whom he had two sons.

The three non-masons:

1. Francisco Osorio, 36, a chinese mestizo and contractor.(born 1860) was the scion of a wealthy and well-connected family in Cavite. Little is known of him except that he was a pharmacist and not a freemason or a Katipunanero.
2. Antonio de San Agustin, 35, a surgeon and businessman, (born March 8, 1860 in San Roque, Cavite) was a scion of a wealthy family. He studied at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and University of Santo Tomas. He was married to Juliana Reyes. He owned the only bookstore, La Aurora, in the town which was used as a meetingplace by the Katipunan.
3. Agapito Concio, 33, a teacher, (born 1862) was a native of Binondo, Manila who migrated to Cavite and became a school teacher, musician, photographer, painter and lithographer.

When Cavite rose in arms in August 31, 1896 under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo, masons and others who stood for freedom joined the uprising, foremost among them were the thirteen martyrs of Cavite.  In dying for a noble cause, they live in the hearts  of their grateful countrymen.

To their memory, a lasting monument dedicated to their honor now stands in the public plaza at the heart of Cavite City.

FAMOUS FILIPINO MASONS: NICANOR ABELARDO

Nicanor Sta. Ana Abelardo (February 7, 1893 – March 21, 1934) was a Filipino composer known for his Kundiman songs, especially before the Second World War.

Life

Abelardo was born in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan. His mother belonged to a family of artists in Guagua, the Hensons. He was introduced to music when he was five years old, when his father taught him the solfeggio and the banduria. At the age of 8, he was able to compose his estoryahe first work, a waltz entitled "Ang Unang Buko," which was dedicated to his grandmother. At the age of 13, he was already playing at saloons and cabarets in Manila. At age 15, he was already teaching in barrio schools in San Ildefonso and San Miguel Bulacan. All of these happened even before young Abelardo finally took up courses under Guy F. Harrison and Robert Schofield at the UP Conservatory of Music in 1916. By 1924, following a teacher’s certificate in science and composition received in 1921, he was appointed head of the composition department at the Conservatory. Years later, he ran a boarding school for young musicians, and among his students were National Artist Antonino Buenaventura, Alfredo Lozano and Lucino Sacramento. In the field of composition he is known for his redefinition of the kundiman, bringing the genre to art-song status. Among his works were "Nasaan Ka Irog," "Magbalik Ka Hirang," and "Himutok." He died in 1934 at the age of 41, leaving a collection of more than 140 works.

As a composition major at the University of the Philippines, he also composed the melody for the university's official anthem, U.P. Naming Mahal.

The building housing the College of Music in UP Diliman (Abelardo Hall) is named in his honor.

The Main theatre of the Cultural Center of the Philippines is named in his honor ( Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo).

Masonic Life

Abelardo was made a master mason at Luzon Lodge No. 57 and was also conferred the 32° at the Philippine Bodies.

FAMOUS FILIPINO MASONS: NUMERIANO R. ADRIANO

Numeriano Adriano was born in Pandacan, Manila, on July 5, 1846 and died on January 11, 1897. 

Adriano was initiated into the mysteries of Masonry on February 1892 adopting the Masonic name "Ipil" at Nilad Lodge and soon after formed Balagtas Lodge in Sampaloc. 

As a Mason, he took active part in the formation of the Regional Grand Lodge and was elected vice-president under the Presidency of Ambrocio Flores.

An active officer in the Propaganda Movement that supported Marcelo H. del Pilar’s "La Solidaridad", he and together with his protégé, Apolinario Mabini, organized the "Cuerpo  de Compromisarios" specifically to raise funds for the purpose. A very enthusiastic Mason, his home at Nagtahan was a frequent place for the secret meetings of the then banned Masonic Order.

He was executed at Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park) on January 11, 1897 together with Domingo Franco, Moises Salvador, Faustino Villaruel and nine others for alleged complicity in the Philippine Revolution.

FAMOUS FILIPINO MASONS: CONRADO BENITEZ

Conrado Benitez, the great statesman, eminent educator, constitutionalist,  journalist, historian, civic leader  and outstanding  mason was the twenty-third Grand Master of  the Grand Lodge  of the Philippines and  the  second  Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of the Philippines. 

The Mason 

He worked in the quarries of Masonry for more than half a  century.  He was only 25 years of age when he was  raised to  the sublime degree of Master Mason in Bagumbayan  Lodge No. 4 on the eleventh of November, 1914 - the Lodge's  first candidate.  Due to his proficiency and active participation in  Lodge  affairs, he was elected Junior Warden  that  same year;  Senior Warden in 1917 and Worshipful Master in  1918. In  1936, he was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines.   His contemporaries at that time were  some of the great names in Masonry – Jose Abad Santos, Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera, Manuel L. Quezon, Francisco A. Delgado, Frederic H. Stevens, Teodoro M. Kalaw, Manuel Camus and scores of others. 

In  1916 he joined the Philippine Bodies.  By  1919  he was  a  Master  of the Royal Secret.  In  1937,  the  Mother Council of the Southern Jurisdiction, USA, honored him  with his investiture as Knight Commander of the Court of  Honor. Twelve years later he joined others in organizing the Luzon Bodies and was elected as the first Venerable Master of  its Harmony  Lodge of Perfection.  That same  year  (1949)  the Mother Supreme Council invested him with the rank and dignity  of Inspector General Honorary, 33°.  When  the  Supreme Council  of  the Republic of the Philippines was  formed  in 1950, he was one of those created a Sovereign Grand  Inspector General and Active Member, serving as the  first  Grand Treasurer  General of the Supreme Council.  He  later  also served as Grand Chancellor and then as Ven. Grand Prior.   In 1961 Sovereign Grand Commander Frederic H. Stevens  resigned his position because of failing health.  At the  session of  the  Supreme  Council held that year  Benitez  was  duly elected  as  the  second Sovereign Grand  Commander  of  the Philippine Supreme Council. 

Benitez  was  also an Honorary Member  of  one  foreign Supreme Council and the Grand Representative of four others. Aside  from  these he was a Shriner and a  member  of  Lodge Perla del Oriente No. 1054, Scottish Constitution. 

The Statesman 

The Masonic education, tenets and ideals of service  of Benitez  fitted  well in his role as one  of  the  country's leading  statesmen.  Up to his late years, Dean Benitez,  as he was fondly called by all, was actively involved in  civic affairs and in his principal lifelong obsession - the promotion of higher education. 

Born  on  November  26, 1889 in  Pagsanjan,  Laguna  he studied at the Philippine Normal School and graduated  valedictorian.   In 1911 he was sent to the United States  as  a government pensionado  and enrolled at  the  University  of Chicago  where he acquired his M.A, and his Ph. D. Back  in the  Philippines  he studied law at the  University  of  the Philippines. 

He  started his public career as a teacher  of  history and  economics at the Philippine Normal College.  Later,  he founded  the College of Business Administration of the  University  of the Philippines, and became its first Dean.    He was  also  one of the founding trustees  of  the Philippine Women's University, the first university for women in  Asia. 

He was, too, the moving spirit  behind  the  world-famous Bayanihan  Folk Arts Center, which gave identity to  Philippine  culture and brought from abroad honor and prestige  to the nation. 

Dean Benitez was chairman and co-founder of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) and trustee of the International  Institute  of Rural Reconstruction  (IIRR)  - both of which were dedicated to the upliftment of the masses of our people who lived in the rural areas. 

In  the  1920's there were no  Filipino  newspapers  in English;  all the English papers were owned and  edited  by Americans.  In those difficult years, therefore, the Filipinos  saw the imperative need of publishing a Filipino  paper in  English, owned, edited and managed by Filipinos.   Thus the  Philippines Herald was founded, and Benitez was  chosen as its first editor.  The editorials of the Herald,  nationalistic  in tone and purpose, effectively gave the  Filipino side and  they were so well written, with a  restraint  and sobriety that are the hallmarks of good writing, that  they commanded  the  attention and respect  of  nationalists  and foreigners  alike.   The Philippine independence movement  at last  had its voice in the language of the colonial master.  It  was a voice without venom which  eloquently  articulated the  Filipino aspirations addressed to the sovereign  power; it  was a voice that when the occasion demanded could  sound like  a thousand trumpets to compel respectful hearing  from even as far as Washington, D.C. 

In  1934 Dean Benitez was elected as a delegate to  the Constitutional Assembly and became a member of the committee of  "Seven  Wise Men" charged with the task of  framing  the draft of the proposed Charter.  In 1937, US President Franklin  D. Roosevelt made him member of the  Filipino-American joint committee charged with formulating economic plans  in preparation for the country's independence.  In 1938, he was appointed assistant executive secretary to the President  of the Philippine Commonwealth. 

A firm believer in the potentialities of the youth,  he co-founded the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA),  of which he served as President and chairman of the Board  from 1949  up to  the time of his demise.  He had  also  been  a staunch advocate  of "free primary  instruction  in public schools  and of citizenship training to adult citizens"  and fought to have them enshrined in the Constitution as nation­al policies.

Dean  Benitez  received quite a number  of  awards  and medals for his outstanding public service, among which  were the President Award of Merit for Community Service in  1956; the Distinguished  Alumnus  Award from  the University  of Chicago  in 1957; the Diploma of Merit for faithful  service to  higher education from the University of the  Philippines in 1962; the "Man of the Golden Year" award from the Philippine  Women's University in 1968; and the  Pro-Patria Award conferred on him by President Marcos in 1969 in  recognition of  his distinguished achievements in the fields  of  education, economics, and social reform. 

Death

On  January  4, 1971 Dean Benitez dropped  his  working tools.   His passing left a deep void that is hard to  fill, but  he left a rich heritage of shinning examples in public service worthy of the emulation of present day  Masonic leaders. Thus the Balustre issued by the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite announcing his death said - 

Our Supreme Council has been very  fortunate and  proud to have had him as our Sovereign Grand Commander for a decade; and the Masonic fraternity has  been more than fortunate to have counted  him as one of its leading members and staunch support­ers  for over half a century.  He shared his  time and strength with his Brethren in accordance  with the high ideals and character-building  philosophy of Freemasonry, and left us with a record of good deeds  which  will forever be a  living  voice  to remind us of his greatness.