Masons in Philippine History
Nicolas G. Ricafrente
The foundation stones of Philippine Masonry were quarried in Spain and bore two Lodges in 1889 and 1890:
Logia Revolución No 65, in Barcelona and Logia Solidaridad No 53, organized in Madrid. From these principal foundations was hewn, the cornerstone of true Filipino Masonry, brought to the Philippines in 1891. The first lodge organized was Logia Nilad No 144, chartered by the Gran Oriente Espanol in 1892; followed by Logia Balagtas No 149 where Apolinario Mabini, the brains of the revolution was initiated. Andres Bonifacio who led the first phase of the revolution in 1896 as Katipunan Supremo, was a member of Logia Taliba No 165 in Tondo while Emilio Aguinaldo, who became the president of the first Philippine republic in 1899 was made mason at Logia Pilar No 203 in Imus in 1895. Philippine Masonry was therefore, born during the dawn of nationalism, when Filipino patriots were in the forefront of the search for a national identity. It became the inspiration in the fight for liberty, equality, brotherhood and justice; a struggle that started as a campaign for colonial reforms but later transformed into a struggle for independence that led to the establishment of the first Philippine republic in Asia.
Logia Revolución No 65, in Barcelona and Logia Solidaridad No 53, organized in Madrid. From these principal foundations was hewn, the cornerstone of true Filipino Masonry, brought to the Philippines in 1891. The first lodge organized was Logia Nilad No 144, chartered by the Gran Oriente Espanol in 1892; followed by Logia Balagtas No 149 where Apolinario Mabini, the brains of the revolution was initiated. Andres Bonifacio who led the first phase of the revolution in 1896 as Katipunan Supremo, was a member of Logia Taliba No 165 in Tondo while Emilio Aguinaldo, who became the president of the first Philippine republic in 1899 was made mason at Logia Pilar No 203 in Imus in 1895. Philippine Masonry was therefore, born during the dawn of nationalism, when Filipino patriots were in the forefront of the search for a national identity. It became the inspiration in the fight for liberty, equality, brotherhood and justice; a struggle that started as a campaign for colonial reforms but later transformed into a struggle for independence that led to the establishment of the first Philippine republic in Asia.
Masons in Philippine History
Sources
Kalaw, Teodoro. 1956. Philippine Masonry: Its Origin, Development and Vicissitudes up to Present Time. (translated by Frederick Stevens and Antonio Amerchazurra. Manila: McCullough.
Causing, Juan. Free Masonry in the Philippines, a comprehensive history of Freemasonry during a period of 209 struggling, glorious years 1756-1965. Cebu City: GT Printers, 1969
IGLPI Journal No 1. Independent Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of the Philippine Islands, November 2008
Susana Cuartero Escobés, José Antonio Ferrer Benimeli; José Rizal y la Masonería. Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes
Accessed 0ct 11 2018 Susan Cuartero Escobes. La Masoneria Espanola en Filipinas. Tomo 1-2006/ Tomo 2- 2007·
Lopez Jaena , Graciano. Discursos y Articulos Varios. Manila: Bureau of Printing, 1951
Ponce, Mariano. Cartas Sobre la Revolución, 1897-1900. Manila: Bureau of printing, 1932.
Galang, Zoilo M. Encyclopedia of the Philippines. Volume 9 Builders of the New Philippines. Manila : P. Vera & Sons Co., 1936.
Villaroel, Hector K. Eminent Filipinos. Quezon City: Textbook Publishers, 1965.
The Philippine Historical Commission. https://nl.wikipedia.org Feb 14. 2019
Teodoro Agoncillo, History of the Filipino People, 1973 Page 282,Page 258,Page 253,P 250
Photo credit: 13 martyrs. https://www.flickr.com/photos Accessed: Dec 28 2018
Renato Constantino the Philippines Past Revisited. https://siagrey.files.wordpress.com. Accessed: Dec 23, 2018.
An Excerpt from Elizabeth Medina's Annotated Translation of W.E. Retana's 1907 Biography of José Rizal (© Coypright 1998). The Noli's Impact, Rizal According to Retana: Portrait of a Hero and a Revolution. Accessed: September 20, 2018
http:haciendadecalamba.blogspot.com/2012/06/chapter-ii-historical-antecedent.html. Accessed: September 20, 2018
The Katipunan: An Illustrated Historical and Biographical Study of the Society which Brought about the Insurrection of 1896–98 & 1899. Taken From Spanish State Documents by Francis St. Clair. www.gutenberg.org. Accessed: August 27, 2014.
The Katipunan; or, The Rise and Fall of the Filipino Commune. Francis St. Clair - 1902 - Katipunan. https: books.google.com.ph. Accessed: December 27, 2018
https://filipinoscribbles.wordpress.com/tag/marcelo-h-del-pilar/ Accessed June 25, 2011
Schumacher, Historical Introduction to La Solidaridad, Manila: Fundacion Santiago, 1996
John Schumacher, SJ. The Propaganda Movement, 159) John Schumacher, SJ. The Propaganda Movement, p. 157
Photo credit: https://www.melomanodigital.com/teatro-real-lucha-coliseo-opera/Photo of Teatro Real. Accessed Jan 28 2019
Sulpicio Guevara, Pambansang Komisyon Pangkasaysayan. The Laws of the first Philippine Republic, 1972
The Cabletow, 39th Annual Communication of Grand Lodge of the Philippines, April 26, 1955
http://www.asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ-04-02-1966/schumacher-philippine-masonry-1890.pdf
An Anarchy of Families: State and Family in the Philippines; edited by Alfred W. McCoy https://books.google.com.ph. Accessed: Dec 23, 2018.
The Philippine Revolution. Gregorio F. Zaide Modern book company; 1968
Diccionario Hispano-Tagalog: por Pedro Serrano Laktaw. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/p/philamer/. Accessed December 28 ,2018
http://calbayogko.tripod.com.. Benedicto Nijaga. Accessed: December 28 ,2018
Collection: The United States and its Territories, 1870 - 1925: The Age of Imperialism; The Philippine review (Revista Filipina) [Vol. 3, no. 1]
The Philippine Revolution, by Apolinario Mabini, translated and copyright 1969 by Leon Ma Guerrero http:/www.univie.ac.at/Voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/history/mabini07.htm. Accessed: December 28, 2018
Craig Austin. Jose Rizal as a Mason. The Builder Magazine 1916. posted by phoenixmasonry. Accessed Sept 30, 2018
Alvarez, Santiago V. The Katipunan and the Revolution, Memoirs of a General. Trans by Paula Carolina S.Malay. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1992