Republic of the Philippines - Stamps and Postal History

Philippines Masonic Philately

HOMEPAGE

 

Abelardo, Nicanor

Aglipay, Gregorio

Bautista, Ambrosio

Bonifacio, Andres

Dagohoy, Francisco

Kalaw, Teodoro M.

Laurel, Jose P.

Lindbergh, Charles

Mabini, Apolinario

MacArthur, Douglas

Palma, Rafael

Paredes, Quintin

Paterno, Pedro

Ponce, Mariano

Quezon, Manuel L.

Ricarte, Artemio

Rizal, Jose P.

Roxas, Manuel A.

Santos, Lope K.

Sumulong, Juan M.

Grand Lodge of the Philippines Free and Accepted Masons

Manila Lodge No. 1

The Royal Order of Scotland

 

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

During the early stage of Masonry, it was almost impossible for Filipinos to join any of the Spanish lodges in the Philippines.  The lodges that worked in the Philippines were all foreign founded and established for social purposes. 

Marcelo H. Del Pilar and Dr. Jose P. Rizal conceived the idea of organizing Freemasonry in the Philippines.  As a result, Nilad Lodge No. 144 was established in 1891 with the consent of the Grand Oriente Espanol.  Marcelo H. Del Pilar, also known in the Philippines revolutionary world as “Plaridel”, earned the recognition as Father of Philippine Masonry. 

Following the Spanish-American war of 1898, Manila Lodge No. 342 was established in 1901 constituted by the Grand Lodge of California.  This was the first lodge in the Philippines with proper recognition by a regular Grand Lodge. 

In a couple of years, two more lodges were formed, also under Grand Lodge of California, and these were Cavite Lodge No. 350 and Corregidor Lodge No. 386.  In 1912, these three lodges formed the Grand Lodge of the Philippines as we now know it, with 150 lodges.


NICANOR ABELARDO

Nicanor Abelardo was made a Master Mason at Luzon Lodge No. 57 and was also conferred the 32° at the Philippine Bodies.

A musician, composer, and "Father of the Sonata in the Philippines" , Abelardo was born on February 7, 1893 in San Miguel de Mayumo, Bulacan and died on March 21, 1934 at quite a young age of 41 years.  He acquired his formal musical education at the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Philippines in 1916. His unusual musical talent was recognized when he was appointed in 1916 as instructor of the Conservatory. In 1930 he received a grant from the University to pursue advanced musical studies at the Chicago Musical College.  Some of his kundimans are "Ikaw Rin," "Bituing Marikit", "Pakiusap", and "Nasaan Ka Irog", songs that truly express Filipino sentiments.

   

1982, August 25.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipinos Series.  2p30  NICANOR ABELARDO.  


GREGORIO AGLIPAY

Gregorio Aglipay was made a Mason on May 3, 1918 in Lodge Magdalo in Cavite, now Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Lodge No. 31.  Founder of the Philippine Independent Church, also known as Aglipayan Church.    The Katipunan Revolutionary Movement took control of many of the Roman Catholic Churches and gave it to the Aglipayan Church.

Upon the advice of Jose Rizal, he discarded his law study in the University of Santo Tomas and entered the Seminary in Vigan, Ilocos Sur .  Ordained as a Catholic  priest in 1890.  Excommunicated as a Catholic priest on May 4, 1899 by Archbishop Nozaleda for joining Aguinaldo’s libertarian movement.   Appointed Military Vicar by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo with special duty to win adherents among the Ilocanos.   Member of the Malolos Congress and signer of the Malolos Constitution.  Secretary General and Diplomatic agent of General Aguinaldo in Japan where he purchased arms for the Philippine Revolution.  An intimate friend of Dr. Sun-Yat-Sen, also a 32nd Degree Mason, dedicated patriot and valiant fighter, he ranks among the great heroes of the Philippines.

1977, October 1. Manila Central Post Office, Philippines.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.   30s GREGORIO AGLIPAY.    Member 32º Philippine Bodies,  A. & A.S.R.  Founder of Philippine Independent Church.  Member of the Revolutionary Government of 1898.


AMBROSIO RIANZARES BAUTISTA

Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista.  War Adviser during First Philippine Republic, and Author of Philippine Declaration of Independence, was a member of  La Liga Filipina.  The reorganized Liga lasted for only six months.  Two factions emerged, one which still nurtured the conviction that  political reforms could be wrested from Spain through peaceful means, and the other, led by Bonifacio, which argued that the time for revolutionary radicalism had come.  In October 1893, the two groups parted ways and was dissolved. The moderates organized the "Cuerpo de Compromisarios" under several Masons including Apolinario Mabini and Ambrocio Rianzares Bautista.  They pledged to raise funds for the support of the propaganda organ "La Solidaridad", and for the reform crusade.

On June 12, 1892, when Philippine independence was proclaimed in Kawit, Cavite, a Proclamation of Independence, written by a Freemason (Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista) and signed by another Mason (Emilio Aguinaldo), was read. Thereafter a Freemason Rianzares Bautista displayed the flag before the populace.  Many other participants in that historic event were also members of the Craft.

1981, September 15.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  2p00 AMBROSIO RIANZARES BAUTISTA.  Member, La Liga Filipina;  Author, 1898 Act of Declaration of Philippine Independence.


ANDRES BONIFACIO

Andres Bonifacio was a member of Logia Taliba, a Masonic lodge under the Gran Oriente Español (Spanish Grand Lodge).  He was a Filipino nationalist and revolutionary leader, 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.

2013, November 30.  Manila & Caloocan City.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  10p x 4, Se-tenant Blocks of Four, Andres Bonifacio 150th Birth Anniversary.


FRANCISCO DAGOHOY

Francisco Dagohoy.   A Boholano who holds the distinction of having led the longest revolt in Philippine history, the Dagohoy Rebellion. This rebellion against the Spanish colonial government took place in the island of Bohol from 1744 to 1828 (85 years on January 23, 1923 the Grand Lodge of the Philippines issued a charter to form  “Dagohoy Lodge”, named after the island’s rebel chieftain, Francisco Dagohoy,  whose exploits, historical records reveal, lasted eight full decades and was registered as the longest armed rebellion to succeed in the entire archipelago.  To complete the name of the newly formed lodge, it was assigned the number 84 to indicate it was the eighty fourth lodge to be established by the Grand Lodge of the Philippines, thus formally naming it “Dagohoy Lodge No. 84.”

1982, May 18.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  1p20 FRANCISCO DAGOHOY.  

1984, September 7.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  Revalued 3p00 FRANCISCO DAGOHOY.


GRAND LODGE OF THE PHILIPPINES FREE & ACCEPTED MASONS

In 1912, there were established in the Philippines three American Lodges owing allegiance to the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of California. They were Manila Lodge No. 342, Cavite Lodge No. 350 and Corregidor Lodge No. 386. The Grand Lodge of Scotland had two – Lodge Perla del Oriente No. 1034 and Cebu Lodge No. 1106.

On November 17, 1912, by virtue of a resolution addressed to each of these three American Lodges, a meeting at 10 o’clock in the morning was held for the purpose of organizing a Grand Lodge of the Philippines. Perla del Oriente No. 1034 and Cebu Lodge No. 1106, S. C. were invited but failed to attend. This resolution reads as follows:

“Whereas, it is the inherent prerogative of any three subordinate Masonic Lodges in a territory, like the Philippines, masonically free, to organize, through their representatives a Grand Lodge, and

“Whereas, there have existed in the Philippines for some years, such Lodges of sufficient number to exercise said prerogative, and

“Whereas, such a step would assure the permanency and promote the progress, harmony and efficiency of legitimate and Ancient Craft Masonry in the Philippines; therefore,

“Be it resolved, that a committee of three, preferably the Master and Wardens of this Lodge, be and they hereby are authorized to meet with the Masters and Wardens of not less than two other Lodges in Convention at the Masonic Temple in the City of Manila at a time to be agreed upon by said representative to organize a Grand Lodge of the Philippines, and that this Lodge authorize any further steps that may be necessary and lawful to perfect the organization thereof. ”

The Fusion.  On February 14, 1917, due primarily to the efforts of Most Worshipful Manuel L. Quezon, 27 lodges then under the Gran Oriente Espanol were fused with the Grand Lodge of the Philippines.  This event is considered to be one of the most important Masonic events that have taken place since the FUSION of the two Grand Lodges of England in 1813.

1977, April 28.  Quezon City.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic Cachet.  GRAND LODGE OF THE PHILIPPINES F&AM - 60th Anniversary of The Fusion.  Franked with a 10s President Manuel L. Quezon stamp.

1987, December 19.  Manila and Iloilo.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  GRAND LODGE OF THE PHILIPPINES F&AM - 75th Anniversary.

2012, January 19.  Manila.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  7p x 2 Se-tenant pairs.  The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines 100th Anniversary.


TEODORO M. KALAW

Teodoro M. Kalaw.  A member of the Philippine Masonry, Kalaw rose to the high position of Grand Master, presided over two Grand Lodges, and was the only Filipino to have acquired the Grand Oriental Chair before even serving as “Master of Subordinate lodges”.  Kalaw’s Masonic career is one of the most checkered in the annals of Philippine Masonry. Initiated at Nilad Lodge on April 8, 1907, he was raised a Master Mason only on July 3, 1914 or seven years later. The next year, he was elected Grand Master of the Gran Logia de Filipinas. In 1919 he was elected Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands but it was only in 1931 that he finally occupied the exalted position of Grand Master of Masons.

 A prolific writer, scholar, orator and statesman, he was first appointed Secretary of a Quezon-headed Commission to the International Commission on Navigation in Russia. Upon his return in 1910, he ventured into politics and was elected representative to the Philippine Assembly representing the province of Batangas.  He was also appointed Director of the National Library and in this capacity enriched the nation’s archives with his collection of so many voluminous books and materials, among them the Constitutions from other countries that became reference guides in the framing of the 1935 Constitution.

1984, March 31.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  60s TEODORO M. KALAW,  Birth Centenary. 


PRESIDENT JOSE P. LAUREL

Jose P. Laurel.   Member of the Masonic Body, having been initiated in Batangas Lodge No. 383, under the Grand Lodge of the Philippines, and served as a Junior Warden.

Laurel was President of the Second Republic (1943 to 1945).  He served as Secretary of the Interior (1923), Senator (1925 - 1931), Delegate to the Constitutional Convention (1934), and Chief Justice during the Philippine Commonwealth. When World War II broke out, he was instructed by President Manuel L. Quezon to stay in Manila and deal with the Japanese to soften the blow of enemy occupation. During the Japanese occupation, he served in various capacities and helped draft the 1943 constitution. As president he defended Filipino interests and resisted Japanese efforts to draft Filipinos into the Japanese military service. Upon return of the American Forces, Laurel was imprisoned in Japan when Gen. Douglas MacArthur occupied that country.  He was returned to the Philippines to face charges of treason, but these were dropped when President Roxas issued an amnesty proclamation. In the Third Republic, he was elected Senator and negotiated the Laurel-Langley Agreement.

1977, March 9.  Manila.  Souvenir  Cover with Masonic cachet.  JOSE P. LAUREL - 86th Birth Anniversary.  Cover No. 7 in a series of covers issued in celebration of 1977 Reunion For Peace Year. 


CHARLES A. LINDBERGH

Charles Lindbergh spent the last 20 years of his life advocating protection of the air, land, and water of threatened animals and plants of primitive people.  Through his efforts two of the rarest animal species that are found in the Philippines, have been included in the list of endangered species:  the Monkey Eating Eagle, and, the Tamaraw.  He also helped preserve the Tasadays, a tribe in Southern Philippines, perhaps the last of the aborigines

1977, May 20.  Manila.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic cachet.  CHARLES A. LINDBERGH - 50th Anniversary, First Solo Transatlantic Flight, New York to Spain.  Member - Keystone Lodge No. 243.


APOLINARIO MABINI

Apolinario Mabini was made a Mason in September 1892 in Logia Balagtas No. 149 under the Gran Oriente Espanol.   He was an organizer and orator of the Masonic Regional Council of 1893.  He also served as a leader for the unification of Philippine Masonry.

He is known as Brains of Philippine Revolution.  He was a private counselor to Emilio Aguinaldo, President of the Philippine Revolutionary Government.   He also served as one of the cabinet members under Aguinaldo and as such, wrote the important decrees issued by Aguinaldo. 

 He is also known as the Sublime Paralytic.  Paralyzed in both legs, he arrived at the Proclamation of Philippine Independence in Kawit, Cavite, in a hammock. 

1978, May 13.  Quezon City.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic cachet.   APOLINARIO MABINI - 75th Birth Anniversary.

 

2014, July 23.  Manila.  First Day Covers with Masonic cachets.  APOLINARIO MABINI 150th Birth Anniversary.  10p x 3, Se-tenant Strips of 3 & 40p Souvenir Sheet.


GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR

Douglas MacArthur  became a Freemason while serving as field marshal in the capacity  of Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines.  On January 17, 1936, Most Worshipful Brother Samuel R. Hawthorne, Grandmaster of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines, made Douglas MacArthur "Mason at Sight".   Affiliated with Manila Lodge No. 1, Free and Accepted Masons of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Philippines.  He received the 32nd degree, Manila Scottish Rite Bodies in same year.  In 1937, he was elected Knight Commander of the Court of Honor.  When the Supreme Council of the Philippines was formed, he became a member of the  Council and its Grand Orator.

 

1945, January 26.  Manila P.I. "Post Your Mail Early" (machine slogan cancel), and,  Manila No. 1, Philippines (regular postmark).   Souvenir Covers with Masonic cachets on 2c Rice Planting postal cards.  GEN. DOUGLAS MACARTHUR - 65th Birth Anniversary.

1977, January 26.  Quezon City.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic cachet.  GEN. DOUGLAS MACARTHUR - 97th Birth Anniversary.  Cover No. 3 in a series of covers issued in celebration of 1977 Reunion For Peace Year. 

  

1980, January 26.  Manila Central Post Office; Lingayen,  Pangasinan;  MacArthur, Leyte;  Mariveles, Bataan;  Corregidor Islands.  First Day Covers with Masonic cachets.  30s, 75s, 2p30, and, 5p souvenir sheets.  GEN. DOUGLAS MACARTHUR - Birth Centennial.  (Exists in small and large envelopes).

2014, October 20.  Manila.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  10p Leyte Landing, 70th Anniversary.


MANILA LODGE NO. 1  FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS

Manila Lodge No. 1 Free and Accepted Masons, headed by Raymundo N. Beltran, Worshipful Master, celebrated its 75th Anniversary on October 9, 1976.  The year long activities of the Lodge was highlighted with a dinner on October 9 at the Scottish Rite Temple.  Charles Christian, Deputy Direcor of USAID, was the special guest of honor and speaker.   He was introduced by VW Joseph W. Pickard, Grand Lodge Inspector.  The traditional Scottish Rite Masonic luncheon forum at 12:30 PM was hosted by Manila Lodge No. 1.  Guest speaker was retired Justice Calixto O. Zaldivar, Deputy Grand Master.

1976, October 9.  Manila.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic cachet.  MANILA LODGE NO. 1 F&AM - 75th Anniversary.  Franked with Rizal and MacArthur stamps, both Masons.


CAMILO OSIAS

Camilo Osías.  In Masonry, Osias was initiated, passed, and raised in Bagumbayan Lodge No.4 in August 1918. In 1948, he became Master of his Lodge. He was elected Junior Grand Warden in 1952, Senior Grand Warden in 1953, Deputy Grand Master in 1954, and Grand Master in 1955.  

In the Scottish Rite, Osias became a Master of the Royal Secret in October 1938 in the Philippine Bodies and was one of those who organized the Luzon Bodies in 1948. Two years later, in 1950, the Supreme Council of the Philippines honored him with his investiture as Knight Commander of the Court of Honor and then in January 1952 elected and crowned him Active Member and Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Supreme Council. He served in several offices of the Supreme Council for almost two decades. When Sovereign Grand Commander Conrado Benitez passed to the next life on January 4, 1971, a special meeting of the Supreme Council was held on January 28, 1971 and Osias was elected Sovereign Grand Commander to serve out the unfinished term of Benitez. In 1973 Osias was re-elected to his own three year term as Sovereign Grand Commander, but a lingering illness forced him to tender his resignation barely a few months after his re-election.

Osias was a Filipino politician.  He was elected a member of the Philippine Senate in 1925, and, a Resident Commissioner in the United States House of Representatives in 1928.  He also served as a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1934, and a member of the first National Assembly in 1935. In 1939 he was a member of the Economic Mission to the United States, and chairman of the Educational Mission between 1938 and 1941.  He was elected again to the Philippine Senate in 1947 for a term expiring in 1953. He was President of the Senate of the Philippines twice for a short time in 1952 and in 1953. He was the Philippines' representative to the Inter-parliamentary Union in Rome and to the International Trade Conference in Genoa in 1948.

1989, May 18.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  1p CAMILO OSIAS, Decade of Filipino Nationalism (Great Filipinos) series.  Birth Centenary.


RAFAEL PALMA

Rafael Palma.  Initiated in Bagong Buhay Lodge No. 17 in 1907 and was passed and raised in the same Lodge in 1908. Later, he affiliated with Sinukuan Lodge No.16, where in 1914-15, he became a Master.

In the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Palma was a member of Lakandula Lodge of Perfection, Wise Master of the Chapter of Rose Croix, Manila (1919), a member of Malcampo Council, Knight of Kadosh, and member of Rizal Consistory.  He was elected Knight Commander of the Court of Honor in October 1921 - about a year after his term as Grand Master of Masons in the Philippines.

Palma was a Filipino politician, Rizalian, reporter, writer, educator.  He also became the fourth President of the University of the Philippines.  He joined the libertarian movement as a reporter in La Independencia, the first Filipino daily newspaper, founded and directed by General Antonio Luna. When Luna died, he assumed the paper’s editorship and continued the nationalistic commitment.  He also wrote for La Patria and other papers. He joined Sergio Osmena and Jaime de Veyra and founded in February, 1900, the first daily newspaper in Cebu, El Nuevo Dia.   He started politics when he became a member and secretary of the Association of Peace. Senator Palma established his residency in Cavite and presented his candidacy as assemblyman for the province in 1907 and he successfully won said election.

1977, August 15.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  Revalued 30s RAFAEL PALMA.


QUINTIN PAREDES, SR.

Quintin Paredes.  Initiated in Sinukuan Lodge No.16 on February 12, 1913, and passed as well as raised in November of the same year. He became Worshipful Master of his Lodge in 1920-21. In January 1923, he demitted from Sinukuan to become one of the founders of Abra Lodge No.86, Bangued, Abra.

He was equally active in Scottish Rite Freemasonry. He was elected Venerable Master of the Lakandula Lodge of Perfection and Commander of the Council of Knights Kadosh.  While he was serving as Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines, he was created a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor.

Paredes was a Filipino lawyer, politician, and statesman.  He served as Philippine Solicitor General in 1917 and 1918, as Attorney-General from 1918 to 1920, and as Secretary of Justice from 1920 to 1921. As Attorney-General, Parades was a member of the first parliamentary mission to the United States in 1919.  He was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives to represent the Lone District of Abra in 1925, 1928, 1931, and 1934, serving as Speaker pro tempore of the House of Representatives from 1929 to 1931, and as the Speaker itself from 1933 till 1935.  In 1935 he was elected as a member of the Philippine Assembly but he resigned to serve as the Philippines' Resident Commissioner.  Under the Tydings-McDuffie Law that created the Philippine Commonwealth Government, Paredes became its first Resident Commissioner, serving from February 14, 1936, until his resignation on September 29, 1938.

1984, September 12.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  60s QUINTIN PAREDES.


PEDRO PATERNO

Pedro Paterno was born in Manila on February 27, 1857.  He was a Filipino statesman as well as a poet and writer. He was the author of Pacto de Biak-na-Bato (Pact of Biak-na-Bato, published in 1910.   He studied at Ateneo de Manila and afterwards at the University of Salamanca.  He likewise enrolled at the Central University of Madrid where he completed his law degree.

Paterno was a scholar, researcher and novelist of the Propaganda Movement.  He joined the Confraternity of Masons and the Asociacion Hispano-Pilipino in order to further the aims of the Movement.   He was the first Filipino writer who escaped censorship of the press during the last days of the Spanish colonization.  His greatest contribution to the country was his role as a mediator in the peace agreement between the Spaniards and the Filipinos. 

He contributed a lot in Philippine literature, too.  His writings showed how much he loved his country. He had also given the Filipinos a sense of pride through the honors and achievements he had contributed to our culture and literature.  His work, El Cristianismo en la Antigua Civilization Tagalog, is one work that achieved so much admiration and recognition.

Paterno was one of the representatives to the National Assembly of 1899.  He did not agree in the planned annexation of the Philippines to the United States.  He believed that the Filipinos would rather choose to govern their own country than have it ruled by the Americans. Because of his refusal, other Filipinos followed suit. This refusal stirred their emotions to fight against the Americans later on.

1974, April 16.  Manila.  First Day Cover, Imperforate, with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  1p50 PEDRO PATERNO.


MARIANO PONCE

Mariano Ponce was Made a Mason in Logia Iberia in Madrid.  He served as Secretary of both Logia Revoluccion and Logia Solidaridad 53.  He became a 33rd degree of A&AR Mason under the auspices of the Gran Oriente Espanol.   Together with Jose Rizal and Marcelo H. del Pilar, they became known as the “Glorious Trinity of Propaganda Movement” in Spain.

Ponce was a magnificent researcher and prolific writer.  He authored the “Celebrated Filipinos” and other patriotic writings and Philippine folklore.   A brilliant journalist, he assisted Lopez Jaena in founding the publication “La Solidaridad.”  He was Secretary General and Diplomatic agent of General Emilio Aguinaldo in Japan where he purchased arms for the Philippine Revolution.  An intimate friend of Dr. Sun-Yat-Sen, also a 32nd Degree Mason, dedicated patriot and valiant fighter, he ranks among the great heroes of the Philippines.

2013, September 5.  Manila.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  10p MARIANO PONCE 150th birth anniversary.


PRESIDENT MANUEL L. QUEZON

President Manuel L. Quezon was initiated at Sinukuan Lodge No. 16, Free & Accepted Masons, Manila.  He was a Freemason most of his life.  He was most instrumental, along with other Filipino and American Masons, in the unification of Filipino and American Lodges on February 13, 1917.  He became the first Filipino Grandmaster of   Grand Lodge of  Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines, succeeding  MW William H. Taylor.  Due to the influence of his wife, Quezon resigned from Masonry on September 17, 1930.  After his death, the Catholic Church claimed he had renounced Masonry.   However, seven years after his resignation, Quezon made this statement:  "I didn't and never will renounce Masonry.  There is a form which those returning to the Church are supposed to sign but I refused to sign it.  Instead, I wrote the Archbishop a personal note saying that I understand that I could not be readmitted to the Roman Catholic Church so long as I remained a Mason, and, for that reason I was resigning from Masonry but I never renounced Masonry”.

Manuel L. Quezon served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944.  He was the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines and is considered by most Filipinos to have been the second President of the Philippines, after Emilio Aguinaldo (1897–1901) of the Revolutionary Government.   He established an exiled government in the United States with the outbreak of World War II and the impending Japanese Occupation.  It was during his exile in the U.S. that he died of tuberculosis at Saranac Lake, New York. He was buried in the Arlington National Cemetery until the end of World War II, when his remains was moved to Manila.   His final resting place is the Quezon City Memorial Circle.

1977, August 1.  Quezon City.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic cachet.  PRESIDENT MANUEL L. QUEZON - 33rd Death Anniversary.  Cover No. 12 in a series of covers issued in celebration of 1977 Reunion For Peace Year. 

 

1978, August 19.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  30s PRESIDENT MANUEL L. QUEZON, Birth Centenary.


ARTEMIO G. RICARTE

General Artemio G. Ricarte served as Master Mason in 1896.  Named after him was Artemio Ricarte Lodge No. 322, under the Jurisdiction of The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of F & AM of the Philippines.

General Artemio Ricarte's Masonic life is sketchy. Except for a very brief notation that he was made a Master Mason by Venerable Master Pedro Camus on September 1896, or no more than a month after the epochal "Cry of Pugad Lawin", no other Masonic anecdote can be credited to his name.

Ricarte played a very important, albeit, controversial role in the nation's history.  A teacher at the start, he became one of the most feared rebels of his time during the Revolution and his alias "Vibora" or “Viper” will attest to that. He worked faithfully by the side of Bonifacio, and, after the latter's death, sided with Aguinaldo for the liberation of his country both against the Spaniards and the Americans.

Many of the country's generals, Aguinaldo included, surrendered, but Ricarte never did. Banished by the Americans in Guam together with Apolinario Mabini at the turn of the century, they returned to the country to face the music.  Mabini subsequently raised his right hand in submission to the Americans but the recalcitrant Ricarte did not and was forthwith deported back to Guam.

1984, March 22.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  60s GENERAL ARTEMIO RICARTE.


DR. JOSE P. RIZAL

DR. JOSE RIZAL was initiated on November 15, 1890 in Lodge Solidaridad No. 53, Madrid, Spain. Affiliated on February 16, 1892, Grand Orient of France.  Worshipful Master, 1892, Nilad Lodge No. 144, Philippines.   Master Mason, Lakandula Lodge of Perfection, Manila.  Rizal Consistory was named after him.

Rizal is the greatest Filipino martyr, executed by the Spaniards on December 30, 1896.  Noted scientist, philosopher, sculptor, painter, agriculturist, educator, reformer, historian, novelist, poet, journalist and polyglot.

He was a devoted Mason, and, together with Marcelo H. del Pilar and other active Filipino Masons worked judiciously hard for the successful implantation of the seeds of Freemasonry in Philippine soil.  For his two books, "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo", through which he denounced and exposed fearlessly the abuses and corruption of the friars and the Spanish officials in the Philippines, and for being a Freemason, he was exiled and imprisoned in Fort Santiago and shot in the field of Bagumbayan (Luneta, and now, Rizal Park) on December 30, 1896.

1946, December 30.  Manila.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  2c JOSE RIZAL Martyrdom, 50th Anniversary Overprint.

1962, June 19.  Maynila.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  6s (single rate), and, 6s G.O. (Official Business) DR. JOSE RIZAL.

1977, February 16.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  30s DR. JOSE RIZAL.  Cover No. 5 in a series of covers issued in celebration of 1977 Reunion For Peace Year. 

1978, April 11.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  30s DR. JOSE RIZAL.

 

1988, December 30.  Manila.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic cachet.  DR. JOSE RIZAL - 92nd Death Anniversary.

1990, November 6.  Manila.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic cachet.  DR. JOSE RIZAL, Made Master Mason, November, 1890, Logia Solidaridad No. 53 - 100th Anniversary.


PRESIDENT MANUEL A. ROXAS

President Manuel A. Roxas was a Past Master of Acacia Lodge No. 13, Free and Accepted Masons.  He was a Master Mason of Makawiwild Lodge No. 55 of Capiz.  He was also a Member of the Scottish Rite Bodies of Manila.

Manuel A. Roxas was the fifth President of the Philippines, the last of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and the first of the sovereign Third Philippine Republic. He ruled as President July 4, 1946 until his abrupt death in 1948.

Roxas occupied more important positions in the Philippine government than any other Filipino had ever held before him.  Starting in 1917 he was a member of the Municipal Council of Capiz.   He became the youngest Governor of his province and served in this capacity from 1919 to 1922.  He was elected to the Philippine House of Representatives in 1922, and for twelve consecutive years was Speaker of the House.  He was member of the Constitutional Convention from 1934 to 1935, Secretary of Finance, Chairman of the National Economic Council, Chairman of the National Development Company and many other government corporations and agencies, Brigadier General in the USAFFE (United States Armed Forces in the Far East), and Guerilla leader.

After the amendments to the 1935 Philippine Constitution were approved in 1941, he was elected to the Philippine Senate, but was unable to serve until 1945 because of the Japanese Occupation of the Philippines during WW II.

1978, March 15.  Manila.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic cachet.  PRESIDENT MANUEL A. ROXAS - 30th Death Anniversary.


THE ROYAL ORDER OF SCOTLAND

The Grand Lodge of the Royal Order of Scotland is headquartered in Edinburgh, with a total of 88 Provincial Grand Lodges in several locations around Britain, and in a number of countries around the world. The order claims the King of Scots as hereditary Grand Master.

The order has existed since at least 1741, based on records in the archive of the Grand Lodge demonstrating activity in London, with a further charter being granted in 1750 to work the degree at The Hague. The holder of that warrant, William Mitchell, moved to Edinburgh around 1752/3, using the charter to establish a Provincial Grand Lodge there. In 1767 this body became the Grand Lodge of the Royal Order of Scotland.

Originally, membership of the Order was limited to Scotsman or those of Scottish descent, but later the privilege was extended to Master Masons of other nationalities. The Order has now, besides Provincial grand Lodges in Gibraltar, in New Brunswick, in the Open Ports of China and Hong-Kong, in Western India, in Ontario, in Vancouver, in the United States of America, in the Philippine Islands, in Natal and Zululand, in Cape Colony, in The Transvaal, and in Geneva. In the United States of America the Degree is very highly prized, and is not conferred on anyone who has not received the Thirty-second Degree of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite.

1977, July 28.  Manila.  Souvenir Cover with Masonic cachet.  THE ROYAL ORDER OF SCOTLAND - Reacrtivated in the Philippines by Sir Knight Marvin E. Fowler, Provincial Grand Master.


LOPE K. SANTOS

Lope K. Santos.  Father of Pilipino Grammar.  Santos’ Masonic records include that of being First Woshipful Master of Magat Lodge No. 68 in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya and was a member of the Philippine Bodies.

Santos is a noted printer, newspaperman, editor of Muling Pagsilang, labor leader, last president of Union Obrrera Democrata which under him officially became the Union del Trabajo del Filipinas.

Author of socialistic novel entitled Banaag at Sikat (Rays and Sunshine) and textbooks titled Diwang Kayumanggi (Thougths and Ideas of the Brown Race), Director of the Suriang ng Wikang Pambansa, Governor of Rizal Province, and Senator of the Philippines.

His life was dedicated to the national aspiration of strengthening the country's values and ideals based on a language that is uniquely rooted in the local or Philippine language."

Lope K Santos Chapter Order Of Demolay  -  was named in his honor.

1978, April 26.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  90s LOPE K. SANTOS.


JUAN M. SUMULONG

Juan M. Sumulong.  Initiated into the mysteries of Freemasonry in a lodge under the jurisdiction of Gran Oriente de Espana.  During the frantic efforts by many to unify Philippine Masonry into only one roof, Sumulong became charter member of the newly-organized Bagumbayan Lodge No. 4 on June 4, 1914.  Named after him was the J. Sumulong Memorial No. 169.

Like Manuel L. Quezon, he also joined the Katipunan and after the PhilippineAmerican war ended, served as Secretary to the Governor of Morong (now Rizal) province. He became a journalist, was admitted to the bar, was appointed Judge of the Court of First Instance in 1906 and in 1907 ran for a seat in the Philippine Assembly but lost.

He rejoined the government service in 1908 at the Court of Land Registration.  In 1922 he was elected Senator and served as member of the Philippine Mission that worked for the Philippine Independence in the U.S. Congress.

In 1934, he was reelected Senator.  In 1941, he ran against the charismatic Manuel L. Quezon for the presidency but lost.

At his deathbed, Sumulong told Jorge Bocobo and Jose Fabella that he and his party, Partido Nacional Progresista will not join the Japanese-sponsored government that ominously hang over the horizon, a conviction that no doubt, he steadfastly carried to his grave.

1982, August 10.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with additional Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  2p00 JUAN SUMULONG.

1984, March 26.  Manila Central Post Office.  First Day Cover with Masonic cachet.  Famous Filipino series.  Revalued 4p20 JUAN SUMULONG.

 

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