25/12/2022
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History of the Gran Logia Soberana del Archipielago Filipino (GLSdAF).
Taken from the “Brief History of Freemasonry in the Philippines” written by IPB Maximo De Guzman, 33°, Past Grand Master of the Gran Logia Soberana del Archipielago Filipino, and IPB Judge Eliseo M. Zagala, 33°, Past Master of Bathala Lodge No. 1, Past Deputy Grand Master, and Past Grand Orator of the Gran Logia Soberana del Archipielago Filipino.
1887
• Organization of the first Regional Grand Lodge on June, 1887, by IPB Miguel Morayta, 33°, being the Assistant Grand Master and Acting Grand Master of the Spanish Symbolic Masonry of the Sovereign Grand Symbolic Lodges, under the Gran Oriente de España.
1889
• In January 9, 1889, Gran Oriente de España became the Grande Oriente Español (GOE).
• GOE founded various Lodges in the Philippines. Due to the domination of the friars who by superstition always pretended to maintain a fictitious preponderance in the territory of the Philippines, Lodges effected their labours with utmost secrecy.
1892
• Taking advantage of the opportunity that the authorities of the Archipelago showed some tolerance toward Freemasonry, GOE issued on March 10, 1892 a Charter to Nilad Lodge that was established in the Capital and very shortly thereafter, the workshops in the Philippines multiplied.
1895
• GOE successfully established in different parts of the Philippines before the end of 1895 at least 24 Lodges, one Masonic Triangle, and a Chamber of Knights of Kadosh.
1896
• Philippine Revolution broke out and ended with the domination of the Islands by the United States, and a series of cruel persecutions and terrible sufferings just for the only crime of being Masons, to which our Filipino brethren were subjected due to the influence of the friars over the authorities of the Archipelago, many of them being and continuing to be attached to Spain, obliged them to abandon their labours, and thus nearly all of the Lodges were dissolved.
• Despite the circumstances, some meritorious Masons, desirous of preserving Spanish Masonry in the country formed Modestia Lodge and succeeded in having the Institution survive from the shipwreck in that epoch. In actuality, three Lodges, one Triangle, and a Rose Croix chapter were thriving under the auspices of the GOE during that time.
1906
• Having been informed that the American Masons had formed three Lodges with a view of constituting the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands which was equivalent to deauthorizing GOE that was Masonically occupying the country with priority, our Filipino brethren assembled on September 6, 1906, and organized the second Regional Grand Lodge (Gran Logia Regional No. 2) which occupied its honor and place which was always under the auspices of the GOE.
1907
• Gran Consejo dela Orden (Grand Council of the Order) accepted, admitted, regularized and legally constituted Gran Logia Regional No. 2 which shall be using the name Gran Logia Regional de Filipinas on May 11, 1907 per Boletin Oficial dela Revista Masonica del Grande Oriente Español dated May 29, 1907.
1908
• A Charter was issued by the Grand Council of the Order on June 27, 1908 to Gran Logia Regional de Filipinas signed by IPB Miguel Morayta, 33°, Grand Master, and IPB Victor Gallego, 33°, Grand Secretary-General.
1912
• Three Lodges under the Grand Lodge of California, namely Manila Lodge No. 342, Cavite Lodge No. 350, and Corregidor Lodge No. 386, on December 19, 1912, decided to establish in these Valleys the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands.
• The Lodges under the Confederation of the GOE should have necessarily manifested their conformity therewith, but since, they had not been officially informed of the movement by the American Lodges, no agreement between the two Jurisdictions could then be arrived at.
1915
• On July 4-5, 1915, at the initiative of IB Teodoro M. Kalaw, more than 400 representatives from 29 constitutional Lodges of the GOE met in a Grand Assembly of Master Masons and resolved to present a fraternal protest against the establishment of the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands via a Resolution of Protest adopted by the Gran Logia Regional de Filipinas.
• On October 15, 1915, IB Teodoro M. Kalaw discussed with great abundance of arguments the rights that legitimately belonged to the Lodges of the GOE, and that there was no union because there had been no justice.
• On October 20, 1915, IPB Miguel Morayta, 33°, Grand Master, wrote to IB Teodoro M. Kalaw, stated as follows:
“Never have I spoken about my services and favors to my friends, but now I believe obliged to remind the Filipinos that my steady attachment and support to their desire for vindication and my pure affection to their persons have caused me much disappointment.
For the energy with which I have embraced their cause, I found myself accused of being a traitor to Spain and yet this infamy, no matter how absurd it may be, neither affected nor molested me in the least, because people sufficiently ignoble to look contemptuously at me are not wanting.
This and many other things I forgot in the face of the action of the Filipino Masons continuing united to me, as those of Puerto Rico. Spain, as they say, is a stranger in the Archipelago. However, the Masons of the latter continue to be of your family, your brothers.
I understand that you are molested with the installation of American Lodges, but this is inevitable, because there are no human means to impede it. However, on the other hand, you may be rest assured that, confederated with the Spanish Grand Orient, you have the Masonic regularity which the North American Invaders shall not attain.
We defended a suit before the courts of the United States to uphold our regularity, and we won it. Consider what our right will be when we are legally occupying a territory which is now a stranger to us, but which was perfectly Spanish when we established ourselves there. And this aside from the fact that Spanish Masonry is older than the American.”
1919
• On July 17, 1919, the Grand Council of the Order authorized Bro. Mariano Tenorio to constitute Lodges in these Valleys per Acta No. 1.
1922
• Two Boletin Oficial y Revista Masonica del Grande Oriente Español Num. 386 published the following report of Lodges operating under the labours and auspices of the GOE during the General Assembly of Representatives on October 21, 1922:
1. Balagtas Lodge No. 149
2. Bathala Lodge No. 157
3. Walana Lodge No. 158
4. Taliba Lodge No. 165
5. Bagumbayan Lodge No. 352
6. Non Plus Ultra Lodge No. 422
7. Lealtad Lodge No. 413
8. Antorcha De La Libertad Lodge No. 415
9. In re Nilad Lodge No. 144
1923
• The Second Regional Grand Lodge (Gran Logia Regional de Filipinas was transformed into the Gran Logia del Archipielago Filipino with full jurisdiction within the Symbolism, or within the first three degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, under the auspices of the Supremo Consejo del Grado 33 para España y sus Dependencias (GOE) which issued the Charter, and was published under Boletin Oficial Num. 370 dated March 30, 1923.
1925
• On December 26, 1925, the Supreme Council of the 33° for Spain and her Dependencies (Supremo Consejo del Grado 33 para España y sus Dependencias – GOE), in session assembled, adopted the following accord:
“That the Symbolic Grand Federal Council of the Grande Oriente Español having resolved to grant full independence to the Gran Logia del Archipielago Filipino, so that it may in the future, live as a free organization with perfect and complete personality and as a national Grand Lodge, this Supreme Council accords to extend to it a CHARTER that accredits forever its regularity and legitimacy, which shall be recognized by all the Regular Masons of the world, by all the Grand Orients and Grand Lodges, and by all the regular Supreme Councils that constitute the UNIVERSAL CONFEDERATION OF THE SUPREME COUNCILS OF THE 33° of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.”
• On December 31, 1925, in conformity with the above-mentioned agreement, the Supreme Council of the 33° for Spain and her Dependencies issued a CHARTER in favor of the Gran Logia del Archipielago Filipino as a PERFECTLY REGULAR, FREE and INDEPENDENT Organization signed by IPB Enrique Gras, 33°, Sovereign Grand Commander and IPB Jose Lescura, 33°, Grand Chancellor/ Secretary-General.
1926
• On January 6, 1926, a CERTIFICATION OF PERFECT REGULARITY was issued by IPB Jose Lescura, 33°, Grand Chancellor/ Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of the 33° for Spain and her Dependencies to the Gran Logia del Archipielago Filipino.
• On May 7, 1926, the Federal Symbolic Grand Council of the GOE wrote to the Gran Logia del Archipielago Filipino consecrating its Masonic independence as a perfectly regular, free and independent organization.
• On August 5, 1926, the Gran Logia del Archipielago Filipino, via a Resolution dated and adopted on September 2, 1926, shall be thereafter to be known as the “GRAN LOGIA SOBERANA DEL ARCHIPIELAGO FILIPINO”, celebrated solemnly and publicly the declaration of its INDEPENDENCE, for and in virtue of the CHARTER granted to it by the Grande Oriente Español on December 31, 1925, and proclaimed from East to West, and from the High Twelve, its existence as a SOVEREIGN BODY in these Valleys, and the rest is history. ###
