A View of the Current History of Cavite Masons

An objective reiteration of the events in 2006 that led to chaos in the Masonic District of Cavite can lead even an armchair analyst to see a seemingly Machiavellian scheme to divide the District and eventually destroy its harmony.

Harmony has always been a primary concern of Masons in Cavite, and they stood steadfastly to preserve it. First, they established a compact among Lodges to implement a rotation scheme for the hosting of their annual district convention. Second, in conformity to the requirement to recommend three Past Masters for District Deputy Grand Master, they agreed to do away with politics by selecting nominees only from the district convention host lodge. The scheme worked perfectly for over two decades. Third, they agreed to preserve the District as one and seriously protested, through resolutions and personal pleadings, every move by any Grand Master to divide it.

In 2003, many brethren were slighted when they learned about the circulation of an offer by a prospective candidate for Junior Grand Warden to foot the bill for plane tickets to the venue of the scheduled Grand Lodge of the Philippines Annual Communications. This tact was never done before. Cavite Masons were known for their independence and free choice during elections. To the extent of being labeled disunited, even nominees from Cavite were not always supported by Cavite Masons. The blatant attempt to gain support with the use of favors was considered an affront to their sensibilities and adherence to age -old tenets. Therefore, in the exercise of their lawful rights and duty, Cavite brethren filed an electioneering case against the prospective nominee.

The 2003 annual election for Junior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines was marked with unprecedented events. When the prospective nominee did not land in the short list of five, the electioneering case was declared moot and academic. But in an unprecedented decision of the Past Grand Masters’ selection board, alternate nominees were named. The strangest development was when all five principal nominees suddenly withdrew from the race. Naturally, the two succeeding alternate nominees became the only strong contenders. The nominee charged of electioneering by the Cavite brethren won. Three years later in 2006, he became the Grand Master.

The biggest blow that a Masonic district could suffer is disharmony. When personal interests start to supersede established traditions, they become the Achilles heel of an organization. The Cavite brethren had no inkling that their strongest asset, their harmonious traditions could be at the same time, their weakest. In spite of a clear conformity to the requirements for nominating a District Deputy Grand Master, i.e., three recommendees, the 2006 Grand Master invoked his prerogative and ignored the District recommendation. The Past Grand Masters tried to advise him that such move might cause disharmony but to no avail.

Personalities and personal interests started to divide an erstwhile harmonious Masonic District. Disillusionment was however, not over the personalities involved but over the principle and scheme of things. Only later did the issues become personal and confrontational - a natural reaction when battle lines are drawn.

Who would therefore not subscribe to the idea that there was spite or a conscious desire on the part of the Grand Master to punish the District of Cavite for exercising its lawful right and duty to oppose electioneering? Certainly, one would be hard put to dissociate the events of 2003 from the actions taken by the Grand Master in 2006. No amount of rationalization could cleanse the effects of his actuations. Actions speak louder than words.

In contemporary history, a system of government based on benevolent dictatorship does not work anymore. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Absolute power has become obsolete power.

The bottom line is many Cavite Masons unwittingly allowed themselves to be used like medieval marionettes in a theatrical mock war. They mistook their own brothers as their real enemies until these brothers had no recourse but to establish their own fort to withstand the siege.

January 28, 2008

*** originally posted at West to East Yahoogroup by Bro Ric Alvarez

Views And Information

TO ALL PHILIPPINE MASTER MASONS WITHERSOEVER DISPERSED:

BBL4 Masonic Center
IGLPI Research and Information Center
Cavite City, Philippines
23 January 2008


1. The malady that besets the GLP today is caused by many years of complacency among Past Grand Masters. They allowed violations of their own constitution and ordinances. They allowed the annual communications to be transformed into a huge social gathering that eventually focused on the coronation of the Grand Master whose election became increasingly suspicious due to electioneering and the use of king makers with massive infusion of cash and favors.

2. The claim of exclusive territorial jurisdiction of the GLP runs counter to the interpretation of many Masonic scholars and thinkers. It reminds us of the old colonial powers that came to foreign lands and unilaterally staked out a piece of property and announced to the world that it was their exclusive territory. This was what the American Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands did to Masonry in the Philippines . Jurisdiction should be over the lodges, not the geographical territory. Besides, this self-declared rule is being violated or ignored even in many states of the U.S.

3. The doctrine of exclusive territorial jurisdiction applies only to the lodges under the Grand Lodges, not the geographical territory which only a state or country may claim. The whole idea of claiming a geographic territory is self-serving and presumptuous. How may it be totally enforced, by raising an army and driving away the enemies? It is similar to colonization and subjugation. Other Grand Lodges in the World have thus amended their constitution to correct this anomaly.

4. The GLP’s stand on territorial jurisdiction that prohibits other Grand Lodges and lodges not under its jurisdiction is not the Filipino Mason’s concept of brotherhood. During the Spanish regime, many lodges and Grand Lodges operated in the country on equal footing, with no territorial fights or animosities until the Americans came and established three lodges and within a span of 12 years put up a Grand Lodge exclusively for them. For more than 50 years we had Spanish, British, French, Portuguese, German and other foreign Grand Lodges working in harmony. When the revolution erupted Filipino Masons fought together regardless of lodges and Grand Lodges.

5. Isang dakilang halimbawa nang pag-kakapatiran ang makikita sa kasaysayan ng reporma at rebolusyon sa ating bayan. Bagama’t mga Kastila, sina Gov. Terrero at Blanco na parehong mga Mason ay maraming natulungang mga Pilipinong Mason. Nandiyan na sina Rizal at Marcelo del Pilar. Si Terrero ay pinalayas sa Pilipinas ng kanyang gobyerno sa udyok ng mga fraile dahil sa pag-tatakip at pag-tatanggol kay Rizal at del Pilar. Si Blanco naman ay naipit ng umapoy na ang rebolusyon at sa nakitang pag-aaligaga nito sa pagsupil sa mga rebolusyunaryo, siya rin ay pinatalsik. Ang di-pagaalintana sa sariling kapakanan sa ngalan nang pagtulong sa kapwa ay isang magandang aral ng Masonerya. Malayung-malayo yata sa Masonerya ngayon.

6. Ang pagtalima sa di-makataong utos at panuntunan ay taliwas sa turo ng Masonerya. Bakit pinapayagan ng mga past Grand Master ang patuloy na pag-sikil sa karapatan ng mga Mason sa Pilipinas gayong umaamin sila na may mga pagka-kamali nga ang mga nakaraang liderato?

7. Sayang ang mga repormang ginawa ni Grand Master Puno ukol sa eleksiyon. Inikutan lamang ng mga king maker at mga ambisyosong kandidato sa JGW. Eleksiyon na naman. Ano kayang milagro ang mangyayari?

8. The Constitutions of Masonry were premised on “benevolent dictatorship.” Although it was very reminiscent of medieval patronage politics, it was workable at a time when service and pure intentions for Masonry were the prime qualifications of a Grand Master. It was never in the minds of the framers of the constitution that abuse could be possible. They must be stirring in their graves today.

9. The Filipino Masons did not get and were not given a chance to put up their own Grand Lodge because of their subservience to Spain . They saw their chance after the revolution but their republic was short lived because of the invasion by the Americans. When Spain ceded the country to the U.S. all hopes were lost. American Masons followed the American doctrine of ownership of war spoils and claimed the Philippines as their own territory.

10. It is unfortunate that GLP continues to subscribe to the idea of exclusive territorial jurisdiction which was not observed during the Spanish regime in the country. In fact this doctrine imbedded in the Constitution was purely an American imposition. It is in conformity with Decision No 367 of the Grand Lodge of California adopted in 1912 to justify its claim of territorial jurisdiction. This doctrine was practiced by the Grand Lodge of California who sponsored the three Lodges that set up the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands: Manila Lodge No. 342 in 1901, Cavite Lodge No. 350 in 1903 and Corregidor Lodge No.386 in 1907. Why the gap of four years before another lodge in Manila ( Corregidor ) was established? In 1905, a move was initiated by some Americans to establish a 2nd blue lodge in Manila (after Manila Lodge) but it was temporarily shelved because it was feared that should a charter be issued for a new lodge, an effort will subsequently be made towards the establishment of a Grand Lodge which Filipinos may join. Indeed it was true. The Grand Lodge of the P.I. was established in 1912 but as an American Grand Lodge and solely for Americans. There was no initial intention to admit Filipinos and indeed there was no growth for three years while Filipino lodges were enjoying relative freedom and old lodges were being re-established. The Regional Grand Lodge of the Philippines was formed on September 9, 1906 and was working for the support of Grand Master Miguel Morayta of the Grande Oriente Espanol, friend and benefactor of Filipino Masons. Most probably, aware of such activities and the exigency arising, the Americans allowed the establishment of Bagumbayan Lodge No.4 in 1915, ostensibly with a mixed membership, to finally allow and entice Filipino Masons whose lodges outnumbered the American lodges. It is sad that an American imposed rule used to successfully over run Filipino Masonry is still being enforced by Filipino Grand Masters to subjugate fellow Filipino Masons.

11. The Grand Lodge of Oregon amended its Constitution in June 1977 to redefine its definition of territorial jurisdiction. Part of its Constitution now declares that the Grand Lodge of Oregon has “original jurisdiction for all matters pertaining to Ancient Craft Masonry for its members in the state of Oregon .” This paved the way for its recognition of Prince Hall Masonic Grand Lodge in the state of Oregon . The state of California also has a Prince Hall Grand Lodge, so are Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Illinois, New Jersey-Newark, Maryland, Arizona, New York, Virginia-Richmond, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Georgia Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Nebraska, Connecticut, Alabama, Mississippi and a host of other American states. Like the Berlin wall, old barriers are falling down in favor of equality and brotherhood.

12. At what point did amity or friendship translate itself into “recognition”? Why is territorial jurisdiction invoked in the so-called standards of recognition? Recognition and geographical boundaries defining territorial jurisdiction, by their very nature are political. They create a barrier of discrimination. This is anathema to the claim of universality. In the new World order, trade, travel, employment and even monetary systems are breaking down barriers without fear of surrendering a country’s sovereignty. By continuing the practice this anachronistic doctrine of “recognition” and exclusive territorial jurisdiction, Masonry shall stagnate and the golden teachings it is supposed to propagate shall be relegated to history books. There are enough safeguards in the fraternity to prevent pretenders and usurpers. Colonial practices should now be abrogated.

IGLPI Letter to GLP