FREEMASONRY
What is Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the world. It unites men of
good character who, though of different religious, ethnic or social backgrounds, share a belief in
the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind. Freemasonry offers a system or
blueprint for the good man to further improve his character and actions through its system of
degrees, symbols, and fellowship opportunities.
History of Freemasonry
Modern Freemasonry was established in England in 1717, although its exact origins are
lost in the unrecorded history of medieval times. Its roots are found in guilds of stonemasons
that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of being a stonemason. As a
stonemason grew in his craft, he was entered into the appropriate rank: apprentice, journeyman
(now called Fellow Craft), and master mason.
At each stage, the craftsman was entrusted with the secrets of each level, which include
passwords and grips (or handshake) made known to him only upon due inspection of necessary
proficiency by a master of the craft. This way, as stonemasons migrated across Europe to the
next job, each man was assured proper pay and privilege commensurate with his skill level, and
clients were assured of the quality of work. Today, Freemasonry shares this same system of
secrets, ritual and growth, though the work has shifted from building edifices to building oneself
in good character.
Characteristics of Freemasonry
Basic Principles. Freemasonry is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion.
It requires of its members a belief in God as part of the obligation of every responsible
adult, but advocates no sectarian faith or practice. Masonic ceremonies include prayers,
both traditional and extempore, to reaffirm each individual’s dependence on God and to
seek divine guidance. Freemasonry is open to men of any faith, but religion may not be
discussed at Masonic meetings.
The Supreme Being. Masons believe that there is one God and that people
employ many different ways to seek, and to express what they know of God. Masonry
primarily uses the appellation, “Grand Architect of the Universe,” and other non-sectarian
titles, to address the Deity. In this way, persons of different faiths may join together in
prayer, concentrating on God, rather than differences among themselves. Masonry
believes in religious freedom and that the relationship between the individual and God is
personal, private, and sacred.
Volume of the Sacred Law. An open volume of the Sacred Law, “the rule and
guide of life,” is an essential part of every Masonic meeting. The Volume of the Sacred
Law in the Judeo/Christian tradition is the Bible; to Freemasons of other faiths, it is the
book held holy by them.
The Oath of Freemasonry. The obligations taken by Freemasons are sworn on
the Volume of the Sacred Law. They are undertakings to follow the principles of
Freemasonry and to keep confidential a Freemason’s means of recognition. The much
discussed “penalties,” judicial remnants from an earlier era, are symbolic, not literal.
They refer only to the pain any honest man should feel at the thought of violating his
word.
Freemasonry Compared with Religion. Freemasonry lacks the basic elements
of religion: (a) It has no dogma or theology, no wish or means to enforce religious
orthodoxy. (b) It offers no sacraments. (c) It does not claim to lead to salvation by works,
by secret knowledge, or by any other means. The secrets of Freemasonry are
concerned with modes of recognition, not with the means of salvation.
Freemasonry Supports Religion. Freemasonry is far from indifferent toward
religion. Without interfering in religious practice, it expects each member to follow his
own faith and to place his Duty to God above all other duties. Its moral teachings are
acceptable to all religions.
Masonic Lodge
A Masonic lodge is where local Freemasons meet and work. More than the location, the
lodge itself is its members and their united actions to promote Masonic values and enjoy each
other’s company. It is during these closed meetings that Freemasons perform ritual and other
teachings of the craft. The building itself can be as formal as the great Grand Lodges or as
simple as a single room in a local building. Every Freemason begins his journey in the Craft in a
lodge, where he receives the first three Degrees in Masonry.
The traditions of the lodge are founded upon the building of King Solomon’s Temple, and
its fraternal ceremonies use the working tools of the stonemasons to symbolize moral lessons of
Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth. For example, Masons are reminded at Lodge to meet upon the
level of equality, act by the plumb of uprightness, and part upon the square of virtue.
Degrees of Freemasonry
The experience of becoming a member of a Masonic Lodge is divided into three
aforementioned ceremonial stages that Masons call “degrees.” The three degrees of
Freemasonry are Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, and Master Mason. They are loosely based
upon the journeyman system, which was used to educate Medieval Craftsmen. Symbolically, the
degrees represent the three stages of human development: youth, manhood and age.
1st Degree: Entered Apprentice
The Entered Apprentice degree is a candidate’s first experience with the
ceremonies of the fraternity and serves as an introduction to Masonry. An Entered
Apprentice is a learner and, as such, should approach his new vocation with humility and
a sincere desire to absorb the lessons of the degree. This includes preparing to devote
some time studying and reflecting on the moral and ethical philosophies taught during
the ceremony.
Privileges of the Entered Apprentice
Becoming an Entered Apprentice, the candidate is entrusted with secrets
of the Masonic Order and vows to honor them under Masonic law. Once a
candidate completes the Entered Apprentice degree, he takes his first step as a
Freemason and enjoys the title of “Brother.” It’s important to note that while an
Entered Apprentice is still a member of the fraternity and may attend lodge
meetings, they cannot attend meetings convened in a higher degree. An Entered
Apprentice is eligible for a Masonic burial and to petition to complete the second
degree and continue his journey for light.
2nd Degree: Fellow Craft
For the Medieval stonemasons, this degree marked a craftsman’s progression
from an apprentice to a journeyman. In Freemasonry, the second degree represents the
symbolic growth from youth to manhood as a Brother accepts more responsibility within
the fraternity and commits to studying its teachings. It also exposes a Brother to more of
the symbolism and philosophy of the Fraternity.
Privileges of Fellow Craft
Upon completion of the second degree, a Brother is now eligible to attend
lodge meetings of the Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft Masons. While not
yet eligible to attend meetings in the Master Mason degree, he may begin his
preparation for the third and final degree by putting into practice the lessons he
has learned as an Entered Apprentice and Fellow Craft.
3rd Degree: Master Mason
As the final and highest honor in Freemasonry, the Master Mason degree
symbolizes man’s maturity through increased knowledge and wisdom. It is the
culmination of all he has learned through the first degrees, including how to prepare for
spiritual enlightenment through the craft’s teachings.
In the third degree, a candidate now learns to act with courage, fidelity, and
devotion to his God. The Master Mason ritual emphasizes the immortality of man’s soul
and encourages us to contemplate how this should influence our actions and decisions.
The candidate also strengthens his knowledge of the ethical principles of Freemasonry.
Privileges of a Master Mason
As a Master Mason, a man is free to follow his own path in the craft and is
entitled to the benefits of full membership. He can study in greater depth the
philosophy that underlies our ceremonies and aspire to leadership positions in his
lodge and greater Masonic community.
A Master Mason may also:
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Visit other Masonic lodges
Request Masonic relief
Affiliate with a new lodge upon relocation
Appear in public Masonic processions
Be taught all lessons that Masonry has to offer
Rizal the Mason
Jose P. Rizal was a freemason who condemned the corrupt ways of the Church and
upheld individual and national liberty. When Rizal arrived in Spain in 1882, he found a country
that was strongly influenced by Masonic thought. In 1868, less than twenty years before his
arrival, Masons like Juan Prim led the revolution that set up a liberal government which
advocated for education. Masonic principles like individual liberty, freedom of speech, equality,
religious tolerance, separation of Church and State, and others were also made part of the laws.
In 1884, Rizal began to write Noli MeTangere to expose the political and religious
corruption of Philippine society. Later that year, he delivered a speech at a banquet organized in
honor of Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, who had both won gold and silver medals
at the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes. In the speech, Rizal expressed his deep regard for
Spain, but condemned the friars in the Philippines. When copies of the speech reached Manila,
he earned the anger and enmity of the authorities who called him a filibustero or a subversive.
Rizal believed that one could be a good and moral person without the need for organized
religion or “the one true faith.”
Rizal adopted the Masonic name Dimasalang when he was anointed under the Gran
Oriente de España Lodge. Rizal is said to have been influenced to join Masonry by Miguel
Morayta, a history professor at the Universidad de Madrid. Revolutionaries such as 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 were also Masons and as such were automatically excommunicated as
decreed for all Catholics becoming Masons since 1738 and reaffirmed by the Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines in 1990.
In 1912, Rizal’s family did not heed the Jesuits’ request to rebury their eminent pupil.
That honor was instead bestowed upon 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, where he had been executed for rebellion, sedition, and
conspiracy 16 years before.
Freemasonry in the Philippines
Freemasonry has existed in the Philippines since the mid-1800s. Although the earliest
lodges were composed solely of foreigners, Filipinos soon had a foretaste of the libertarian
ideals of the Fraternity. This European Freemasonry aroused a craving for freedom from
oppression through several wars that prompted the first Philippine President to claim that the
revolution was “Masonically inspired, Masonically led, and Masonically executed.”
The Introduction of Freemasonry
The spread of Freemasonry to the Spanish colonies occurred during the 18th century,
heralded by a number of jurisdictions establishing lodges at considerable risk, as the wrath of
the Inquisition discouraged membership of the Craft. In 1738, the Roman Catholic objections to
Freemasonry were first expressed in the Papal Bull In Eminenti issued by Pope Clement XII.
Accusations against Freemasonry included:
- becoming popular
- binding members to secrecy
- members being compelled to swear an oath.
Despite the fact that Freemasonry is obviously not a religion, but a unique and practical
philosophy of life, perhaps even a philosophical companion to religion, the Catholic Church
either chose to misunderstand it as anti-Christian or was genuinely fearful of the philosophy, and
confused its secular rituals with religious liturgy. In Eminenti and subsequent Papal Bulls,
however, did little to prevent Catholics from remaining or joining Freemasonry including many
priests and Church dignitaries. Despite the automatic penalty of excommunication and being
deprived of all spiritual privileges, many Catholics ignored these Papal Bulls, which led to a
series of Papal edicts over the next three centuries that confirmed or renewed the Church’s
position against Freemasonry. The outlawing of Freemasonry by King Ferdinand VI of Spain in
1751, brought with it a continued wave of oppression across the Spanish empire.
British Masons in the Philippines – 1762-1764
It is not exactly certain when or why Freemasonry was introduced to the Philippines. The
strict prohibitions of the 18th and 19th centuries have effectively wiped any early records that
may have existed. There are, however, two pieces of evidence of early Freemasonry in the
country.
There is a record of individual Masons having been in the Philippines in 1756. As Pope
Clement XII’s In Eminenti was enforced by the Spanish colonial government, a record of the
Inquisition shows an entry of a trial of two Irishmen - James O’Kennedy, a merchant, and Dr.
Edward Wigat, a physician – for ‘heresy’ in Manila on the charge of being Freemasons. Both
Masons were released because they were British citizens.
The other piece of evidence is a record of the earliest lodge, founded by English Masons
in Manila between 1762-1764. The confrontational relationship between Britain and France can
be traced to the Seven Years’ War - the last major conflict before the French Revolution to
involve all the great powers of Europe - between England and France in 1756 in which Spain
allied with France. This conflict extended across the empire. In 1762, after a brief struggle with
Spain, the British fleet anchored in Manila Bay to mark the beginning of the British invasion of
the Philippines. General William Draper (British East India Company) led the expeditionary
forces to capture the Spanish colony of Manila. Almost as if in retaliation for the trial of the two
British Masons six years earlier, there are vague reports that the occupying force used the
Catholic Cathedral in the walled city of Intramuros in Manila as the venue to hold military lodge
meetings. This military lodge was organized by members of Gibraltar Lodge No.128. This is the
earliest evidence of lodge meetings having been held on Philippine soil. It is also an indication
of how widely Freemasonry had spread across the globe, 45 years after the establishment of
the United Grand Lodge of England.
Spanish Prohibition – early 1800s
To a large extent, the impact of Freemasonry and its contribution to the development of
Philippine independence echoed the progressively political, secular, anti-clerical and reformist
movements in Latin America during the 18th and 19th centuries.
During the early nineteenth century, Spain was ruled by King Ferdinand VII, a devout
Catholic who detested Freemasonry because of its association with liberal thinking and political
unrest. The first official prohibition of Freemasonry in the Philippines was in a Royal Letter
Patent dated 19 January 1812 issued by the Council of the Regency of Spain and the Indies, on
behalf of the absent Ferdinand VII of Spain who was then a prisoner of the French. In 1814,
Ferdinand VII abolished the constitution and re-established the Inquisition. In August 1824, in
another Royal Letter Patent, Freemasonry was again prohibited as “one of the main causes of
revolution in Spain and in (Latin) America”. There can be little doubt that Freemasonry in
Spanish territories was perceived as a political threat, its very existence caused Spain to fear
the loss of its colonies. In addition, the Roman Catholic Church perception of Freemasonry as
godless, anti-Christ and heretical, meant that Freemasons in the Philippines were bound to
wage a long, arduous struggle for religious freedom and against bigotry.
Early Spanish Masons and Lodges in the Philippines
The first formal lodge was established in Manila in 1856 with the aim of creating a
solidarity for peace and harmony, led by Spanish naval officer, Capt. Jose Malcampo. It is the
“La Primera Luz Filipina” (Lodge of the First Philippine Light) in Kawit, Cavite.
On the other hand, the first truly Filipino lodge was organized by Pedro Serrano Laktaw,
together with Moises Salvador, Jose Anacleto Ramos, and Timoteo Paez in 1890. It was named
Nilad, said to be named after a type of shrub (nila in Malay) once abundant in the shores of
Manila Bay, from which the name Maynila (Manila) was also derived. Logia Nilad was
constituted on January 6, 1891.
Implications of the Spanish Revolution – 1868
One of the leaders of the Spanish revolution of 1868 was a Freemason, General Juan
Prim, who became Regent in 1869. Under Prim’s administration there served another
Freemason (and liberal), Segismundo Moret as Minister of Overseas Colonies. Moret set about
reforming Spain’s colonies and appointed another Freemason who was also a liberal, Governor
General Carlos Maria Dela Torre who was assigned to the Philippines in 1869.
The reforms implemented by Governor Dela Torre included free public discussion of
social and political issues; partial secularization of education and government control over some
educational institutions previously dominated by the friars. He lifted censorship of the press, and
provided exemptions from forced labor and payment of tributes. Dela Torre also fraternized with
mestizos and native Filipinos.
These reforms and innovations were well received by Filipinos, particularly the growing
ranks of intellectuals and Filipino secular priests. However, they also served to anger the
Spanish friars who saw their influence threatened and who feared the promotion of nationalist
sentiment and the focus given this fervor by Filipino secular priests headed by Fr Jose Burgos.
Conditions quickly changed when the Spanish Parliament restored the Spanish
monarchical system, the Regent, General Juan Prim was assassinated in 1870, and Governor
General Carlos dela Torre was recalled to Spain in 1871, allegedly through the agitation of the
friars.
In 1871, King Amadeo of Spain appointed Lt. Gen. Rafael de Izquierdo as Governor
General of the Philippines. Izquierdo reversed all of Dela Torre’s liberal policies and recalled his
reforms.
Following these events are the Cavite Mutiny in 1872 and the execution of the
GomBurZa, which I believe will be discussed by the other groups.
Hence, this ends our report, thank you for listening and have a good day.