The 108th Public Installation of Elected and Appointed Officers for Masonic Year 2009 was held last January 20, 2009 at 6 p.m. at the Conrado Benitez Hall, Scottish Rite Temple. The Installing Officer for that evening was no less than our very own Past Grand Master, MW Raymundo N. Beltran who conducted an excellent and very solemn installation ceremony. Assisting him was VW Robert P. Liao, PDDGM and WB William P. Liao as Master of Ceremonies and Asst. Master of Ceremonies respectively.
Chosen to lead the Lodge for the ensuing Masonic year was Bro. Albert V. Manlulu who was elected as the Worshipful Master during the last stated meeting for the year in December 2008. WM Albert V. Manlulu is a proud son of Manila-Mt. Lebanon Lodge No. 1 having been a member and Past Master Councilor of the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Chapter, Order of DeMolay which is sponsored by our very own Lodge. He is also the 1st MacArthur DeMolay to ascend to the Oriental Chair in the East and the 2nd MacArthur DeMolay to join the Lodge. The 1st MacArthur DeMolay to join its sponsoring body was Bro. Isaias B. Ubana, II, our newly installed Junior Warden.
The Guest of Honor and Speaker for the evening was no less than our very respected and admirable Grand Master of Masons under the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons in the Philippines, MW Pacifico B. Aniag who delivered as always an inspring message to the more than 140 guests in attendance that evening.
A Fraternal Banquet was held at the Masonic Heroes Hall of the Scottish Rite Temple wherein the brethren as well as their guests celebrated the evening in a very festive mood in honor of the newly installed officers.
by VW Lucas Ty
The charity works of the lodge can be traced back to as early as 1902, after the Lodge received its Charter, it provided financial assistance to Bro. A. Crawford (a public school teacher) who was afflicted with pneumonia and confined at a military hospital in San Mateo. From then on, Manila Lodge No.1 had been involved in countless charity works for masons and non-masons alike.
Today, the lodge is still very active in its traditional Charity Projects of Harelip & Cleft Palate Program, as well as the Eye Saving Program. For the harelip & cleft palate, children with these deformities are treated at the St. Martin de Porres Hospital in San Juan, Metro Manila, about 25 -30 patients are sponsored by the Lodge annually.
For the eye saving program, our major benefactors are WB Dr. Willie Ang Bue Te who performs the surgery and WB Manfred Rode who donates the Intraocular lens. These two noble brethren have been supporting this project for more than 20 years and the Lodge had assisted scores of beneficiaries, including non-masons patients. These charity projects are funded by contributions from brother masons, including Lodge members who are now based in foreign countries.
Through the years, the Lodge has continued to maintain and support its charity works, thru which it is hoped that the tenets of Freemasonry as practiced by the members can be shared with masons and non-masons alike.
By WB Eleazar S. Calasan, PM
The age-old adage “If there’s a will, there’s way” still rings true.Less than a century ago, our great forebears from the then Manila Lodge No. 342 purchased from the City of Manila Burial Section 92 located at the Manila North Cemetery. This plot has a total area of 1,000 square meters divided into 40 lots of 25 square meters where each lot contains 8 graves. Lots 1, 2, and 5 to 40 is registered in the name of the Lodge. Lots 3 and 4 is owned by St. John’s-Corregidor Lodge No. 3.
In 1966 the late WB Oscar L. Uy reported that 152 graves are occupied and proposed to improve the plot in order to pay tribute to our departed brethren and immortalize their memory by making a haven of their final resting place. Regrettably, his proposal was not pursued for inadequacy of funds.
Before the turn of the century, the Lodge commissioned a committee to look into the possibility of the cemetery’s rehabilitation for actual use. In its report, the committed proposed that the entire property be fenced and landscaped; that a building be constructed to hold a chapel and niches where the remains of those presently buried can be transferred; the place be rehabilitated and its privileges be offered to interested members of the Lodge who may wish to avail of the same. Due to budgetary constraints, the committee proposal was partially implemented by having the entire valuable property fenced. As a deterrent to intruders, the Lodge engaged the services of a caretaker who regularly trims the grasses and keeps the property clean.
In accordance with our tradition of honoring the dead and to show our gratitude and continuing concern for their unselfish devotion to the Craft, the Lodge allocated funds for the perpetual maintenance of their graves by repairing, painting and elevating the stone markers that have been mercilessly ravaged by time and the elements. The Lodge also set aside funds for the construction of a two-layer 42 concrete wall niches with a central flag pole for members of the Lodge and qualified brethren interested in being interred in the cemetery for a fee. The construction was started in 2007 and completed on January 2008 during the term of WM Eric Panzo under the direct supervision of Bro. Engr. Ramon Fria. On Sept. 1, 2008, a Memorandum of Agreement will be signed with the Grand Lodge of F & A M of the Philippines represented by the MW Grand Master Pacifico B. Aniag that will grant all Past Grand Masters the privilege of interment in the Masonic Cemetery, to be followed by the cemetery’s blessing and re-dedication.
It is earnestly hoped that the next generation members of this Lodge will continue on their duty of improving the final resting place of our departed brethren. For it is our moral obligation to exercise due care and proper accountability for all those which have been passed on to us by our forebears.
Our member MW John L. Choa, PGM, PGT and President of Grand Guild of Past Masters of the Philippines, was invited to be the installing officer by IP VS Bashir of India as International President of Y’s Men International during the 68th International Convention at Herning, Denmark last August 1, 2008.
Likewise he was also invited by Ms. Rita Hettiarachchi of Sri Lanka as the President of Asia Area of Y’s Men International, MW John was a Past Asia Area President who later served as the International President of Y’s Men International in 2006. The affair was attended by more than 1,200 delegates coming from all the eight areas of Y’s Men International, Asia, Europe, India, United States, Canada, Latin America and Caribbean, South Pacific and Africa Areas.
The motto of Y’s Men international is to “Acknowledge the Duty that Accompanies Every Right”. It has existing clubs in 74 countries, and is an accredited NGO with consultative status of the United Nations.”
By VW Willy Ranaga
That is the new name of our scholarship assistance program. It started in 1977 when the then Manila Lodge No.1 & Mt. Lebanon Lodge No. 80 F. & A.M. were merged into one Lodge known as Manila-Mt. Lebanon Lodge No. 1 F. & A.M. under the stewardship of WB Domingo B. Sanchez in 1977. The Program was named after one of the distinguished member of the Lodge and was known as the Eduardo Gonzales Scholarship Fund. What started as assistance to a handful of scholars of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, steadily grew in numbers as the committee saw fit to benefit more scholars by spreading the budgeted amount to accommodate as much as possible. Its endeavors with PLM was successful that PLM acknowledged the effort of the Lodge with the awarding of a Plaque of Appreciation during its Foundation Day in 1986. With the rising cost of education, the committee decided to trim down the numbers of scholars so that each scholar will be benefited more. And later, the committee expanded its horizons to consider scholars from other State Universities and Colleges. In the year 2002, the scholarship grant was extended to the scholars of CITY COLLEGE OF MANILA where deserving students were ably assisted financially. The efforts of the committee spread that even foreign Lodges began to send its donations to participate in the works of the committee. Thus, the new scholarship grant was armed with more support to attain its objectives.
See the Grant Guidelines here.
Lodge Activities | admin | 
January 24, 2009 9:42 pm | 
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