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.

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.

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.

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.”

The Objective of the Grant is to assist underprivileged but deserving students to pursue a chosen college course, be professionals in their chosen fields of endeavors and be responsible citizens in their communities. The selection of these students-scholars will be based purely on the own merits without any political or financial considerations.

The Lodge ardently hopes that in the years to come, when the Grantees graduated and become financially stable, they would reciprocate the generosity of the Lodge by extending the same assistance to the underprivileged but deserving scholars.

II. Student’s Qualifications

1. The Student must be Filipino Citizen.
2. The student must be enrolled as a full-time student and not employed.
3. The applicant must have graduated from 4th year High School with a general average rating of “2.5” or its equivalent numerical grade.
4. The student must carry a minimum of 18-units or more per semester.
5. The student must maintain a general average grade of not lower than “2.5” or its equivalent numerical grade during the Semester.
6. The student must not have incurred any grade or rating or “4.0” or “5.0” or “Incomplete” or “Dropped” or its equivalent numerical grade during the Semester.
7. The student must be of good moral character.
8. The student must not have been found guilty of participating in any violent act or incident, or have been subjected to any disciplinary action inside or outside the school campus.
9. The student must not be involved in any acts pertaining to the possession, use, trafficking, or sale of prohibited drugs inside or outside the school campus.
10. The student must remain single while under the scholarship grant.
11. The student’s parents must have an annual income of not more than P180,000.00 per annum as evidenced by their latest income tax return, which must be submitted together with the application form.

III. The Scholarship Grant

1. The Grant shall be known as Manila-Mt. Lebanon Lodge No.1 Masonic Scholarship Grant.
2. The Grant shall support college student from any public college or university.
3. The Grant may be availed for a four years or a five years course, and is opened to Freshmen Students who will meet the required qualification, recommended by the college’s Dean of Student Affairs and finally selected by the Scholarship Committee.
4. The Grant shall be in effect for four or five years, depending on the course, provided that the grantee shall maintain the academic and other criteria set forth.
5. The Grant shall be terminated if the Grantee fails to comply or meet the academic and other criteria set forth for qualification.
6. The Grant is not transferable.
7. The Grant’s benefits shall be P6,000.00 per semester per student, to cover the expenses for books and other expenses incurred in the pursuit of his studies.
8. The Grant’s benefits shall be released to the grantee under the following schedule:

• Upon selection/continuation of grant at the start of Semester — Php 2,000
• Every 16th of the month thereafter for 4 months — Php 1,000

IV. How to Apply and Avail of the Grant

1. 1. The applicant student shall fill up the Manila-Mt. Lebanon Lodge No.1 Masonic Scholarship Grant Application Form which may be secured form the office of the Dean of Student Affairs or from the Office of Manila-Mt. Lebanon Lodge No.1 F. & A.M. at the Scottish Rite Temple 1828 Taft Ave., Manila.
2. Applicants must submit together with the completed application form, a recent 5”x7” whole body photo, photocopy of his 4th year high school report card, latest filed income tax returns of the parents and a barrage clearance.
3. The Dean of Student Affairs may recommend 8 to 10 applicants based on the merits of their high school records. Among them, a set of applicants will be selected after having been interviewed by Lodge’s Scholarship Committee. The Grantees shall be notified of their selection thru the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs or directly by the Secretary of the Lodge.
4. The Scholarship shall continue for four or five years depending on the chosen course of the Grantee.
5. In the event the Grantee fails to meet the requirements or withdraws from the Grant, new freshmen applicants on the following school year.
6. At the end of each Semester, the Grantees shall secure from the Dean of Student Affairs, a certification of their performance for the preceding semester, together with true copies of their report cards. Compliance with this procedure will mean the continuance of their Grant for the succeeding Semester.