THE TRESTLEBOARD

In the earl 1990s, a number of Master Masons thought of and shared the idea of putting up a lodge in Palayan City. The idea, however, met opposition from other members of the Craft for the reason that there were then not enough brethren residing in the city to make the idea feasible. A couple of years later, another group endeavored to restart the project. Preliminary meetings were held, a set of officers was chosen, signatures for a petition were gathered but for unknown reasons, the petition was not filed in the Grand Lodge. Several attempts were subsequently made but nothing materialized. In the last 5 months of 1998 after a series of dilaogues with VW Gregorio Camiling who was then the Commanding General of the 7th Infantry Division of Fort Magsaysay, Bro. Voltaire T. Gazmin who was then Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, some senior military officers and determined Master Masons revived the idea of putting up a Masonic Lodge in Palayan City. Finally after a del...

The lodge was the braninchild of 77 Master Masons who were members of majority of lodges in Nueva Ecija. On 28 October 1985, Grand Master Pedro W. Guerzon issued a dispensation to Talavera Lodge. During the ANCOM in April 1986, Grandmaster Guerzon granted Talavera Lodge its much coveted charter after laboring for 6 months. In the meantime, the lodge acquired a donated 2,021 square meter lot from Marcial Punzalan. On 21 June 1986, Grandmaster Reynold S. Fajardo constituted Talavera Lodge No. 273. The first sons of the lodge are Danilo Uy Tak, Inocencio B. Sagun Jr. and Roberto L. Morales who were raised as Master Masons in June 1986. In 1992, through the efforts of the brethren, the lodge was able to erect its own temple that was fuly constructed during the time of Worshipful Master Pablito S. Lacanilao, Senior Warden Inocencio B. Sagun Jr. and Junior Warden Leonardo S. Ting. The lodge's Construction Committee was in charge of the project that was then headed by Florencio M. Gloria ...

Masons from Nueva Ecija who were assigned in Aurora dreamed of establishing a Masonic lodge in the province. Cabanatuan Lodge No. 53 and Kapatiran Lodge No. 228 recommended the creation of the new lodge. Acting on a petition signed by 62 Master Masons, MW Rudyard V. Bunda issued the dispensation on 14 March 14 1983. In April 1984, MW Rosendo C. Herrera granted the charter to the Manuel L. Quezon Memorial Lodge No. 262. On 09 June 1984, MW Reynato S. Puno visited Baler, Aurora and formally constituted the lodge at the Gabaldon Hall of the Baler Central School. Thereafter, the following principal officers were installed: Rodolfo C. Beltran as Worshipful Master, Diosdado Mudlong as Senior Warden and Ildefonso Evangelista as Junior Warden. A few years after the lodge was constituted, Bros. Joselito J. Angara and Pedro Calixto each donated a 1,000 square meter lot where the present temple now stands.  Among the notable members of the lodge are Gov. Gerardo A. Noveras, former Vice-Gov. I...

It was not your usual fellowship that happened on December 30, 1973 at the house of Eugenio Bitantes of Memorial Lodge No. 90. It was something else. Before that, stories were rife that the brethren were planning to put up a Masonic lodge in Rizal, Nueva Ecija. And so it happened. On that eventful day prior to the new year, the brethren formally discussed the creation of a new lodge that led to 43 Master Masons in good standing from Memorial Lodge No. 90 and Narra Lodge no. 171 to submit a petition for dispensation to form a new lodge to be named Bonari Lodge. MW Ruperto Demonteverde issued the requested dispensation on February 18, 1974. However, the lodge failed to meet the requirements and failed to get the nod of the Grand Lodge during the ANCOM but its dispensation was extended nevertheless. The lodge was able to be granted its charter after a favorable recommendation during the 1975 ANCOM, and eventually requested that its name be changed to Pantabangan-Bonari to avoid confusion ...

VW Rhomel A. Martinez is officially the first District Deputy Grand Master appointed to preside over Masonic District Nueva Ecija East and Aurora. Although relatively young at 46 years old for such delegation, DDGM Rhomel has been honed to assume the task by his outstanding Masonic journey. He was raised as a Master Mason on 13 December 2003 at Pantabangan-Bonari Lodge No. 203 which he later served as Lodge Treasurer in 2008, Lodge Secretary in 2009 and finally as Worshipful Master in 2012. He served as Grand Lodge Inspector for Talavera Lodge No. 273 twice, in 2013 and 2015, and was appointed as District Grand Lecturer for Masonic District Nueva Ecija South & Aurora in 2014. He wears the white cap of an Inspector General Honorary of the 33 rd Degree of the Munoz Bodies of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rites where he served as its Venerable Master in 2011 and is also a Past Royal Patron in 2007 of the Pantabangan-Bonari Courth No. 46 of the Order of the Amaranth. He is the inc...

The Groundwork The former Masonic District Nueva Ecija South & Aurora has 19 Lodges under its jurisdiction that is stretched 238 kilometers from Gapan City along Nueva Ecija’s boundary with Bulacan in Central Luzon, to Casiguran near Aurora’s boundaries with Quirino and Isabela in Cagayan Valley. And over time, governing such a wide geographic area has become challenging due to the resources and time required and has resulted in unintended consequences. Lodges in the fringes felt distant and somehow detached to the District’s seat of governance in Cabanatuan City, and some of them were disappointed that they are often left mostly by themselves to stand in vigil to honor the memory of a departed brother, a most solemn and important obligation where the District is expected to mobilize the participation of all Lodges within its jurisdiction. Recognizing these constraints, WB Monico G. Delgado, a Past Master of Nueva Ecija Masonic Lodge No. 73 and Zaragoza Masonic Lodge No. 263 and th...