Padugo: A Cornerstone is Laid in Casiguran
The ritual of the "Padugo" is an enduring tradition in the Philippines where blood is spilled in the foundation of a structure to be built to drive away evil spirits and ensure its sturdiness. As an appreciation of this cultural practice, the blood of a wild boar was offered to appease the spirits on the eve of the cornerstone laying ceremony for Kasiguruhan Masonic Lodge No. 423's Masonic Temple. In Freemasonry, the first stone to be set in building a Masonic edifice is the cornerstone that will determine the position of entire structure and laying the cornerstone is a significant Masonic ceremony both from the operative and speculative points of view. Grand Master Johnny Pimentel of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Philippines himself presided over the cornerstone laying ceremony of Kasigurahan 423 upon the invitation of DDGM Rommel Angara who warmly received him and his entourage upon their arrival in the remote town of Casiguran, Aurora which is 358 kilometer