Cabletow 4th issue - GM Ebdane - Grand Lodge of the Philippines

The Cabletow
There were not many Masons in the Philippines from 1756
to 1890. These few were mostly military men or sojourners
influenced by the libertarian movement abroad and almost all
of them were foreigners. The small group was “cursed and condemned by church
and state.” The Royal Letter Patent dated January 19, 1812 in Cadiz issued by the
Council of Regency of Spain in the Indies which embodied the first official prohibition
of Masonry in the Philippines sternly warned the faithful that “one of the most
serious evils that affected the Church and the State is the growth of the Order of
Freemasons, so repeatedly proscribed by the sovereign pontiffs and by all the Catholic
sovereigns under Europe and against whom His Majesty the King, Don Ferdinand
VI, fought.” This was followed by other similar decrees prohibiting anyone from
becoming a member of the Order.
Besides the royal decrees, numerous propaganda materials were circularized
by the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines against Masonry. Needless to say
that the language used was far from fraternal. They were abusive and at times
revolting.
Of course, the friars’ vitriolic tirade towards Masonry was greatly influenced by
the intellectual wind of change sweeping across Europe at the time that threatened
the ecclesiastical syncritic doctrine. The reactionary leaders after 1848 dreamt of
swinging the pendulum of time when society had been passed on inherited privilege.
True, the revolution of 1848 in Europe was a failure as most of the revolutions of
the 1820’s and 1830’s, but the desire for freedom of speech, religion, press and
assembly could not be stifled. The tremendous effect of liberalism left its imprint
around the world. Men started looking for organizations embodying such ideals.
One organization that stood for Liberty and Fraternity was Masonry. No wonder,
despite ecclesiastical and state warning, some dared affiliate with it.
British Masonry
Ironically, the British, not the Spaniards, were the first to bring Masonry to
Philippine shores. From extant records, the British army established a lodge during
their brief stint here, but it was as short-lived as the 1762 to 1764 Manila Occupation.
The British presence here was the result of the war between Spain and Britain. This
was triggered by the Pacto de Familia signed by Charles III of Spain and the Bourbon
kings of France, Naples and Parma on August 25, 1761 at Versailles. Following this
Cabletow 24
PIONEERS OF PHILIPPINE
MASONRY, 1756-1890
by VW Samuel P. Fernandez
Grand Historian