Freemasonry celebrates 100 years in Davao

The Freemasonry celebrates 100 years of its existence in Davao since 1918.

Part of the activities of the 100 years celebration of Masonry in Davao, the Masonic District Region 11, which is comprised of Davao City, Davao del Sur, and Sarangani Masonic Lodge No. 50 held a school outreach program under the Grand Lodge campaign Isang Milyong Lapis at Sipilyo the other day, Sunday, November 18 at the Optaciano Hilay National High School (OHNHS), Manambulan Elementary School, San Miguel Elementary School, Mulig Elementary School.

A fellowship ball will also be held on November 24, Saturday at the SMX Convention Center, SM Lanang Premier, with Guest Honor and Speaker Most Worshipful Romeo S. Momo, Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines.

In 1918, early settlers of Davao included Masons who were appointed to various top positions in the government.

Drawn together by a mystic tie, a small group met to formally discuss the formation of a Masonic lodge in the area. Within the year, the group petitioned and gained the necessary dispensation from the Grand Lodge of the Philippine Islands, bearing the lodge name, Sarangani. It was chartered as the 50th Masonic Lodge in the Philippines and the first in Davao Province.

At the onset of Japanese invasion in 1941, Lodge activities ceased. Equipment, records, and paraphernalia were all nearly confiscated save for some which were kept when WB Celestino Chaves interceded. During these trying times of the country, the Masons too were active in saving the lives of many Filipinos who were subjected to unjust execution.

Eventually, those equipment and records were burned too when a fire swept through the main thoroughfares of Davao with the coming of American forces. At the height of the World War II, the Lodge lost its Charter. After the war, the brethren constructed their own Masonic temple near the Sta. Ana Wharf. It was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on September 26, 1949 by a team headed by the late Grand Master Esteban Munarriz and Grand Secretary Antonio Gonzales.

This year, as the Lodge celebrates a hundred years of making better men for better society, it bears the theme “A Century of Masonic Heritage and Legacy,“this is in line with the theme of the Grand Lodge which is “Freemasonry: Bridging Men Through Harmony and Brotherly Love; Making Better Men for Better Society.”

On April 28, 2018, Mayor Sara Z. Duterte issued Proclamation No. 4 declaring 2018 as the Centennial Year of Freemasonry in Davao City. With the creation of Sarangani Masonic Lodge No. 50 in 1918, the Masonic District of Region 11 is also celebrating its centennial year as a District.