CAPSULE LAYING. Officers of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines led by Grand Sr. Warden Juanito Espino Jr. breaks ground the soon to rise Masonic Temple in Magalang town. Looking on is TRC Director General Dennis Cunanan (center). Photo by Ric Gonzales
MAGALANG, Pampanga— The Grand Sr. Warden Juanito Espino, Jr, of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines led the ground breaking rites of the soon to rise Masonic Temple of Magalang Lodge 391 in this town on Tuesday.
Espino, who is also Commission on Audit Commissioner, said the establishment of the new lodge here is a manifestation of the dedication and hard work of the members of the Freemasons in Pampanga, especially to the members of the Magalang Lodge 391 headed by its Worshipful Master Dennis L. Cunanan.
The Masonic Temple will rise in a 1000 square meters land area in Barangay Dolores here, Cunanan said.
The ground breaking rites was also witnessed by some Masonic dignitaries from Grand Lodge of the Philippines, including the officers in Central Luzon and Masonic District RIII-A (Pampanga), Masonic District RIII-G (Tarlac).
Also present during the round breaking rites include Very Worshipful Lorenzo Detran, Jr., Central Luzon Grand Lodge Lecturer; Very Worshipful Gerardo Feliciano, Deputy District Grand Master for RIII-A; and other Masonic dignitaries under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines.
Cunanan, who is also the director general of the Technology Resource Center (TRC), said the establishment of the lodge is an historical event because there are only few young lodges in the Philippines that can build new lodge for its various Masonic activities.
Other Freemasonry lodges in the Pampanga, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines, include Pampanga Masonic Lodge 48 which was established in 1919 under its charter master Pedro Abad Santos; Leornard Wood Lodge 105 established in 1921; Jose Abad Santos Memorial Lodge 333 established in 2000, and Tiburcio Hilario Lodge 394 established in 2010. Magalang Lodge was also established in 2010.
