THE BUILDER JUNE 1918

UNIFICATION IN THE PHILIPPINES 
BY BRO. CHARLES S. LOBINGIER, CHINA

March 15, 1917.

To the Sovereign Grand Commander and the Supreme Council:

Illustrious and Very Dear Brethren:

IN closing his memorable Allocution (1) of 1915 the Grand Commander
said: "Let us above all else be united! Discord and dissension are
destructive forces engendered by causes which should not be
tolerated among Masons. It is only when 'unified' that our Scottish
Freemasonry can truly exercise that influence in the World which
its power should enable it to do."

It is with a gratification second only to that which I know you
will all feel as a result of it, that I am able to report for my
jurisdiction a practical observance of this admonition, and a
complete realization of the ideal. Within the past year a divided
house has been joined together. Where there was diversity there is
now unity; where there was weakness there is potential strength. In
short it is my privilege to announce the unification of our rite in
the Philippines. Not that there has ever been dissension among the
bodies of our obedience here; but, as you will note from previous
reports of mine, Scottish Rite bodies, acknowledging allegiance to
other Supreme Councils, have continued to exist there alongside our
own. The reasons for this were mainly historical and call for a
brief review.

In the Philippines, Masonry considerably antedates the American
occupation. As long ago as 1856 the Spanish Admiral Malcampo, later
Governor General, organized a lodge at Cavite under the Grand
Orient of Portugal. (2) For some years, however, Masonic membership
in the Philippines was restricted to Spaniards. Finally in the
later eighties a movement was inaugurated in Spain itself (3) by
Miguel Morayta, recently deceased, and then head of the Spanish
Grand Orient, and Marcelo H. del Pilar, a Filipino residing in
Spain, which resulted in admitting some leading natives of the
Philippines into the ranks of Masonry; and then it began to exert
a real influence upon the affairs of the archipelago. It was the
ideas of the Scottish Rite which largely furnished the inspiration
for the uprising against the Spanish government in 1896. All Masons
were then under suspicion; many suffered and others died for their
allegiance to the craft and its principles. Then, too, the Spanish
Masons were practically the only Spaniards who sympathized with the
Filipinos in their struggles for a more liberal form of government.
It was not strange, therefore, that, in the hearts of the latter,
Spanish Freemasonry won a high place and that those who had allied
themselves therewith were loth to leave it notwithstanding changed
conditions. Indeed I sometimes wonder if we, ourselves, have rated
sufficiently high the character and achievements of our Spanish
Brethren and if we have not been too prone to judge them by
adventurers, parading under their name, in our own country. We must
remember that to be a Mason in Spain involves a great personal
sacrifice and that few but the tried and true are found in their
ranks. Perhaps for that reason they are extremely careful whom they
receive and require a long period of probation (4) such as formerly
prevailed in our own jurisdiction. (5)

American Masonry, coming into the Philippines with the army,
followed for a time the course of its predecessor in admitting only
Americans, just as the Spanish lodges at first received only
Europeans, but in establishing the Scottish Rite there I insisted
that there should be no invidious distinctions of nationality and
the first class upon which I conferred the 320, in 1911, included
a well known Filipino, now a Judge, who has been very helpful to us
ever since. Other Filipinos, not inconsiderable in number, have
joined the Manila bodies from time to time, and, so far as I have
been able to prevent it, there has been no deviation from the
principle upon which those bodies were started. Meanwhile, not
unnaturally, some of the lodges and other bodies claiming authority
from the Grand Orient of Spain continued to work. The transfer of
sovereignty had severed that authority as completely as it had the
political tie (6) but it was difficult to make this clear to Masons
who knew little of the Anglo-Saxon doctrine of exclusive
territorial jurisdiction; who felt a sentimental attachment to the
Spanish Grand Orient for the reasons already mentioned; and who, as
yet, saw little manifestation of a similar attitude among American
Masons. It seemed like asking much of our Filipino brethren to
require them to surrender an affiliation which had cost them so
dear while nothing was offered in its place, and when they were not
responsible for the grounds on which the requirement was based.
While, therefore, our Scottish Rite bodies in the Philippines could
hold no official intercourse with those claiming authority from
Spain, it was quite possible to get their viewpoint and to prepare
the ground for a solution of the most important problem which
confronted us--the union under one head of all Scottish Rite Masons
in the Archipelago. If you will refer to my previous reports upon
our status here you will note that while I have repeatedly called
attention to the existence of a Scottish Rite Chapter of Rose
Croix, claiming authority from Spain, I have never recommended
drastic action toward it, believing that a solution of the
difficulty could be found which would be just and honorable to both
parties. Fortunately my belief has proven to have been well
founded.

The Grand Commander will recall that, during a conference with him
in October, 1915, I brought up the question of establishing a new
group of bodies in the Philippines and he stated that the granting
of Letters Temporary was entirely within my discretion. Among the
purposes which I had in view in this project was unification and
the placing of the Rite on a basis which would render it a real
force in the country.

Upon my return I took the matter up with two of our members, Bros.
Austin Craig, 32d, and Manuel Camus, 32d, who were in close touch
with Masons of Spanish allegiance, and by February of 1916
conditions were ripe for opening a new Lodge of Perfection. The
petitioners for Letters Temporary were all members of the Manila
bodies but the new lodge was soon exercising its express authority
to receive new members by initiating and affiliation.

On August 14, 1916, I opened under Letters Temporary, Burgos
Chapter of Rose Croix; on December 22, Malcampo Preceptory was
opened and finally on February 14, 1917, I enjoyed the extreme
satisfaction of completing the group at an occasion marked by
imposing ceremonies, including the presentation of Letters
Temporary to Rizal Consistory.

Meanwhile the work of winning over our brethren of Spanish
allegiance had been actively proceeding and in this Brothers Craig
and Camus had found an active ally in Bro. Manuel L. Quezon, 32d,
then of the Spanish bodies. Toward the close of prolonged
negotiations and innumerable conferences with members of the last
named bodies I addressed to them the following letter: 

Manila, P.I., Feb. 5, 1917. 

To the Scottish Rite Masons residing in the Philippines, but
belonging to Bodies Chartered by Other Recognized Supreme Councils:

Very Dear Brethren:

In the name of Universal Masonry, for whose realization we all hope
and strive, and in behalf of the Mother Supreme Council of the
World, whose Deputy I have the honor to be, I take pleasure in
extending to you a cordial and fraternal invitation to present
applications for affiliation with the Bodies of the Rite now
working in this Valley under the authority of said last named
Supreme Council.

It is of the utmost importance to the interests of the Craft in
these Islands that Masonry in all its forms be united. In union
there is strength; in division weakness.

The growth of the Bodies referred to has been gratifying and rapid,
but the Mother Council long to bring under its protecting aegis all
Scottish Rite Masons residing within its territorial jurisdiction,
and to enlist them under a common banner.

Come with us Brethren, and make the union complete.       
Fraternally yours,
Charles S. Lobingier, 33d Hon.,
Deputy of the Supreme Council. 

The members of the Spanish Bodies finally decided to dissolve their
organizations, return their charters and petition for affiliation
with the new Philippine bodies. They did this without exacting any
concessions in return. They surrendered a status which was to them
cherished and valuable; they even paid the fees of "newly created"
members under Statutes, Art. VI, Sec. 6, and they did not reserve
the small privilege of continuing their former bodies under new
charters.

Their petitions were acted upon favorably by such of the bodies
addressed as were then organized and they were ready for
affiliation in the highest degree which they had received in the
Spanish bodies. Not many of them, however, had passed beyond the
30d; for in Spain, as elsewhere in Europe, the 31d and 32d are not
conferred generally but are confined to a limited number, much like
our 33d Honorary; and, as I have already shown, the Regulations of
the Spanish Supreme Council require a much longer interval to
elapse between the reception of degrees than do our own.

To complete the affiliation of the petitioners it was necessary
that each "take all the pledges and vows of all the Degrees of the
Body with which he affiliates." (7) For this purpose they were
assembled in large numbers on the evenings of February 12 and 14.
Our obligations had all been translated into Spanish by Bro. Leo
Fischer, 32d, Secretary of the Philippine Bodies, for the benefit
of those petitioners who understand that language better than
English, and were administered in full after the body to which they
corresponded had been duly opened. The new Philippine bodies will
need to work in Spanish as well as English and it will save them a
tremendous and unnecessary burden if they can have the benefit of
what has been done in Porto Rico.

Thus, through the organization of the new Philippine bodies, the
unification of the Scottish Rite in the Archipelago has been
accomplished. I trust that the Charters for these new bodies will
be issued in due course. For I cannot but regard this result as one
of the most important and far reaching achievements which has yet
been consummated within the jurisdiction of our Supreme Council.

(1) Transactions, (1915) 148.
(2) This was known as Logia Primera Luz Filipina. See The Far
Eastern Freemason, II, 103.
(3) See Derbyshire, Introduction to Translation of Rizal's "Noli Me
Tangere" XXXIX.
(4) Bro. C. A. Tansilll, K.C.C.H., of the Manila Bodies has been
investigating this interesting topic and reports as follows:
"The minimum time for progression in the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite of Freemasonry as practiced by the Spanish Grand
Orient requires that an Entered Apprentice must serve to the
satisfaction of his brethren, not less than five months before
being passed to the degree of Fellow Craft, and the Fellow Craft
must serve to the satisfaction of his brethren, not less than seven
months before being raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason.
Thus, an Entered Apprentice is under the careful scrutiny of his
brethren for at least one year before being raised to the sublime
degree of Master Mason.

"Subjoined is the minimum time for progression and advancement in
the Supreme Council of Spain, under which Supreme Council the 4th,
9th, 13th, 18th, 24th, 30th, 31st, 32nd and 33rd degrees are
considered essentially necessary to be conferred in full form:

"Master Mason--1 year to receive the 4d
4d " --1 year to receive the 9d
9d " --1 year to receive the 13d
13d Mason--1 year to receive the 18d 
18d " --2 years to receive the 24d 
24d " --2 years to receive the 30d 
30d " --1 year to receive the 31d 
31d " --1 year to receive the 32d 
32d " --1 year to receive the 33d

"It will be noticed that an Entered Apprentice may not attain the
32d until after at least eleven years' service, and that it
requires ten years' service as a Master Mason before receiving the
32d."

(5) See the observations of Ill. Bro. Hugo in the New Age (XXV 40
et seq.) showing that eighty-one months were once required for
taking twenty-five degrees.
(6) Allocution, 1905, p. 47; Cf. Id. 1903, p. 45.
(7) Statutes, sec. 32, Art. VIII.
