Tamaraw Lodge No. 65

The Name

                This Lodge is named after the tamaraw or timarua (Bubalus Mindorensis), a small, very wild and pugnacious buffalo found exclusively in the jungles of Mindoro, the island on which this lodge is established.

The Lodge

 Thirteen prominent residents of Mindoro founded Tamaraw Lodge in 1920. Among them were Juan Morente, Jr., the first Filipino Civil Governor of Mindoro, Juan L. Luna, a Representative to the Philippine Assembly, Lucas Babiera, the 2nd Filipino Provincial Commander, Justo Ramos, the 3rd Filipino Superintendent of Schools and Judge Antonio L. Luna. Grand Master Rafael Palma issued them a dispensation on October 28, 1920. On January 25, 1921, after complying with requirements, the Grand Lodge granted the lodge its charter as Tamaraw Lodge No. 65. On May 13, 1921 Grand Master Edwin E. Elser and a team of Masonic dignitaries which included Juan Muñoz, Jose M. Raymundo, Sisenando Ferriols and Reynaldo Lardizabal constituted the lodge and installed its officers in Calapan, Mindoro. The ceremonies were public and attendance was about 400 which was far in excess of the capacity of the building.

Within a year after it was constituted, Tamaraw Lodge conferred the degrees of Masonry on 22 new adepts. Included among the new members was Cipriano Liboro, the 2nd Civil Governor of Mindoro.

Tamaraw Lodge is the proud mother of two daughters lodges, Mindoro Lodge No.157 and Halcon Lodge No. 249. It is also proud to have produced one Grand Master, Jolly Bugarin, former Director of the National Bureau of Investigation, who was Grand Master in 1979.

Location: Calapan, Oriental Mindoro