The civil libertarian The late sixties mark the height of a seething public disorder spurred to a great extent by angry activist demonstrations against the alleged establishment ills. Hence, in 1968, Grand Master Schon rallied the Brethren to take a serious hard look on what was going on “out there” and, if necessary, write analytically on what they have observed; he further called upon all Masons to get involved in the defense of the tenets and principles which had been subjugated by the encroaching claws of anarchy in all levels and sectors of society. A year later – on April 24,1969 – auspiciously elected to occupy the Grand Oriental Chair was a man known to be an outstanding legal luminary, poet, orator, defender of the poor and the oppressed – Manuel M. Crudo. In his inaugural speech, Crudo zeroed in on the three basic tenets of Masonry: brotherly love, relief, and truth, and on their real meaning to the Brethren. It was a magnificent speech. He made a similar, though perhaps much less significant, speech when he graduated as elementary-school valedictorian at Imus, Cavite, where he was born on December 25, 1906. He made another one when he graduated valedictorian of his class at Nueva Ecija High School, where he won prizes in English, as well as Pilipino, literary contests. A Philippine Law School graduate, he passed the bar examinations in 1932. Since then, he has been a law practitioner, specializing in labor cases. He was active in the resistance movement during the war; during peace, he was active as a member of the Civil Liberties Union of the Philippines. He was very actively involved, too, in Masonic affairs. Crudo was raised as a Master Mason in Bagumbayan Lodge No. 4 on July 26, 1947. and later joined T.M. Kalaw Lodge No. 136 as a dual member. He became Master of his Mother Lodge in 1956. He was active too in the appendant organization. He entered Scottish Rite Masonry in 1949; and he was elected Venerable Master of the Harmony Lodge of Perfection in 1954. He was coroneted 33° IGH in 1961. He became a member too of the Order of the Eastern Star and in 1958, he served as Worthy Patron of the Sampaguita Chapter No.3. Crudo headed a Masonic family. His wife, the former Visitacion Alba, was a Past Matron of the Sampaguita Chapter, OES. His two sons - Manuel, Jr. (a lawyer) and Roger (a geologist) – are both Master Masons; his daughters – Grace, Elizabeth, and Olive (all college graduates) – were members of the Order of Rainbow for Girls. Crudo was also an Active Member of the International Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay; in fact, he was for years the Executive Officer of the Council for the Philippines, Guam and Okinawa. He served too, for many years, as Chairman of the Youth Committee of the Grand Lodge. He was elected Junior Grand Warden, Senior Grand Warden, and Deputy Grand Master in 1966, 1967, and 1968, respectively. All this background convinced the Brethren that, with Crudo at the helm, the Fraternity would fare very well amidst social disarray.