Speech of MW Agapito S. Suan, Jr. during the 121st Philippine Independence Day Celebration in Manila, 12 June 2019
MW Reynato Puno, Past Grand Master and our esteemed guest of honor and speaker;
Most Worshipful Danilo P. Angeles, PGM;
Most Worshipful Juanito Abergas, PGM;
Very Worshipful Nonoy BASSIG, DDGM of Masonic District NCR-G, the host district in charge of today's event;
VW Ariel Cayanan, DDGM Masonic District NCR-B;
Worshipful Sirs, members of the appendant bodies and allied organizations, brethren and sisters,
Good morning.
“Charity and Humility, Foundations of a True Mason.”
As we commemorate the brightest moment of our country’s rich history, I am deeply moved by the strong spirit of patriotism amongst the brethren and sisters that stood in this hallowed grounds of our Grand Lodge to celebrate our country’s 121st Independence.
Let us then remember and honor those great men and women who greatly sacrificed, bravely fought, and honorably perished all for the glory of our motherland.
Most of these heroes did not die in vain as they serve to inspire freethinking men of immense faith and integrity...we call brothers.
As we cherish the freedom of our 121st Independence Celebration, brought about by these dauntless patriots, we understand the peculiar common denominator of these men who we look up to with pride and emulation.
For like them we share the same Masonic principles. The same virtues of morality and truth.
The same fervent veneration to God in whom we put our trust.
Yet, we might not tangibly observe such heroic character nowadays, as we witness the inevitable triumph of evil and steady decay of morality in most instances.
I remembered one revered person of impeccable nature who once said, that we now live in a place where heroes walk no more....
Yes, this might be true but its not yet the end of the road.
The constant battle of the forces of light and darkness should awaken us to actively repel such impending doom should darkness prevails.
I believe that if we truly love our country we should by all means be involved in making ourselves better examples to others so that we will create ripples of positivity in character that will ignite others to do good and all together create a vibrant place to live devoid of so much politics, greed, corruption, and envy.
This I understand, is our ultimate goal as masons.
It is very sad though to note that to many Filipinos, Independence Day has simply become part of their holiday lists.
There is hardly any effort in educating the future generations about the struggles that our liberators endured to provide us the freedom that we enjoy today.
Today we are so lucky to have no less than the most illustrious Masonic personality of modern times, MW Reynato Puno.
On behalf of everyone present here this morning, I thank you MW Sir , for spending with us your precious time on this holiday, while sharing your valuable thoughts on this auspicious occasion.
We are all enlightened.
You made us revisit some important events of the past which made us proud of the legacy which Freemasonry has passed on from generation to generation.
On this special event, I find it fitting to cite no less than Bro. Emilio Aguinaldo , when he strongly proclaimed that the successful revolution in 1896 was due largely to the contributions of our brother masons.
Hence, we must cherish our hard-earned freedom by reaffirming our conviction to be faithful to our obligations and duties as Masons and responsible citizens.
So that by being true to our obligations, we can show to the world that this Present Revolution for Moral Transformation is Masonically Inspired, Masonically Led and Masonically Executed.
And that each of us present today will then venture to say that we are all part of it, an achievement we owe, largely, to Masonry and the Freemasons.
Bro. Jose Rizal, once said "it is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any useful structure"
By continuously striving to better ourselves, we are ensuring our role in this country as nation builders.
May we never falter in loving the motherland and may we ever continuously strive to better ourselves, for as long as there are patriotic and capable Masons, the foundations of this great Republic are unbreakable.
Thank you. And May we all have a meaningful Independence Day.
Mabuhay ang Masonariya! Mabuhay tayong lahat!
Good morning.