Edilberto A. Tamondong Sr. Lodge No. 217

The Name

               This lodge was originally callED Red Arrow Division Lodge No. 217" in memory of the Red Arrow 32nd Infantry Division of the US Army, the military contingent that liberated the town of San Nicolas, Pangasinan from the Japanese forces. In 1989, the members renamed the lodge as Edilberto A. Tamondong Sr Memorial Lodge No. 217 in memory of a brother who in life was an educator and who donated the lot upon which the Temple of the lodge is erected iloilo barangay l i rulool clima

The Lodge

               This lodge is a creation of the members of Agno Lodge No. 75 which had tremendously increased in membership thus necessitating the formation of a new lodge for effective administration. On February 17, 1977 Grand Master Jose L. Araneta issued a dispensation to thirty Master Masons, mostly from Agno Lodge, authorizing them to form a lodge in San Nicolas, Pangasinan to be named Red Arrow Division Lodge. The thirty organizers rented the upper floor of the old Municipal Town Hall of San Nicolas and immediately commenced their Masonic labour: Before the start of the annual communication of the Grand Lodge in April 1977, they held four meetings and initiated seven candidates for the degrees of Masonry Moreover they already had a lot on which they planned to erect a Temple. Based on the performance of the lodge, the Grand Lodge granted a charter to Red Arrow Division Lodge in April 1977 and assigned number 217 to it.

               On June 26, 1977, Junior Grand Warden Manuel D. Mandac, on instructions of the Grand Master, opened a Special Communication of the Grand Lodge in San Nicolas, Pangasinan and, with the assistance of Eduardo Pascual, Crispiniano Lamorena, Eligio Santillan, MW Esteban Munarriz, Edgardo Manlapig, Edilberto Tamondong and other Masonic dignitaries, proceeded to constitute the lodge and install its officers. Those installed were: WB Santiago Victorio-Worshipful Master; Teofilo M. Gonzales- Senior Warden; and Pablito V. Semano- Junior Warden.

               In 1986 the lodge started a campaign to raise funds for the construction of its own Temple on the lot donated by Bro. Edilberto A. Tamondong, Sr. at Osmena St. in San Nicolas, Pangasinan.

               When Bro. Tamondong passed to the celestial lodge above, the members approved a resolution on June 13, 1989 changing the name of their lodge to Edilberto A. Tamondong Memorial Lodge No. 217. Grand Master Juan C. Nabong, Jr., approved the change of name on August 8, 1989.

               Location: San Nicolas, Pangasinan