Pantabangan-Bonari Lodge No. 203

The Name

                The first name chosen for this lodge was BO-NA-RI- which was coined thus:

                 BO  - from BONBON, the name of the Municipality of Rizal when it was still a sitio. This is an Ilocano word which means a plant grown from seed and to be transplanted and when full grown, by aid of Divine Assistance, will bear fruits to nourish mankind.

                 NA - from NAZARETH, the name of the Municipality of Rizal after it was made a barrio of Bongabon, Nueva Ecija. Nazareth is derived from the name of the native town of the world's Redeemer and Savior.  

                RI - from Rizal, the present name of the Municipality as enfranchised, named after Dr. Jose Rizal known to every true Filipino as the exponent of Love of Countrymen and the Native Land.

                BONARI - to the organizers the three syllables, taken together, mean that the sun is ascending in the East to direct its rays and light to all mankind.

                The members realized that BO-NA-RI may not be widely understood so, upon the suggestion of the first Worshipful Master, Basilio Ng Tian Kee, they added PANTABANGAN, the name of a darn and reservoir, in the territorial jurisdiction of Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, a municipality adjacent to Rizal, which was then under construction.

The Lodge

                On December 30, 1973, Bro. Eugenio Bitantes of Memorial Lodge No. 90 invited Severo Agar, Arnado Vergara, Felipe Villajuan, Antonio L. Limos, Sergio D. Rubin, Ashley Silao, and Felino Aleta to his residence for informal fraternal consultations to determine the feasibility of establishing a lodge in Rizal, Nueva Ecija .

                The result of the meeting was the preparation on January 31, 1974 of a Petition for Dispensation to form a new lodge to be named BO-NA-RI signed by forty-three (43) Master Masons in good standing belonging to Memorial Lodge No. 90 and Narra Lodge No. 171. On February 18, 1974, Grand Master Ruperto S. Demonteverde gave them the requested dispensation. The lodge, however, failed to comply with the Constitutional requirements for the organization of new lodges, so it was not granted a charter during the annual communication of the Grand Lodge held in April 1974. Nonetheless, upon the request of the lodge, its dispensation was extended for another year.

                At the next annual communication of the Grand Lodge, the performance of the lodge was found to be satisfactory and it was granted a charter. The lodge, in the meantime, had requested that its name be changed to Pantabangan- Bo-Na-Ri, hence this was the designation given in the charter.

                On June 21, 1975, Grand Master Teodoro V. Kalaw, Jr., with the assistance of RW Jose L. Araneta, VW Jolly R. Bugarin, VW Eulogio Sta. Maria, WB Ponciano Rivera, WB Onofre Padolina and other Masonic dignitaries, opened a Special Communication of the Grand Lodge in Rizal, Nueva Ecija and proceeded to constitute Pantabangan-Bonari Lodge No. 203. Thereafter the following officers were installed: Basilio Ng Tian Kee, Worshipful Master; Eugenio Bitantes, Senior Warden; Marcelino Guerzon, Junior Warden; Antonio Limos, Treasurer; and Sergio D. Rubin, Secretary.

                The Patabangan-Bonari Lodge No. 203, Rizal, Nueva Ecija under the 6th Masonic District of the Grand Lodge commenced with a will and determination to survive with integrity to a point that they resolved to construct a Temple as a tangible evidence of its existence.

                After having purchased a spacious lot, the laying of the cornerstone of the Temple was held on March 6, 1982. The following year construction began.

                Location: Rizal, Nueva Ecija