Quezon City Lodge No. 122
The Name
Named after Quezon City where it is located. The creation of Quezon City was the consuming dream of President Manuel L. Quezon. He picked the site of the city and did the entire spade work leading to its establishment. When the National Assembly enacted the law (Com. Act No. 502) in October 1939 officially creating the City, the lawmakers named it in honor of Quezon in spite of his "objections." Quezon City officially replaced Manila as the capital of the Philippines from 1948 to 1976.
The Lodge
Sometime in April 1948, a group of well-meaning brethren conceived the idea of establishing a lodge in Quezon City. The task of broaching the idea to the Grand Lodge was assigned to WB Petronilo L. Vallejo who was then the City Auditor of Quezon City. Thirty-five brethren signed the petition for dispensation. Among them were: Antonio Gonzalez, Albert J. Brazee, Jr., Mauro Baradi, Teofilo Abejo, Jose Racela, Petronilo I. Vallejo, J.L. Schwartz, and Pablo Ilagan.
On May 21, 1948, Grand Master Albert J. Brazee, Jr., issued the special dispensation that gave life to Quezon City Lodge. The organizational meeting was held on that date at the Plaridel Masonic Temple presided over by MW Brazee himself with MW Gonzalez as Secretary. The initial officers elected were: WB Petronilo I. Vallejo, as Master; WB John W. Ferrier, Sr., Senior Warden; WB Abundo C. del Rosario, Junior Warden; WB Pablo Ilagan, Treasurer; and WB Edilberto M. Dayao, Secretary.
The first stated meeting of the lodge was held on June 26, 1948 in a house taste, at San Francisco del Monte. The presiding officer, RW Clifford C. Ben SGW, who later on became Grand Master, initiated Romulo Lucasan, then a councilor of Quezon City, into the mysteries of Masonry.
The following year, on April 2, 1949, Quezon City Lodge No. 122 was duly, constituted and its officers installed in public ceremonies at the Bernardo Park beside the old Quezon City Hall, with the newly elected Grand Master, Esteban Munarriz, presiding. The three lights installed were: WB Petronilo I. Vallejo, Worshipful Master; WB John W. Ferrier, Sr., Senior Warden; and Bro. Abundo C. del Rosario, Junior Warden.
Quezon City Lodge No. 122, like all lodges in their formative years, had its trial and tribulations. Forming a quorum was difficult because of the lack of active member, and a decent and permanent venue for meetings. Fortunately, affiliations and dual memberships of brethren from other lodges injected new life into the lodge. The affiliates worthy of mention are WB Esteban de Ocampo, WB Pacifico Pinili, WB Francisco Aquino, WB Dominador Ambrosio, WB Amando Ylagan and WB Florencio Medina. From the early fifties to the present, petitioners have been knocking at door. "Quality Control," however, has been the rule.
For lack of a permanent Lodge Hall, the lodge had to move from one place to another for years. From San Francisco del Monte it moved to a small Place owned by WB Vallejo in Cubao, to Quonset huts in Camp Murphy, to T.M Kalaw Lodge Temple in San Juan, then to Quezon City again in one of the rooms of W.C. Red Cross Chapter, then to T.M. Kalaw once more, back again to Quezon City at the Quezon Memorial High School, and then to the Theosophical Society Temple, followed by the move to Roosevelt Memorial Colleges, and to the Chapel of the United Church of the Philippines. But finally, in March of 1971, along with the other lodges of Quezon City, it moved to the present site, a Temple built by the Capitol Masonic Corporation. The present building arose from the original made of wood, which was renovated and enlarged, located at Katuwiran St., corner of Kalayaan Avenue.
Quezon City Lodge No. 122 is one of the more progressive lodges in its district. It rents a spacious office located at the ground floor of the CMC Temple with furniture of the best quality. It has furnished the Vicente Y. Orosa Hall with four air conditioning units, chairs for the officers and other paraphernalia shared by all lodges using the hall. All these came from the magnanimity of some members. Financially, Quezon City Lodge No. 122 is well off and could afford to hold as many as three civic actions a year. Free medical and dental services, as well as free medicines, are provided in the civic action programs that are held as far as the Bicol Region and Mindoro Oriental. Canned goods and used clothes are also doled out to the indigents. Scholarships in the tertiary level are given to poor, but deserving students, selected by the scholarship committee. Worthy of mention is the benevolence of WB Rogelio Fuentes who was the chairman of the Charity and Relief Committee for several years.
The wives of the members are not far behind in charity and relief activities. They have formed the Ladies' Circle and they have their own projects aside from assisting the lodge in all its civic actions and social activities.
Quezon City Lodge No. 122, has produced three Grand Masters - Jolly R. Bugarin, Reynold S. Fajardo, and Agustin V. Mateo. On the district level, it has produced the following DDGMs: Amando Ilagan, Rogelio S. Talastas, Victorino Ramos, Jose Lustre, Eleuderio Salvo, Luis Reyes, and Santiago Gabionza. Jose Lustre, Severo L. Castulo, Ildefonso Serrano, Agerico Amagna and Dennis Gabionza have served as Grand Lodge Officers. The lodge is also proud of its noted ritualist, Saul Exmundo and of its other leaders, Sergio Regala, Jerome Gabionza, Geminiano V. Galarosa, Nestor Malana, Francisco Pagulayan, Jonathan C. Florendo and the entire Soriano family.
Location: Quezon City