Salug Valley Lodge No. 216
The Name
Salug Valley is a wide expanse of flat land covering some eight towns in Zamboanga del Sur consisting of Molave, Tambulig, Aurora, Dumingag, Josefina, Ramon Magsaysay, Sumimot and Midsalip. Of these towns, Molave is the center of trade, commerce and industry. It is for this reason that when a new lodge was conceived in 1976 it was this town that was selected to be the site where the tenets of Masonry in this part of the globe would be practiced.
The Lodge
This lodge was conceived by a group of fifty Master Masons from Oroquieta, Ozamis and Pagadian led by VW Gregorio O. Calit. They applied for and, on January 26, 1977, received from Grand Master Jose L. Araneta a dispensation to organize Salug Valley Lodge in Molave, Zamboanga del Sur. The following April the lodge was granted a charter by the Grand Lodge and assigned number 216 upon the recommendation of the Committee on Charters. The Committee found that, in that short period of time, the lodge was able to initiate, pass and raise one brother. It was temporarily holding its meetings in the house of Bro.Oscar del Carmen, but the members had plans to erect a Temple on a lot which they had already identified.
On June 17, 1977, Junior Grand Warden Manuel D. Mandac, upon the authority of the Grand Master, opened a Special Communication of the Grand Lodge in Molave and constituted Salug Valley Lodge No. 216. He was assisted during the ceremonies by Bros. Genaro Padilla, Gregorio Calit, Gervacio
Riconalla, Timoteo Uy, Olegario Neri and other Grand Lodge officials. After the constitution of the lodge, the following charter officers were installed: Bros. Gavino (or Romeo?) A. Yanez, Rocito Banci, and Vicente Agustin, as Worshipful Master, Senior and Junior Wardens, respectively. Salug Valley Lodge has, since then, been the bastion of Masonry in Zamboanga del Sur catering to the needs of its brethren and the sojourning members who pass along its way.
Location: Molave, Zamboanga del Sur