San Jose City Lodge No. 309
The Name
Named after the city where the lodge is located.
The Lodge
Sometime in mid-1993, brethren from five lodges, namely, Narra Lodge No. 171 in San Jose City, Memorial Lodge No.90 in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija,bPantabangan-Bonari Lodge No. 203 in Rizal, Nueva Ecija and Molave Lodge No. 261 in Lupao, Nueva Ecija - seriously thought of organizing a new lodge in San Jose City.
The senior Masons were consulted and the pros and cons discussed. The senior Masons provided a "sobering influence on the younger ones so that "growth" became rallying objective in the organization of any new lodge in the area. All the brethren then pledged that they would relentlessly pursue this goal within the bounds of our Fraternity's tenets.
In the spirit of Masonic growth, forty-two brethren from the lodges earlier mentioned submitted a petition for a dispensation to form a lodge in San Jose City to be named San Jose City Lodge. On October 11, 1993 Grand Master Rizal D. Aportadera, gave them a dispensation and named the following as the Dispensation Officers of the new lodge: WB Jaime A. Patacsil, Worshipful Master; VW Westrimundo Yusi, Senior Warden; and VW Oscar O. Azarcon, Junior Warden.
Of the forty two petitioners, thirty came from Narra Lodge No. 171, two from Pantabangan-Bonari lodge No. 203, seven from Molave Lodge No. 261. one from Memorial Lodge No. 90, and one from Eulogio R. Dizon Memorial Lodge No. 264. Bro. Salvador Aniceto, a visiting brother from Gramercy Lodge No. 637 in New York City, a native of San Jose City and a retired Colonel in the Philippine National Police, also signed the petition.
Other signatories were VW Jimmy Marcelo, DDGM, MD 6-B; VW Isagani Velarde, PDDGM, of the same district; four Grand Lodge Officers; seven Past Masters; two life members; VW Anselmo E. Munsayac, District Grand Lecturer; WB Enrico G. Divina, Worshipful Master of Narra Lodge No. 171; and Bro. Rolando R. Valencia of the same lodge.
October 15, 1993 was a red-letter day for the new lodge. Grand Master Aportadera together with the following Grand Lodge officers, came to San Jose City to perform the Institution Ceremonies at the Narra Lodge Masonic Temple: RW Danilo D. Angeles, Senior Grand Warden; VW Jorge C. Roque, Grand Marshal: VW Benjamin S. Geli, Senior Grand Lecturer; VW Roberto C. Reyes, Assistant Grand Secretary; and VW Cesar C. Mendoza, Grand Tyler.
On April 29, 1994, the Grand Lodge granted a charter to San Jose City Lodge upon the recommendation of the Committee on Charters and assigned to it number 309. On June 10, 1994, the new Grand Master, Pablo C. Ko, Ir.. formally constituted San Jose City Lodge No.309. He was assisted by VW Dennis Gabionza, VW Samuel Fernandez, VW Leonardo Chua, VW Reynaldo Zabat, VW Antonio Paguia, WB Ruben Azarcon and other dignitaries.
Location: San Jose City, Nueva Ecija