Union Lodge No. 70

The Name

                Union Lodge No.70 was named after the province of La Union in which it is located. Union is also the name of a Masonic triangle that was established in Guagua, Pampanga during the Spanish regime.

The Lodge

                Union Lodge traces its roots to November 1920 when Basilio S. Santiago of Cabanatuan Lodge No. 53 was assigned to San Fernando, La Union as provincial treasurer. After he settled down, he sought out the other Masons in town. He found only four, not enough to form a lodge so they organized the La Union Square Club. Word about the Craft begun to spread and by March 12,1921 their number increased to twelve. They then decided to form Union Lodge and elected Santiago to be the Master, Tomas Lasmarias of Bagumbayan Lodge No 4 to be Senior Warden, Casiano Aquino of Angalo Lodge No.63 to be the Junior Warden, Miguel Rilloraza, Sr. of Nilad Lodge No. 12 to be the Treasurer, and Rufino Ancheta of Walana Lodge No.13 to be the Secretary.

                On March 31, 1921, Grand Master Edwin W. Elser issued a dispensation for the organization of Union Lodge. The following year, on January 25, 1922 the lodge was given its charter as Lodge No. 70. On April 1, 1922 Grand Master Quintin Paredes accompanied by Clark James, Governor Daniel Maramba, Senator Pedro Ma. Sison, Leonardo J. Oteyza and other Masonic Dignitaries constituted the lodge and installed its officer at Cine Union in San Fernando, La Union before that about 800 masons and non-Masons.

                For many years Union Lodge had no temple of its own. It first met in the Constabulary Headquarters, and then it moved to the residence of Mr. Lorenzo Galvez, and later to that of Mr. Saturnino Mallare. Still later it moved to other places.

                In 1923, during the term of Bonifacio Tadiar as Master, the lodge acquired a lot. Sixteen years later, the cornerstone was laid. In 1940, the Temple of the lodge was completed and on May 16, 1940 it was used for the first time. The temple unfortunately did not survive the ravages of World War II.

                At the end of the war, the surviving members reopened the lodge on August 25, 1945 at the Bacnotan Town Hall. Three years later they successfully rebuilt their Temple. But it was made of wood and by 1971 was already in a dilapidated condition. The members tore it down to make way to the construction of a concrete edifice. Money, however, was not forthcoming. Hitch after hitch delayed the construction. Finally, almost thirty years after work was started, the new temple of Union Lodge was inaugurated by Grand Master Franklin J. Demonteverde on November 19, 1999.

                Location: San Fernando, La Union.