<![CDATA[Isarog Lodge #33]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm Freewebs <![CDATA[3 Speeches by MW Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, Past Grand Master]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3798545 Walk the Masonic Light*

by

Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno

Supreme Court

*     Festive Board, Royal Order of Scotland, Provincial Grand Lodge of the Philippines, May 31, 2008, Elks Club, Corinthian Plaza Bldg., Paseo de Roxas, Makati, held in Most Worshipful Puno's honor.

My message to you is a short one: walk the Light of masonry.  It may be short but throughout the ages, masonic scholars have excavated its esoteric dimensions and have yet to exhaust the range of its latitude and longtitude.  Without fearing any contradiction, I say that there is no universal institution, outside of organized churches, that has invested so much of its time and talent searching for the Light than the masonic fraternity.  To be sure, as we travel through life, as we complete our pilgrimage in this planet, we shall endlessly be preoccupied with the need to walk the Light.

For a moment, allow me therefore to revisit with you the world of masonry.  When we knocked at the door of masonry, we were seized by one overwhelming desire – the desire to brought from darkness to Light.  Thus, we were pointedly asked the question: Being in a condition of darkness, what do you most desire?  To that question, our one word answer is “Light.”  In a most unforgettable fashion, we were then shown the Light by which masons work – the Great Light, the Holy Scripture.  And we were presented with the lamb skin apron to remind us of the never enduring argument for nobler deeds, higher thoughts and greater achievements.  In other words, we were reminded of the need to be illumined by the Great Light of masonry, the Holy Scripture in our worldly words and deeds. 

Again, we should  recall the drama of Hiram Abiff.  That drama espouses lessons that can be the subject of open ended expositions in our lifetime.  Let me, however, just select one shred of its rich fibre in relation to my message, walk the Light.  The drama of Hiram Abiff tells us how we lost the Light; it identifies to us the causes of darkness in our life.  This is all succinctly explained by a masonic scholar, viz:

This tragedy of Hiram Abiff… is not the record of any vulgar, brutal murder of an individual man.  It is a parable of cosmic and universal loss; an allegory of the breakdown of a divine scheme.  We are dealing with no calamity that occurred during the erection of a building in an eastern city, but with a moral disaster to universal humanity.  Hiram is slain; in other words, the faculty of enlightened wisdom has been cut off from us.

It is not the death of the human body that is alluded to here.  It is the death of the personality, of the self-centered ego, before the Spiritual Self can be born.  This secret of spiritual birth is known to antiquity.  Paul, the Apostle wrote:  “I die daily … Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not made alive, except it die.” (1Cor. 15:31, 36).

In fine, masonry teaches us that man is a different creature; that he has a higher nature; that created in the image of God, he has a divine aspect; that he has the capacity to develop this higher nature.  Above all, that he can attain this objective, but only with the help of GAOTU.  Our hope, therefore does not lie in ourselves, however wise we are; it does not lie in institutions, however venerable they are.  Our hope lies above us; it lies in the letter G.  Again, this explains why the first qualification of a mason is belief in God.  And as a man of the cloth pointed out, belief presupposes we have to listen to God, I remember one story about Joan of Arc, the patron saint of France.  Joan of Arc often said that it is God who tells her what to do.  Once she was asked in an interview why she claims God only talks to her.  She said: “Your question is wrong.  God talks to all of us but it is only I who listen.”

Come to think how pertinent the legend of Hiram Abiff is to our lives today.  Is it not true that men (masons not excluded) falter in following the Light because they have become indifferent to the demands for them to develop their higher nature and so they succumb either to the seduction of pleasure, the allurement of power, the enticement of property and the safety of indifferentism.  Dr. Margaret Mead, a famous anthropologist and author bewailed modern man’s switch of emphasis to pleasure, power and property.  She observed that in the old days, people part by bidding each other Good Be which is the short form of God be with you.  Today, she observed, we part by advising each other to “take it easy.”  A minister was correct in saying the modern devil no longer says God is Dead for that is an indefensible proposition but instead says God is not yet coming, there is plenty of time and take it easy.

Masonry further tells us that the struggle to walk the Light is a long unending struggle and demands extreme endurance.  By no means is it an easy struggle, for we are advised to fight life’s vices with virtue; we are asked to engage evil in actual battles and not to retreat in the barracks of life.  To walk is to move, to act; hence, you cannot walk the Light by inaction. 

Inaction.  Let me submit that this is the one word that describes what has plagued Philippine masonry since the last half of the 20th century.  The question that has inconvenienced the fraternity is why it appears to have lost its luster.  For quite sadly, masonry appears to have ceased to be a continuing source of heroes,  after masons spearheaded the revolution of 1898 against Spain that gave us our political independence.  Quite understandably, our people have developed an ennui on our claim to greatness that has already been embalmed by time and of interest only to historians of the old world.  Whether we like it or not, we have to demonstrate that masonry has more than anthropological value.  And I respectfully submit that masonry today carries the good potential to produce leaders who can handhold our people to a new renaissance, a rebirth based on the masonic principles of truths, justice, equality and charity.  Unquestionably, our country is beset by a variety of problems more serious than those which confronted it during the times of Rizal and Bonifacio.  Time constrains a more authoritative discussion of these problems that have reduced us to be a basket case in Asia.  But in simplistic terms, let us not delude ourselves in the romanticism that our people now live in complete freedom.  The truth that hurts is that the so called sovereignty of our people is no more than a paper sovereignty.  It is a sovereignty written in the Constitution but not rooted in reality.  For where is the sovereignty of the people when its elections of public officials are farcical?  Where is the sovereignty of the people when they are ruled by dynasties of politicians who are worse than the medieval monarchs?  Where is the sovereignty of the people when they are controlled by vested business interest whose empires are run by relentless greed?  Where is the sovereignty of the people when government barters away their interest in favor of foreign states and their multinationals?  A people that is poor, a people that is mired in poverty, a people that lives day to day on a begging bowl will never be a free people.  The strongest chain that manacles the hands of a people, the biggest prison house in the world, is poverty.  If I relate all these, it is to lift the blinders in our eyes that hides the ugly reality that the Filipino today need to be freed --freed from home grown oppressors and freed from the assaults of foreign interest, especially assaults directed at his breadbasket. 

In fine, if masonry is losing its relevance in our country, it is not because its teachings are irrelevant for concededly, its teachings are timeless.  If masonry is losing its appeal to our people, it is not because it has run out of battles to fight for them, for these battles have widened into wars.  If Filipino masonry appears to be destined to the dustbin of history, it is because, unlike the Rizals and the Bonifacios, today’s masons have not matched their masonic beliefs with masonic behavior.  The Holy Scriptures tell us that faith without action is dead.  So it is with masonry, for masonry in theory is fine but masonry in practice is masonry in its finest.

A pleasant evening to all.

  -----------------------

MASONIC HARMONY*
by MW Reynato S. Puno, PGM
 
* Keynote Address, delivered at the 92nd
Annual Communication, April 24, 2008, Bacolod City.

I have been requested by MW Jaime Gonzales to talk about harmony.  I can well understand the rationale of his request, for human history irrefutably demonstrates that one of the greatest human tragedies has been our continuous failure to overcome
disharmony.  I stress our nonstop failure, for disharmony has victimized pre-historic humans when their intelligence was no higher than that of the apes during the Stone Age until today, when human super-intelligence is about to enable us to clone ourselves.  I emphasize tragedy, because disharmony has resulted in the greatest loss of human lives, greater than the loss we have suffered from the most devastating earthquakes, typhoons,
tornadoes, tsunamis and epidemics in the world.

It is not my intent to overwhelm you with a niagara of information.  Let me just cite the number of people who violently died in various wars in the last century as a result of
human disharmony. The famous British historian Hobsbrawn in his best-selling book entitled Age of Extremes wrote:

x x x
Local, regional or global, the wars of the 20th century were to be on an altogether vaster scale than anything previously experienced. Among 74 international wars between 1816 and 1964, xxx the four occurred in the two world wars, the Japanese war against China in 1937-39 and the Korean war. They killed upwards of 1 million persons in battle.
x x x

In 1993, Brezinski, estimated the number of people who died in the last century as 187 million. It is no wonder that when asked about his thoughts on the 20th century, William Golding, writer and Nobel laureate, said:  “I cannot help thinking that this has been
the most violent century in human history.”

The end of the Cold War between the U.S. and Russia fueled the hope that we had stepped into a new and higher threshold of harmony, where peace would finally cease to elude us. That universal dream, however, was dashed to pieces by a new war that greeted the millennium, the war on terrorism.  Tomes and tomes of literature have been written about the frightening direction that this war on terrorism would take, but I like to believe that the observations of Prof. Samuel Huntington from Harvard University and author of the classic book End of Civilization are most enlightening: 

x x x

In the wake of the Cold War, the increasing intensity of this historical antagonism has been widely recognized by members of both communities.  In 1991, for instance, Barry Buzan saw many reasons why a societal cold war was emerging “between the West and Islam, in which Europe would be on the frontline.”

This development is partly to do with secular versus religious values, partly to do with the historical rivalry between Christendom and Islam, partly to do with resentments over Western domination of the post-colonial political structuring of the Middle East, and partly to do with the bitterness and humiliation of the invidious comparison between the accomplishments of Islamic and Western civilizations in the last two centuries.
x x x
 
Similar observations came from the Islamic community. There are unmistakable signs,
argued a leading Egyptian journalist, Mohammed Sid Ahmed, x x x “of a growing
clash between the Judeo-Christian Western ethic and the Islamic revival movement which is now stretching from the Atlantic in the west to China in the east.”  Another prominent Indian Muslim also predicted that the West’s “next confrontation is  definitely going to come from the Muslim world.  It is in the sweep of the Islamic nations from the Maghreb to Pakistan that the struggle for a new world order will begin.”

The exclamation point is that violence and death due to lack of harmony will continue to hound humankind in this millennium.

To be sure, the best and the brightest among men have exhausted their cerebrums to address this problem of lack of harmony.  The monument to this effort is the organization of the United Nations, composed of sovereign nations all over the world. Given the fact, however, that these nations will not surrender their respective sovereignties, the United Nations (UN) from its inception was hobbled in its goal of achieving a lasting international peace. The member countries of the UN were too diverse; their political agendas were hopelessly irreconcilable; their finances were too
meager; their correct decisions could be vetoed by the big powers -- all these and more prevented the UN from establishing harmony among nations in the world. 

The UN experience teaches us two lessons:  first, harmony is peace but it is peace, that means more than the lack of war; and second, harmony, cannot be expected from states that are no more than artificial persons.  Unlike natural persons, artificial persons are without souls; hence, they are bereft of ethics, and they do not exist to satisfy the divine design of serving out of selflessness.

The inconvenient question is whether masonic harmony is the panacea to this problem
of disunity, a problem that has torn humans asunder since time immemorial.  I have no reservations in making the submission that masonic harmony holds the key to the human problem of disunity.  I start with the proposition that to plumb the dizzying depth and breadth of the problem of disunity, we must know its causes.  Theologians theorize that the cause is our decision to control our own destiny, to be the captains of our own fate.  Some economic pundits peddle the idea that disunity is caused by the pursuit of profit, for which greed is the driving force. Some political scientists opine that disunity is caused by the overriding agenda of states to rule the world regardless of consequence.

As one of the ancient depositories of human knowledge, masonry has its own postulates on why lack of harmony has always hounded us in our journey to the East.  Bereft of its esoterics, our 3rd Degree informs us of the three principal evils that mangle human harmony.  We are all familiar with the life and legend of Hiram Abiff, the widow’s son.  Masonic scholars describe him as an inspired master, the most skillful worker who ever lived.  His abilities were not confined to just construction, but extended to all kinds of work -- whether on gold, silver, brass or iron; whether on linen, tapestry or embroidery.  The inerrant Good Book tells us he was personally chosen by King Solomon to build the Lord’s temple.  Day in and day out, he supervised about 200,000 artisans and laborers without any discordance or confusion. 

In short, Hiram Abiff was the perfect practitioner of harmony. But we all know the
tragedy that struck this symbol of harmony, this icon of unity. The three evils attacked and killed him and caused confusion in the temple. The 3 J’s representing different kinds of evil represent the three principal causes that destroy the harmony of men. The first cause is the virus of ignorance. Ignorance, especially organized ignorance, has divided men by keeping them in the dungeons of darkness. Galileo who ushered the scientific revolution, is a notorious victim of the reign of ignorance.  During his career, he invented the hydrostatic balance, the first practical thermometer, the geometric and military compass and the astronomical telescope.  He was the first person to see the mountains on the moon, to discover the rings of Saturn, to know that the sun revolved, and that the earth and the planets revolved around the sun.

For proclaiming the truth of nature, he was charged with heresy, tried by the Inquisition and, needless to say, convicted by the dumb. 

The second cause of man’s lack of harmony is love of the material and doubt of the
spiritual.  Truly, it is self-evident that the battle between the denizens of the world of spirit and the world of matter, the war between the God of Grace and the God of Gold has ripped human harmony apart. The life of Jesus Christ tells us of this raging battle of
life.  He taught about the Kingdom of God, but those who suffered from a severe deficit of spiritual enlightenment crucified Him on the Cross.  Yet, no other person has changed history as much as Jesus of Nazareth did.  He wrote no poetry, but Milton, Dante and the world’s finest poets were inspired by Him. He composed no music, but Handel, Beethoven, Bach and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection when composing hymns and symphonies to His praise.  He painted no pictures, but Raphael, Michelangelo and Da Vinci were inspired to greatness in painting His life and ministry.  Today, those who are slaves of the God of Gold rule the world; this is the worst variety of atheism the world has ever known.

The third cause of the lack of human harmony is prejudice.  The word “prejudice” comes from the Latin prae, meaning “before”; and judicium, meaning judgment.  It is a prejudgment often driven by passion, hatred, lust, and the like.  Perhaps the most disruptive kind of prejudice, is racial prejudice especially that provoked by the color of skin.  Millions have been dehumanized because of this prejudice, in which one’s value as a human being depends on the fairness of one’s skin, the shape of one’s eyes and the elevation of one’s nose. 

We remember those who have fought against this prejudice that disturbs human  harmony.  One of them is Nelson Mandela, who dismantled apartheid in South Africa.  Apartheid called for the separate and unequal treatment of the white and the black races. Mandela led the long and difficult fight against apartheid.  He was in and out of prison for 27 years. Life imprisonment was meted out to him; but the South African whites knew that while they could chain the body of Mandela, they could not capture his soul.  When his life sentence was read to him, he replied, and I quote:  “During my
lifetime, I have dedicated myself to the struggle of the African people.  I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.  It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”  They locked in Mandela, but they could not lock out his message.
 
Time is precious, and nobody has the privilege to delay it by the sorcery of semantics.  Let me just conclude by underscoring in neon that harmony is not a masonic teaching that is yet in its fetal stage.  It  has long been the life of masonry, and every mason should continuously give it the breath of life.  Now and not later, it is our bounden duty to demonstrate to the world the validity of our concept of harmony. The cacophony of circumstances calls us to prove once again that masonry is still a powerful difference, and we can do that only if we let our talk and walk coincide with each other.

We cannot bleach reality.  Everywhere we cast our sight, our eyeballs are grabbed by ugly influences that threaten the threads of harmony among our people. We behold the thickening fog of ignorance that hides from the people the unacceptable inequities of life.  Our masonic duty to spread harmony calls for us to dissolve the mist that blurs the difference between truth and falsehood.  Masons unequivocably stand for truth, and we should never seek truce with falsehoods.  Indeed, we should not be satisfied with
half-truths, for half-truths are complete lies in disguise. 

We also behold the merciless march of materialism, the seemingly unending rule of the
God of Gold and the rejection of the God of Love.  Our masonic duty to spread  harmony calls for us to help shape a society where the reign of greed cannot endure; where the number of hands with begging bowls should be less; where the clenched fists of protests should be lesser, because humans should be dictated more by their values than by their valuables. 

We also behold the prejudices that drive so much dissension into the various strata of
our society -- especially the prejudices fueled by religious bigotry and the prejudices fanned by racial superiority.  Our duty as masons to spread harmony is to demolish these strongholds of prejudice, for if there is a vice that blinds, it is the scales of prejudice that cover the eyes of the prejudiced.  

Our duty to spread harmony is one we cannot avoid.  It is a duty we have to discharge not only because it is right, but more because it is righteous.  And when we rise to fight for righteousness, we should not be daunted by the fear that sometimes we may lack the strength of number; we should not tremble even if we alone; we should not worry if our voice momentarily sounds as the voice from the wilderness. 

Let us not forget even for a moment that masons fight for the sovereignty of eternal
virtues, and that their eternal validity cannot be surrendered to any earthly power -- not to the scepter of kings, not to the strength of the elite, neither to the muscle of the majority.  For, what is right and what is wrong can never be resolved by autocracy or by mobocracy.  And like Hiram Abiff, masons must not allow death to terrorize them, for the finish line of the battle between good and evil is set in another kingdom -- the Kingdom of God, where victory will belong to the Lamb and not to the Lions.

Good day to all.

Patungo sa Tunay na Kalayaan* 

Punong Mahistrado Reynato S. Puno

Kataas-taasang Hukuman ng Pilipinas

Ang kasaysayan ng Pilipino bilang isang lahi ay isang istorya ng patuloy na pakikipagbaka upang matamo natin ang kabuoan ng kalayaan. Sa taong ito ay isang daang taon at sampu (110) na ang paggunita natin ng ating kalayaan mula sa Espanya (Hunyo 12, 1898). May animnapu’t tatlong (63) taon na rin ang nagdaan mula ng natapos ang pagsaklaw sa atin ng Estados Unidos ng Amerika (Hulyo 4, 1945).

Ang maya’t maya na katanungan ay kailan ba masasabing ang mga mamamayan ng isang bansa ay lubos na malaya na?  Maraming ginagamit na pamantayan upang sukatin ang kalayaan ng isang bansa.  Ang isa pong mahalagang pamantayan ay kung ang mga karapatang pangtao ng mga mamamayan ay lubos na iginagalang na sa loob ng isang bansa.

Ang mga karapatang pangtao ay may ibat-ibang uri at ang mga iyan ay ipinaglaban ng sangkatauhan sa bawat sulok ng daigdig hanggang ito ay kilalanin ng higit na nakararami.  Ang una sa mga karapatang pangtao ay iyong tinatawag nating karapatang sibil at pampulitika—o yaong binanyagang “civil and political rights.” Ito ang mga karapatang kumikilala sa dangal ng tao gaya ng pagkakapantay- pantay (equality), kalayaang mag-isa (privacy), kalayaang pumili ng kinatawan sa gobyerno (suffrage), kalayaang panrelihiyon (freedom of religion), kalayaang bumuo ng sariling paniniwala at opinyon (belief and opinion), kalayaang makapagpahayag ng pananaw (freedom of expression), kalayaang magtitipon-tipon (assembly), kalayaang makapagpahayag ng saloobin tungkol sa pamamalakad ng pamahalaan (freedom to petition the government for redress of grievances), kalayaang bumuo ng asosasyong hindi labag sa batas (freedom of association), kalayaan sa paglipat at pag-galaw (freedom of movement) at iba pang kauri ng mga ito patungkol sa karapatang mabuhay ng marangal bilang indibidwal.   Ang mga karapatang ito ay matatagpuan sa Bill of Rights ng ating kasalukuyan Saligang Batas.[1] 

Ang pangalawa po sa mga karapatang pangtao ay iyong mga karapatang panlipunan at pang-ekonomiya o yaong tinaguriang “social and economic rights.” Ito ang mga karapatan sa mga bagay na nagbibigay buhay gaya ng  karapatan sa edukasyon (right to education), karapatan sa kalusugan (right to health), karapatan sa pagkain (right to food), karapatan sa lupa (right to land), karapatan sa tubig (right to water), karapatan sa kaseguruhang panlipunan na sa panahong hindi na makapagtratrabaho ay may tatanggaping benepisyo pagkilala sa kanilang taon ng pagiging produktibo (right to social security), karapatan sa pabahay (right to housing), karapatan sa makatarungang bahagi sa kinikita ng paggawa (right to just share in the production of goods), karapatan sa pantay na pagtanggap sa mga oportunidad (right to equal access in opportunities) at iba pang mga kauri nito.  Ang mga karapatang ito ay kinakailangan ng lahat upang sila ay mabuhay ng may dangal.  Ang mga karapatan na ito ay nasasaad din sa ating Saligang Batas.

 Ang pangatlo po sa mga karapatan pangtao ay ang karapatan sa kapaligiran (right to environment) o yaong mga karapatang na binibigyang diin na tayong lahat ay nabubuhay sa iisang mundo, na tayong lahat ay kasapi ng isang sangkatauhan—at ang perwisyo sa isang bahagi ay nakaaapekto sa kabuuan.  Ang mga karapatan na ito ay kumikilala sa karapatang pangkabuuan, na tayo ay may karapatang bilang isang kabuuan.  Ang karapatan natin sa isang magandang kapaligiran ay pinagkakaloob din ng Saligang Batas sa atin.

Sa pagkakataon na ito, sandali po nating suriin ang iba’t ibang karapatang ito upang malaman natin kung gaano na ang lawak ng kalayaan ng ating mga mamamayan.

Unahin natin ang mga karapatang sibil at pampulitika.  Hindi maiikaila na sa ngayon ay nangyayari pa rin sa ating lipunan iyong tinatawag na “extra legal killings and enforced disappearances.”  Karamihan sa mga biktima po nito ay iyong mga hindi sang-ayon sa umiiral na ideolohia sa ating lipunan, mga kritiko ng ating pamahalaan, kasama na diyan iyong mga nasa larangan ng pamamahayag.  Dahil sa mga hindi makatarungan patayan at dukutan na ito, tayo ay patuloy na binabatikos ng iba’t ibang samahan ng nagtataguyod ng karapatang pang-tao.  Tayo din ay pinagpapaliwanag at minamatyagan ng UN Human Rights Commission.

Ang larawan naman ng ating karapatang pampulitika ay hindi din kaaya-aya sa paningin ng marami.  Ang ating mga halalan ay madalas maging dahilan ng pagkakagalit, ng pagpapatayan, ng pagkakawatak watak ng ating sambayanan.  Ito ay sapagkat sa pananaw ng iba hindi malinis ang ating mga halalan at hindi naluluklok ang mga tunay na halal ng bayan.  Kaya nga tuwing matatapos ang mga halalan natin ay marami ang nagpro-protesta, marami ang pumupunta sa lansangan at sumisigaw na sila ay nadaya. Tutuong malungkot na tuwing maghahalalan tayo ay mayroong mga banyaga na pumupunta sa ating bansa upang magbantay, upang husgahan kung tunay na may demokrasya tayo, upang tantuin kung ang boses ng mamamayan ay talagang namamayani sa ating bayan.

Tanawin naman natin ang ating mga karapatang pang-lipunan at pang-ekonomiya.   Marahil dito tayo pinakasalat ang karapatan ng ating mga mamamayan.  Kumakailan lamang ay napaulat ang pagtaas ng mga bilihin. Ayon sa ulat ng National Statistics Office (NSO) ay tumaas ng 14.3% ang presyo ng mga pagkain noong nakaraang buwan lamang mula sa 12% noong Abril ng taon ding ito.[2] Ang presyo ng bigas ay tumaas ng 31.7% sa loob lamang ng isang buwan.[3]  

Ayon sa ulat ng Asian Development Bank, sa bawat sampung porsyentong (10%) pagtaas ng presyo ng pagkain, mayroong 2.3 milyong Pilipino ang lalong naghihirap.

Ayon sa report ng National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), noong 2006 ay mahigit sa 4.7 milyong pamilyang Pilipino ang hikahos; 27.6 na milyong indibidwal na Pilipino ang nabubuhay na lamang ng pang-araw-araw, o yung mga tinatawag na subsistence poor—isang kahig, isang tuka.[4]

Sa suma tutal, higit na mabilis na tumataas ang presyo ng mga bilihin kaysa sa kinikita ng mga pamilya.[5]  Kaya nga po marami sa ating mga kababayan ang nililisan ang Pilipinas dahil sa malabo sa kanilang paningin ang kanilang kinabukasan dito sa atin.

          Malaking dagok sa kalayaan ng ating mamamayan ang malaganap na kahirapan sa kanilang buhay.  Ang isang taong walang tahanan, ang isang taong walang pinag-aralan, ang isang taong walang makain, ang isang taong walang mainom na malinis na tubig ay hindi kailan man makapagsasabi na siya ang may kapangyarihan sa kanyang bansa. 

Bigyan tanaw din natin ang ating karapatan sa isang magandang kalikasan.  Tayo ay may karapatan sa malinis na hangin, malinis na tubig, malinis na ilog at dagat, at sa mga bundok na masagana sa punongkahoy.  Hindi na nating kailangan ang mga dalubhasa upang sabihin sa atin kung ano ang nangyayari sa ating kalikasan.  Alam natin na sa maraming pook sa ating bansa, ang nilalanghap natin hangin at iniinom na tubig ay masama sa ating kalusugan, na ang mga ilog natin ay ginagawang tapunan ng mga basura, na ating mga bundok ay kulang na ng mga punongkahoy.  Isa tayo sa mga bansa sa buong mundo na binigyan na ng babala na malapit na nating sapitin iyong tinatawag sa siensia na “environmental collapse.”  Napakalungkot kung sasapitin natin ito sapagkat ang buhay natin ay magiging napakahirap at magiging mapanganib.

Sa pagkakataon din po na ito ay pagbulaybulayin natin kung ano ang mga dahilan kung bakit ang ating mga mamamayan ay tila hindi sapat sa kanilang mga karapatang pangtao, di gaya ng mga mamamayan sa ibang bayan.  Ang mga dahilang ito ay hindi lingid sa ating kaalaman, lalong lalo na doon sa mga nag-aaral ng ating kasaysayan bilang isang bansa,.  Wala po tayong maraming panahon upang tukuyin ang lahat ng mga sumusupil sa karapatan pangtao ng ating mga mamamayna.  Ngunit sila ay madaling makilala sapagkat sila pa rin ang naghaharing lipi dito sa Pilipinas at sa maraming mga bansa, bagamat ang iba sa kanila ay nagbagong anyo na.  Tutuong hindi na tayo sakop ng mga Kastila sapagkat sila ay ginapi na nila Gat Andres Bonifacio at ng iba pa nating bayani.  Ngunit bagaman nilisan na tayo ng ating mga banyagang “political colonizers,” sila naman ay pinalitan ng mga ibang bansang banyaga na tinatawag nating “economic colonizers.”  Ito po ang mga banyagang bansang patuloy na sumusupil lalung-lalo na sa mga “social at economic rights” ng ating mga mamamayan.  Ang mga banyagang bansang ito ay mga napakayaman at dahilan sa sila ay mayaman, sila ang naghahari at sila ang bumabalangkas ng mga batas, sila ang umuugit ng mga reglamentong nagpapatakbo sa kalakalan sa buong mundo.  At kadalasan, itong mga mayayamang banyagang bansa na ito ang nagbibigay ng pautang sa atin, ngunit ang mga pautang na ito ay may mabigat na kapalit.  Ang malupit na kapalit niyan ay ang pilitang pagsang-ayon natin sa mga kasunduan sa kalakalan kung saan ang kanilang kalakal ay binibigyan ng maraming insentibo, at ito ang nagdudulot ng malaking kapinsalaan sa ating sariling kalakal.  Kadalasan ang kanilang mga higanteng kumpanya at korporasyon ay pinapayagan natin magkalakal sa ating bayan, at pinagkakalooban pa ng mga privilegio na higit pa sa ating sariling mamamayan.  Pinapayagan natin silang limasin ang mga isda sa ating dagat, na kalbuhin ang ating mga kabundukan, na tapunan tayo ng kanilang mga basura, dahilan sa ginigipit nila tayo sa hindi nating mabayarang utang.  Kaya’t dinidiktahan nila tayo kung paano patatakbuhin ang ating buhay politikal at ekonomikal at kadalasan hinihigpitan ang ating gastusin upang matulungan natin ang ating mahihirap, upang mapag-aral ang kanilang mga anak, upang magkaroon ng pagkain sa kanilang mga hapag kainan.

Ngunit hindi lamang po ang mga banyagang bansang ito ang kumikitil sa karapatang pangtao ng ating mamamayan.  Ang nakakalungkot ay mayroon tayong mga kalahi na siyang dahilan din kung bakit hindi malubos lubos ang kalayaan ng ating mamamayan.  Sila po iyong mga sindikatong gumagalaw upang ang boto at boses ng ating mga mamamayan ay hindi masunod sa ating halalan;  sila ang mga kumpanya na inaapi ang ating mga mahirap na manggagawa sa pamamagitan ng hindi pagbabayad sa kanilang tamang sahod; sila ang mga kumpanyang sinasamsam ang mga lupain ng ating mga maliliit na magsasaka; sila ang mga kumpanyang mga may monopolio sa serbisyo na walang iniintindi kung hindi palaguin ang kaban ng kanilang kayamanan at hindi iniintindi ang kapakanan ng nakararaming mamamayan natin na naghihirap sa buhay; at sila din po iyong mga nagpapatakbo sa ating pamahalaan na hindi tinutupad ang kanilang katungkulan na isaalang alang ang kabutihan ng ating mamamayan ng higit sa sariling pang-interes nila.

Dalawang mukha ang makikita natin sa larawan ng ating kalayaan at mga karapatan sa panahon na ito.  Una, ang kalayaan at mga karapatan ng ating mga mamamayan ay hindi pa lubos na natatamo.  At ikalawa, ang pagsikil sa ating kalayaan at mga karapatan ay gawa, hindi lamang ng mga banyagang bansa ngunit gawa din ng ibang kabaro natin.  Sa kanilang panggigipit, hindi na sila gumagamit ng mga bomba at baril ngunit ang ginagamit nila ay ang kayamanan, ang kalakalan upang madiktahan ang ating mamamayan.

Dahil dito, humaharap tayo sa mahabang pakikibaka laban sa mga malalakas na banyagang bansa na ito, laban sa mga sariling kababayan nating elitista, sa mga “vested interest” na may kontrol sa ating buhay politika, sosyal at ekonomika.  Hindi natin maipagwawagi ang pakikibaka na ito sa isang kisap mata sapagkat higit na may makapangyarihan ang sumusupil sa ating mga karapatan.  Ngunit huwag po nating kalimutan na lahat po ng nakikibaka sa nang-aabuso sa karapatan ng tao ay magwawagi sa tamang takda ng panahon.  At si Gat. Andres Bonifacio ay pinakita sa atin kung paano magwawagi sa labang ito.  Si Andres Bonifacio ay nabibilang sa uri ng mahihirap, sa uri ng hindi nakapag-aral, sa uri ng walang kapangyarihan sa lipunan.  Ngunit kahit siya ay salat sa karunungan, salat sa kayamanan, salat sa kapangyarihan, mayroon siyang isang bagay na wala ang karamihan.  Iyan ang ispiritu na hindi papayag pasiil, lalong lalo na isang banyagang lahi, isang ispiritu na hindi inaalintana ang lakas ng kapangyarihan ng mga naniniil, isang ispiritu na hindi nanghihina kahit na ang mga naniniil ay pansamantalang nagtatagumpay, isang ispiritu bukal sa isang pusong tunay na may pagmamahal sa mga aping Pilipino.

Ang ating pong katungkulan ay panatilihing nagliliyab sa ating mga damdamin ang ispiritu ni Gat. Andres Bonifacio.  At hanggang ang ispiritu ni Gat. Bonifacio ay nagniningas sa ating puso, walang sino mang banyaga, walang sino mang kabaro natin, kahit gaano sila kayaman, kahit gaano ang kanilang kapangyarihan ang makasusupil sa ating kalayaan at sa ating karapatang pangtao.  At sa pakikibaka nating ito, tayo ay papatnubayan ng ating Panginoon sapagkat siya ay isang Diyos na mapagpalaya, isang Diyos na makatarungan.

Mabuhay tayong lahat.


*       Talumpating iniabot sa Pagdiriwang ng Araw ng Kalayaan at Paglalagay ng Alay sa Monumento ni Bonifacio, Bonifacio National Monument , Caloocan City , Metro Manila, June 12, 2008 .

[1] Tingnan 1987 Phil. Const. Art. 3.

[2] Inflation soars to 9.6%,, Peso dives below 44 to a dollar as food, fue costs rise, Philippine Daily Inquirer, June 6, 2008, Tomo 23, p. A1 (headline).

[3] Id.

[4] 2006 Official Poverty Statistics, National Statistical Coordination Board (NCSB) PressCon on the 2006 Official Poverty Statistics, 5 March 2008 .

[5] Prices Rose Faster than Family Income Decile, National Statistical Coordination Board (NCSB) PressCon on the 2006 Official Poverty Statistics, 5 March 2008


]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3798545#topBox http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3798545 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:15:00 -0100 <![CDATA[Observations of an English Brother]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3575214 Observations of an English Brother

.

For those of us that are old enough, do you remember Victor Kiam, the owner of Remington Shavers back on his TV advert in the seventies ? He said, I quote, "I was so impressed with the Remington Shaver, I bought the company !" Bear that in mind , I will come back to that later.

I am a member of the Elizabethan Lodge No. 7262 in the Grand Lodge of England. My wife Maritess, a Filipina, comes from Conception Pequena, Naga City. Her family are life long friends of the Gumabon family. A name synonymous with Freemasonry in the Naga area for generations.

We have family ties and property in the Naga area, so obviously make the journey from the United Kingdom and visit when time permits.

It necessarily follows, that sooner rather than later I was destined to visit a Filipino Lodge. A few phone calls around the world in June and some assistance of a Brother in Naga and I was all set to visit the August regular meeting of the Isarog Lodge No. 33.

My regalia, suit and shoes took up quite a bit of suitcase space, but if I was to do this it must be done right. I also brought my Grand Lodge certificate and my certificate of good standing, just in case they were asked for.

I met Bro. Ramon socially with my friend, Bro. Ariel a few days prior to the meeting.

The second Saturday came and I was sweating buckets ! Not through anticipation, but because I was wearing full English dress code and regalia ! Better suited to the English climate, about 18 degrees centigrade cooler than the Philippines. My driver took me to the Lodge. I was met by the Tyler who exchanged pleasantries and ritual. I was told I would be admitted shortly after the start of the Lodge.

Sure enough, minutes later , I was announced and took my seat in the Lodge. I could see there was a lot of interest in my regalia, a lot of metal embellishments and symbols on my apron I suppose.

I duly presented myself to the Worshipful Master at an opportune moment and communicated sincerest greetings from the Master, Wardens and Brethren of my Mother Lodge. Throughout the workings in the temple, it was "the same, but different" to that I am used to, if you know what I mean. I had to work to English workings and protocol, after all, it’s the only way I know . Most of the time it was identical, but sometimes it varied. Enough for all of us to have a mutual understanding and respect for each other.

Overall, there were far more similarities in the Lodge than in everyday procedures of the two different cultures.

I was happy to hear the fellowship ("festive board" in England) was in a restaurant that I am very familiar with.

I enjoyed my favourite Bicol food, Bicol Express, freshwater snails in coconut milk, kilawin etc.

At all times I met and had the most welcoming and hospitable conversation with the brethren. To prove I was sober after several San Miguels, I will mention that I vividly remember enjoying the company of Brothers Domingo, Ben, Eric, Freddie, Ramon, Edwin, Jonathan, Arwin, Bing and many others. A fine band of Brothers.

The time flew by, but then it always does when you’re enjoying yourself. I was given the courtesy of a lift home by a kind brother.

A few days later, Bro. Arwin found out where I was staying. He remembered I had mentioned that I enjoyed shooting and fishing. The next day we went to Lake Buhi and a few more fishing trips after that besides. With this and the other brethren, I found I had made some new friends for life.

I had already decided that I would feel honoured to join the Isarog Lodge, especially with the plan to spend more time in the future in Naga in an official capacity or otherwise. How fortunate it was that I had brought both my certificates. The originals were seen, copies left and application and subscription entrusted to Bro. Bing. The rest was left to be verified between Manila and London.

Seven months later, it was all completed. I was delighted to receive an e-mail from WB Eric telling me that my application had been successful and I was now a bona-fide member of the Isarog Lodge. It has been a long journey Brethren, but we got there !

Remember what I said about Victor Kiam ? I was taken the same in a way…. I was so impressed with the Isarog Lodge that I had to join it !

The finest band of men you could ever meet !

I keep in contact with several of the Brethren one way or another. I love the website and videos on the internet, they just make the Isarog Lodge and the Brethren seem that little bit closer. Brethren, this proves to me how global the brotherly love really is.

To the Men of the Isarog Lodge, I salute you. You are all so often in my thoughts !

Brother John Maiden, Kgc, JP

Elizabethan Lodge, No. 7262.

Province of Hampshire and Isle of Wight.

United Grand Lodge of England

And proudly more recently,

The Isarog Lodge , No. 33

Naga City,

Grand Lodge of the Philippines

* Please forgive what you may think are spelling mistakes, it is written in the "Queen’s" English , not "American" English !

]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3575214#topBox http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3575214 Mon, 16 Jun 2008 02:35:00 -0100 <![CDATA[Petition for Affiliation Approved]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3290289 ]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3290289#topBox http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3290289 Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:29:00 -0100 <![CDATA[Snippets of Masonic Light]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3235584 You wear the SQUARE, but do you have that which the SQUARE denotes?

Is there within your inner-most soul that principle which should control all deeds and words and thoughts?

The SQUARE of VIRTUE - Is it there,
O you that wear the MASONS SQUARE?

You wear the COMPASS;
do you keep within that circle due,
that's circumscribed by law divine
excluding hatred, envy, sin,
and including all that's true!

The COMPASS, does it trace that curve
inside of which no passions swerve?
My brother, if you will display these
emblems of our art,
Let the great moral that they teach be deeply graven, each for each, 
Upon your honest heart!

So they will tell to God and man,
Our ancient, holy, perfect plan.


(Author Unknown)]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3235584#topBox http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=3235584 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:37:00 -0100 <![CDATA[Lodge anniversary]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=2944310
On this day in 1917, Lodge Isarog #376 under the Gran Oriente Espanol received a Charter from the Grand Lodge of the Philippines, thus becoming Isarog Lodge #33 F.&A.M.

Today marks our 91st anniversary! Happy anniversary to all the brethren of Isarog Lodge! And an advanced happy St. Valentines day to everyone!
]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=2944310#topBox http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=2944310 Wed, 13 Feb 2008 11:36:00 -0100 <![CDATA[Snippets of Masonic Light]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=2904891 There is no difference among men that Freemasonry may not overcome.

There is no conflict that Freemasonry may not dissipate. 

There is no chasm among nations of good will which Freemasonry may not bridge.

The ceremonies and events of this solemn and historic occasion deepen our conviction that Freemasonry is necessary and serviceable to advance the frontiers of freedom, and secure for humanity the blessings of peace and progress, prosperity and happiness.

~ MW Camilo Osias, PGM, speaking at the making of Japanese Premier, Ichiro Hotoyama, as a Master Mason (March 26, 1955)

]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=2904891#topBox http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=2904891 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:49:00 -0100 <![CDATA[Snippets of Masonic Light]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=2883341 quality; its depth, its purity, its fortitude, its fitness of spirit and gesture of soul. Hence the insistent emphasis of Masonry upon the buildingof character and the practice of righteousness; upon that moral culture without which man is rudimentary, and that spiritual vision without intellect is the slave of greed or passion. What makes a man great and  free of soul, here or anywhere, is loyalty to the laws of right, of truth, of purity, of love, and the lofty will of God.

  ~ Bro. John Fort Newton]]> http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=2883341#topBox http://isarog33.webs.com/updates.htm?blogentryid=2883341 Sat, 02 Feb 2008 10:51:00 -0100