History of Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146
The Name
Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146 was named after and in honor of the dear Bro. Julian Ocampo, who was then a very active Masonic leader in the Bicol region during his time and was a former Governor of Camarines Sur. The Lodge
On March 20, 1956 Grand Master Camilo Osias issued a dispensation to the brethren residing near and within Iriga City, Camarines Sur, authorizing them to organize a lodge in the said city that will be named Julian S. And because the dispensation was only given a month before the Annual Communication (AnCom) on April 24, 1956, the brethren were not able to comply with the needed requirements due to the limited period of time. But in the succeeding year, during the Annual Communication in April 1957, the Grand Lodge approved the recommendation given by the Committee on Charters, after executing an in-depth examination on the records, minutes, returns, financial statements and reports that were submitted by the lodge’s officers. Therefore, on the said AnCom, a charter was granted for the creation of Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146. At the dawn of February 22, 1958, Grand Master Vicente Y. Orosa together with the Grand Lodge officers left Manila and arrived at Iriga City just in time for the Special Communication that had opened at 7:00 in the evening of the same day and proceeded to constitute Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146 and install its officers. Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146 thrived on its maiden year through the leadership of the very steadfast Worshipful Master Leon B. But these glory days have ended too soon after the unexpected demise of WM Tiansay, leaving the lodge on the edge. With an unclear detail in history, the brethren decided for the time being to transfer the lodge in Goa, Camarines Sur, since most of the members reside in the said nearby town. But this decision did not help the lodge in sustaining its purpose. During the Annual Communication in April 1961, Grand Master Juan S. Alano advised the brethren of Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146, that if no improvement were seen on the standing of the lodge, he would be forced to recommend the arrest of its charter, but even though there was already a demand from the Grand Master, the brethren still failed to conform. In April 1962, Grand Master William H. Quasha, finally decided the arrest of the charter of Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146 for being inactive, “I personally verified the situation before taking drastic action. I could not see the point of allowing a lodge to exist in the name only.”
After being dormant for nearly 27 years, some concerned brethren of Isarog Lodge No. 33 in Naga City namely Josefin G. Catangui, Sr., Benito S. Ngo, Benjamin S. Ngo, Santiago D. Ortega, Jr., Eduardo A. Taduran and Santiago M. Villanueva, who are all residents of Iriga City, along with some other brethren of the said Lodge, pooled their efforts and resources together and decided to reconstitute Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146. One of the conditions set forth by the Constitution of The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Philippines as stated in Article IX, Section 2a, Reactivation of Lodges, is that a petition for reactivation signed by at least twenty-five (25) Master Masons in good standing one of whom was a member of that lodge at the time of its dissolution. The concerned brethren of Isarog Lodge No. 33 exerted efforts to search for surviving members and were fortunate enough to find Bro. Tomas “Tom” Badilla of Baao, Camarines Sur as the lone surviving member. From 1990, the reconstituted Lodge conducts meetings and fellowships at Isarog Lodge No. 33 in Naga City. But this has concluded in 1998 during the leadership of Worshipful Brother Felipe Gerardo S.D. Ortega, when his father, Brother Santiago D. Ortega, Jr., offered one of his facilities inside the University of Saint Anthony in Iriga City to be used as a temporary Lodge of Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146. In 2011, Worshipful Brother Francisco B. Peñaflor was elected as the Worshipful Master. He led the Lodge for three consecutive years and during his second term in 2012; he organized a fund-raising activity intended for the construction of the Lodge’s own temple that is set to be built in a lot donated by VW Benito S. Ngo in Barangay San Nicolas, Iriga City. With fervent prayers and determinations, after half-a-century, the Lodge’s temple was finally realized in 2013. Grand Master Juan F. Espino, Jr., led the dedication of the edifice as the official home of the Julian Ocampo Memorial Lodge No. 146 under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines. JOML No.146 is now thriving in the Rinconada District aiming to reach out beyond the district practicing the principal masonic tenets of brotherly love, relief and truth.
