One evening in July 2009, Brother Edward Cagampan invited a few Brother Master Masons for a fellowship at his home in Sacramento. Among those who attended were Brothers Loreto Paragas, Alfredo Asuncion, Cornelio Perez, Worshipful Virgilio Manganaan and Worshipful Alejandro (Andy) Villanueva. They discussed the news and issues of the day. Then, somehow their discussion turned to the feasibility of forming a new Masonic Lodge. Brother Joselito Viray, PM got involved when Worshipful Andy called and informed him that they were seriously considering forming a new Lodge. Bro Lito Viray then began to gather nformation on what they needed to do, the Grand Lodge requirements, how to proceed, when and where to file documents, etc. On July 30, 2009, an Informational Meeting on Lodge Formation was held at “The Kapitbahay” room, Seafood City on Mack Road in Sacramento. The attendees learned then that a Lodge could be formed only by authority of a Dispensation from the Grand Master and that we should provide a written notification of our intention to apply for dispensation to each existing Lodge within 10 miles of the new lodge’s proposed meeting place. The attendees had the chance to study the matter seriously and agreed to meet again with other interested Master Masons to deliberate further on the matter. Carl’s Jr. Restaurant, Mack Road, Sacramento was the venue for our first Preliminary Meeting held in the morning of August 9, 2009. In attendance were 11 Master Masons, four of whom were Past Masters. They started suggesting names for the new Lodge. Two of the suggested names that came to mind were “Lion’s Paw Lodge” and “Five Points Lodge”. They also suggested that the Stated Meetings be held on the second Friday in each month. One more thing, we would need to contact other Master Masons who could be prospective Charter Members. This task was assigned to Brother Loreto and Worshipful Andy. By the end of the day, they came up with a list of 31 potential members. The next Preliminary Meeting on August 29th at the residence of Worshipful Andy Villanueva in Elk Grove was historically significant. In attendance were 22 Masons, eight of whom were Past Masters. Seven different names were suggested for the name of the proposed Lodge. The attendees finally chose the name, “General Douglas MacArthur Lodge”, as proposed by Brother Alfredo Asuncion. Although we understood then that the Grand Master would appoint the Master and Wardens of the Lodge, we went ahead and elected the following officers:
Master (proposed) Joselito Viray, PM
Sr. Warden (proposed) Andy Villanueva, PM
Jr. Warden (proposed) Reden Infante, PM
Treasurer Victor Duadico
Secretary Jerry Verzosa
Asst. Secretary None*
Chaplain Romeo Mabanta
Senior Deacon Edward Cagampan
Junior Deacon Alfredo Asuncion
Marshal Peter Barroga**
Senior Steward Loreto Paragas
Junior Steward Ferdinand Basa***
Tiler Rafael Marfori, PM
