Freemasonry and Rizal

The Freemasons played a significantly much in Philippine nation-building.

Many state actors in our history were Freemasons. The most famous among all was one of them.

Jose Rizal has become interested in the contributions of the Freemasons in nation-building.

The liberal thinking of Freemasons has made Rizal aspire to be one of them.

that the La Solidaridad was a Masonic Lodge and its publication was the conduit of the Masonic ideology of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Rizal was an active Freemason not for popularity but for the benefit of his beloved motherland.

It is the start of the second semester, and much like in the previous, history topics go back from scratch for newly enrolled students.

Well, not with the repeater student who, perhaps, has taken history subject more than once.

But why do some students repeat history subjects? What causes indifference?

In many instances, it could have been their being stubborn. Nevertheless, in some, it is the teaching that causes disinterest.

You see, again, the purpose of history is to find the meaning of the past. Why did it happen?

Who were the contributors? Why they contributed much to its past? What is the relevance at present?

Questions like these give purpose to history lessons.

For example, one interesting part of his history is his participation as a Freemason, which I believe played a part in Rizal’s concept of nation-building and Filipino consciousness.

Throughout human history, the Freemasons contributed much to state formation.

Like the stonemasons that built cathedral buildings during the medieval period, the Freemasons, through time, have solidly built nations from their teachings of morality, charity, and obedience to the law.

Most modern liberals, state actors, and nation-builders in history were Freemasons.

In 1883, Jose Rizal joined the Acacia Lodge of the Gran Oriente de Espana.

The liberalist in Rizal followed suit to the liberalist nature of the Freemasons.

In 1889, Rizal joined the La Solidaridad, and a certificate dated May 25, 1890, authenticated his acceptance that also bears his pseudonym “Dimasalang.”

A Masonic certificate issued on November 15, 1890, that carried the subheading liberty, equality, and fraternity certifying Rizal’s membership was elevated to Master Mason in the La Solidaridad Lodge.

We all know that Rizal was an active writer of the La Solidaridad with the exemption for the hiring and deployment of mental health professionals. The authors urged their fellow legislators for the quick passage of the bill to address the rising incidence of emotional, psychological and mental health issues among students these days.

While El Filibusterismo was printed in Ghent, Belgium, he was accepted in the Temple de L’Honneur et de L’ Union, a lodge in Paris, France.

On February 15, 1892, he was promoted to Master Mason.

Earlier in this article, I mentioned that, through time, the Freemasons have solidly built nations.

History could not deny that they have contributed much to this free world, as Benjamin Franklin and George Washington during the American Revolutionary Period, Voltaire in France during the “enlightenment age,” and Simon Bolivar who fought for independence for Peru and Colombia against Spain during the early 19th century.

Jose Rizal belongs to the same category, just like all the heroes we have who are mem- bers of the Freemasonry.

In fact, the philosophy and teachings of Freemasonry played an essential to the development of Rizal’s exile in Dapitan.

Just like they ascended from the stonemasons that built the Cathedrals during the medieval period, the Freemasons, like Rizal IN THEIR WAYS, have also built the very foundation of our MOTHERLAND. (MT)

(Ryan Albert Ignacius “RAI” Bollozos Sanchez, 40, is a native of Cagayan de Oro City. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and currently finishing his Master of Arts in History at Xavier UniversityAteneo de Cagayan. He is currently a full-time faculty in the Department of General Education and Interdisciplinary Studies in Xavier Ateneo – teaching Readings in Philippine History, The Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal, and Interdisciplinary Studies subjects. He taught parttime at the Liceo de Cagayan University teaching Southeast Asian History and Government, and U.S. Government and Foreign Policy. You may reach him at rsanchez@xu.edu.ph)

Two days ago, a 19-yearold student from one of our universities died after jumping off a school building. Ruling out foul play, authorities have tentatively described it as an apparent suicide. School officials reminded all its students that “help was just a message, text or call away”.

This recent incident has brought some attention to the issue of teen suicides in the country. Recent studies show disturbing numbers about youth suicides or suicide attempts in the Philippines. In 2013, it was reported that 3 percent of Filipino teens tried ending their life. In 2021 the percentage rose to 7.5 percent. Unfortunately, six out of 10 of those who ever thought of committing suicides did not reach out to anyone. Of those who sought out help, only 4 percent sought professional help.

On Jan. 24 of this year, the House of Representatives passed on second reading a proposed measure seeking to strengthen the promotion and delivery of mental health services in the education system,

Studies have shown that the primary cause of suicides or suicide attempts is severe depression. Depression can occur because of psychological disorders and other biological origins. These factors contribute to severe forms of depression, which often lead to self-harming actions and suicides. When mixed with alcohol and drugs, things become worse. These causes are where mental health professionals are most needed. As such, increasing access to mental health professionals is crucial. Parents, guardians and concerned friends must also contribute in identifying signs of depression and facilitating this access.

There are other causes of suicide attempts where other sectors of society must also pitch in. Some of these causes are: (1) severe discouragement due to family problems, (2) rejection (from friends or love interests), (3) defeat and shame of failure and the most prevalent is (4) BULLYING.

School officials, influencers, media and government can each contribute to lessening the impacts of these causes.

Bullying. There has been a marked increase of reports of student suicide attempts due to bullying in all its forms (physical, verbal, and online). Some educators have raised the alarm that they have received more reports of several kids “suffering from anxiety, stress, and sadly self-harm including suicide as a result of several factors including bullying.”

School psychologists advise parents to observe the tell-tale signs of bullying other than bruises such as: (1) mood swings, (2) changes in eating habits, (3) less to no friends, and (4) sudden failing grades. Rather than be angry or disappointed, parents are told to reassure and support their kids and see them as stable allies.

The question that many people, especially those from Generation X, are asking is why are incidences of teen suicides and severe depression due to non-biological factors also increasing? Are kids today less resilient, more sensitive, more prone to taking offense? Bullying, rejection, family problems, and failure have been around for ages. Why are kids today more affected? Why are more kids taking their lives because of these? Why are more kids overriding the normal biological mammal instinct of survival and self -preservation?

Some people are asking if we have raised our kids wrong. The concepts of helicopter parenting or participation trophies have been blamed. Have we failed to toughen up our kids? Have we failed to teach them how to stand up against those who bully them? Have we failed to teach our kids how to handle failure and rejection?