Concept Paper of The Mabini Society for Nationhood

By VW Teodoro Alejandro Kalaw IV, SGL (136)

For years, Masons have wanted to form an organization dedicated to Masonic scholarship. Masonic Research Societies and Lodges of Research have come and gone without leaving much of an impact on the landscape of the local Masonic academe. The Institute of Masonic Education and Studies (IMES) came closest to satisfying the craving for more knowledge, but the IMES is a teaching institution and not a society composing of Masonic scholars dedicated to further study of their fraternity and local fraternalism.

On December 27, 2020, a group composing of Masonic writers, researchers, lecturers, and scholars banded together to form, not just a Masonic Research Society, but something far more extensive and inclusive. It was named the Mabini Society for Nationhood or MSN.

MSN aims to be an international learned society for the study of fraternalism in Philippine Society in general, and the contributions of Freemasonry to the Filipino Nation in particular. It does not engage in Masonic Work nor otherwise perform any Masonic ritual.

The operational parameters of the above organizational definition follow, in summary these are:

perspective; • The society’s 3 core purposes; • The classes of members and how such are promoted on merit; • The target audiences and constituency affiliations that will be sought; and • How the society is governed and organized.

To establish a merit-based independent and non-Masonic learned society for the study of Freemasonry and fraternalism in Philippine Society in accordance with international academic standards, open to all Freemasons belonging to grand jurisdictions in amity with the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines as well as qualified non-masons and operating outside the constraints of the traditional lodge setting in Regular Freemasonry.

To strive for and fulfill the three core purposes of the organization as defined below.

To be a forum and haven for the intellectually - rigorous Brethren committed to the society’s mission and vision and possessing the following fundamental values:

M - Masonically-Grounded A - Academically-Oriented B - Bayanihan-Driven I - Integrity N - Nationalism I - Inclusiveness

Forum: To encourage and promote Masonic research and studies that is consistent with international academic standards.

This first purpose provides the organization its REASON FOR BEING: To be an independent voice for gradually uplifting local Masonic research & education to standards that would be

Academic credit conceptually covers any distinct body of work such as a book, article, lecture, or oration personally created by the member and assessed to be academically credible in terms of being of publishable quality, as defined in detail and assessed by the College of Fellows described below. The College of Fellows will also monitor compliance when a Fellow holds the rank of Kapatid until confirmation to the rank of Katabay. The above are minimum targets. A member can get credited for as much as he can produce in any given calendar year, for as long as such works are assessed and approved by the College of Fellows.

acceptable in world-class universities.

Advocacy: To perpetuate and develop the ideals of Mabini and our Founding Fathers that serve as the Foundation of our national identity, to the extent that such can no longer be undertaken within regular lodges of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines.

This second purpose gives the organization its DISTINCTIVE AGENDA: Since regular GLP lodges are prohibited from expressly engaging in Masonic discourse in the way our Founding Fathers did as Continental Masons, Filipino Freemasons can now do so as a society OUTSIDE the lodge setting.

Service: To assist the GLP Corps of Grand Lecturers, IMES, and Philippine Lodge of Research in providing credible, engaging, & practical Masonic education and information to both Brethren & the general public. This third purpose highlights the organization’s INCLUSIVE NATURE: That such is being organized NOT to compete with established GLP bodies already focused on Masonic education and studies BUT to be of service to them, all Brethren, and the common good given the above.

The Society will be governed by 2 classes of full members, who can vote and be voted upon for leadership roles. These two classes will be gradually populated over time thru merit-based promotion from an entry-level class of associates.

Promotion will primarily be based on the accumulation of academic credit. One work of substantive Masonic content, to be defined and

assessed by a College of Fellows described below, equals one academic credit.

Associate (AMSN)

Apprentices of the Society have no voting privileges BUT can serve as appointed officers. Upon initiation to this category, they shall be entitled to use the postnominal “AMSN” after their names professionally.

Full members of the Society can vote and be voted for elected leadership roles. Upon passing to this category, they shall be entitled to use the postnominal “MMSN” after their names professionally.

Senior members of the Society can vote and be voted for elected leadership roles. Upon raising to this category, they shall be entitled to use the postnominal “FMSN” after their names professionally FOR AS LONG AS they fulfill at least one academic credit each calendar year until they are confirmed to the rank of Katabay. Non-compliance will mean their temporary reversion to use of the postnominal “MMSN” until they are again compliant.

The most senior members of the Society can vote and be voted for elected leadership roles. Upon being confirmed to this category, they shall be entitled to lifetime use of the postnominal “FMSN” after their names professionally. The Society will seek accreditation as a local/ specialized historical society with the Local Historical Committees Network of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) mainly to advance its second core purpose as well as reach out to all sectors of the academic community.

The Society will not just encourage Filipino International Lodges in other regular Masonic jurisdictions to affiliate as international chapters, but also actively recruit Filipino Brethren outside the Masonic Jurisdiction of the Philippines so that the organization can be their home in this Masonic Jurisdiction, particularly given the strict residence requirements for lodge membership of the GLP which would not apply to the Society.

Fig.01: The Society shall be organized as depicted:

The Society will seek accreditation as a nonmasonic affiliated organization with the Grand Lodge of the Philippines (GLP).

The society shall be governed by a 12-member board of elected officers, 11 of whom shall be elected by and from among the Fellows and Members. The Dean of the College of Fellows shall be elected by the Fellows and serve in an ex-officio capacity as a member of the Board of

Trustees. This Board may in its discretion appoint other officers from among the Fellows, Members, and Associates or delegate such appointed roles among themselves.

The Board shall be elected for a two-year term beginning on the first of January of the calendar year after the date of their election. The election of the incoming Board of Directors shall be on the date of the scheduled quarterly fellowship of the Society in the fourth quarter of the second year of the incumbent Board’s term.

The 12 officers shall fulfill the following leadership roles as described in the table below.

The Secretariat of the Society, composed of the three elected officers designated above in an ex officio capacity, shall ensure that the Society shall operate effectively as a going concern.

The College of Fellows shall be composed of all Fellows of the Society. All Fellows shall collectively be responsible for establishing and developing the merit-based system of academic credit that shall be the basis for promoting members.

Fellows holding the rank of Katabay shall be responsible for supervising the implementation of all member assessments as well as the progression of Fellows holding the rank of Kapatid to confirmation to the rank of Katabay. Fellows holding the rank of Katabay shall also elect from among themselves the following officers to fulfill the following leadership roles:

The respective operating arms of the Society not already described above shall address the following matters: