SURPRISE MASONIC VISITORS.
This article is too good to escape the literary pen.
Last Saturday September 20, at about five minutes before four in the afternoon while I was leisurely resting at our backyard waiting for the four o’clock news over the DZRH radio band, a man in civilian clothes approached the back gate and in the local dialect hollered: “Ikaw si Mr. Galarosa?” and received a nod as a reply. He next said: “Gipangita ka ni Col. Arugay!! (Col. Arugay is looking for you) and to which I said: “Asa man siya?” (Where is he?) Sa atbang sa imo ba’ay! (At the front gate of your house) he said.
And so I immediately motioned him to enter the back gate, made him follow me and together we entered the house via the kitchen door, went out of it via the front door and outside the front gate saw two vans with about a dozen people, mostly in fatigue uniforms, already alighted. I immediately opened the gate and noticed a young gentleman in military uniform approaching me and saw the name Ushida on his breast. I immediately extended my hand as a welcome gesture (his name was already previously mentioned to me by Bro. Arugay during Dagohoy Lodge No. 84 stated meeting) and in the national language asked: “Where is Bro. Arugay?” and to which he replied: “He was looking for you via your backyard gate!” Whereupon I suggested to him that the drivers of the vans park the vehicles inside the driveway as parking these outside might create an unusual commotion in the community considering their uniforms to which the drivers dutifully obliged. I next motioned to Col. Ushida to follow me and together we returned to our backyard and saw Bro. Arsenio Arugay already entering the backyard gate smiling. After the usual introductions I then lead them outside the back gate and there showed them the twin electric lights that serve as beacons to the returning fishermen, the village nipa shack, the basketball court and also the cemented walkway that connected the seawall to the market courtesy of VW Juanito P. Abergas, projects that I have embarked upon and topics that were subjected to articles and later posted in the Internet. I also showed them the still-unfinished catwalk that will link the fishing village to the seawall and finally to the market and in an oral wish hoped that the project will someday be completed with the help of some concerned brethren. I also added the information that we have already successfully helped seven harelips operated upon and that more are still expected to come.
Returning to our place, I offered them a seat at our garden set and there exchanged pleasantries on a subject common to all brethren. Eric, that’s Ushida’s first name, was raised at General Artemio Ricarte Lodge No. 322 in Year 2000 and has been assigned in the island of Bohol barely two months as the battalion commander of a military camp that is situated in nearby Candijay town. He is a fairly new mason but is a whiz at the Internet world who later introduced to this writer a new website called “Ecu Online”. Bro. Arugay on the other hand, was raised in Isagani Lodge No. 96 many years ago. His masonic experiences already included interacting with the brethren of Rising Sun Lodge No. 151 when he was stationed in Japan and with the brethren of East Gate Lodge No. 232 in Borongan, Eastern Samar and in both instances helped reeve up their anemic attendance . He has now lodged eight months service as Deputy Brigade Commander and is stationed at the military camp at the interior town of Carmen. He also fondly narrated the time he acted as Master of Ceremonies during the installation ceremony of East Gate Lodge in support of MW Napoleon Soriano despite the fact that he has not yet served as Master of a Lodge, a bane common to most military personnel because of the nature of their profession.
Meanwhile, the missus ordered Andoy, one of our fishermen neighbors to gather “buko” (young coconuts) and together we enjoyed our refreshment in the company of my Kabir friends that freely roam our backyard.
The wonderful world of the Internet was a topic common to all three. Bro. Arugay wanted one installed at the Carmen office so that he can communicate with his daughter in the States but his main problem is how to make the link as the telephone facility is installed inside the office of the Brigade Commander because of uncontrolled long distance bills by subordinate personnel, Bro. Eric wanted one installed at his office at the camp in Candijay but at present does not yet have a Modem to link the telephone with the outside world. I, of course, had mine already installed and never mind if my beat-up computer conks out periodically making it technically inoperable.
We also talked about the efforts being waged by Bro. Deo Macalma of DZRH at bringing to the fore the brethren of the Craft. All are agreed it gives a positive boost.
With dusk fast approaching the horizon, our visitors bade goodbye but not before offering that we visit them at their respective temporary abodes at the camps where they are separately stationed. I and the missus of course, profusely thanked both for making the call; they after all, are our first Masonic visitors to ever visit the lion’s den!
This article is too good to escape the literary pen.
Last Saturday September 20, at about five minutes before four in the afternoon while I was leisurely resting at our backyard waiting for the four o’clock news over the DZRH radio band, a man in civilian clothes approached the back gate and in the local dialect hollered: “Ikaw si Mr. Galarosa?” and received a nod as a reply. He next said: “Gipangita ka ni Col. Arugay!! (Col. Arugay is looking for you) and to which I said: “Asa man siya?” (Where is he?) Sa atbang sa imo ba’ay! (At the front gate of your house) he said.
And so I immediately motioned him to enter the back gate, made him follow me and together we entered the house via the kitchen door, went out of it via the front door and outside the front gate saw two vans with about a dozen people, mostly in fatigue uniforms, already alighted. I immediately opened the gate and noticed a young gentleman in military uniform approaching me and saw the name Ushida on his breast. I immediately extended my hand as a welcome gesture (his name was already previously mentioned to me by Bro. Arugay during Dagohoy Lodge No. 84 stated meeting) and in the national language asked: “Where is Bro. Arugay?” and to which he replied: “He was looking for you via your backyard gate!” Whereupon I suggested to him that the drivers of the vans park the vehicles inside the driveway as parking these outside might create an unusual commotion in the community considering their uniforms to which the drivers dutifully obliged. I next motioned to Col. Ushida to follow me and together we returned to our backyard and saw Bro. Arsenio Arugay already entering the backyard gate smiling. After the usual introductions I then lead them outside the back gate and there showed them the twin electric lights that serve as beacons to the returning fishermen, the village nipa shack, the basketball court and also the cemented walkway that connected the seawall to the market courtesy of VW Juanito P. Abergas, projects that I have embarked upon and topics that were subjected to articles and later posted in the Internet. I also showed them the still-unfinished catwalk that will link the fishing village to the seawall and finally to the market and in an oral wish hoped that the project will someday be completed with the help of some concerned brethren. I also added the information that we have already successfully helped seven harelips operated upon and that more are still expected to come.
Returning to our place, I offered them a seat at our garden set and there exchanged pleasantries on a subject common to all brethren. Eric, that’s Ushida’s first name, was raised at General Artemio Ricarte Lodge No. 322 in Year 2000 and has been assigned in the island of Bohol barely two months as the battalion commander of a military camp that is situated in nearby Candijay town. He is a fairly new mason but is a whiz at the Internet world who later introduced to this writer a new website called “Ecu Online”. Bro. Arugay on the other hand, was raised in Isagani Lodge No. 96 many years ago. His masonic experiences already included interacting with the brethren of Rising Sun Lodge No. 151 when he was stationed in Japan and with the brethren of East Gate Lodge No. 232 in Borongan, Eastern Samar and in both instances helped reeve up their anemic attendance . He has now lodged eight months service as Deputy Brigade Commander and is stationed at the military camp at the interior town of Carmen. He also fondly narrated the time he acted as Master of Ceremonies during the installation ceremony of East Gate Lodge in support of MW Napoleon Soriano despite the fact that he has not yet served as Master of a Lodge, a bane common to most military personnel because of the nature of their profession.
Meanwhile, the missus ordered Andoy, one of our fishermen neighbors to gather “buko” (young coconuts) and together we enjoyed our refreshment in the company of my Kabir friends that freely roam our backyard.
The wonderful world of the Internet was a topic common to all three. Bro. Arugay wanted one installed at the Carmen office so that he can communicate with his daughter in the States but his main problem is how to make the link as the telephone facility is installed inside the office of the Brigade Commander because of uncontrolled long distance bills by subordinate personnel, Bro. Eric wanted one installed at his office at the camp in Candijay but at present does not yet have a Modem to link the telephone with the outside world. I, of course, had mine already installed and never mind if my beat-up computer conks out periodically making it technically inoperable.
We also talked about the efforts being waged by Bro. Deo Macalma of DZRH at bringing to the fore the brethren of the Craft. All are agreed it gives a positive boost.
With dusk fast approaching the horizon, our visitors bade goodbye but not before offering that we visit them at their respective temporary abodes at the camps where they are separately stationed. I and the missus of course, profusely thanked both for making the call; they after all, are our first Masonic visitors to ever visit the lion’s den!
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