As the Bamboos Sway By Rudy D. Liporada The Masons and the Plunderer Notable members of the respectable international Mason or Freemasonry organization include George Washington, President Barack Obama, Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, and Alan Purisima. Alan Purisima? The head honcho of the Philippine National Police (PNP)? The PNP chief who is now being branded a plunderer in the Philippines? The one who is receiving bribes in the millions and seem to not understand that those are bribes? The one who has a mansion whose value he could not have afforded with his and wife’s income? The one who got a van for only 1.5M pesos when the price tag was for 4.5M? The one who says a friend just lends him a bullet proof van? Yes! In fact he is the head honcho of the Philippine Mason Lodge. In Mason’s history lore, there would be no United States of America today if not for Masons. It is said that, during the American revolution against Britain, when George Washington was already on the run as pursued by the British colonial army, Benjamin Franklin, also a Mason, went to France to ask help from King Louis XVI (yes, also a Mason). The French provided ammunitions and sent manpower and its fleet which finally broke the British army’s backbone at the Siege of Yorktown. Yes, Purisima is associated with these venerable personages. When the plunder and bribery issues were splattered over headlines and aired in mass media, I called on some of my friends who I know are Masons. I asked them if I can interview them to get their views on the issue involving one of their members. Everyone, except one, refused to give any comment. It appeared to me that there might be some kind of omerta among its members. According to public records search, “although it is unclear exactly when and how the organization was formed, one widely quoted theory explains that it (Masonry) originated during the Middle Ages as the stonemasons guild. It definitely originated before or during the late 14th century, which is when the first reference to the Masons occurs. The fraternity was popular in colonial America, with George Washington, Ben Franklin, John Hancock and other Founding Fathers taking part. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the organization grew and created many homes for orphans, widows and the elderly, according to the Masonic Service Associations ‘History of Freemasonry.’ “The Masons are essentially a ‘do-gooders’ organization, in which those who join can work together to help others. The organization does a lot of work for various charities, especially raising funds. For example, some branches of Freemasons provide educational services for disadvantaged children. Freemasons are also involved in disaster relief, hospital visitation and other services. Some sections of the Masons work on improving their members personally as well, giving spiritual self-help classes that are based on no specific religion.” The one member who gave me sparse comments regarding the Purisima issue is a business partner who had caved in to my relentless probing during our one hour drive to a client. Just in case other Mason brothers might confront him, I’ll just call him Bro. “Yes,” Bro said. “We are an international organization where members swear by the Bible, Koran, or any other book, with the purpose of serving its members and the public at large. “We do not invite anyone to join. It is up to prospective members to knock on the lodges (unit organizations) and request to be members. They undergo routine background checks. They should have not been involved in murder or crime of any sort. “We help and protect each other and though, we do mind our personal businesses, we tend to help each other in our business and social endeavors. “We have what we call angles and squares. You have your angle in life and you must face your responsibilities squarely. “Yes, Purisima is tarnishing the prestige of the organization. That stems from his angle. Now, he must face facts squarely. “Yes, although, the public might not know how the proceedings will go and its outcome, I am sure that the lodge he is a member or head of, will definitely face the issue and pass judgment on it.” So, I asked, Purisima will be expelled from the organization? “That should be expected,” Bro said. How about those two Mason policemen who featured in the Makati holdup or hulidap, will Purisima absolve them while he is the Mason Lodge chief? “You know,” Bro said. “There are rotten eggs in any organization.” Bro really sounded exasperated with my probing. So I stopped. At any rate, if, eventually, the Masons will disown Purisima, President BS Aquino is not showing any indication that he is displeased with his PNP chief. He even praised the embattled chief short of saying that he is actually a very honorable man. And while the security chief of the White House resigns due to a breached where a man with a knife was able to reach the innermost US presidential chambers, while Japanese prime ministers and ministers, and US lawmakers resign for any breaking scandals, Purisima clings to his position. He does not even have the decency to, at least, take a leave of absence while he is being investigated. He even has to gall, while surveys say that crime in the Philippines has surged, to include his policemen involved in the crimes, to rate his performance as a 9 out of 10. And, to reiterate, President BS Aquino cuddles him. Wala na ako say. Oh! Sorry. By the way, King Louis XVI was also executed in the aftermath of the French Revolution. It did not have anything to do with his being a Mason. It was his angle and his square.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 03:27:08 +0000