“In the heart of the city Lies a place of brotherhood The Bernardo Carpio Lodge No. 359 Where secrets are understood
With wisdom, strength and beauty As their guide and light The brethren of the Lodge Work to make things right
Through charity and service They strive to improve The community around them With every act of love
The Bernardo Carpio Lodge No. 359 A beacon in the night A shining example of Masonry’s eternal light.”
Named after the famous mythological hero who, legend says, has kept, to this day, the mountains of Montalban from crashing into each other, the Bernardo Carpio Masonic Lodge No. 359 was constituted on June 4, 2005 with the late Very Worshipful Artemio Cacal, Jr. as its first Worshipful Master. In just a decade of its constitution, it is most fortunate enough to have built, through the blood, sweat and tears of its brethren and the brethren of the Montalban Masonic Lodge No. 376, its very own temple, now named the San Mateo Masonic Center, which is nestled in the idyllic neighborhood of Barangay Gulod Malaya, San Mateo, Rizal.
Known in the community for its medical missions, calamity relief operations and gift giving events, the Lodge counts as its members distinguished Army and Naval Officers, Police Officers, Politicians, Doctors, Dentists, Nurses, Lawyers, Engineers, Contractors, Foreign Service Officers, Bankers, Businessmen and Entrepreneurs, Ship Captains, Civil Servants, Realtors, Managers, Supervisors, and other professionals. The Lodge is equally known for the proficiency of its members and produced very competent and diligent District Grand Lecturers namely: Very Worshipfuls the late Artemio Cacal, Eulalio Lorenzo, Rosalio Remo, Nicolas Manipon, Niño Espiritu, Luis Carlo Aquino, Isidro Martinez and Leo Edward Caranto. More importantly, the Lodge serves as a home to its members where friendship, camaraderie, and brotherhood are nurtured and deepened and where rank, privilege and titles are forgotten.
Indeed, more than the accolades and success received by the Lodge or its individual brethren, it is the brotherly love and compassion, which truly define membership in the Lodge. Even visiting brethren attest to the warm hospitality and friendship extended to them by members of the Lodge. And as the Lodge continues on with its journey to the next decade and beyond, it seeks not only to promote and uphold the Masonic principles and way of life, but also to fulfill the symbolic purpose of its mythological hero, Bernardo Carpio, as savior of the Filipino people against national oppression and enslavement.