Bidding Jitters and How We Bagged the AnCom 2011

By Bro. Reynald T. Hao, Sr. Warden, Toril Lodge No. 208
[reprinted from The Hourglass, Vol. 1, Jan. to July 2010, Toril Lodge No. 208, F&AM]

This is how it all started.

It was Toril Lodge No. 208 that initiated Davao’s bid to host the 95th Annual Communication. We submitted our letter of intent during the 93rd AnCom in Cagayan de Oro City in 2008. The brethren of Davao, led by VW Ferdinand P. Subido, PDDGM and VW Cornelius A. Callao, PDGL, suggested that it would be a fitting tribute to then Sr. Grand Warden Juanito P. Abergas, who is a member of Toril Lodge, and would be most likely be installed as Grand Master by that time. Over lunch at Chow King, then Worshipful Master Lauro Tito C. Ilagan, Senior Warden Franklin C. Ladores, myself (I was Junior Warden at that time), and some other members of the lodge came to a decision to go through with it.

We first secured the concurrence of RW Abergas during a courtesty call the brethren of Toril Lodge made to him at the Mallberry Suites after the session of the first day. The brethren had presented RW Abergas with a Toril Lodge shirt jacket, which he promptly wore for the rest of the evening. Over dinner, we bared to him our plans to bid for the AnCom 2011.

With the nod of RW Abergas, the officers then approached the incumbent District Deputy Grand Master, VW Carlo A. Hilario, the following day to sign a letter of intent, endorsing Toril Lodge’s bid. As other districts had already submitted their bids, we made haste to give the letter to MW Pablo C. Ko, PGM, Chairman of the Committee on ANCOM Evaluation. In our letter, we manifested our intent to host the 95th Annual Communications, citing Davao’s distinction of hosting the first ever AnCom outside Manila in 1987, as well as experience in again serving as host six years later, in 1993. As incumbent Master, WB Ilagan had to be the one to submit the letter. After mustering enough courage, WB Ilagan went up the Grand East (while the AnCom was in session!!!) and approached MW Ko.

I was anxiously waiting for WB Ilagan to come down. When he did, I eagerly asked him what MW Ko said. WB Ilagan recounted that MW Ko, upon receiving the letter, just asked, “Ano ba ang nakain niyo at naisipan niyong mag-bid?” WB Ilagan nervously replied, “Chow King po.”

After the submission, we had to scour Limketkai Mall for a printing shop to speedily produce the tarpaulins displaying our bid to host the AnCom 2011. It was VW Rodel Riezl SJ Reyes, PDDGM who came up with the catchy phrase, “Ba’t `di sa Davao sa 2011?” which we used in our tarps. Fortunately, we came upon a very helpful and very resourceful graphic artist who did the beautiful tarp design, complete with pictures of the Philippine Eagle and durian to symbolize Davao City.

We were given 60 days to comply with the necessary requirements, so, upon our return to Davao, I personally made it a mission to come up with such requirements. Unfortunately, we ran out of time. I asked WB Ilagan to ask for the intercession of RW Abergas. Months passed without word and the brethren from the other lodges began asking about the status of the bid without any definite answer from us. I thought our bid for the 2011 AnCom was gone.

But renewed hope came on August 24, 2009. During our district council meeting, DDGM Jose A. Lim, III read a letter from VW Emmanuel Diesta, Administrative Assistant to the Grand Master, informing the district that he was instructed by MW Pablo Ko, PGM to request our district to submit the necessary requirements, including the non-refundable P10,000 deposit. It was clarified, however, that bids could now be done only by districts and not by individual lodges. VW Lim, with his usual vision, seized upon the opportunity and took up the cudgels for Toril, adopting the endeavour as the district’s and as his own.

With the new blessing and full support of our new DDGM, VW Lim, WB Ilagan and I resumed our efforts to comply with the Grand Lodge’s requirements. We met countless times with VW Lim and worked right in his office at Toyota Davao to prepare individual lodge resolutions, listings of hotels in the city, and other amenities to be provided for the Annual Communications. The incumbent Masters of the other lodges were most helpful in beating the deadline for the submission of the required individual lodge resolutions.

On September 25, 2009, at the 12th South Central Mindanao Multi-District Convention in Samal, a convention resolution was similarly passed supporting District R11-A’s bid to host the AnCom 2011. This move bolstered our district’s confidence in being selected by the committee.

Come April 2010, a few days before the brethren were to travel to Manila for the AnCom 2010, a district-wide fellowship was held at the Café Demitasse at F. Torres St., Davao City. RW Abergas was in attendance and the brethren from all subordinate lodges, young and old, were well-represented to have fellowship with the incoming Deputy Grand Master. They also assured RW Abergas that the district remained firm in its resolve to bid for the AnCom 2011. The fellowship became an impromptu planning session for the promotional activities to be done in Manila prior to the selection. As VW Lim was abroad at that time, VW Riezl Reyes took up the cudgels in coordinating the various efforts of the brethren, from preparation of tarpaulins, flyers, video presentation, ORs, and other items to be brought to the AnCom.

After the Grand Lodge was formally opened on April 22, 2009 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila, the Davao brethren kept together as one big group as we were expecting the Report of the Committee on Ancom Evaluation and Bidding for the Venue of the Annual Communications for 2011 to happen right after the roll call of lodges.

When the first day’s session ended and the matter of the AnCom hosting was postponed, the brethren became worried that something was afoot. After all, some very heavy contenders like Cebu were also vying for the hosting. The reason cited was that the other bidders were not around. VW Senen Abing, then DDGM of MDR11B and the one principally responsible for the 12th SCM convention resolution, attempted to have discussions on the agenda item proceed as scheduled, arguing that the other bidders’ absence meant that they were waiving their manifestation of interest. Not so MDR11A, he exclaimed, and pointed out that the Davao brethren were still inside the session hall in full force. He was rebuffed, however, by Committee Chair and the item was rescheduled for the following day.

Nonetheless, we stuck to our plan. At the Grand Master’s Night, our Junior Warden, Albhy T. Yu, WB Ilagan and I, along with some other Masons from the other lodges, gamely went around distributing flyers to the delegates. We were heartened by the encouragement and words of support from brethren from all over the Philippines, some having had the opportunity to attend past AnComs hosted by Davao and relished the possibility of visiting the again.

The following day, VW Hilario, Bro. Orlino Pacioles, Jr. both of Podomo Lodge No, 294, Bro. Javey Paul Francisco, JW of Datu Bago Lodge No. 197, and the brethren unfurled and placed the prepared tarpaulins around the session hall. The brethren of Davao were bade to stay together in one area as a show of strength and numbers.

It was well past lunchtime when the AnCom bidding became open for discussion. WB Ilagan was prepared to give the presentation for the district and WB Joseph Michael C. Sapaula, Worshipful Master of Datu Bago was standing by to operate the projector for the showing of the Davao City promotional video, courtesy of Bro. Rudy Caresma, Jr. Warden of Sarangani Lodge No. 50. The rest of us were huddled right up front, not minding our hunger, awaiting for the time when we would be called forth to rise.

There was some confusion, however, and VW Reyes ended up giving the presentation for our district. Unfortunately, his presentation did not segue into the video presentation. WB Ilagan attempted to still be allowed to present the video, but MW Ko vetoed the request. We were sorely disappointed for the other bidders had either powerpoint or video presentations. VW Benjamin Geli, PGO of Sarangani, assured us, however, that this was alright as he had been talking to the brethren of other districts and the popular choice was Davao.

After all the presentations from the bidders, it was time for the voting. Voting would be done viva voce. We had feared that it would come to this instead of the committee just making a decision on its own. We were very nervous of the outcome because we knew that while deliberations were going on, the other bidders had been frantically calling their respective constituents to immediately return to the session hall.

When Cebu – our major competitor – was announced, a total of 181 delegates stood up. I felt deflated and was certain that we had then already lost the bid.

But when Davao was called, from the farthest corners of the session hall, an overwhelming number of delegates stood up. When the total number of voters for Davao was announced, totalling to a decisive 320 votes, the resounding cheer from the floor was deafening and we could barely hear our district being declared as the host of the coming 95th Annual Communication.

It was a long and arduous journey to clench the hosting of AnCom 2011. But the brethren of all seven subordinate lodges, as well as the support of neighboring districts, made it happen for us. But we are only halfway there. The rest of the journey is the actual preparation for the AnCom and, if the brethren of the whole district show the zeal, cooperation, and determination that they had shown in bagging the hosting, I am sure that we will succeed.

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Articles:

Message from the DDGM, RXI-A

Bidding Jitters and How We Bagged The Ancom 2011

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