VICENTE
V. OROSA
The
ideal public servant...
The
man elected to the exalted post of Most Worshipful Grand Master at the 41st Annual
Communication of the Grand Lodge in 1957 was a symbol of the ideal public
servant. His unassailable integrity and unblemished reputation throughout
his 46 years (1911-1958) as a public official served as an inspiration to
the people in the government service. He was Undersecretary of Public
Works and Communications from 1948 to 1954; in 1955, he served as
Secretary of this Department. The last position he held was that of
Chairman and General Manager of the People's Homesite and Housing
Corporation.
Vicente V. Orosa was initiated, passed, and raised in Sinukuan Lodge No.16
in 1912. In 1916, he became a Charter Member of Pinatubo Lodge No.52 in
Zambales. In 1920, while he was stationed as District Engineer in
Cabanatuan City, he affiliated with Cabanatuan Lodge No.53. It was in this
Lodge that he was elected Worshipful Master for three consecutive years
-1925, 1926, and 1927 - and again in 1934. In 1954, he became Junior Grand
Warden of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of
the Philippines and he continued to be on line until his election as Grand
Master in 1957.
In
Capitular Masonry, he was a member of Manila Chapter No.2, R.A.M.,
becoming Mark Master, Past Most Excellent Master and Royal Arch Mason in
1925.
In
the Scottish Rite, he was Master of the Royal Secret, Philippine Bodies, A
& A.S.R., in 1950, and served as Venerable Master of Harmony Lodge of
Perfection. In 1953, he was elected by the Supreme Council as Knight
Commander of the Court of Honor; in 1956, as Inspector General Honorary,
33°; and in 1957, Active Member and Sovereign Grand Inspector General of
the Supreme Council. Finally, in March 1977, upon reaching the age of 80
years, the Supreme Council elected him as Emeritus Member for his
dedicated participation and service to this Council for many years.
Orosa
was born in Taal, Batangas on October 5, 1889. A public school product, he
was sent by the government as pensionado to study in the United
States. He attended school first at the Cincinnati Technical School and
later at the University of Illinois, from which he obtained the degree of
Bachelor of Science in Engineering. The man who married the former Rosario
Escobar, of Iba, Zambales, with whom he had five children, would, in later
years, receive the rare distinction of being chosen an outstanding alumnus
of the University of Illinois.
Yes,
Orosa was not only an exemplary public servant, an outstanding student and
professional, a dedicated Mason, but also "a fine Christian gentleman,
firm in his convictions but tolerant towards all men."
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