He loved military life.. Jose Reyes Guerrero was born on the 19th of May 1941 to Gregorio Guerrero and Mercedes Reyes, both of Laoag City. Two days before his first birth anniversary, his father was abducted and killed by a band of armed men; so his mother, a strong and resolute woman, became both father and mother to her only son. Thus, while his contemporaries were engaged in puerile games, the young Jose learned the ropes of supervising and managing their family properties. Jose took up engineering at the FEATI University. An active student leader, he received the school’s Leadership Award and the Presidential Star Award. After his graduation, Guerrero was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Philippine Air Force, but after a short stint as a ground officer he transferred to the Bureau of Customs as an Intelligence Officer. Here he steadily rose through the ranks and eventually became Assistant Service Chief. At the Bureau of Customs, he received numerous awards and citations. He also received commendations from the U.S. Treasury Department, the National Intel­ligence Coordinating Agency, the U.S. Customs Commissioner, the Philippine National Red Cross, the Dangerous Drugs Board, and Hong Kong’s Commissioner of Customs and Excise. In 1986 he received the “Tawid Award” which is considered the Nobel Prize in the country per the late Ambassador Mauro O. Baradi, Chairman, Board of Trustees, 1976-79. In his third year in the Bureau of Customs, Guerrero was awarded by the U.S. Treasury Department with a Certificate of Recognition as a Pistol Sharpshooter, then in 1972, his expertise with the pistol earned him a similar Certificate from the International Police Academy, USA. Guerrero pursued graduate studies, completing the academic requirements for two masteral degrees. He moreover finished a Master’s course in National Security Administration (MNSA) at the National Defense College of the Philippines. When he graduated, he held the record of being the youngest graduate of NDCP and even had to secure a waiver of age from no less than the President of the Philippines. Guerrero complemented his academic pursuits by attending a string of specialized training programs, seminars, workshops and conferences both locally and abroad. Guerrero involved himself in many organizations, but one of his greatest achievements has been the organization of his brainchild, the Association of Reserve Officers of the Philippine Air Force (AROPAF), which was duly registered with the Security and Exchange Commission in 1985. Guerrero was a Freemason for a mere 14 years, however, he packed those years with dedicated service to the Fraternity and even involved his family in its activities. He was initiated on January 26, 1978, passed on June 22 of the same year and raised on March 28,1979 in Bagumbayan Lodge No. 4. “My life became complete only after I was raised to the Sublime Degree,” he disclosed to his brother Masons. Having sincerely felt thus, he dedicated himself so actively in his Mother Lodge that he was elected Junior Warden in 1980 and Master in 1981. As Master, one of his accomplishments was “filling his Lodge’s coffers to the brim.” This was the year that the Grand Lodge adjudged Bagumbayan Lodge No.4 as the “Most Outstanding Blue Lodge” and Guerrero as the “Most Outstanding Master Mason” in the whole jurisdiction. In 1982, he was appointed Grand Lodge Inspector. Guerrero became a dual member of Jose Rizal Lodge No. 22 and an honorary member of Cordillera Lodge No. 178. Guerrero was also active in other Masonic organizations. He joined the Philippine Bodies and C.W. Rosenstock Chapter No. 6, RAM. He was very Excellent Grand Marshal of the Past Masters Guild for three years and an officer of the Temple Builders Club. In 1989, he was High Shereef of Saigon Shrine Oasis and Ambassador for Aloha Temple for several years. In 1985 and 1986, Joe served as Grand Marshal and in 1987 as Junior Grand Steward. In 1988 the Brethren elected him Junior Grand Warden in the Annual Communications held in Cebu. He was Senior Grand Warden in 1989, Deputy Grand Master in 1990 and Grand Master in 1991. “If I was a good man prior to being a Mason,” Guerrero declared, “I became a much better man when I entered the Fraternity.” In 1984, he got exposed to the Toastmasters movement and joined the Square and Compass Toastmasters Club, which at that time was composed mostly of Masons. In 1986, was elected its President. During his presidency, his club received a national award as the President’s Most Distinguished Club. In 1986, he became the Club’s first male Able Toastmaster and later, the first Area III-B Governor Division A, District 75 of Toastmasters International. On November 16,1992, barely seven months after stepping down from the Grand Oriental Chair, Guerrero was going through his usual physical exercise routine when he suffered a heart attack. He was 51.