Past Grand Master Rosendo C. Herrera was a Mason for only 13 years when he was elected 66th Grand Master of the Fraternity of the Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines in 1983-1984 at the young age of 44. Today, after almost three decades as a Mason, he remains a very popular member, recognized for his dedication and commitment to the Craft not only in the Philippines but throughout the world. Now the Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of Sovereign Grand Inspectors General of the Thirty-Third and Last Degree, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Republic of the Philippines, “Rody” , at the age of 60, is looking forward to spending and dedicating the rest of his life to the service of the Fraternity whose members he considers to be real blood brothers. Rody became acquainted with Freemasonry in the early 60′s when the late Major Amado Soriano, then Deputy Governor on Peace and Order of Cavite and member of the Craft, sought refuge in the home of an uncle of then young Rody. The constant contact between the two sparked young Rody’s interest in the Fraternity. But it was not until November 20, 1970 when he was already sailing the high seas, that he was finally initiated, passed and raised to the mysteries of the Fraternity. An extraordinary experience while working as a fledgling sea captain, perhaps served as one of the great influences on Rody to become a true and steadfast member of the Craft. He was the captain of the cargo vessel SS Interweave which got “stranded” on the coast of India when it was abandoned by its owner. The vessel’s owner had stopped providing the officers and crew with money for their wages and to buy food and fuel for their ship. He, therefore, had to face a restless crew who became increasingly edgy in the face of the threatening outbreak of war between India and Pakistan, which eventually broke out. But like a heaven-sent intervention, the brethren of India suddenly came to his succor. They voluntarily extended help to the distressed crew. They comforted the men, fed and helped them keep the ship in order. Even. Rody’s laundry was taken care of by an elderly woman whose father was a Mason. She even brought him fresh flowers to cheer him up. With the situation under control, Rody found time to attend Masonic functions and parties and personally got to know fellow Masons from a foreign land thus strengthening his faith in the Fraternity. When Capt. Herrera and his crew weathered the ordeal – and although he was not able to collect his back wages in 1971 – his crewing agency was so impressed with his performance that the Management decided to appoint him crewing manager for Wallen Shipping. In that job, he supervised some 3,000 seamen working aboard 110 vessels on worldwide trading. He later became instrumental in assisting and employing around 5,000 Filipino seafarers for work aboard foreign vessels. Coming from a poor family in a fishing village of Naic, Cavite, Rody struggled in his youth to obtain an education. He worked hard selling newspapers and shining shoes. At times he would catch fish and pick tamarind fruits which he sold to support himself through school as his parents could not afford to send him and his siblings to school. In College, he worked as a janitor but despite his handicap he was a consistent scholar. In 1963, he finally graduated from the Philippine Maritime Institute at the top of his class, receiving certificates of excellence in navigation and seamanship. From then on, there was no stopping Rody. In 1974, he decided to run his own crewing company. At first he was janitor, messenger, clerk-typist and manager all rolled into one. He worked in a hole-in-the-wall office with a borrowed desk and typewriter. But that is now history. After twenty five years in operation, his Oriental Shipmanagement Co., Inc., has become one of the top ten manning agencies in the country. He has not stopped there. His company is now diversified with interests in maritime training, quality and safety management, consultancy, trading, manufacturing, forestry and real estate development. Rody holds an undisputed record of being the most traveled Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Philippines. During his term as Grand Master, he traveled the entire jurisdiction and beyond. In the years that followed, he represented the Grand Lodge in many Masonic conventions around the globe. He represented the Grand Lodge of the Philippines in the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Grand Lodge of Scotland held in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1986. He served as the president of the Grand Guild of Past Masters of the Philippines for seven years, and as founding Chairman of the Confederation of Grand Masters of Asia-Pacific Region for three years. He is currently serving his third term as Grand Master of the Supreme Council of the Order of deMolay of the Republic of the Philippines. Rody was coroneted a 33° Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite of the Philippines in 1992 and was assigned to the Orient of Cavite. In 1997 he was elected Venerable Lieutenant Grand Commander by the same body. Rody’s inestimable service to the craft goes beyond his person as he actively involves his family in all his noble undertakings. He is blessed with a loving and devoted wife, Ching, and their four children, namely; Cynthia, Past Chapter Sweetheart of the Jose Abad Santos Chapter and Loyalty Chapter of the Order of DeMolay, married to Joseph P. Rivera, of Cosmos Lodge No.8; Ramon, Past National Councilor of the Order of DeMolay, married to Ma. Joanna nee Pinpin; Agnes, Past National Chapter Sweetheart of the Order of DeMolay, married to Edgar V. Quesada; and Antonio, Past Master Councilor of the A. Mabini Chapter of the Order of DeMolay. He is now the doting grandfather of five grandchildren who absolutely adore him -Karina Maria and Kristina Maria Rivera; Jose Carlos Miguel and Juan Luis Miguel Quesada and Ignacio Gabriel P. Herrera.