Upsilon Sigma Phi

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Philippine state university fraternity

title: "Upsilon Sigma Phi" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["upsilon-sigma-phi", "fraternities-and-sororities-in-the-philippines", "student-societies-in-the-philippines", "university-of-the-philippines", "student-organizations-established-in-1918", "1918-establishments-in-the-philippines"] description: "Philippine state university fraternity" topic_path: "geography/philippines" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upsilon_Sigma_Phi" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Philippine state university fraternity ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Fraternity"]

FieldValue
nameUpsilon Sigma Phi
lettersΥΣΦ
motto"We Gather Light to Scatter"
crestUSP Seal Transparent.png
image_size200px
altUpsilon Sigma Phi Seal
typeTraditional-PH
emphasisSocial
founded
birthplaceUniversity of the Philippines Manila
affiliationIndependent
addressUniversity of the Philippines Diliman
chapters2
homepage
flowerPink rose
colorsCardinal Red
Honorable Blue
Gold
nicknameOldest Born, Greatest Known
slogan"The years cannot break us"
scopeNational (Philippines)
countryPhilippines
cityQuezon City
statusActive
::

| name = Upsilon Sigma Phi | letters = ΥΣΦ | motto = "We Gather Light to Scatter" | crest = USP Seal Transparent.png | image_size = 200px | alt = Upsilon Sigma Phi Seal | type = Traditional-PH | emphasis = Social | founded = | birthplace = University of the Philippines Manila | affiliation = Independent | address = University of the Philippines Diliman | chapters = 2 | homepage = | flower = Pink rose | colors = Cardinal Red Honorable Blue Gold | nickname = Oldest Born, Greatest Known | free_label = | coat of arms = | slogan = "The years cannot break us" | scope = National (Philippines) | country = Philippines | city = Quezon City | status = Active

The Upsilon Sigma Phi (ΥΣΦ) is the oldest Greek-letter organization and fraternity in Asia. Founded in 1918, it is also the oldest student organization in continuous existence in the University of the Philippines. It has two chapters—an integrated chapter for the UP Diliman and the UP Manila campuses, and a separate one for the UP Los Baños campus.

History

Early years

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Upsilon_Sigma_Phi_NHCP_Historical_Marker.jpg" caption="Historical marker installed at the UP Diliman campus in 2022"] ::

The Upsilon Sigma Phi was founded in 1918 by twelve students and two professors from the University of the Philippines Manila.

It was formally organized on November 19, 1920, in a meeting held at the Metropolitan Restaurant in Intramuros, Manila where the fraternity elected its first officers (among which include Agapito del Rosario, one of the founders of the Socialist Party of the Philippines and later on Mayor of Angeles, Pampanga). Four months later, on March 24, 1921, the Greek letters ΥΣΦ were formally adopted, along with themes, rites, and motto.

During its early years, Upsilon Sigma Phi invited individuals with exceptional leadership potential or achievements to its ranks. Notable members during the 1920s include José Abad Santos, Carmelino G. Alvendia, Teodoro M. Kalaw, Juan Liwag and Antonio Quirino.

From 1930 to 1949, then UP Student Council President Wenceslao Vinzons, together with fraternity members, led demonstrations before the Philippine Congress to protest the insertion of a provision in the appropriations act that gave lawmakers a salary increase. In 1933, five female UP students established the Sigma Delta Phi—which became the sister sorority of Upsilon.

In 1947, a chapter at UP Los Baños was established; the first Greek-letter organization on the campus. After the Battle of Manila, the UP administration relocated to the Diliman campus in 1949. Through the efforts of the UP Alumni Association headed by Upsilon member Hermenegildo Reyes, the fraternity helped raise funds for the construction of the bell tower called the "Carillon".

During the same period, the fraternity hosted the Cavalcades, a series of stage plays and musicals that began on campus and eventually toured nationwide. Profits from Aloyan (the first full-length English play written by a Filipino) and Hanako plays were used to help finance the construction and furnishing of the Church of the Holy Sacrifice. One of the fraternity's productions, Linda, cast the then seventeen-year-old Pilita Corrales.

Recent years

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/UP_Promenade.jpg" caption="UP Promenade"] ::

In 2013, the fraternity was named as a finalist in the Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards, which recognize and support the outstanding contributions of youth organizations to the country.

On July 25, 2018, the Malacañang Palace issued Proclamation Order No. 539 recognizing the fraternity for its "significant contributions to numerous civic and humanitarian causes, as well as the dedication and commitment of its members to public service and nation-building." The year 2018 was also declared the "Year for the Celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of the Upsilon Sigma Phi."

In the same year, the fraternity dedicated the UP Promenade, a 120-meter public walkway with Internet and Wi-Fi capable facilities, at UP Diliman. In the Los Baños campus, the fraternity gave the Kapit-Kapit Monument, which depicts 14 individuals with their arms locked in solidarity.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Kapit-Kapit_Monument.jpg" caption="Kapit-Kapit Monument at UP Los Baños"] ::

In 2022, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines unveiled the "Upsilon Sigma Phi" historical marker on the Diliman campus for the fraternity's 104th anniversary,

Symbols

The Greek letters ΥΣΦ are the initials of the name "University Students Fraternity". The fraternity's motto is "We Gather Light to Scatter". Upsilon Sigma Phi members are called fellows or Upsilonians.

The fraternity's colors are cardinal red, honorable blue, and gold. Red symbolizes courage and bravery, blue represents loyalty, and gold symbolizes excellence. Its flower is the pink rose.

Membership

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Ninoy_Aquino.jpg" caption="[[Benigno Aquino, Jr."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Ferdinand_Marcos'official_portrait_during_his_second_term(1969).jpg" caption="[[Ferdinand E. Marcos"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Jose_P._Laurel.jpg" caption="[[José P. Laurel"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Wenceslao_Vinzons_2010_stamp_of_the_Philippines.jpg" caption="[[Wenceslao Vinzons"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Gerardo_Roxas.jpg" caption="Gerardo Roxas"] ::

Membership is by invitation only and is exclusive to male individuals in the University of the Philippines Diliman, Manila, and Los Baños campuses. Selection is based on an individual's leadership positions and potential success and prominence in their respective fields (both on- and off-campus).

Notable members

Main article: List of Upsilon Sigma Phi members

Among its alumni are two Philippine presidents, a vice president, 15 senators, 14 supreme court justices (including three chief justices), three house speakers, a chairman of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, three executive secretaries, four solicitors-general, 26 ambassadors, an AFP chief of staff, a NEDA director-general, a Central Bank governor, 24 honorees of The Outstanding Young Men, four national scientists, three national artists, a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, and five UP presidents.

Following are a select number of notable members:

UNO Awards

The Upsilonian Noble and Outstanding (UNO) Awards are among the highest honors conferred by the Upsilon Sigma Phi Alumni Association, recognizing members whose lives, careers, and service exemplify the fraternity’s core values of brotherhood, integrity, excellence, leadership, and service. The awards are presented to distinguished alumni across a variety of fields, including law, business, public service, education, and community development, and are intended to acknowledge lifetime achievement and significant contributions to society.https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/cbb/content/862414/upsilon-sigma-phi-alumni-association-awards-18-members-with-uno-award/story/

The UNO Awards were instituted in 1985 and are considered the fraternity’s most prestigious individual honor. Recipients are selected by a committee of past awardees and senior members who assess nominees based on their adherence to the fraternity’s imperatives and their impact on national and community life.

Ceremonies are traditionally held during major alumni gatherings, such as the Upsilon Sigma Phi Biennial Congress. For instance, in 2023 the awards were presented to eighteen fellows during the fraternity’s 19th Congress at the University of the Philippines Diliman, reflecting achievements in diverse sectors including law, journalism, medicine, engineering, and public administration. In 2025, the UNO Awards ceremony took place at the Goldenberg Mansion in San Miguel, Manila, where winners were honored alongside the fraternity’s 20th Biennial Congress.https://www.upsilonsun.com/articles/upsilon-sigma-phi-honors-alumni-fellows-new-officers-elected-in-20th-congress

Notable awardees have included legal luminaries, prominent public servants, and leaders in education and industry, highlighting the fraternity’s long tradition of producing influential figures in Philippine society.

Member and chapter misconduct

Hazing incidents

On July 18, 1954, a UP student recruit, Gonzalo Mariano M. Albert, died in the wake of the fraternity's initiation proceedings. After experiencing abdominal pain, the student was rushed to a hospital where he was diagnosed to undergo an emergency appendectomy but succumbed on the operating table. Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay assigned an ad hoc medico-legal committee, that failed to indicate that hazing "contributed to Albert's death" in their findings; albeit which jeopardized his physical condition before the patient's appendectomy. The committee further recommended the expulsion of four officers of the fraternity, implicated residents and neophytes being suspended, and a censure of several UP deans, directors, and faculty members for their collective remiss to discharge proactive duties. Albert's death was the first recorded fatality attributed to hazing in the Philippines, and the only known demise of an Upsilon Sigma Phi neophyte.

On July 4, 2014, the fraternity was once again implicated in the hazing of a seventeen-year-old neophyte who sustained physical injuries during fraternity initiation.

Inter-fraternity brawl and group chat leaks

On September 20, 1969, Upsilon member Roland Perez was killed by members of the rival Beta Sigma fraternity. It was the first publicly documented fatality of a fraternity "rumble" (brawl) in the University of the Philippines, prompting UP president Salvador P. Lopez to issue stringent regulations affecting university organizations, and suspended both the Upsilon Sigma Phi and Beta Sigma fraternities.

On June 18, 2015, Quezon City police arrested five Upsilon members after allegedly mauling three rival fraternity members and leading police in a brief car chase while fleeing. The five members were released on June 24, 2015, upon posting bail of each on frustrated homicide charges, and each for illegal possession of ammunition.

On November 14, 2018, rival fraternities Upsilon Sigma Phi and Alpha Phi Beta were recorded on campus CCTV in a brawl. The incident prompted campus authorities to tighten security within the UP system and a statement of condemnation from Diliman chancellor Michael Tan and UP president Danilo Concepcion, himself an Upsilon member. The same month, screenshots of a Facebook Messenger group chat of alleged Upsilon members containing misogynistic and discrimantory messages was leaked via Twitter. The fraternity was again censured by Concepcion as "reprehensible and totally unacceptable" language.

References

References

  1. Sarmiento, Louie Blake S.. (4 November 2017). "History of Philippine Fraternities".
  2. "One Hundred Years of Upsilon Sigma Phi". Upsilon.com.
  3. (October 24, 2017). "Upsilon Sigma Phi - History".
  4. Sangil, Max. (August 26, 2015). "Sangil: Pampanga's Political Stars of Yesteryears (Part 2)".
  5. (August 13, 2017). "Barangay Agapito Del Rosario {{!}} Angeles City Guide".
  6. Dooc, Emmanuel. (September 27, 2019). "'Wenceslao Q. Vinzons: The Hero the Nation Forgot' {{!}} Emmanuel Dooc".
  7. Torrevillas, Domini M.. "Dick Zamora and his music".
  8. (February 7, 2014). "Ten accomplished youth organizations named".
  9. Lozada, David. (February 5, 2014). "#TAYO11: Building the nation one youth organization at a time".
  10. "Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations Awards Foundation, Inc.".
  11. [https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2018/07jul/20180725-PROC-539-RRD.pdf Proclamation No. 539 - Declaring the year 2018 as the "year for the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the Upsilon Sigma Phi"]
  12. Secretariat, Upsilon. (February 27, 2019). "100 Novembers: The U.P. Promenade Inauguration Night".
  13. (March 7, 2020). "Within the Academic Oval (fourth of the UP Diliman series)".
  14. Avecilla, Victor. (November 17, 2018). "The Upsilon Promenade in Diliman".
  15. Bermudez, Jamie. (September 30, 2018). "The U.P. Promenade and the Kapit-Kapit Monument Rises".
  16. Dabu, Fred. (2022-12-01). "NHCP turns over Upsilon marker to UP".
  17. Paña, Edwin. (October 24, 2024). "Commentary: We Gather Light to Scatter - An Interpretation of the Upsilon Sigma Phi Motto".
  18. (November 24, 2018). "At 104, the oldest living Upsilonian talks about a life fulfilled".
  19. (November 25, 2018). "Upsilon's progressive legacy (or why Upsilon should not be associated with Marcos)".
  20. (August 7, 2018). "Art exhibit celebrates Upsilon Sigma Phi centennial".
  21. (2017-10-24). "Upsilon Sigma Phi - Traditions".
  22. Photo, U. N.. (March 22, 1965). "Twenty-First Session of the Commission on Human Rights".
  23. [http://albertdomingo.com/the-upsilon-on-your-coffee-table/ Ninety Years of Upsilon Sigma Phi]
  24. Silvestre, Jojo. (November 19, 2018). "A legacy in nation-building".
  25. Matoto, Bing. (October 24, 2018). "The gathered lights of the Upsilon Sigma Phi".
  26. Torrevillas, Domini M.. "Joker remembered". philstar.com.
  27. Avecilla, Victor. (November 15, 2016). "Remembering Salvador 'Doy' Laurel".
  28. "About Dick Gordon".
  29. Torrevillas, Domini M.. "Shaping leaders, inspiring change". philstar.com.
  30. (March 23, 2014). "Remembering Doy Laurel".
  31. (1986). "The Fookien Times Philippines Yearbook". The Fookien Times.
  32. Elefan, Ruben S.. (January 1, 1997). "Fraternities, Sororities, Societies: Secrets Revealed". St. Pauls.
  33. Spence, Hartzell. (1964). "For Every Tear a Victory: The Story of Ferdinand E. Marcos". McGraw-Hill.
  34. Torrevillas, Domini M.. "FALSE: Marcoses were not convicted of any charges". philstar.com.
  35. Porcalla, Delon. (January 30, 2012). "Law frats also in spotlight at CJ trial".
  36. "List of Knights in Orders".
  37. Torrevillas, Domini. (February 4, 2014). "'Arangkada 2014' sa Manila".
  38. (April 1, 2005). "Toronto Upsilon Sigma Phi and Sigma Delta Phi to host 2006 reunion".
  39. (1989). "Filipinos in History". National Historical Institute.
  40. (2012). "Report on Student Organization Conflicts, University of the Philippines, Diliman, 1938-2000". Philippine Sociological Review.
  41. (1954). "Report on the Albert case, the fraternities and sororities, and their control and supervision by authorities of the University of the Philippines submitted by the Committee of the President of the Philippines composed of [[Fred Ruiz Castro]], Arturo Garcia, and Vicente Lontok.".
  42. Abinales, Patricio. (July 12, 2015). "A hazing".
  43. (October 3, 2017). "Deaths Caused by Hazing".
  44. "An Act Declaring February 10 of Every Year as the 'National Anti-Hazing Day' in Commemoration of all the Victims of Hazing in the Philippines".
  45. "UP Diliman chancellor: Upsilon Sigma Phi tagged in hazing incident".
  46. Sauler, Erika. (July 5, 2014). "Family of UP hazing victim to take frat to court".
  47. (September 5, 2007). "Casualties of frat-related violence in UP".
  48. (August 16, 2012). "Choice needs lots of thinking".
  49. (June 27, 2015). "UP's gangland wars: A historical note".
  50. Sauler, Erika. (June 20, 2015). "Frat violence on UP Day: 3 mauled, 5 arrested".
  51. Alvarez, Kathrina Charmaine. (June 22, 2015). "UP suspends students involved in frat violence".
  52. Gamil, Jaymee T.. (June 25, 2015). "Frat men take selfies upon posting bail".
  53. Rocamora, Joyce Ann. (November 15, 2018). "UP denounces violence involving two warring frats".
  54. Montemayor, Ma. Teresa. (November 23, 2018). "UP security tightened amid frat-related brouhahas".
  55. Tomacruz, Sofia. (November 14, 2018). "U.P. says car chase, not shooting, occurred in Diliman campus".
  56. Guno, Niña V.. (November 23, 2018). "#LonsiLeaks: UP frat linked to group chat of sexist, racist, anti-poor slurs".
  57. Meddler, Bette. (November 22, 2018). "Updated: The Upsilon Sigma Phi Leaked Group Chat Controversy: A Short History". spot.
  58. Patag, Kristine Joy. "People insulted in the controversial #LonsiLeaks speak out".
  59. (November 23, 2018). "UP frat in hot water over discriminatory, misogynistic conversations". ABS-CBN News.
  60. Concepcion, Danilo L.. (November 23, 2018). "A Statement by the President on Recent Issues Involving Fraternities".

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upsilon-sigma-phifraternities-and-sororities-in-the-philippinesstudent-societies-in-the-philippinesuniversity-of-the-philippinesstudent-organizations-established-in-19181918-establishments-in-the-philippines