Alpha Sigma Phi - Philippines

[AlphaSigOU]

We all know that Alpha Sigma Phi was founded on December 6, 1845 at Yale University, but did you know we have a parallel organization in the Philippines? Here's their story:

In the Philippines, it started in a unique fashion with two origins. First on September 29, 1959 at Mindanao Agricultural College (now Central Mindanao University) in Musuan, Bukidnon Province when a young man named Thomas R. Gavarra who just finished Associate in Arts in University of the Philippines - Los Baños felt the absence of a fraternity in the campus. He was exposed to the fraternity life back at UP where his elder brother and sister where both members of a fraternity and a sorority. He recruited men to join him and invited Ramon Del Carmen, his acquaintance in UP and a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi to be their faculty advisor. The group named their fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi. The sorority counterpart was also organized by Angels Rebecca Quiñones and named the sorority Sigma Mu Alpha.

On February 6, 1965 at Silliman University in Dumaguete City, Province of Negros Oriental, another young man, Manuel Momongan, a Political Science student of the university likewise initiated the formation of a new fraternity. He recruited men for the group and named the fraternity Alpha Sigma Phi based from his findings of that name from the Baird's Manual of College Fraternities in the United States. The sorority counterpart was also organized by Rosalina Cafe and they named it Delta Sigma Phi.

In April 1972, the two fraternities of Central Mindanao University and Silliman University met in a convention called for to unite all existing chapters in the Philippines. In that convention, Kalunsiang Dimalen (Silliman University) was elected National President. Greek letter assignment was then given to all chapters attending the convention with Central Mindanao University as the Alpha Chapter and Silliman University, Beta Chapter. The National Headquarters of Alpha Sigma Phi is located in Dumaguete City.

On July 24, 1980, Alpha Sigma Phi Philippines was registered with the [Philippine]Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a non-profit organization.

Both the US and Filipino organizations 'unofficially' recognize each other, extending the hand of brotherhood worldwide.