UP Sigma Rho

Infobox Fraternity | name = THE SIGMA RHO FRATERNITY
letters = ΣΡ
motto = "Seekers of the Right"
crest =
founded = 1938
type = University
scope = University of the Philippines
address = University of the Philippines-Diliman
city = Quezon City
state = NCR
country = Philippines
chapters = None
colors = Maroon and Green
homepage = http://www.thesigmarho.org
birthplace = University of the Philippines College of Law
symbol = Fraternity seal

The Sigma Rho Fraternity is a University of the Philippines College of Law-based Fraternity. The Sigma Rho was formally organized in 1938 and was officially recognized by the University of the Philippines in 1939.

History

The Sigma Rho Fraternity was formally organized by a few law students from the University of the Philippines (U.P.) College of Law in 1938. It was initially made up of UP College of Law students. It received formal recognition from the U.P. administration in 1939. Among the founding ("Charter Members") of the Sigma Rho was Luciano Salazar (who went on to co-establish with classmate Alexander Sycip the biggest law firm in the Philippines, Sycip "Salazar" Law Offices and serve as one of the members of the Agrava Fact-Finding Commission in 1983 to investigate the assassination of former Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr.). The Charter Adviser was then professor and later Court of Appeals Justice Magno Gatmaitan. In the 50's, it eventually expanded its membership base to undergraduate students, recruiting students from UP Manila and UP Los Baños. The Sigma Rho fraternity however, maintains its singular existence and has no recognized chapter outside of UP Diliman.

The Sigma Rho Fraternity recruited mainly students from the University of the Philippines College of Law, although students from other colleges of the University of the Philippines were also recruited and admitted to membership. The head of the Sigma Rho Fraternity is called the Grand Archon, from the Greek word "archos", meaning "Judge" or "Ruler", hence the words "Monarch" (Mono + Archos) or Patriarch (Pater + Archos). The very first Grand Archon in 1939 was an American law student at the U.P. College of Law named George V. McLure.

Notable Members

Among its notable members include:
*Senator and former Supreme Court Chief Justice Marcelo Fernan '48
*Senator Juan Ponce Enrile '52
*Senator Franklin Drilon '66
*Senator Jovito Salonga '39
*Senator Edgardo Angara '52
*House Representative Rolex Suplico '84
*House Representative Arthur Defensor '59
*House Representative Luis Villafuerte '55
*House Representative Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara '96
*House Representative Simeon Datumanong '54
*Former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo '75
*Former Solicitor General Frank Chavez '67
*NTC Commissioner Pope Solis '81
*Lipa City Mayor Oscar Gozos '70
*Former U.N. Deputy Secretary General and founder of the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) Rafael Salas '48
*Former Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Fulgencio Factoran Jr. '63
*Samar Governor Raul Daza '54
*Pasay City Mayor Wenceslao Trinidad '51 (Grand Archon 1955-56)
*Atty. Salvador Panelo '66
*Atty. Nicanor Gatmaytan '65
*Atty. Melenio "Batas" Mauricio '78
*Atty. Antonio M. Meer '40 (Grand Archon 1948-49)
*Atty. Alberto M. Meer '39 (Grand Archon 1941) -- the only Magna Cum Laude graduate in the entire history of the U.P. College of Law
*Sportsman/Businessman Alfonso "Boy" Reyno Jr. '61 (Grand Archon 1967-68)
*Former Pangasinan Vice-Governor and House Representative Ranjit Shahani '89
*former Philippine Coconut Authority Chairman Atty. Eduardo Escueta '68
*Defense Secretary Avelino "Nonong" Cruz, Jr. '75
*U.P. Maroons Coach Jose Lipa '63
*Supreme Court Justice Antonio Carpio '70 (Grand Archon 1973-74)
*Supreme Court ustice Presbitero "Presbi" Velasco '67
*Supreme Court Chief Justice Pedro L. Yap '39
*Court of Appeals Justice and U.P. College of Law professor Magno Gatmaitan (Charter Adviser of the founding members in 1938)
*Atty. Luciano Salazar (one of the founding members of the Sigma Rho Fraternity in 1938)

Related violence

Fraternity war

Sigma Rho has been accused of a number of fraternity-related violence in the University of the Philippines. Three most notable incidents involved Dennis Venturina, Niño Calinao and Cris Mendez. In December 1994, Dennis Venturina, a Sigma Rhoan, died in a riot between Scintilla Juris and Sigma Rho. On February 19, 1999, Niño Calinao, a senior journalism major was shot dead by suspected Sigma Rho members. Calinao was mistaken for a member of the rival fraternity Scintilla Juris, which clashed with Sigma Rho members in a riot a week before the killing. [ [http://www.gmanews.tv/story/59204/Casualties-of-fraternity-related-violence-in-UP GMANews.TV - Casualties of frat-related violence in UP - Research - Official Website of GMA News and Public Affairs - Latest Philippine News - BETA ] ] [cite news |first=Bordadora |last=Norman |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Iloilo exec defends fraternity in alleged hazing death |url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=86915 |work= |publisher=Philippine Daily Inquirer |date=2007-09-05 |accessdate=2008-01-03 ] . Both incidents happened inside the University of the Philippines Diliman campus.

References