UP frat notes apology of PCUP official for red-tagging

MANILA, Philippines — Pi Sigma, a fraternity founded at the University of the Philippines (UP) on Sunday noted the retraction and public apology issued by an official of the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP) for red-tagging their group.

“The Pi Sigma Fraternity Alumni Association Inc., whose membership consists of national and international alumni chapters of the Fraternity, notes the retraction and public apology issued by a PCUP Commissioner for his slanderous and unfounded allegations against the Fraternity and our brothers,” the fraternity said in a statement.

According to Pi Sigma, the statement of the PCUP official during a radio program aired on a state-run station that red-tagged the fraternity is “no different from the political persecution of individuals whose beliefs and actions are critical about the abuses of certain government officials.”

In a January statement, the Pi Sigma said it was linked to the communist armed movement during a government radio program after it called out the unilateral termination of the 1989 accord between the UP and the Department of Defense. The deal bars the entry of state forces in UP campuses without permission.

“All members of the Fraternity have pledged their lives to live by its twin principles: To excel as Scholars and Student Leaders as Paragon of Scholarships, and to use our knowledge and expertise in serving the people in embodying Paglingkuran ang Sambayanan,” it said.

Pi Sigma said that the group, since its establishment in UP Diliman in 1972, has grown into a brotherhood of more than 10,000 members, with resident chapters in major schools, universities, and communities.

It noted that its members include respected doctors, nurses, educators, soldiers in different branches of the military, policemen, lawyers, engineers, journalists, social workers, farmers, fishermen, entrepreneurs, government employees and technocrats, elected public officials, political activists, community organizers and leaders in other “honorable undertakings.”

“We expect all our members to practice principled leadership, adhering to the vision of the brotherhood of training young and idealistic students into men for others, for the motherland. We believe in the rule of law, for transparent governance, and in demanding from our public officials to “provide more in law for those who have less in life,” Pi Sigma said.

“These beliefs do not make one a Leftist. These make us more nationalistic and responsible citizens of the Republic of the Philippines,” the fraternity added.

/MUF