| Tau Gamma Sigma | |
|---|---|
|
ΤΓΣ
|
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Triskelion Grand Sorority |
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| Founded | January 17, 1969 University of the Philippines |
| Type | Socio Economic Service Sorority |
| Scope | International |
| Motto | " A Triskelion firmly believes in the power of reason and not in the use of force as a reason. " |
| Colors | ████ Gold ████ Green ████ Black |
| Symbol | Triskelion (general), Lioness (animal), St. Anthony the Great (pat. saint), "Triskelion Hymn" (anthem) |
| Chapters | Philippines = 3000+ Philippine Colleges Universities and Community Based Chapters, United States = 9 Active Regional Councils Other Global T.A.O. / RC's : Australia = 1 Bahrain = 1, Brunei = 1, Canada = 3, Germany = 1, Guam = 1, Hong Kong = 1, Italy = 1, Iran = 1, Iraq = 1, Ireland = 1, Israel = 1, Japan = 1, Kuwait = 1, Libya = 1, New Zealand = 1, Oman = 1, Qatar = 1, Saudi Arabia = 3, Singapore = 1, South Korea = 1, Spain = 1, Switzerland = 1, Thailand = 1, Vanuatu = 1 United Arab Emirates = 1, United Kingdom = 1 |
| Cardinal Principles | The 3 Cardinal Principles: "Fortis Voluntas Sororitas " (Strength, Freewill and Sisterhood) |
| Headquarters | Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Homepage | http://www.taugammasigma.org/ |
Tau Gamma Sigma also known as the Triskelion Grand Sorority, is a sorority founded at the premier state run and owned educational institution in the Philippines, the University of the Philippines on January 17, 1969.[1] An affiliated sorority of the Tau Gamma Phi, also known as the Triskelion Grand Fraternity. It is considered as one of the most dynamic sororities in the Philippines today.
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The Tau Gamma Sigma - Triskelion Grand Sorority was originally founded on the 17th day of January in the year 1969 at the University of the Philippines, by a group of 10 Triskelion Lady Founders. Although known to the majority of the members that the Tau Gamma Sigma was founded on January 18, 1971 and was recognized by former 1971 Binibining Pilipinas - World beauty queen Sister Onelia Jose of the University of Santo Tomas on April 16, 1971. This historical background is an error and is now discredited due to facts and evidences that the Tau Gamma Sigma National Interim Committee and all Metro Manila Regional Councils have lately discovered through extensive research, investigations and interviews done to pioneering sisters of the sorority that the original founding history of the Tau Gamma Sigma can be traced back to 1969 at the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus, in Quezon City, Metro Manila Philippines.[1]
It was a cold Friday afternoon of January 17, 1969 in Mandaluyong City when the Tau Gamma Sigma Sorority was formed. Eleven (11) illustrious coed girls from the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus are "barkadas" or buddies of the Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity Founders who came together and valiantly embraced the TENETS and CODES of CONDUCT of the Fraternity. These women were all political science students and members of the Political Science Club that the Founding Fathers of the Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity and Founding Batch were also distinguished members.
The eleven girls are Rosmari Carandang, Victoria Sisante Bataclan, Lucita Rodriguez, Erlinda G. Arabejo, Teresita Aguinaldo, Mila Garcia, Rowena Celino Alfonso, Emily Sibulo Hayudini, Nitz Santos, Flery Tesado Tesoro and Luzviminda G. Tancangco. The first batch that has initiation rites were held in Bustos, Bulacan. Successive batches came in until they reached the impressive number of almost fifty members from different course of studies in the UP campus.
Formal structure followed in July 1970 when they had their 1st Induction Ball. Despite of the girls' very stiff class schedules as well as busy bodies in the campus, the Tau Gamma Sigma members managed to formulate policies and guidelines of the Sorority particularly the Constitution and Initiation Procedure. Eighty percent (80%) is mental torture while only minimal percent were on the physical contact.
Since their counterpart fraternity, the Tau Gamma Phi, is a Greek lettered organization, the Sorority was also formed by adapting the letters Tau ( Т ), Gamma ( Γ ) and Sigma ( Σ ) from the Greek alphabet, which stands for Triskelion Grand Sorority, officially proclaiming them the sister organization of the Triskelion Grand Fraternity, the Tau Gamma Phi, and henceforth shall be called and known as "The Lady Triskelions." Most of the founding members of U.P. Tau Gamma Sigma also belonged to the U.P. Political Science Club along with the Founding Fathers and Founders Batch of the Tau Gamma Phi.
The formation of the organization was born out of necessity, because during those times the "Triskelion Grand Fraternity" or more infamously known in UP as the Tau Gamma Phi, was not even a year old and just in its infant stage of existence in the campus, and their main focus is on recruiting male students and setting a foothold in the university, so they are not yet kin to the idea of having a co-ed society, but since a lot of female students are friends and hanging around, supporting and attending social functions and gatherings with the Triskelion brothers that they quickly learned that having female members can be beneficial to the Fraternity especially in the recruitment of male members. So they decided to gather all their female friends and classmates to form an all female organization that will be their partner in pushing for their school and community service programs of pursuing their goal of educational excellence.
And so on January 17, 1969, The Lady Triskelions were born with notable members such as the Honorable Associate Justice of the Philippine Court of Appeals, Associate Judge Rosmari Carandang, the Ambassadress of the Philippines to Switzerland and Norway, Ambassador Victoria Bataclan, the first woman Commissioner of the Commission on Elections, Cmsr. Luzviminda "Luz" Tancangco, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (Philippines) Deputy Commissioner, Cmsr. Lucita "Babes" Rodriguez as its founders.
Presently, the original eleven UP Tau Gamma Sigma founding sisters are now happy with their family and have excelled in their own chosen fields of endeavour.
Some are now based abroad, few have their own businesses and others are holding top positions in the Philippine government.
The 11 original Triskelion Lady Founders are:[1]
→ MDG* (Most Distinguished Guardian) - the highest title given to Founders, past Secretaries-General (GenSec), Premieres, Chairmans,
former Grand Triskelions (GT), Grand Lady Triskelions (GLT)...etc, etc. after the completion of their term.
It is indeed in great pride that the Tau Gamma Sigma Sorority members are very active in participating in school activities, especially in the Student Council. The sorority was an ultra ego image of the Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity which forces become stronger in the UP campus due to their individual excellence and gaining control of the College of Arts and Science (C.A.S.) student body, which at that time was the dominant college within the University with regards to the logic of numbers.
But a few years later, in 1972, the number of the Tau Gamma Sigma members had gone down due to many had graduated and recruitment process then, has become too rigid due to the sudden declaration of Martial Law in the country. Sadly many things had changed, some were transferred to other schools; went abroad and some had to take on leave of absence or dropping out for various reasons or another.
By early 1973, the sorority had faded in the campus and the remaining Sigma residents had already lose their interest to become active and their relationship with the UP Tau Gamma Phi had gone cold. But the Tau Gamma Phi brothers did not stop in looking for other recourse because they cannot live without the Sigma, they need someone always at their side; "taga-luto, taga-payo, taga-awat, taga-gamot, taga-alaga" and all the rest of being a "taga". And by 1974, when the late Triskelion Allen Hernandez assume the high post of G.T. (Grand Triskelion), he formed an all female society called "UP Sedarum Saudara", to fill in this void that the Tau Gamma Sigma Sorority had left behind.
From 1973 to 1974 the camaraderie between the brother and sister Triskelions changed from warm to almost cold. Cordial relations were maintained all throughout the administrations of Grand Triskelion Florencio "Florence" Atanacio and Grand Lady Triskelion Suzette Badon (1973–1974). When the late Triskelion Valentino "Allen" Hernandez assumed the GT post in 1974, it was evident that the rest of the Triskelion brotherhood wanted to start fresh and organize a new breed of U.P. coeds. Friends, relatives, classmates and acquaintances were invited to an acquaintance ball at the Blue Ridge mansion of Triskelion Benjamin "Benjie" Rodriguez ('71) in October, 1974.
The plans for the new organization were introduced to the lady guests and around 21 or so agreed to attend a planned weekend Leadership Seminar and Retreat at another location in Fairview, Quezon City[2] (See photo at right). In November 1974, the original Founders Batch of the new ladies auxiliary sorority was formed. Their first task was to research and decide upon a name by which they shall be called, draft and ratify a constitution and elect officers among themselves. They also have to conceptualize and finish a group project within one year of their being members. To be unique among the countless women-based societies in the U.P. campus, the new sisterhood has to have a unique name based on the Filipinos' Malay heritage. And that is how the name "Sedarum Saudara" was chosen by the group.
Derived from Indonesian, in English meaning "Altogether, Friends" or "Altogether Brothers and Sisters". Each female member was called by the title "Saudari" (the male counterpart is coincidentally "Saudara"). The first leader of the group was Jennifer "Jenny" Dumo Alvarez as the "Supreme Saudari" with Juliana "Julie" Torres as the "Prime Saudari". Other Saudaris were elected to the positions of Secretary, Treasurer and other vital duties. Sedarum Saudara quickly became one of the most popular among sororities in UP. Composed of the "beauty and brains" of the UP Diliman campus' female students during those times. Some of which will go on and become the future shakers and movers of Philippine society, such as the incumbent Mayor of Marikina City, Honorable Maria Lourdes Carlos-Fernando or simply known by her constituents as Mayor Marides Fernando, and the "Ranillo Sisters", the pretty Lilibeth Ranillo and film and television actress, director and producer Suzette Ranillo aka Nadia Veloso, siblings of Philippine movie actors Mat Ranillo III and Triskelion Dandin Ranillo.
The first project for the group was to raise funds for the residents of Bgy. Tatalon in Quezon City. Then in 1975, the U.P. Sedarum Saudara (UPSS) produced and launched "Hala, Bira!", a concert which featured Asian Funk artist Andre Wilson and his band "Transit", singer Joy Salinas and a dance troupe performing at the "Ati-Atihan Festival". The show was a success.
The Saudaris continued to recruit until most members graduated and then sometime in December, 1981, Saudari Chloe Ceniza was the only UPSS member to accept the invitation by the U.P. Tau Gamma Phi to join the revival of the U.P. Tau Gamma Sigma, Chartered Batch and so Saudari Ceniza, likewise, became a Lady Triskelion.
The alumni Saudaris recently had a mini reunion last April in Manila with the first and second Supreme Saudaris in attendance (Jenny Alvarez-Bernardo and Julie Torres-Salazar), together with Marikina City Mayor Hon. Ma. Lourdes Carlos-Fernando. Third Supreme Saudari Annalisa Charisse Franco Gonzalez-Tootel was already home in Australia at the time of the meeting. Those present agreed to organize a grand Saudari Reunion in January or February , 2009 to be hosted by Mayor Marides Fernando in Marikina. One at a time, members from all batches are being located and contacted. This is indeed an event to behold almost 35 years after the founding of a unique and dynamic organization.
Years have passed but the Tau Gamma Sigma was never a familiar fixture in the UP Diliman campus scene. Although during these 8 year gap, from 1974 to 1981, the Tau Gamma Sigma Sorority have been thriving and doing well in other chapters and school campuses in Metro Manila. Only in UP that they are totally erased from the consciousness of the student and faculty population and most of all from the Fraternity that spawned them, the Tau Gamma Phi. Probably because the Triskelion brothers have another apple of the eyes that pre-occupied them during the absence of the Sigmas, and these are the UP Sedarum Saudara sisters.
It was only in 1981, after 8 years of hibernation, when the UP Tau Gamma Phi decided to revive the Tau Gamma Sigma Sorority in UP. Due also to the disbandment and slow death of the UP Sedarum Saudara, until almost all members have graduated. And like before, the UP Tau Gamma Phi cannot live without a female counterpart, so again they formed an all female society, but instead of forming another organization without an initiation rites like the UPSS, they in turn revived the UP Tau Gamma Sigma. Recruitments went under way and invitations were also extended to the remaining members of the Sedarum Saudara sisters to join and cross over to the Sorority, but only one accepted. So in December 1981 the revival batch of the Tau Gamma Sigma Sorority were initiated. They are Dinky Ruivivar, Grace Corachea, Macris Santos and UPSS Saudari Chloe Ceniza. In the revival batch of 1981, only one Tau Gamma Sigma member came from the UP Sedarum Saudara.
Martial Law was declared on September 21, 1972 by the late dictator President Ferdinand E. Marcos under Proclamation No. 1081. The Sorority with its affiliation to the protest fraternity the Tau Gamma Phi being a subversive group and a staunch critic of the Marcos administration, together with other fraternities and organizations in UP, became the target of military harassments and illegal detentions, believing that these student organizations posed a threat to the order and stability of the Marcos regime. Ostensibly due to leftist leanings, the office that Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity and Tau Gamma Sigma Sorority shared inside UP campus was raided under an Arrest-Search and Seizure Order signed by then Secretary of Defense and one of the "Architects of Martial Law", Juan Ponce Enrile which resulted in the confiscation of several subversive materials and documents.[3] Fortunately though, no one was at the office at the time of the raid so they narrowly escaped being locked up in a military stockade camp.
Struggling from the effects of Martial Law which suspended all fraternal and organizational activity within the collegiate levels and the arrests of all militant students, the Fraternity and Sorority decided to stay low to avoid being tagged as a subversive group working for the Communists out to destabilize the government, although a lot of its members went underground and took up arms to join the New People's Army, the armed paramilitary group of the Communist Party of the Philippines, in the mountains and jungles. These developments temporarily freezed the recruitment of new members, and without fresh bloods to replace the old ones, these resulted in the dwindling down of membership population, due to graduating members or just simply dropping out of school.
Triskelion Atty. Ramoncito “Monching" Ocampo, MDG (UP), who was the Secretary-General of the Fraternity and Sorority during that time, had an idea and took the initiative and decided to tap the younger generations in the High School sector.[4] This gave birth to the "Junior Tau Gamma Phi" or better known as the "Junior Triskelion", founded at San Beda College - High School in 1975. The rationale behind this is, to be able to solve the recruitment problems in the collegiate levels, why not recruit in the secondary education level? Since these High School students will eventually graduate and attend college in the future then they won't have any more problems recruiting them since they are already Triskelions. The idea is simple and effective and the problem is solved.
Although at first, because San Beda College - High School is an all male, non-coed school, that only male members of the Tau Gamma Phi are being recruited, but soon enough the popularity of the Fraternity and the effectivity of the program quickly spread to other colleges, universities and high schools across the University belt area, that already female High School students are also willing to join the Sorority. And saw the beginnings of the "Junior Lady Triskelions" nationwide.
Another first in the history of fraternity and sorority in the Philippines. True to its objective of changing the elitist orientation of the fraternity system, the Tau Gamma Phi and later the Tau Gamma Sigma, decided to open its doors to aspiring youth in the community through the Triskelion Youth Movement (T.Y.M.), so that they too, who temporarily stopped pursuing higher education to continue their chosen vocation, may also share in the glory of the Tau Gamma Phi and Tau Gamma Sigma. Another milestone in fraternity or sorority history, not just in the Philippines but probably worldwide. Again conceptualized and conceived by the Fraternity's Metro Manila Regional Council through the enigmatic leadership of then Secretary-General Triskelion Monching Ocampo.[4]
Like the Junior Lady Triskelions, the Triskelion Youth Movement was also born out of necessity, they have the same motive when first conceptualized which is to regenerate the dwindling member population, but they have different reasons for coming into being. Unlike the Junior Triskelion and Junior Lady Triskelion, which has been founded solely for the continued Fraternity's existence on campuses, the T.Y.M. is hatched to provide the Fraternity's much needed muscle and strength for its own survival. [4]
As Triskelions they also persevered to preserve the Sorority's existence during its trying times. Numerous notable alumni of the Tau Gamma Phi and Tau Gamma Sigma actually started their Fraternal Journey as Triskelions in the T.Y.M. It just shows how the Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity and Tau Gamma Sigma Sorority is constantly evolving to the situation of the times in order to suit the needs and survival of the Triskelion existence for supremacy.
Chronology of Interviews:
