by Ric Michael Palabay de Vera Φ2017B
Brods of the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity and sisses of the Phi Lambda Sorority once again flexed their muscles and showcased their wits and talents in this year’s PHIsiklaban. Countless laughs and cheers with a hint of healthy competitive trash-talking reverberated from Sis Lara Marielle Lazaro Castillo Φ2018’s not-so-humble residence in Ayala Alabang Village on the 21st of January, 2018, as brods and sisses took part in team-building activities. Hosted by Gabriel Paulo Candongo Orosco, Φ2017A and Sis Gabrielle Pagdilao Flores Φ2017, teams of randomly mixed brods and sisses namely Blue, Green, Yellow and Purple battled fiercely until sundown.
With a criteria of costume = 100% for a total of 100%, Purple Team’s Barney and Puto Bumbong combo with matching Barney song-inspired cheer proved victorious in the mascot and cheer-making competition, as judged by the Vice Superior Exemplar Edmond Rodiel Bries Φ2014 and Vice Sister Superior Exemplar Liana Mae Jajurie Lobo Φ2015.
IdentiPHI was the name of the next game, where brods and sisses stacked and contorted in what looked like a clingy family picture as a big black cloth dropped down from in between, revealing the teams to each other. With all the heads of the team members shown, the participants must identify which member of the opposite team was sitting on the one chair provided, a task Team Orange proved to be masters of.
What followed were traditional but every bit exciting bouts of manila paper dance and food relay, both of which were dominated by Team Purple.
The games concluded with a hilarious but vicious, last-woman-sitting game of trip to Jerusalem with an extra round to break an overall tie. Team blue won the trip to Jerusalem game and Team purple won the tie-breaker to bag the overall championship.
With all the points accounted for, the Purple team was crowned champions of PHIsiklaban 2018 with 22 points, the Blue and Orange team placed 2nd and 3rd with final scores of 22 and 20 respectively and Yellow team came in 4th with a total of 19.
As the skies dimmed with the sunset, snapshots of this unforgettable day were taken, each photo reminding every brod and every sis that who really captured the victor’s cup today was each one of us in the company of each other.
Stern voices of the Loyal Sons singing the fraternity song and sweet voices of the Lady Doctors singing the sorority song marked the end of PHIsiklaban 2018.
Three cheers to our pleasant host, Sis Lara Marielle Lazaro Castillo Φ2018 and Sis Gabrielle Pagdilao Flores Φ2017, Aurora Suter Nakpil Φ2017, Jian Kenzo Ong Lial Φ2017A, and Alfonso Rafael Goseco Abaya Φ2017A for heading PHIsiklaban 2018!
