by Mohammad Sarifola Dimalotang Alonto, Jr. Φ2019B
Another August comes into view, and while tried and tested by the events of 2020, the Loyal Sons of the Phi Kappa Mu have gathered once again to celebrate the enduring brotherhood that has since been passed on from 1933. Eighty-seven years of imparted lessons and shared camaraderie, all cultivated and developed in each brother, generation by generation. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic which keeps us physically distanced, we remain strongly connected as ever through the warmth of brotherhood that transcends boundaries.
This year, the annual occasion was not held at any of the familiar venues before where so many stories have been shared over sumptuous food and overflowing beer and liquor. In lieu of this tradition, a virtual Foundation Stag—the first of its kind—was held via the popular online meeting platform Zoom last August 29, 2020, catering to brods anywhere, from the Philippines to the United States of America and the rest of the world. Venerable Preceptor Christopher Rey Legaya Estrada Φ2017A was the night’s master of ceremonies, warmly welcoming each brother to the event in high spirits.
The program started with prayers from brods Mohammad Sarifola Dimalotang Alonto, Jr. Φ2019B and Justine Karl Patrick Calachan Dantes Φ2019B, expressing gratitude for the opportunity to see and meet brothers again even amidst a global pandemic. Next, Superior Exemplar Jose Mayo Villanueva Viray Φ2017A, SE 2020-2021 gave his welcoming remarks, quickly followed by messages from brod Renan Bince Abellera Φ1984B, current president of the Phi Kappa Mu Alumni Association (PKMAA), brod Jose Mañego Dimen Φ1978 SE 1981-1982, current president of the Phi Kappa Mu International (PKMI), brod Napoleon Medina Apolinario Φ1963, the current oldest active brod in the Philippines, and brod Tomas Lorenzo Banson Tensuan Φ2019B, speaking on behalf of the youngest batch of brods, Φ2019B Kabalyeros.
After the speeches, the fun and excitement skyrocketed as the Phi Band took to the virtual stage represented by brod Jose Carlos Cruz Bognot Φ2019B. He gave everyone a blast from the past with a moving performance of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears and “With A Smile” by the Eraserheads, eliciting cheers and feelings of nostalgia from the audience.
Finally, the program entered the open mic portion, with esteemed brods Jose Victorino Rodriguez Teleron, Jr. Φ1966, Darfrente Tuason Nibungco, Jr. Φ1971, Zenaides Tactay Wi Φ1972, SE 1975-1976, Gil Martinez Vicente Φ1976, and Enrico Pamintuan Ragaza Φ1978, among many others, recounting tantalizing tales of Phi during their medical school years. The Zoom meeting was quickly filled with exuberant cheers as elder brothers pulled their batchmates and other contemporaries into the spotlight while those younger listened with rapt attention and howled with laughter at the accounts of those who came before them. The times may be different now but as everyone present that night saw, the fellowship of the Phi Kappa Mu has remained the same as it was from a few decades back.
The circumstances of the 87th year of the fraternity are surely different from that of the previous years. Nevertheless, the Foundation Stag continues to remind every Phi brod of the ardent brotherhood unrestricted and unrestrained by the conditions of time and space. Indeed, a fellowship that is perpetual and inviolable—the legacy that is Phi Kappa Mu.
