The Phi Kappa Mu (Fraternity of the College of Medicine) is a medical Fraternity founded in 1933 and based in the UP College of Medicine. The Fraternity is over a thousand brothers strong, including in its fold top clinicians, public servants, and luminaries in Philippine medicine. Founded on the pillars of excellence, leadership, service and brotherhood, the Fraternity has since its inception fostered the development of holistic medical students, excelling in the many aspects of student life – scholastics, socials, athletics and politics, eventually developing them into the best medical graduates and doctors in the country today.

Initially envisioned to be a medical honor society by its 35 founding members at its birth, the Fraternity has since molded its members to become socially relevant and medically competent pioneers in various fields of medicine, especially in its early years. Today, the Fraternity boasts of its alumni who have become the paragons and foremost visionaries of Philippine medicine. Among its members include: Dr. Jesus Lava ’33 (Former Secretary General of the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas); Dr. Luis Torres ’33 (Father of Philippine Urology); Dr. Quintin Gomez ’39 (Father of Philippine Anesthesiology); Dr. Alendry Caviles ’49 (Father of Philippine Hematology); Dr. Ricardo Fernando ’49 (Father of Philippine Diabetology); Dr. Augusto Litonjua ’52 (Father of Philippine Endocrinology); Dr. Benjamin Adapon ’53 (Father of Philippine Neuroradiology, pioneer of CT scanning and MRI in Southeast Asia); Dr. Benigno Agbayani ’54 (Father of Philippine Immunology and Allergology); and Dr. Alfredo Ramirez ’56 (Father of Burn Surgery in the Philippines).

At present, members of the Fraternity hold key positions in the government and in various medical institutions: Dr. Martin Dela Rosa II ‘63 (Director of the Victor R. Potenciano Medical Center); Dr. Jose Gonzales ‘69A (the sixth PHI Director of the Philippine General Hospital); Dr. Manuel Chua Chiaco ‘67 (Director of the Philippine Heart Center); Dr. Ernesto Tan ‘71 (Chairman of the Philippine Board of Surgery); Dr. Ramon Guerra ‘76 (Director of the West Visayas State University Medical Center); Dr. Vicente Belizario, Jr. ’81 (Undersecretary of the Department of Health); Dr. Jose Brittanio Pujalte ‘85 SE ‘89-‘90 (Medical Center Chief II of the Philippine Orthopedic Center); Dr. Leo Cubillan ‘86 (Director of the Philippine Eye Research Institute); Dr. Fernandino Fontanilla ‘86 (Dean of the San Beda College of Medicine); and Dr. Juan Antonio Maximiano Escano ‘92 (Medical Director of The Medical City Pangasinan), among many others.

Found across the archipelago and all over the world, alumni brothers are organized by the Phi Kappa Mu Alumni Association in the Philippines and the Phi International, a non-profit non-stock organization based in the United States. In 1998, the Phi Kappa Mu Fraternity Permanent Endowment Fund, was initiated and is currently the largest endowment fund within the University of the Philippines Medical Alumni Society in America. The Fund was set up to contribute to scholarship and infrastructure projects of the UP College of Medicine.

In 1969, the Pagkalinga sa Kalusugan ng Mamamayan (Pagkalma), the socio-civic arm of the Fraternity, was initiated to provide medical students with opportunities for social outreach and to hopefully instill in these future medical practitioners a heightened social consciousness. Service-oriented projects were pursued in line with the college’s vision of quality medical care “directed especially for the underserved” and our own Fraternity’s mission to “serve the welfare of the Filipino nation, through research and outreach.” Since the early years of the Pagkalma, the Fraternity spearheaded humanitarian projects ranging from regular medical and surgical missions in farflung locales to blood drives aimed at augmenting the chronically lacking depositories at the Philippine General Hospital.

At present, flagship service projects of the Fraternity have been successful in reaching out to the underprivileged members of society and in being recognized by multiple partner organizations and award-giving bodies.

• Project HERΦ, an ongoing, annual comic book project geared towards producing comics with original stories and characters that aim to inspire hope in long-suffering patients, with the project focusing its first year on pediatric patients with cancer
• Project OPERA (Operating Room Assistance), since being conceived in 2007, have helped indigent pediatric patients with different congenital diseases (such as hydrocephalus, patent ductus areteriosus and hernias) with timely and quality surgical assistance through provision of free surgeries and medications.
• The connections established in the Fraternity have paved the way of effective and extensive networking which made its wheelchair project, Empowerment Through Mobility, very helpful in distributing free wheelchairs to various government units, non-governmental organizations, and student organizations to many differently-abled Filipinos.
• The Fraternity has also embarked in the provision of universal primary health care and community empowerment through the sponsorship of 26 homes to the Phi Kappa Mu Gawad Kalinga Village in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. The Fraternity has now commenced with its planned project sustainability through regular visits to the community integrating public health lectures, free medical and surgical clinics, and livelihood programs.
• Camp Braveheart is also an annual project that aims to re-integrate and empower cardiac post-operative children into the societies into which they belong through a whole day of fun and learning-filled activities both for the children and their parents.
• PHI Relief Operations has regularly been organized even in the early years of the PHI as a disaster and emergency response initiative by the Fraternity members, both student and alumni, to aid local victims of various calamities in ways that are most needed and relevant.

Inspired by a proud legacy and a storied history for 82 years, committed to excellence, leadership and integrity, sharing in the College’s dedication to service, and empowered by the strength of brotherhood, the Phi Kappa Mu continues to mold young doctors of character while pursuing projects for the benefit of the College, the Hospital, the University, and the Country.

VISION

The PHI KAPPA MU, is an enduring brotherhood of medical students & physicians in the Philippines and International that stands as a bastion of professionalism and excellence. Recognized as the premiere medical Fraternity in the Philippines, from the college extending globally through its active elder experiences, it renders exemplary service to humanity – to Filipinos foremost which reaches out to other nationalities, globally – with honor, dignity, and integrity.

MISSION

The PHI KAPPA MU shall foster pride and growth by illuminating its achievements as a Fraternity and the accomplishments of its members individually. It shall strengthen the bond among its members and assure its existence guided by its Cardinal Virtues. It shall promote excellence in the academic and professional practice of medicine through mentorship, collegiality and reasonable asSistance. It shall serve the welfare of the Filipino nation in particular, and mankind in general, through research and outreach programs. All of these pursuits shall be guided by honor, dignity and respect.