Brod, when you and I were admitted into our beloved fraternity, did we not have
a burning desire to prove ourselves as “tried and true” Upsilonians? But how do
you accomplish this feat and when can you tell that you have done it? I believe
the way to do it is to abide by the Upsilon Credo and this can be a lifetime
endeavor.
On November
29, 1999, I posted in the Upsilon Web an adaptation and annotation of the
Upsilon Credo entitled, “The Tried and True Upsilonian”. The Credo is the
Upsilon’s agenda. The directives of the Credo can be grouped into four general
spheres of action: the Individual Upsilonian, the University of the
Philippines, the Republic of the Philippines, and the World. It is clear that
an Upsilonian must be pro-active with a sense of purpose rather than a
reactionary who acts haphazardly to stimuli from society. It is by acting in
accordance with the Credo that you and I can become “tried and true”
Upsilonians.
At my
suggestion, Angel Fandialan ’60, USPNA President agreed on November 1, 2001 that
the production of a Resource Book that makes the demands of our Credo more
concrete would be a good educational project for the Archives Committee of the
USPNA. He then appointed me to chair and form this Committee. The Committee
initially consisted of Mart Martell ’47, Rody Santiago ’65, Edwin Paña ’69, and
Yari Miralao ’88 as members and Rafael Francia ’55 as Chairman.
While preparing the Resource Book our Committee came to the
conclusion that the problems we perceive in the UP, the Country, and the World
levels are merely symptoms of the fundamental problem of lack of formation at
the Individual level. Therefore, solutions to society’s problems must start at
the Individual level. Even group action can be effective only when a critical
mass of like-minded and dedicated individuals participate in their common
undertaking. Consequently, most of the materials in this Resource Book are
focused on individual action.
The opinions expressed in this book are those of the authors and
do not necessarily represent any official stand of the Upsilon Sigma Phi
Fraternity.
Brod, we
have carefully gathered here some light we deem worthy to scatter. With our
spirit of mutual aid and affection, we hope this Resource Book could help you,
wherever you are, in your endeavor to be a tried and true Upsilonian. If so,
then our work in preparing it has been worthwhile.
–Rafael “Piling” Francia ‘55
