A Brief HISTORY of PHI BETA RHO Confraternity

PHI BETA RHO Confraternity traces its humble beginnings on the24th of June 1962 at the National University, Manila. Where three (3) engineering students namely Ariel Gomez, ConradAquino, & Ruel Ramos who coincidentally are leaders of the rural farmers in their provinces & also members of the N.U. Bulldogs Varsity Team, joined forces in forming a brotherhood with a vision to promote the interest of the Filipino people specifically the students, marginalized sector such as the peasants, the workers, and the urban poor. In August 1st of the same year, brothers voted to consider their co-athletes Annie Lactao & Isabel Romero to be the Founding Sisters of RHO BETA PHI Sorority as counterpart in upholding their principles and objectives.

In this light, brothers & sisters, side by side conducts activities to provide its members with first hand experiences of the prevalent problem affecting these sectors. It serves to heighten the social awareness of its members and provide them with the opportunity to extend whatever support they can give to uplift the conditions of these people.

During the First Quarter Storm, w/c is a period of political unrest in the Philippines, composed of a series of heavy demonstrations, protests, and marches against the government from January to March 1970. The brothers carrying the name “Kapatirang Mag-Aaral ng Republika (KAMARA)” are in the forefront of student demonstrations against growing social injustices, graft and corruption in the government, & other issues that were important to the students and to the Filipino people in general.

Martial Law then was declared on September 21, 1972 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 1081, wherein it disbanded the fraternity and other political organizations. Arrest after arrest was made . Many of the brothers active in the protest movement were apprehended. Remaining few where forced to relocate to their provinces and went underground to organize labor unions, farmers, & new school chapters mostly in Central Luzon. It was a silent year for the brothers during Martial Law. It was a time for re-organization, recruitment, & a time to strengthen the bond between and among the members.

As the years pass by, growing numbers of brothers and sisters primary objective was to be legally recognized by school administrations , and indulged themselves within the University Student Council, promoting the interest and protecting the rights of the studentry. They earned the reputation for being the principal leaders of their respective academe organizations. And are also instrumental in the formation of the famed League of Filipino Students (LFS) in Region III.

However, the fraternity was not spared. It has been threatened many times over the last decades or so by different school authorities who are oppose to their patriotic principles. It was also challenged by several fraternities trying to be in control but failed.

“Patriotic Brotherhood of the Republic” is a name that speaks for itself. It is not a society of the elites but the defender of the oppressed.

 

SOURCE:a. k.a. Royal Signal