The University of the Philippines is a physical landscape of memory, struggle, and identity. The view down the Academic Oval, the sound of the Carillon bells, and the halls where students learn and protest are each a layer of history. Woven into those landmarks is the legacy of the Upsilon Sigma Phi. You have walked past these places. It is time to see how the fraternity is connected to them.

1) The Architect of Modern Diliman

The post-war move from Manila to the Diliman grounds required a visionary plan. That task fell to Cesar H. Concio ’26, a distinguished architect, who served as UP’s first University Architect.

Concio drew inspiration from Thomas Jefferson’s University of Virginia, whose design featured identical buildings facing each other at the center of campus. He adapted this neoclassical ideal to the tropics, using open spaces and shaded corridors to shape the UP Diliman we know today.

I had the privilege of interviewing him for the Philippine Collegian back in college. He explained how he even measured the angle of the sun's rays, ensuring that light would illuminate corridors but never strike classroom doors, providing brightness without the heat.

His legacy is the very skeleton of the campus:

-- Quezon Hall: The iconic administration building and ceremonial heart of the university.

-- The Church of the Risen Lord: A tropical modernist chapel designed for light and airflow.

-- Melchor Hall, Palma Hall, and Vinzons Hall: Academic and student life centers defining the Oval.

Every graduation photo on the Quezon Hall steps is a tribute to his vision.

(Parish of the Holy Sacrifice image from here)

2) A Chapel and a Contested Memory

Beyond monuments and halls, the Upsilon also left its mark on UP’s religious landscape, though in more debated ways. According to fraternity oral history, repeated stagings of the Upsilon’s theatrical production “Aloyan” raised much of the funding for the construction of the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, the Catholic chapel in Diliman designed by Leandro Locsin and later recognized as a National Cultural Treasure.

While official UP and church records credit Father John P. Delaney, S.J., the Catholic community, and Locsin’s network for leading the project, Upsilon alumni recall that proceeds from Aloyan were pivotal.

3) Vinzons Hall: A Name of Sacrifice

Concio designed the building, but its name carries a deeper weight. Wenceslao “Bintao” Vinzons ’30 was a legendary student leader, editor of the Philippine Collegian, and president of the student council.

But Vinzons’ legacy extended far beyond campus. He became the youngest delegate to the 1935 Constitutional Convention, founded the Young Philippines Party, and established the College Editors Guild, which later evolved into the CEGP.

He was elected Congressman of Camarines Norte before World War II. When the Japanese invaded, he organized guerrilla resistance until his capture and execution in 1942.

Today, Vinzons Hall is not only the hub of student organizations, it is also a memorial, reinforced by the bust of Vinzons at the entrance, reminding everyone who passes through of his sacrifice.

(Unang Sigaw image from here)

4) Rescuing a Piece of History: The 'Unang Sigaw Monument

The “Unang Sigaw” monument, commemorating the 1896 Revolution, was first erected in Balintawak in 1911. By the late 1960s, it was dismantled during road construction and faced an uncertain fate.

Through the efforts of UP President Carlos P. Romulo, historian Carmen Guerrero Nakpil, and Upsilonians, the monument was saved and reinstalled in Diliman. To this day, its plaque bears the name of the Upsilon Sigma Phi, a permanent reminder of the fraternity’s role in its preservation.

Nearby, another fraternity-backed landmark emerged: a monument in front of the Faculty Center, funded with the help of the Upsilon Sigma Phi Alumni Association. Though the Faculty Center itself was lost to fire in 2016, the monument stands as testimony to alumni contributions.

(Bahay ng Alumni image from here)

5) The Alumni’s Home on Campus

The Bahay ng Alumni is where generations of UP graduates hold their reunions. Its construction was a major project of the UP Alumni Association under the leadership of Ed Espiritu, then UPAA President.

Backed strongly by Upsilonians, who contributed funds and organizational muscle, the project gave alumni a permanent home on campus. Every reunion dinner, every banquet, every homecoming in its halls is rooted in fraternity support.

6) Palma Extension: Alumni-Built Academic Space

The Palma Extension Building, constructed behind the Faculty Center, was realized through financial contributions from Upsilon alumni.

Built to address the growing student population, it expanded the academic footprint of Palma Hall, providing more classrooms and office space. Its existence reflects not only UP’s needs but also the fraternity alumni’s continuing support for the university.

(Carillon Tower image from here)

7) The Voice of the Campus: The Carillon Bells

The UP Carillon Bell Tower, completed in 1952, is Asia’s first fully automated carillon. Its bells have scored Lantern Parades, Martial Law protests, Edsa commemorations, and graduations for decades.

The tower exists because Hermenegildo B. Reyes ’31 led a fundraising drive that acquired and installed the bells. Without him, it might have remained a silent concrete tower.

Upsilon’s connection did not end there. In 2008, for UP’s Centennial, the fraternity helped restore the Carillon through the Centennial Carillon Bells Project, importing 36 new bells from the Netherlands. Today’s chimes are the sound of Upsilon’s past and present generosity.

8) Virata Hall: Lasting Leadership

Another building carries an Upsilonian’s name: E. T. Virata Hall, home of the UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP ISSI). It is named after Dr. Enrique T. Virata, UP President from 1956 to 1958.

Often confused with the Virata School of Business (named after his son, Cesar Virata), this hall underscores Enrique Virata’s role as both an academic leader and an Upsilonian whose presidency steered UP during a time of growth.

9) Other Upsilon Names in the UP Landscape

The fraternity’s legacy also extends to other corners of campus:

-- Encarnacion Hall (School of Economics): Named after Dean Jose Encarnacion '48, one of the country’s most respected economists.

-- Laurel Avenue: A road inside UP Diliman is named after Jose P. Laurel ’19, Upsilonian, former Supreme Court Justice, and later President of the Philippines.

These names, carved into buildings and street signs, remind us of the fraternity’s role in UP’s landscapes.

10) Building for the Future: Modern Contributions

The fraternity’s role in shaping UP is not confined to the past. For its 2018 centennial, Upsilon Sigma Phi unveiled new campus landmarks:

-- The UP Promenade (Diliman): A 120-meter landscaped walkway linking Gonzalez Hall to Beta Way, designed as a student commons.

(This marker was installed by the National Historical Commission at the UP Promenade. Image by Jo Rabago '72)

-- The Kapit-Kapit Monument (Los Baños): A symbolic sculpture of unity and solidarity, strengthening the cultural identity of UPLB.

Upsilon and UP: Trivia and Forgotten Stories

Beyond the main landmarks, Upsilon’s presence is found in smaller, sometimes forgotten corners of campus life:

-- Bust of Vinzons: At the entrance of Vinzons Hall, greeting everyone who passes through.

-- Breakpoint Café: Operated from 1981 to 1986 near the UP Shopping Center and tennis courts by Chito Laureta ’77, it became a student hangout of its time.

-- Jacinto Street Waiting Shed: Renovated in the 1990s by Sigma Delta Phi, Upsilon’s sister sorority, whose seal still marks it.

-- Bowling Lanes in the 1950s: A student recreation spot between Econ and Vinzons, owned by Nereo Andolong ’50 and managed by Abelardo Villanueva ’49.

These lighter stories add texture to the fraternity’s legacy, showing how it has touched not just the monumental, but also the everyday life of the campus.

A Complex Legacy, A Tangible Impact

To walk through UP is to navigate a landscape shaped by countless hands, with Upsilon Sigma Phi leaving its mark in halls, monuments, and spaces across campus. From Concio’s sunlit corridors to a rescued Katipunan monument to the Carillon’s chimes, and from the Bahay ng Alumni to the new Promenade, the fraternity's imprint is unmistakable. Yet this legacy is not only to be remembered, it now becomes the task of the current generation to leave their own mark and build even grander legacies for the University of the Philippines.

*Article written with the invaluable contribution of Victor C. Avecilla '79