FEATURES
91 Years of Steadfast Commitment to Service and Excellence.
by Ralph Justin Baguinon, BE’16
Ever since the establishment of the Purple Tower in 1929, it has been carved in the foundations of the UP Beta Epsilon Fraternity to promote the ideals of social service and to serve the genuine interests of the college and the country. Ninety one years have passed and the fraternity still holds these aims true through its efforts to serve the marginalized and cater to the needs of the Filipino community.
The COVID-19 pandemic has gravely altered our way of living and this consequently led to the first virtual year of the fraternity. The dedication of the Beta Epsilon to give aid to those who are in need thrived amidst the challenges brought by the online setting. The 91st anniversary celebration of the fraternity was centered around giving back to our frontliners and alleviating the difficulties caused by the pandemic. The usual anniversary Grand Pakain was allocated to feeding 1000 health workers across various hospitals in Quezon City and Rizal. The annual B.O.A.T. Race was transformed to an outreach activity in which the fraternity donated 920 reams of paper to four elementary schools in Agoncillo, Batangas to aid the printing of supplementary academic modules that will be distributed to the students during their remote learning. As an effort to help raise funds for our research institutions that are leading the fight against COVID-19, Maskipaps: The Crossover 2020 became an online benefit concert which united thousands of viewers that shared their love for Filipino music and garnered PHP 80,000.00 in donations for the Philippine Genome Center to aid in its pandemic relief efforts.
The fraternity also gave focus to the academic needs of the students of the UP College of Engineering. In the spirit of continuing the tradition of knowledge sharing from our alumni Betans, the fraternity organized the Distinguished Alumni Webinar Series which offered online talks on manufacturing, entrepreneurship, policy analysis, and cybersecurity. Furthermore, the Beta Epsilon recognized the difficulties of remote learning especially to underprivileged students who do not have access to computers. In this light, the fraternity launched its Desktop Donation Drive where 35 desktop computer units were donated to students of the College of Engineering and College of Architecture. Additionally, 5 desktop computer and printer units were also donated to the 5 operating dormitories in UP Diliman to act as a central unit for the computer access and module printing of the dormers.
The determination of the Purple Tower to provide service to others allows the brotherhood to go out of its way in order to deliver. The fraternity immediately responded to the call for help of the people of Cagayan by providing 34,000 meals to the November 2020 typhoon victims in coordination with A&B Philippines and FEED Philippines Inc. The fraternity also offered its initiative and engineering knowledge to the people of Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro through the ongoing construction of two classrooms with digital learning equipment, as well as electricity and water sources to impart the gift of knowledge to the youth of Sitio Calibang.
The efforts of the Beta Epsilon Fraternity are hinged on the sole purpose of serving the people. The harmonious cooperation and unwavering generosity of Betans across different generations actualize the fraternity’s vision in fostering the ideals of social service and responding to the genuine needs of the nation. The needs of our people change over time but the same passion for service has been passed down to the next generation since 1929. Betans are encouraged to grab their own shovel and pave their own path of servitude in order to create a better way for others. It has been 91 years but the commitment of the Beta Epsilon to service and excellence remains timeless, genuine, and steadfast.