It was in the early June of 1963 that Manuel M. Momongan enrolled at Siliman University Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental as first year college student. For him, that was a period of adjustment to be in a big school like Siliman University. His father wanted him to be with his older brother, Jorge Momongan who was the former Corp Commander of Siliman University ROTC UNIT. Like his brother, his father wanted him to become an ROTC Cadet Officer.

While at the university, Manuel M. Momongan was exposed to different kinds of extra-curricular activities. He found time in observing several student organizations like Greek-letter fraternities. The university is liberal in their policies about fraternities and sororities. He had observed open initiations in the campus by Alpha Phi Omega, Beta Sigma, Gamma Phi and other course-related fraternities; Alpha Sigma Chi in the College of Chemistry and Beta Epsilon in the College of Engineering.

The thought of joining a fraternity was one of his priorities but his main concern was to follow the dictates of his father. He needed enough preparation if he has to join an elite group like ROTC. He knew that he has to undergo rigid training and survival test from him to become a Cadet Officer.

In the second semester of 1963, he joined the Cadet Officer Candidate School (COCS) and started the ordeal to become a member of the Red Shield Fraternity. It took him five months to finish the training course which included among others the initiation rites. The ordeal paid off and his sacrifices made him a better person; strong and determined individual. The following year of 1964, he finally became a Cadet Officer with a rank of 2nd Lieutenant assigned as Platoon leader, 3rd Platoon, Delta Company. Among the cadets under him were Luvimin Singco, Norman Fagsao, Rudy Kaliban and Christopher Diaz who became his recruits in the Alpha Sigma Phi, he founded in 1965.

After his graduation in the ROTC Basic Course in March of 1965 he took the ROTC Advance Training Course. He then became a Platoon Leader, 1st Platoon, Alpha Company with a rank of 1st Lieutenant. However, the training course has affected his academic records so much so that he decided to quit the training in the second semester of 1965, a decision that got the ire of his father. He has no other recourse but to remain firm in his decision if he has to finish his A.B Sociology Course in four years.

As a student with no more ROTC training course bothering him, he spent extra time in involving himself with extra-curricular activities. He became active in his regional organization, the Cebuano Silimanites. Not being satisfied with one organization, the plan of founding a Greek-letter fraternity entered in his mind. November 1965 was the initial stage of his plan to form a combination Greek letters. The atmosphere in the university during that month was convenient for him to form a fraternity as it coincided with the election campaign for presidential aspirants of different party affiliations. Three presidential aspirants were his close friends; Oswaldo Esperat who was his superior officer in ROTC as Corp Commander, Fred Baliad in the College of Divinity and Alvaro Senturias, his COCS partner co-cadet officer and fraternity brother in the Red Shield Fraternity.

The election campaign did not hinder him in pursuing his desire to form a fraternity. He wanted the first letter of the Greek alphabet, ALPHA as the first initial letter, to remind him of his Alpha Company in his ROTC days. He was also reminded of one fraternity in the College of Chemistry using the name Alpha Sigma Chi. He was attracted with that Greek combination of letters. The name itself gave him the idea of putting two letters of Alpha Sigma and changed the last letter of CHI to PHI; completely worded as Alpha Sigma Phi. The name signifies an interpretative meaning in each letter as All sincere and sensible persons. To think that Alpha Sigma Chi is only exclusive for Chemistry students, he wanted his fraternity open to all college students at Siliman University.

He started enlisting students whom he can rely on. He contacted his former ROTC cadets; Christopher Diaz, Norman Fagsao, Rudy Kaiban and Jonathan Sibala. As they showed interest, they were included in the list of members. Part of the membership were his dormitory mates; Caesar Repollo, Caesar Severino and Arlindo Santos. Peter Balbuena, close friends of Momongan was also included in the list of members. One presidential candidate, Alvaro Senturias who also showed interest was included. Rodney Baquiran, campaign manager of Baliad likewise, was interested and promised to join the group when the election is over.

Female classmate of Momongan were also interested in the fraternity. They were Cecille and Miriam Amiscaray, Alma Baybay, Adela Patron, Vicky Villanea, Irene Dionaldo and Rosalia Cafe. The name Alpha Sigma Phi is intended only for male college students. The fraternity system in Siliman University separates women from men. Women's sororities were formed as men's counterpart, the Kappa Phi Omega Sorority, Beta Sigma had the Sigma Beta Sorority and Gamma Phi and Gamma Sigma Sorority. Momongan had no other choice but to separate them with another name. He coined it as Delta Sigma Phi Sorority to remember his first Delta Company in his ROTC Basic Training Course.

While recruiting some more members in the group, more college students were invited to join. The recruitment period made him more available to research more about fraternities in the United States of America. He read different books about fraternity histories and their origins, their system of initiations, the kind of ritual they conducted in accepting members. He came across the name Alpha Sigma Phi 1845 at Yale University with the name of Mr. Ralph Burns as their Executive Director with its National Headquarters located at 24 West William Street, Delaware Ohio, U.S.A. Through his communication with the National Headquarters, Momongan received a reply with its enclosures; the ASP materials such as the book of To Better The Man, Tomahawk Magazines and Long Play Records of Songs of Alpha Sigma Phi. This started linkage between Alpha Sigma Phi-Philippines and Alpha Sigma Phi-U.S.A.

December 12, 1965 was the date Momongan founded the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity and the first organizational meeting of all the ASP Pioneers at Siliman University Amphitheater. The time was 4:30 in the afternoon. Many were present some of them were just invited by those who were chosen by Manuel Momongan. He presided the meeting and formally introduced the names of the fraternity and sorority. Alvaro Senturias asked for a short time to speak. knowing that he is one of the presidential candidates, his request was granted with the assumption that he would campaign for his candidacy. Surprisingly, Senturias proposed for a change of name of the fraternity. Momongan opposed such move and suggested that the members be given the option to choose which kind of name they wanted to use. Momongan declared to the group that those who agree to the proposal of Senturias may remain in the amphitheater and those who stick to the prepared names of Alpha Sigma Phi and Delta Sigma Phi may rise and proceed to T-Room No. 12. He was overwhelmed by the reactions of the group because majority stood up and started walking towards the T-Room leaving behind Alvaro Senturias with a handful of followers. The move of Senturias contributed much to his eventual defeat in the presidential election of the College Student Government at Siliman University.

In the organizational meeting at T-Room No. 12, the group decided to hold fraternity and sorority Christmas party on December 18, 1965 at Villagonzalo's Residence, Siliman Park, Bantayan, Dumaguete City. The affair was the realization of the founder's dream of having a fraternity and a sorority of his own, the Alpha Sigma Phi and the Delta Sigma Phi. On December 22, 1965, Rodney Baquiran thanked the groups for the help they contributed in making his presidential candidate, Fred Baliad won the election of the College Student Government at Siliman University. He formalized his entry with the Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity.

In january of 1966, Manuel Momongan was already aware that he could no longer continue his studies at Siliman University for the school year 1966-67 because he defied the order of his father. He then entrusted to Rodney Baquiran the fraternity constitution and the list of members, Baquiran promised to continue what the founder has started. While in Cebu City, in June 1966, Manuel Momongan took the initiative and started recruiting students for Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity. In Southwestern University, he recruited Guillermo Napuli and Celso Guillermo Aznar; Romeo Alfafara and Melchor Crisistomo of the University of the Visayas and Eugene Arriesgado and Reynaldo Caratao of the University of Southern Philippines who composed the pioneers of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity in Cebu City.

The confusion of the members of the fraterntiy in Cebu City started in 1967. A group of the same fraternity but stranger with each other as to their origin came over to Cebu City. The group came from Rafael Palma College now known as University of Bohol. They befriended the group of ASP-CEBU and without hesitation offered their brotherly relations on the basis of the same fraternal name. The group from Bohol made known to the group of Cebu that their origin came from Central Mindanao University, Musuan, Bukidnon organized in 1959. Manuel Momongan made known to the group of Bohol that the origin of ASP-CEBU came from Siliman University founded in 1965. Momongan with feelings of apprehension, was not inclined to accept the offer from ASP-BOHOL knowing that in the end conflicting historical narration on the basis of their inconsistencies will cause disunity among each other.

The intrusion of ASP-BOHOL was strongly opposed by Momongan considering that their origin was at the expense of Ramon del Carmen who is a member of Upsilon Sigma Phi at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City. He insisted that the real Alpha Sigma Phi is the fraternity from Siliman University because its existence was not done by anyone of different, fraternity membership. His disagreement was not heard by ASP-CEBU, he being instrumental of their existence as Alpha Sigma Phi in Cebu City. What is more painful was the betrayal of his members from Siliman University who did not exert an effort to oppose the merging of ASP-S.U and ASP-CMU. He plans for consolidation of ASP-Alumni in Cebu. He named it ASP Island Cebu Alumni Association, Inc. composed of members starting from 1966 to 1970. More than 50 alumni members signed up for that purpose with Momongan spearheading the plan. He wanted to institute new signs and symbols what he called Cebu origin. He started it with the new Handgrip and the rest will just follow one after the others.

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2006