MU inducts Batch 2014 and Fraternity Officers for FY 2010-2011

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Five Strong: MU Batch 2014's Induction

Written by Marvin Cesa Masalunga

Head lifted high, spirit undaunted,
Marching through the endless night...

Anyone who has undergone the rigors of the Mu initiation process will surely remember something about candles and the way their incandescent flames pierce the darkness.

Five Strong: Mu Sigma Phi Batch 2014's induction
Mu Sigma Phi Batch 2014: (L to R) Marvin Masalunga, Joseph Brazal (BL), Mairre Gaddi, Butch Abuel, and Mark Mauricio.

However, the emotions that permeated us back then, when time seemed so slow and the end seemed miles away, with the candles a metaphor for the embers of hope that anchored us to the belief that everything will end in due time, were very different from what we feel now, as our sponsors pin fix the fraternity pin on us, the newest brothers of the Mu Sigma Phi, Batch 2014. For one thing, we certainly can relax now and recall the vivid past, our achievements surpassing our shortcomings. We can now laugh to our hearts' content at all our batch's bloopers, intentional and unintentional.

Dr. Antonio Oposa, Sr. MU Batch 1951 - this year's inducting officer
Dr. Antonio Oposa, Sr ΜΣΦ 1951, this year's inducting officer.

The five of us who triumphed over the difficulties of the rites of passage have unique stories to tell, and very distinct personalities from each other that at times it was trying to come to a decision. However, it is this diversity, which seemed the most formidable adversity that our batch had to face, that ultimately helped us transform into better men. Gone are days when it seemed that every day we lived in anxiety, never knowing when what we had done was good enough, and never knowing enough. Gone are the days when all our shortcomings would take its toll on our batch, leaving us doubtful of the path that we had chosen. We are now full-fledged brothers of the Mu Sigma Phi, the most acclaimed medical fraternity in the Philippines. Our induction has marked the end of one phase of our Mu life, but our journey has not even started yet. We, the Five Strong, are now ready to take on a whole new battle: the life of being a dedicated brother of the Mu Sigma Phi, and to live up to its towering pillars of Brotherhood, Leadership, Scholarship, and Service.

This year's induction, Five Strong, was held at the Rothman Hotel along Adriatico St., on July 29, 2010. The inductees from Batch 2014 are Butch Josef A. Abuel (Class 2012), Joseph I. Brazal (Batch Leader), Mairre James S. Gaddi, Marvin C. Masalunga, and Mark Jerome G. Mauricio. Alumni spanning five decades of brotherhood attended the event. The members of the Executive Council for the Fiscal Year 2010-2011, headed by Danilo dV. Alpapara, Jr., Most Exalted Brother, were also inducted. The event was also an opportunity to have the Mu scholars recognized, and to present the upcoming activities of the fraternity, notably the 2nd Quisumbing-Escandor Film Festival for Health. The rest of the night was spent in merrymaking, singing of the batch songs, and the traditional raffle. The event was headed by Mikhail E. Esteban MΣΦ 2012, Keeper of the Flame, and Batch 2012.