The year 2023 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Pan Xenia Fraternity, an International Honorary Fraternity with its roots in Washington State, U.S. It was established in 1919 at the University of Washington. The fraternity upholds its cardinal virtues of honesty and business ethics, caution and courage, knowledge, and appreciation of human relationships.

Since inducting its first honorary members in the 1930s, the once-small tight-knit group of students has become a guild of exemplary men in business, government, and diplomacy. This includes notable figures such as President Elpidio Quirino, UN General Assembly President Carlos P. Romulo, University of the Philippines Presidents Onofre Corpuz, Emanuel Soriano, and Francisco Nemenzo Jr., and Central Bank Governors Miguel Cuaderno, Sr., Gregorio S. Licaros, and Jaime C. Laya.

These remarkable men, along with the fraternity itself, all originated in the east wing of the UP Diliman campus, specifically at the College of Business Administration. The college is named after a Most Distinguished Brother, Cesar E.A. Virata (Virata School of Business), a renowned statesman and prominent figure in finance. Most of its deans are Pan Xenians as well.

Pan Xenia’s impact is also indelible on the rest of the campus. The Sunken Garden Grandstand, facing the College of Business Administration (also known as “BA”) is designed after Pan Xenia’s Japanese torii emblem. Formally opened in 2004 with the assistance of Bro. Vicente S. Quimbo, the founder of Bel Mondo Italia Corporation, the Grandstand is slated for another renovation this year.

Continuing to give back to the UP community, Pan Xenia is partnering with the UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries to organize a series of management development and training seminars and workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs. This event will be led by esteemed members of the Pan Xenia Business Advisory Council who possess practical and professional insight and experience in their respective fields.

Businessman and former senator, Pan Xenian Bro. Manny Villar, in partnership with UP, will also open the first Technopreneurship school in the country. This initiative aims to nurture the next generation of Filipinos who are well-versed in the field of technology.

UP Chancellor and Pan Xenian Bro. Fidel Nemenzo put it best when he said, “Liberal education combined with specialized technical education is what UP education is about.” Pan Xenia, in turn, is bridging these two fields—STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and the liberal arts—to serve a greater purpose for society.