NMI Triskelions all set for Good Friday tradition

TAU GAMMA PHI/SIGMA-Northern Mariana Islands Council president Vince Sablan, seated third left, and members of the fraternity/sorority will be marking their fourth year of community service for those who will trek up Mt. Tapochau on Good Friday. (Jon Perez)

The TAU GAMMA PHI/SIGMA-Northern Mariana Islands Council is all set to help community members who will be making the trek to the top of Mt. Tapochau on Good Friday.

Hundreds of Catholic and other Christian pilgrims are again expected make their way on Saipan’s highest peak in observance of the annual tradition.

The CNMI Triskelions, for the fourth straight year, will be doing their share in providing water and other refreshments to pilgrims.

TAU GAMMA PHI/SIGMA NMIC president Vince Sablan is asking members to join them in setting up their tent on Thursday night. He added members would meet in front of 99 Cents Store at 10pm before going up to their designated spot on Mt. Tapochau.

“Large groups of people are expected to be on top of Mt. Tapochau at around 4am on Friday so I’m asking all of our members to do their share in giving out what we have,” said Sablan.

Last year, the TAU GAMMA PHI/SIGMA NMIC was among those that set up a booth to assist pilgrims and other walkers.

Rep. Vinnie Sablan (Ind-Saipan), the Saipan Mayor’s Office, the American Red Cross-NMI Chapter, the United Filipino Organization, and the Camacho family also had booths that provided refreshments.

TAU GAMMA PHI/SIGMA NMIC president Sablan also said that they would be holding other community projects as part of their fraternity’s socio-civic programs. They are also among the recognized members of UFO since 2012.

“We previously did a medical mission in 2011 and another in affiliation with UFO. Medical mission is close to my heart since I’m a nursing graduate. I want to push it more to our community,” added Sablan.

The TAU GAMMA PHI/SIGMA NMIC is incorporated in the CNMI Office of the Registrar of Corporations as a non-profit corporation and is also duly recognized by U.S. Department of the Treasury’s the Internal Revenue Service.

University of the Philippines-Diliman students Rodrigo Confesor, Roy Ordinario, Talek Pablo, Vedasto Venida, Restituto Alfonso, and Romeo Fortes founded the TAU GAMMA PHI fraternity on Oct. 4, 1968.

It started as the ORDER OF THE U.P. TRISKELIONS but membership swelled and they adapted the Greek letters TAU GAMMA PHI. Its sorority, TAU GAMMA SIGMA, was founded a year after on Jan. 17.

The TAU GAMMA PHI/SIGMA is a socio-economic service fraternity/sorority.