Philippine Student Association (PhilSA)
Forthcoming
GoodPhil
and PST History
The GoodPhil games was founded in 1991 by
Reggie Perez, President of the Philippine Students Association (PhilSA) at Texas
A&M University. His goal was to bring together the Filipino organizations from
across the state.
The first Goodphil Games originated as a showdown between
archrivals Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. The two
schools battled not only each other, but also severe weather conditions. At one
point during the weekend, President Reggie Perez was forced to "think of
something they could play." Despite weather conditions and lack of precedence to
go by, the first GoodPhil games were a huge success with the University of Texas
emerging as the winner.
Since then, the GoodPhil Games has continued to grow. The
University of Texas at Austin was the location for the second GoodPhil Games in
1992, which included the University of Houston, and the University of Texas at
Arlington. Host to the third Goodphil games in 1993 was the University of
Houston where the Spirit and Dance Competition and the "Hot Bod" contest was
added. The 1994 Games were held in Arlington, thus completing the original
rotation of hosts. In 1995, the GoodPhil Games returned to Texas A&M and
welcomed the University of Texas San Antonio for the first time. The 1996 games
held in Austin marked the first appearance of Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and in
1997, the Games in Houston brought the total number of participating schools to
eight by adding Baylor University and the University of St. Thomas. Since then,
the third hosting of the GoodPhil games in Houston (2002), welcomed Texas Tech
University and the University of Texas at Dallas, brining the number of
participating schools to ten.
The rapid growth of the GoodPhil Games created a need for more
organization and a set of standard policies. So in the summer of 1997,
representatives from Texas A&M, University of Houston, University of Texas,
Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and the University of St. Thomas met in Corpus Christi
to draft the GoodPhil Games Constitution. The Constitution was finalized on July
5, 199, and had been later approved by the eight schools that year. the
Constitution was finalized on July 5, 1997, and had been later approved by eight
schools that year. The Constitution also created new events that debuted at the
1998 Games in San Antonio. This included the Cultural Presentation and an Alumni
Basketball Tournament.
In an attempt to improve communication, coordination, and
planning for events happening in both the GoodPhil Games and the surrounding
Filipino community, Emerson C. Cabatu from Texas A&M University founded the
Philippine Students of Texas (PST) on the 30th day of May, 1998 with the support
of all eight universities. The first official meeting for PST was held on the
26th of September, 1998 which consisted of the acting chair and the Governing
Board (the President and Vice-President from each of the eight FSA's).
To further centralize communication and raise awareness of
PST, Harold Damo of Texas A&M University proposed a restructuring of the PST
during the fall 2004. All ten schools passed this proposal which divided
the PST chair into several officer positions. The Board of Directors, as
it was known, consisted of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Information
Officer (CIO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Chief GoodPhil Officer (CGO).
During this time, The University of Texas at El Paso and Trinity University (San
Antonio) were incorporated into PST. During GoodPhil 2005 the first PST
scholarship was awarded to Tatiana Bakhoum of UTSA.
At present, PST is lead by two co-chairs who are responsible
for coordinating meetings and facilitating the communications among FSAs.
GoodPhil Mission Statement
We the members of the Philippine Students
of Texas are present by our understanding to participate in an event that unites
these members in friendly competition through camaraderie, good sportsmanship,
and tradition. This event is known as the GoodPhil Games.
Camaraderie: An esprit de corps between Filipino Student
Association members in Texas created through the games and transcending all
barriers.
Sportsmanship: By competing we understand that our goal of
competitive sports is to interact amongst each other without the sole intent of
winning.
Tradition: It is our responsibility to learn and understand
the Filipino tradition that has become the foundation of our lives. GoodPhil
thus becomes a tradition to share with future generations.
The GoodPhil Constitution is necessary to keep GoodPhil an
event rich in camaraderie, good sportsmanship, and tradition. We understand the
importance of enforcing and obeying the rules and regulations of the GoodPhil
Constitution. The GoodPhil Constitution is necessary to keep GoodPhil an event
rich in camaraderie, good sportsmanship, and tradition. We understand the
importance of enforcing and obeying the rules and regulations of the GoodPhil
Constitution.
Honor Code: As a member of the Filipino Students Association I
will not lie, cheat, or steal nor tolerate those who do.
