INTERNET NEWSLETTER OF THE ALUMNI OF LANAO CHUNG HUA SCHOOL
Vol. II - No. 37, January 4, 1999, Iligan City, Philippines

---

Correction on Great Wall of China
Thu, 24 Dec 1998 18:21:05 +0800

This refers to my article "The Great Wall of China" (Spectrum, Dec. 21, 1998 issue), which contains a typographical error.  The phrase "It is more than ten kilometers long" should have been "It is more than ten thousand kilometers long."

Fe Dy Quimbo, Iligan, Philippines

The weatherman predicts tomorrow or the day after to be either fairly cloudy, or rainy, or stormy. But when it comes to the exact hour at which the particular weather condition will occur, it is not fixed. Likewise, the day of  the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is near, so let us prepare for it, to the second, minute, hour, day or night.

Jeanne Nacague Te (Ong Chin Chin), Iligan, Philippines

Tracking down LCHS alumni

"Tracers" this week tracks down LCHS alumni spread out in different corners of the globe. Jesus "Hesing" Dy (Batch '63) is heading for a vacation in Iligan City on Jan. 2. He landed in Cebu with his wife Melania last Dec. 31 from Edmonton, Canada. Two alumni are pursuing their careers as doctors in Taiwan. They are Dr. Antonio Leo "Boy" Te (Batch '69); and Dr. Victor Tecson (Batch '71), younger brother of Gloria Tecson. Two other alumni likewise stand out in the lucrative pharmacy business in Cebu City. Susan Ngo-Lo (Batch '72), younger sister of Roderick Ngo, owns and manages the Doctors' Choice Pharmacy, which has expanded with two new branches (one right within the premises of the Cebu Chong Hua Hospital), while Alfredo "Chu Tek" Sy (Batch '57) runs the Cebu Ever Drug, also with several branches in the city.  Assisting Chu Tek in looking after business is his sister, Amelia "Le Hua" Sy (Batch '62). Lily Lueong-Yang (Batch '67), on the other hand, is in the printing press business in Manila, where she is residing with her husband and children. Gloricita "Guat Li" Racines Kinnan (batch '66) is now in Keno, Oregon, U.S.A, where she lives with her husband, Wayne Kinnan. Guat Li is employed with a forwarding firm, while her husband, a US Air Force retiree, assembles remote control airplanes. Another alumni business executive in the USA is Fanny L. Tan (Batch '81), who's a management consultant in Edison, New Jersey. Fanny is the younger sister of Dr. Wilson Lim (Batch '66), now a successful physician in Manila. Speaking of alumni siblings, twin sisters Franzel Lee and Lucille Lee (younger sisters of Janet Lee Tan) are now successfully pursuing their career as chemical engineers in Iligan.  Franzel is with the Mabuhay Vinyl Corp., while Lucille is with the National Steel Corp.  Franzel and Lucille were student leaders in their college days. Both were also staff writers of Forward, student publication of the University of San Jose Recoletos, Cebu City.  One day soon, we might succeed in persuading them to write for the Spectrum, too.

By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D., Batch '65

Between taming a nasty jet lag and dashing to the mall for the final countdown of Christmas shopping; between sipping whiskey sour in Yuletide cocktail parties and renewing the critical pledge to chop off some unhealthy abdominal pounds, my abused anatomy is plain chewy but, interestingly, wide-eyed! It mimics cramming in the wee hours for final exams: The mental concentration and intellectual acuity are trickling at negative vibrations but the spirit is still jabbing light punches with the moon and the stars. Soul mate Verna is one lucky mortal to have subdued her stubborn sleep disorder quickly by lacing her system with an instant fix of sleep-inducers. In spite of my relying on her snores as lullabies, the time zone difference between Cebu and Buffalo (13 solid hours!) manages to prick my chemistry to full-alert status by 2:30 A.M. Fortunately, my operating room garbs include a cap and mask. These antiseptic barriers are sufficient to hide the zombie behind all these pre-dawn nightmares. Like anything in life, there are always thorns and red-hot coals to surmount before one savors the Zen-like psychic peace. And it is in the mechanics of adaptation and reaction that distinguish a man from a boy. At this unholy hour of disrupted slumber, I pick my own fight with philosophical wisdom, in line with the rational thinking of "retiring" Iliganon philosopher Roderick Ngo: "If the preacher's simple formulas have merits, why complicate success? Experiment on his fame."

Memorable scenes in Cebu: The deafening echoes of warmth, hospitality and cheers of my family's genetic pools; the staged  "knights of the round table" meeting with Alberto Bernardo, Igdono Caracho, Roderick Ngo, Charles and brod Henry at Royal Concourse amidst a crowd who minded their own thirst, language and reunion; the chance encounter with Lydia Sy-Chona at the Duty-Free Shop and Sammy Go at a dimsum buffet, both of whom I last saw when slim waistline was for dresses and flare pants were in vogue ... and the glaring fact that I'm not the only one who is melting into old age and inevitable extinction!

Kick the New Year with renewed bang and pump up those positive energies!

(Editors' Note: Snapshots of Ernie's Cebu visit are available at our alumni web site, under "Spectrum Pictorials": http://www.iligan.com/~lchs/alumni/)

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

It was already September 4, and we should have been in Vancouver by now were it not for the airline strike. But it was not wasted as Hesing instead brought us to Drumheller about 4 hours' drive away also heading south toward Calgary. Alberta is almost a flat land except for the Rockies and Drumheller which is a huge valley. Millions of years ago, this was a sea separating the North American continent. Apparently, this was the place where the real reptiles of the movie "Jurassic Park" settled. This is where fossilized remains of dinosaurs were discovered. A vast Royal Tyrrell Museum is dedicated here for a glimpse of these extinct gigantic monsters.

Another attractions here are the natural rock formations of giant-like mushrooms called hoodoos. These were formed by the erosions caused by the wind and rain after thousands of years. It is said that this will all be gone in another 100 years as nature will not stop eroding it.  A unique and fantastic place that would soon be gone forever. What a pity!

We were back in Edmonton at around 7 p.m. and we passed by Mike's place. And for the first time we met his wife Nancy and their 2 young boys, Michael and Marc, who impressed me very much as they could speak Mandarin. With Hesing and Mike, we would later visit an old classmate who migrated here about 2 years ago. He is John "Tuti" Go who is a certified physiotherapist. His place was not easy to find. We got lost the first time we tried to see him. Now we were so happy to see each other. I last saw him in 1965! He demonstrated his profession on my tired and flabby physique. It really felt good. And it was free. If only my old friend was an attractive young lady!

The next day, Mike hosted a lunch of dimsum at Edmonton's Chinatown. It reminded me of my favorite dimsum place here in Sydney. The set-up, the smell, the language and the noise were just the same. Then we had a tour with window shopping at Edmonton's downtown. While we were strolling, a drunk native Indian asked for a few coins. We obliged and he wished us all the best wishes in the world and he followed us. After two blocks he asked again for more. This time we declined and he cursed us with all unkind words he could utter! Imagine, how a coin could flip one's mind!

After a snack of  "Taper"corn cobs, the sweetest I ever tasted, it was time to go. It was not easy to say good-bye to Hesing and Melania. They lingered on at the airport till the last moment. After some confusions and hassles at the Edmonton airport terminal, we finally boarded an airBC aircraft bound for Calgary at 8 p.m. The plane was flying at a relatively lower altitude and it only took half an hour. In Calgary, we had to change aircraft for our continued flight. The flight took an hour and a quarter and we landed at Vancouver, British Columbia. We had to wind back our time once more by an hour.  We were met by a shuttle bus of Richmond Inn, a Best Western hotel. We were back in the Pacific coast once more.

By Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch '69

The year 1998 has just ended. An eventful year celebrating two very significant occasions on our part as Catholic Christians and as Filipinos. 1998 was "The Year of the Holy Spirit" and "The Centennial Year of Philippine Independence." These were indeed two celebrations of Life which will go down in history as memorably important events in our lives.

Life per se is a program of activities. So, just like any programme, we always start it with an invocation. And what better way to welcome the new year than by starting it with a thanksgiving prayer. So, all together, we pray ...

Dear Lord, with the new year starting in our midst, we kneel in front of you as a family to renew our faith and adoration. We acknowledge you and praise you as the Way for our life, the Name above all names, the Savior of the world, the Bread of life, the Beginning and the End, from whom all good things emanate.

Lord, we come before you and ask for the grace of a deeply repentant heart. We ask for your forgiveness for all the times that we were proud and stubborn by not listening to you and your words, for the things we have said and done which may have hurt others, for the things we did which were not in accordance with your Christian ways. Pardon us, Lord, for all our sins, faults, and failings. We are truly sorry for all the ways we have offended you, knowingly or unknowingly.

Lord, we thank you for giving us this new year. Let us all welcome it with an open heart and mind, it being your gift to us. We thank you for giving us another year to live life the next 365 days. Thank you for being our guide and for being the center of our family life, our home, our office, and anywhere else. Thank you for all the ways you have helped us and intervened on our behalf. Lord, we thank you for the many things and events in our lives where you manifested your unconditional love for all of us. We thank you for good health, peace and harmony in our home and family. We thank you for being there each time a misunderstanding or miscommunication occurred in our lives; for being a mediator, reminding us that we have to love each other, just as you love us.  We thank you for all the times that you're there for us -- in moments of doubts, uncertainties, loneliness, depression, and sorrows.

We likewise thank you for being there each time we celebrated a special occasion in our lives, for all the blessings you have bestowed on us, for sending us options, alternatives, and solutions to each problem that came into our lives, by giving us the Holy Spirit as our guide.

With the new year starting, we ask for your blessings and graces the next 365 days as we journey together towards life. We ask you to continually stay with us in our home as the Master of our family life, to guide us in our struggles. We ask for good health, good tidings, and a good life, reminding us always of your good examples, of your unconditional love, joy, faith, charity, obedience, respect, trust, peace, patience, kindness, and gentleness.

We offer to you our children that they will be guided rightfully and grow up as good Catholic Christians. Bless them in their studies, daily activities, and in their relationships, let them be with the right company. We offer to you our love as a couple, to love and cherish each other, respect, trust, and solve problems together. Help us all to treat everyone fairly and humanly, be it at home, in the office, or anywhere else.

Indeed, there are so many things more that we would like to acknowledge you for, to ask forgiveness, to thank you for, and special requests to ask from you. But we know that you are our all-knowing Father, and you simply know what they are, Lord. So, for all the things we failed to mention now, please accept our praises, forgiveness, thanks, and supplications just the same. In all these, Lord, always remind us of your love for all of us, and from that love, help us to build and live life with you in our heart and mind today, tomorrow, and the coming days of 1999.

Thank you, Lord, for everything. We love you and we will always be your little children no matter how old we have become, no matter how high we have reached the position and ranks in our profession, no matter how much we have achieved in life. All these we always acknowledge as your gift to us, as your plan, as our mission in life. And when another year will have come to pass, allow us to say: "Thank you, Lord, for the good life. It has a very good year." Amen.

An elaborate decor accented with a Christmas tree and gift packages on the stage caught my eye as I entered the LCHS gym for the annual LCHS Alumni Association Christmas Party at 7:00 p.m., on Dec. 30, 1998. Sophisticated disco lights added to the festive ambience.

The program started with an invocation by Elizabeth David, head of the LCHS English Department, and the singing of the national anthem by LCHS English teachers. This was followed by the singing of the school hymn, rendered beautifully by the high school graduating class, Batch '99. The ever glowing Glenda Sy Cabilan, LCHS-AA vice president, delivered the welcome address. Dinner then followed consisting of five lechons, roast beef, caldereta, 25 cases of softdrinks, and 25 cases of beer. The sumptuous meal was more than enough to satisfy the crowd.

Alumni, numbering about 400 in attendance, were introduced by batches. Graduates of the 1950s up to the present were asked to rise and be recognized. After the introduction came the inspirational talk of Sy Chu An, chairman of the LCHS Board of Trustees.  He spoke of the current financial status of the organization and acknowledged the donations received for the LCHS Alumni Scholarship Program. The top four donors were Stephen Gaisano, P100,000; Dy Un Suy, P40,000; Mrs. Sy Chiam Biao, P30,000; and Stephen Sy, P30,000.

Interspersed with the program were several song and dance numbers performed by alumni and students, as well as raffle draws for the consolation prizes. Special door prizes were likewise handed out. The winners were Elena Tan Lim for the "Early Bird" award; Pipo & Cristina Dy-Carlos Deleste, for "Pair of the Night"; and Mark Stanley Siao & Carina Dy-Carlos for "Eye Catcher of the Night" award.

One highlight of the evening was the attendance of Crisanta Alcover Ayson, English principal of LCHS in the 60s. In her Christmas message, she spoke of the pleasant moments she had with her students and other amusing memories.

Arturo Samson, LCHS-AA president, in his "Insights," paid tribute to the officers and directors of the Association for their efforts in organizing the Christmas party.  He also encouraged everyone to be a registered member of the Association.

The major prizes of the evening were then raffled off with Beng Hong Vy, LCHS-AA executive VP, at the helm. Walter Dy of Cebu City won the grand prize of 27-inch color TV; Christopher Chua Teck An, 2nd prize (gas stove); and Toto Cabognason of Kiwalan, Iligan City, 3rd prize (portable heavy-duty fan).

The affair concluded with parlor games like "Paint a Picture."  Another game sent everybody frantically looking for the lucky numbers hidden under the chairs for which surprise gifts were at stake. The well-organized program, hosted by Prof. Rodolfo Yu, Jane Dale Racines and Alfred Lai II, ended at 11 p.m. Old friends chatted the night away while others lingered on reminiscing and sharing their memories of their good old days at LCHS.

The year 1998 was a fruitful year for the Spectrum. The initial birth pangs sustained by the Spectrum in 1997 finally bore encouraging results in 1998.

The staff grew with the entry of new writers. From her home base in Bunn Hill, N.Y., U.S.A., Aurora Tansiokhian added yet one more feather on our cap with a new column, "Mixed Bag from Bunn Hill." Her column offers refreshing insights and depth to Spectrum's broad range of column themes.  Another new columnist, Alex Rodriguez, based in Miramar, Florida, U.S.A., steered our newsletter across the intricate frontiers of medicine with his column on medical tips. Both Aurora and Alex reinforce our three prolific and ever dependable mainstays, Ernesto Yu, Leonardo Tan, and Henry Yu, whose columns continue to spice up our pages with their elixirs of literary gems.

The year 1998 also saw the birth of another new column dedicated to alumni affairs and announcements of the LCHS Alumni Association called "Alumni Corner." The column is the brainchild of two LCHS-AA stalwarts, Terry Racines and Vy Beng Hong.

On the reportorial front, Alfred Lai II joined our news brigade with his on-the-spot coverage of the LCHS campus scene. Al fills another important slot among the regular beats covered by our news aces - Terry Racines, Peter Dy, Santi Ong, Mike Lee, and Johnny Chen - whose regular feeds of alumni news in Iligan and abroad are the bread and butter of the Spectrum. At the vortex of our war room in Cebu is Igdono Caracho, who keeps his eyes and ears focused on all late breaking news emanating from the grapevine of Iligan. And in Cagayan de Oro, the Spectrum never ceased to rely on Rene Tio, who continues to motivate us with his candid commentary on our work and other events of significance.

A major development over the past year was the adoption of the Spectrum by the LCHS Alumni Association as its newsletter. The adoption increased our circulation with the Association's printing of hard copies for mass distribution to alumni subscribers in Iligan, for which we are grateful to the alumni officers.  Our appreciation also goes to Johnny Chen and his staff at N-Vers Electronics & Multimedia Center for tackling the herculean job of translating megabytes of our web pages to hard copies for circulation in Iligan each week. We likewise remain indebted to those who helped us behind the scene with their invaluable tips, manuscripts, news feeds, and helpful ideas, namely Vy Beng Hong, Alicia Cu-Go, Suniel Lim, Fe Dy Quimbo, Dominic Siao, Susan Jensen, Roderick Ngo, Vinson Ngo, Jose Chu, Nelson Sy, Carlo Bodiongan, Janet Lee Tan, and Edwin Co.

And, above all, we doff our hats to the countless LCHS faculty, students and alumni, our subscribers and readers, as well as our printed edition sponsors, who all helped breathe life into our pages with their unwavering support, contributions and e-mails. They are the wellsprings from which we draw our inspiration in the pursuit of this weekly labor of love. Daghang Salamat!