LCHS SPECTRUM 
Weekly Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School, Iligan City, Philippines
 Vol. I - No. 38, January 19, 1998

IN THIS ISSUE:

NEWS
E-MAILS
COLUMNS
FEATURE
EDITORS' NOTES

STAFF:
Charles O. Sy
Henry L. Yu
Editors

Correspondents:
Johnny T. Chen, Iligan
Santiago Ong, Iligan 
Teresita U. Racines, Iligan

Igdono U. Caracho, Cebu 

Peter C. Dy, Canada 
Mike Lee, Canada 

Leonardo Tan, Australia 

Ernesto L. Yu, U.S.A.
Alex S. Rodriguez, U.S.A.

Email address:
charlesy@durian.usc.edu.ph
Postal address:
P.O. Box 128
Cebu City, Philippines

LCHS Alumni Association Election set May 1998
By Johnny T. Chen (Batch '83)

In what, by sheer coincidence, is well timed to add more colors to the forthcoming national election, the LCHS Alumni Association will also hold its election of new officers in May this year.

The two-year term of the current set of alumni officers headed by Dy Sio Te expires this year.  Eligible LCHS alumni, who wish to render service to the Association, are encouraged to signify their interest to the Association.  All nominees will be listed on a ballot, from which voting members can choose their candidates.  Qualified for election are those who are  (a) alumni of LCHS; (b) bona fide members of the LCHS-AA; and (c) currently residing in Iligan City.

Rod Ngo Raps Banks in Business Forum 

LCHS alumnus Roderick Ngo (Batch '70) is on the war path these days. 

In a "Businessmen in Crisis" forum organized by the Cebu Jaycees in Cebu City last Jan. 10, Rod Ngo criticized commercial banks for resorting to a credit squeeze and "profiteering" in the midst of the current economic crisis.   The forum, attended by business leaders, had Rod Ngo as one of the speakers along with Solita Monsod, former NEDA director, and Joel Mari Yu, former assistant secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry. 

Rod Ngo also lashed at businessmen and entrepreneurs for their timidity to apply collective pressures against the banks for sticking to their wide interest spread to the detriment of clients.  Rod, president of Hammercon, Inc., is a contractor and developer.  He recently completed a housing project with 150 units low-cost town homes in Cavite, Metro Manila.  He is a past national president of the Philippine Jaycees. 

RJ to Run for Iligan Congressional Seat

Ramon "RJ" Jacinto is seeking the first congressional seat of Lanao del Norte and Iligan City in the May 1998 elections. "Wala nang atrasan ito!" he announced in a recent press conference in Iligan.  Jacinto is a scion of the family who owned the former Iligan Integrated Steel Mill (IISMI) and a popular musician who heads the band "RJ and the Riots".  The other aspirants are lawyers Alipio Badelles and Franco Badelles, and businessman Jojo Borja. 

E-MAILS
Congrats to Alumni Officers
Sun, 11 Jan 1998 12:23:35 -0700

I would like to congratulate all the officers of LCHS Alumni Association for the success of another Christmas party. Five thumbs up for the excellent job!  A round of applause, too, to my buddy Igdono Caracho for his detailed coverage of the affair.  Too bad I missed the party.  Now I believe we should start planning for the Big Millennium LCHS Reunion in July 2000.  At least we should include some articles regarding this big event in every issue onward.

Peter C. Dy (Batch '66), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
pdy@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca

Loloy's Comeback and Dexter's Dexterity
Mon, 12 Jan 1998 13:48:49 +0800

It came as a big and pleasant surprise to see Loloy Tan's column in the latest Spectrum issue. Good that he is putting his colors once again in the newsletter.  A big welcome back to the man from down under!   Ernie Yu  is right.  Derwin Dexter Sy deserves a pat on the shoulder for a fine job with the Spectrum.  Next time, when I visit Cebu again, I have got to meet him.  In fact, why not give him a treat...How about a sumptuous serving of halo-halo at SM City?   My special regards to the 10 year old wizard.  He can play "Red Alert" with me anytime!  But only when he plays to lose. :-]

Rene Tio (Batch '70), Cagayan de Oro, Philippines
fishers@cdo.weblinq.com
 

Dateline Buffalo
By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D., Batch 1965
Ernestyu49@aol.com

Karaoke in the Tropical Sun

It must be a case of an anomalous strand along the sociobiological metamorphosis of American voice culture.  It could be that the ticker to warm the cockles of Caucasian hearts encompasses everything other than being requested to dish out a refreshing chord, especially from laryngeal boxes that are primarily trained for verbal communication and combat.  Or plainly, just being devoid of the Asians' stage-aggressiveness trait (Tsinoys tag it as "lakas loob") is ample vindication to send our blond brethren into a fit of breathy, beet red-faced giggle when begged to harmonize with the karaoke machine.

From personal glimpses, a finite number of regular-seeming Joes and Carols in Buffalo easily exhibit psychosomatic rashes, tic and other neurological cues of uneasiness when summoned to touch base with the Orientals' national affinity to crooning in front of TV-projected lyrics that are enhanced by video clips and grand orchestral surround sound.  I can recall having several blue-eyed colleagues for cocktail and hors d'oeuvre when, out of the blue, I punctured the festive air with a thrust of my throaty baritone to Frank Sinatra's velvety vibrato on laser disc.  To my bewilderment, nobody emitted a yaup of deranged pleasure to my (believe me, it was!) shimmer of melody and feeling.  Instead, my perennially tanned guests displayed bemused looks as if I flipped in a cordless bungee jump or my solo flight made dentist drills sound like musical! They were dumbfounded by how, bolstered by alcohol stupor, I retreaded Elvis Presley’s classic hits into moans of Pygmies’ mating rites that can frighten the livestock.  Furthermore, they shuddered to think how tiny Ernie could trade choral slug for slug with Elton John’s pop A-sharps and B-minors without coming off icily stiff.

For an Iliganon, to realize that majority of Americans don't possess the circuitry to master the love of Karaoke with a sort of manic intensity is astoundingly weird since they are generally strong-willed and distinctly articulate troops.  By contrast, Asians have an inner gift for eroticizing humility and self-deprecating wit, and are fairly subdued in all categories of social behavior.  Until they, drooling in anticipation, cross the line of reason when in possession of  the almighty sing-along microphone.  At this beastly transformation, the difference between professional tonal outburst and torturing  amateurish squeak is mere spellings and semantics. Hence, karaoke bars may be glibly hip to park your flanks and may be next step to heaven in the Philippines, but in the States, they are so-so fun houses flushed with a cool as a cucumber treatment and populated by - you guess it right - transplanted inhabitants from the planet of the tropical sun who settle in such recreation with the sort of benumbed fascination.

Incidentally, I have a conservative Chinese neighbor - innately mellow, a dynamo of simple hello-and-goodbye phrases - whose personality maneuvers a 180 degrees U-turn when in sight of a  karaoke virus.  In fact, with his hot wire-intensity, he can mimic the Beatles by himself (visualize that if you can).  The negative spin?  He has not mastered the proven knack to sink his teeth back to his emotional lethargy once engrossed in echoing his "toxic voodoo".  And I have to exist by this adjacent plague.
 

Sentimental Journey
By Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch 1969
A Glossary of Memories from A to Z

Call it any way you like: the alphabet memories (as in alphabet soup), or arranged alphabetically (as when the teacher makes a roll call), or simply memories from A to Z.  But the fact remains that these are the wonderful memories which made up the first sixteen years (1952-1968) of my life as a resident of Iligan City.  So, let me just share with you some of these as they come at random into my 45-year-old gracefully growing memory bank...

--- A ---
Autographs - How crazy we were about signing autographs with our picture pasted on the dedication page.  "Will you remember me even if we   will be far away?"; "Forget me not, forget me never."
Aceite de Manzanilla - It's the stuff my mother used to rub on my tummy each time I complained of stomachache.
Algebra - A subject in first year under Mr. Julian Narciso, our class adviser.  So poor was I in this subject that I only got 76 in my final report card.
Applied Arithmetic - A subject in third year under Miss Lourdes de la Cruz, who encouraged me to do better in this particular subject.
Alcover - she was Miss Crisanta Alcover (now Mrs. Ayson) who taught us Biology; she was also the principal of the English department in the mid-60s.
Alpuerto - She was Miss Corazon Alpuerto, our grade II teacher who taught me "Ten Little Indians".
Arnejo - She was Miss Enriqueta Arnejo, the grade I teacher of most of those who came after us.  My sister Evelyn was under her tutelage.
Al Toro Hotel - A hotel located along Cabili Avenue where I went to see the Sampaguita stars '66 during their personal appearance tour held at Premier Theater on Sept. 16, 1966.
Alaska Ice Cream - One of the popular ice cream brands in Iligan located along Quezon Avenue.
Alpine Milk - My brand of evaporated milk when I was a kid, mixed with Ovaltine.
Abragan - this family was our neighbor, Mrs. Abragan being one of my baptismal ninangs, and their children, Monet and Mariles as our playmates.
Ama - Refers to my maternal grandmother Yap Kim Hua to whom I was very close.  I was her pet.  She died on Nov. 5, 1956.
--- B ---
Bato Lata - The game we played either at our backyard or on LCHS grounds composed of an empty Darigold milk can hit by a flat street stone.
Bayug - The site of Iligan's hanging bridge; this was where we went to look for a Christmas tree.
Beatles - The popular singing group composed of Paul, Ringo, John and George.  Their songs were really music to our ears, as well as their hairstyle and attire.
Banana Cue - Our favorite afternoon snack sold in a store a few steps from LCHS.  It was made of fried whole banana coated with latik, selling at 25 cents a pair.
Batchoy - One of my favorites.  A specialty menu available at an eatery, owned by Ilonggos, located along Quezon Avenue near the dental clinic of Dr. Mendoza.  Barquillos were also sold by them at 10 cents for 5 rolls.
Barga - This family was our neighbor.  Their house was located at our backyard.  The Barga children (Ale, May, Steve, Emeline, etc.) would play with us from morning till late afternoon.
Brilliant Textile Store - One of the popular stores that sold clothing materials located at Quezon Avenue adjacent to Lian Guan Trading.
Bus Stop - A very popular song in 1968 where every teenager went crazy dancing the Soul.
Benhur - A classical English film which we repeatedly watched at the non-air conditioned Queen's Theater.
Berley's Choco Vim - A favorite choco drink among us specially when it was very cold, selling at 15 cents per bottle.
--- C ---
Connie Francis - The songstress who popularized the song "Three Coins in a Fountain", the theme song of my uncle Joe and auntie Susana before they got married on March 14, 1954.
Century Theater - One of the big 4 theaters in the 1960s owned by the Gaites (Martin and Maring) located at San Miguel St., fronting Tan's Refreshment Parlor.
Custombuilt Shoes - The popular brand of rubber shoes for basketball players of our era.
Castoria - A medicinal syrup which we were made to take whenever we had constipation due to too much guava and banana.
Cortal - The popular antipyretic (for fever) and pain reliever of our time.
Cuyugan - Dr. Cuyugan was the one who circumcised me at age 7 in the summer of 1959.  His clinic was located at the Dy Pico building, along Quezon Avenue.
Carol Barga - She was one of the popular contravida stars in Philippine movies, along with Zeny Zabala, Bella Flores, etc.
Crystal Educational Supply - The place where we purchased our school supply needs.  Name it, they have it, owned by Mr. Uy.
Crazy - The top tune of 1963 by Timi Yuro, when my sister Mila graduated from high school. This was also the theme song of my aunt Benigna and uncle Kim Piao Chan, whose marriage did not last.
Canton Restaurant - My favorite Chinese restaurant located at Quezon Avenue, specially their bola bola siopao, pancit guisado, chop suey, fried lumpia, egg pie & Chinese mamon.
--- D ---
Darigold Jamboree - One of my favorite radio programs in the 1950s hosted by Eddie Ilarde and Leila Benitez.
Diomedes Maturan - The singer who popularized the song "Rose Tatoo" which was made into a movie produced by LVN Studios.
Doris Department Store - The popular grocery store in our time located along Washington St., just a stone's throw from an equally popular grocery (Pasing's Grocery) which was owned by my parents, but of course!
Danzalan - The old name of Marawi City, where my papa went on a business trip every Monday and Friday dawn taking a bus, coming home in late afternoon with lots of cash collected from customers.  We helped assort the peso bills.
Darna - The popular fiction heroine of our time, along with Valentina, Narda and Ding.
DXIC - The first radio station in Iligan City.  My favorite nightly program was Vivian Dilit's Jukebox Jamboree with Lito Poliquit as the radio technician.
Dy Cham Shoe Store - The popular place where we went to for our shoes, located at Washington St., in between Capitol Trading and Padilla Quality Store.
Dixie Peach - One of the pomade brands my uncle Cresing used.  We imitated him and used this brand too.  Later we shifted to Tancho Tique when we were teenagers and uncle Cresing imitated us.  (Continued next issue)
 
FEATURE
What It Means to be an Exchange Student
By Hazel Dy-Henry
Batch 1996

Being an exchange student is a privilege for young people.  Many are given the opportunity but only very few are strong enough to accept it.  It is a way of getting to know other things in life, be educated and meet new people.  It is also a way of being independent and holding on to one's self in taking challenges to a new and different world.

When I first got here in the United States, I was amused to be in a different community with different people.  I found it very interesting that I wasn't missing my country yet.  A few days after I got here, I went to school and found out how big the school seemed with a population of five thousand students. It wasn't easy at all with all the sudden changes and big difference.

I began to feel a sudden sort of homesickness starting on the second to the third month I was here.  I would call my parents every weekend or even my friends.  I missed all my friends and my family so much and I even missed all the things in my country that I never thought I would miss before I left.  I started to realize that there is just no place like home and that no matter how you despise some things in your country, you would learn to love them when they're not there.

Being alone in a different country is not exactly my idea of fun. Sometimes it's just not very easy to live with a different family.  Misunderstandings with them could get you in trouble unless both parties compromise.  One of the hardest parts is when you want to tell them something to make them understand but you just couldn't say it.

It's not even all that easy to find new friends for a lot of times being alone means to also trust just one's self which sometimes is hard to do too.

I have kept in my mind that being an exchange student also means to learn a different culture and have always kept in my heart that just because cultures are different, doesn't exactly mean they're wrong.  They're just different and that's how I can see the uniqueness of different countries.
 
EDITORS' NOTES
  • Hazel Dy-Henry (Batch '96), author of "What It Means to be an Exchange Student", is an exchange student in Converse, Texas, U.S.A.  She is a consistent placer in the Honor Roll with grades of straight A's.  She is the daughter of Henry Dy.
  • LCHS alumnus Henry C. Dy belongs to Batch 1964, not 1962 as reported in a news item in our Jan. 5, 1998 issue.
  • To browse our back issues, please log on to this web site:  http://www.iligan.com/~lchs/alumni/archive.html
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