![]() Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School Vol. 4, No. 26, March 12, 2001, Iligan City, Philippines
RP's top 10 students
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Henry
C. Dy (Batch '64) will run for vice mayor of Iligan City in the May 14
elections. He will be the running mate of Pedro Generalao, candidate
for mayor. They are the official candidates of the administration
party, Lakas-NUCD, duly proclaimed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Generalao is the incumbent vice mayor of Iligan. Henry Dy is currently
serving his third and last term as city councilor. He is best noted for
having brought education to the masses with the donations of school buildings
to various barangays in the city. These donations were made out of
his personal funds while some others were made by the Federation of Filipino
Chinese Chambers of Commerce, Inc. through his initiatives.
Younger
officers emerging in LCHS-AA
By Roger Suminguit (Batch '73)
It appears that a new crop of younger alumni officers is soon emerging in the LCHS-AA. This can be gleaned from the line-up of nominees for new directors in the March 12 election of the LCHS-AA. The candidates are: Vy Beng Hong; Glenda Sy-Cabilan; Rodolfo Yu; Teresita Racines; Roger Suminguit; Luis Kho; Alexander Chua; Suniel Lim; Edwin Co; Santiago Ong; Steward Co; Jimmy Ang; Dominic Siao; Geraldine Tan; Marie Joan Quimbo; Chester Dy-Carlos; James Booc; Ernest Oliver Uy; Philip Steven So; Jessica Sy (in lieu of her brother Edward Sy); Belinda Cu-Lim; Vinson Ngo; Richard Dy; and Aida Chow Ipili. LCHS alumni in Iligan City will cast their votes on March 12 to elect 18 new members of the board (not 19 as earlier reported). The 19th seat is to be held automatically by Arturo Samson in ex-officio capacity as immediate past president. Alumni residing elsewhere in the country and those stationed overseas are taking part in this year's election via the Internet on a web site set up by the Spectrum. Those who still have not cast their votes on-line may still do so on or before March 12 by logging on to this website: http://www.geocities.com/lchsspectrum
Fe
Quimbo donates bulletin board
By Roger Suminguit (Batch '73)
Fe "Guat Ching" Quimbo (Batch '55) recently donated a set of bulletin board to LCHS. The bulletin board will occupy a prominent place at the LCHS administration building. Announcements of the LCHS-AA as well as periodic issues of the Spectrum will be posted on one section of the bulletin board for LCHS students to browse. Another section will feature information about the LCHS Foundation, Inc. and the LCHS Alumni Scholarship Program. In giving her donation, Fe Quimbo hopes to set an example for other alumni to follow. She expressed her wish for other alumni to take the initiative of donating materials and equipment to aid LCHS students in their academic pursuits. At the meeting of the LCHS-AA Board of Directors last Mar. 6, a resolution, authored by Suniel Lim and seconded by Vy Beng Hong, was passed expressing the gratitude of the LCHS-AA to Fe Quimbo for her benevolent gesture and concern for the welfare of LCHS students.
By Roger Suminguit, Batch 1973
Welcome
to the club!
"Traces" this week congratulates the new
high school graduates of LCHS. Their graduation day is scheduled on April
1 at the LCHS gym. A welcome dinner will be tendered by the LCHS-AA
in honor of the 13 fresh graduates on Mar. 24 at the J.Y Dimsum House.
On this occasion, the new grads will formally file their membership registration
with the association. To the new graduates, welcome to the club!
A big cheer and toast to outgoing LCHS-AA president Arturo "Toto" Samson
who celebrates his 60th birthday on March 11. This is going to be
one big party for the amiable Toto Samson as he will also be celebrating
his exit as our alumni president. We heard that all his children
are coming home from Cebu for their father's big day. They are Jennifer
(Batch '94), Janice (Batch '95), Jacque Lynn (Batch '97), and John Arthur
(Batch '99). You can also be sure that the celebrant's fellow alumni
officers will be at his party in full force. Last week, "Tracers"
bumped into a fellow alumnus who has been jetting in and out of the country
like it's just a trip between Iligan and Cagayan de Oro. Antonio
"Boy" Te (Batch '69) is in town for another vacation from his career
as a doctor in Taiwan. And in cyberspace, "Tracers" also bumped into
a web site that's worth visiting by LCHS alumni. The web site packs
quite a wallop. It is designed by an alumni kid whose name might
be familiar to readers of the Spectrum during its early days in
1997. The whiz kid behind this creation is Derwin Dexter Sy, son
of alumnus Nelson Sy (Batch '62). Derwin is the same kid who,
as a Grade IV student, helped set up the Spectrum and the LCHS Alumni
Home Page on the Internet back in 1997. He is now a first year high
school student at the Bethany Christian School in Cebu City. His
web site, labeled "Gems Unofficial Web Page," is accessible at: http://www.gems-unofficial.com.
Its main feature is the Cebu Gems, the basketball team of Cebu City in
the MBA, but it also features an array of swanky contents and bits and
pieces of information of general interests. "Tracers" this week also sends
its well-wishes to past LCHS-AA president Andy Ang Lee who recently
had a cataract operation, and past president Maning Te (Batch '65)
who also underwent similar eye treatment in Cebu not long ago.
Our
next vice mayor
Sun, 04 Mar 2001 16:31:32
Big cheers for Iligan City's next vice mayor -- Henry C. Dy! Congratulations to the Dy family. If elected, Henry will be a big push for Iligan's progress considering what he has accomplished for the city during his three terms as city councilor. --Alex Rodriguez (Batch '65), Miramar, Florida, U.S.A., alpacino_8@hotmail.com
I've been wanting to write you to convey what seem to be just some insignificant observations on a few significant matters. Like the beautiful Christmas story you shared with us. I simply loved it. It was a heart-rending narration. Another thing is your effort to provide Internet access to non-resident alumni for them to vote on-line in the LCHS-AA election. I was so thrilled as I cast my vote for the first time. Though I knew less than 19 candidates personally, I was able to choose quite a few from the list. Of course, my votes went readily to my batch mates and some former school mates I met during the GAH. With Henry Dy gunning for the vice mayorship, indeed it will be an honor to the LCHS community if he will make it. With proven track record as a councilor, can the next position be far behind? And with Henry Yu soon to be at the helm of the Spectrum, what is your next project? It crossed my mind that perhaps something or rather someone will be getting your full attention. --Emma Yap Matiao (Batch '66), Dumaguete, Philippines, Wilkie@mozcom.com
By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D., Batch
'65
007, Bermuda Shorts and Ouch!
A fanciful offshoot of a recent Spectrum spread: Sidekick Jen Bond (Janiefer Lee) was quick on the trigger and right on the money. Indeed, there's a swarm of "maturing boys" in our midst who pump an inordinate amount of energy to baby their cars with consuming passion never before sprayed in the female kingdom and to equip such locomotive pets with giant, leaping stereo sounds that hammer eyeballs flat across the face and handily dwarf and dislocate ear waxes. Even designer toupees dare not tinker with the volume knob out of fear of being blown into a bad hair day!
When I was at that awkward crawling age group, I recall my chapters of run-ins with the Laws of Holy Matrimony. In one instance, I let the Beatles drummed their way in head-splitting "Twist and Shout" thru my in-dash cassette player until their screaming decibels swept the airwaves giggling with pleasure as if in a helium jag and their big-bicep performance made my nose feel rigid and prosthetic! In another historical page, at my frantic best, I pleased my spirit by buffing the sparkles of my yellow Camaro's paint finish, instead of letting the tropical fishes in our aquarium sunbathe in the grip of psychedelic high per suggestion of my bedmate. Man, those dumb-ass moments in my biography pretty much drove my better half, in a pained sort of way, to grapple with the feeling of being abused and exploited. I was a dork with a pathetic attitude when it pertained to heeding verbal commands. Then again, my hearing molecules were long been crippled by Paul McCartney's gurgling of "Hey, Jude." I should rot in purgatory for swallowing barely half of my wife's sermon whenever we hugged the thruways together (who argued loudness has no positive merits?) and for soaking our salt water boarders -- been kneeling for a shot of freshness in their living quarters - in toxic, murky pool.
Did I really register in the National Conference for Behavioral Disorders when my dearest charmer wrote me the prescription? Nope. Conventional wisdom goes, "All good dogs go to heaven." All yucky traits eventually chug along Never-Never land, as our Straight From The Heart specialist counseled her tribes in studied calm. It is a rite of passage: from boyhood to manhood (to sainthood if he travels along life's byways with limp gonads!); from a two-seater sportscar to a 10-capacity station wagon; from wild rides in beer fountains and disco halls to utter slow drags around antique shows; from numbing noises beyond migraine threshold to softness that can lull kittens into vegetative state; from looking like an absolute toad to a dashing thoroughbred peacock ... from a James Dean rebel to a Braveheart warrior, at a phase when his head rolled away from his torso.
While some of us gravitate to the level of homebodies ready to carry on errands in our spouses' grocery lists, an alarming number of oddballs refuse to tolerate a lying-on-bed-like-a-head-of lettuce lifestyle, especially when agitated by soundtracks that are piped in miniature speakers. This pack of clowns need more growing up years, no doubt. They explode their engines in dizzying velocity with roars and thunders of mocking glee, to the pounding tunes of blasting smooth jazz and whatchamacallit whisper-killers.
A bright spot: In due time, male chromosomes entwined in gene threads outlive their insane infatuation for any motorized toys fabricated out of metal and fiberglass. Testosterone-powered hearts progressively waste away muscle groups as the manly hormones trickle down to a tranquilized halt. This is a civilized way of exclaiming, "Hooray! the unruly beast has been knocked off its feet and melted into a domesticated creature." At some point, life's speedometer recalibrates to glide rather than gallop, throttle rather than zoom, waltz rather than boogie. At this juncture, the male species should have mastered the intricacies of unraveling the soothing comfort in orange-colored sunset glow and the deeper ecstatic rush in the poetic sounds in silence.
Do this bunch of caballeros really inch up in the hierarchy of human maturity scale if left submerged in their field of dreams? Eavesdrop around circles of 007 heroines. One of their favorite theme when huddled in Jane's bond is "Men In Long Pants Who Behave In Bermuda Shorts." Oh well, Buds, you can only be a kid once, right? As such, you do what curls your eyebrows and rearranges the atoms in your brain. Just don't stretch the word "once" to eternity. Or be stabbed with razor-sharp homilies. Again and again.
You deserve the ouch.
By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee,
Batch '87
Backseat Boys
I usually go home in the afternoon with my two little boys in the back seat. And each day won't be complete without the million and one questions that each one would ask, aside from the shouting and the bickering of course. I read somewhere that an ideal parent is someone who answers and encourages questions from the kids. I said I would try to be an ideal mother -- just in case I'll have another Einstein in the making. And I tried to be patient with their questions. But sometimes I would reach my boiling point when asked with questions such as: "Mama, what's your favorite planet?" I was thinking that he'd be asking me about my favorite food or favorite color or favorite subject. How do I answer a question like this? It's not as if I've been to and back from all the other eight planets.
Then just the other day when a fire truck passed us by, my 4-year-old asked me why we call firetrucks as firetrucks? So I said: "Because it carries water to put out the fire." Then he said, "We should call it a water truck, since it carries water and not fire. We call the truck that carries the garbage the garbage truck right?" Sometimes I don't know if they ask those questions to get an answer or they just want to try my patience.
We use the South Super Hi-way everyday since we live in Merville, the first exit south of Metro Manila. During rush hour it would take us 30 minutes to get home if we're lucky, though we're mostly "unlucky." So it would take us around an hour to get home. One late afternoon in the middle of the rush hour, my 7-year-old asked me why we call the "South Super Hi-way" as such when all the cars are so slow. He said: "Isn't 'hi' supposed to mean fast?" Then he said maybe we should call this hi-way as "South Super Slow Way." Hmmm.
Just recently I discovered a way to avoid their questions. I noticed that when I played certain songs they'd quiet down and listen intently. I thought "hay salamat," at last I could enjoy driving (my Toyota Echo). For awhile, they would just hum along and then later they would sing along. But it wasn't long before they'd ask me who sang the song. They'll ask whether it's Westlife, Backstreet Boys, N' sync or Boyzone. They'd ask me which group is my favorite and why. Then they would ask me the names of each member of these boy bands. The questions just never end. Maybe I said my "hay salamat" too soon.
Now we're playing Enrique Iglesias in the car. When I first played it, Jacob asked who's the new guy and when I told him the name, he just said: "Oh he's the guy with a mole on his face." I didn't even notice that.
Now we seem to love the same songs. Which makes me wonder whether it's my sons who are growing up so fast or am I growing old backwards?
My own backseat boys are now singing along and sometimes dancing, but the questions are still there. I know my backseat boys won't be little for long. I know that in a few years they will be men. I just hope that the memories, both the fond and the wild ones, that they have while sitting there in the backseat would last them a lifetime.
By Leonardo
"Eddie" Tan, Batch '66
Philippine Style Democracy
Lee Kuan Yew, the father of modern Singapore, once again is in the spotlight for his comments about the style of Philippine democracy. He criticized the way the Filipino people changed government through people power at EDSA. According to him, the majority of the Filipino people are not yet well educated to embrace the western kind of democracy. The elder statesman from Singapore became the subject of resentments from many columnists of the Philippine dailies for making such an assessment recently. However, when we analyze in-depth what Mr. Lee said about the ignorance of most of our voters, then perhaps it would be fair to say that he was not far from the truth?
Many perceive political elections as popularity contests, so movie stars and famous basketballers have an unfair advantage. Voters tend to choose personal friends than real leaders. Our political parties have no defined policies but are just groupings of mates or barkadas. A candidate who loses the endorsement of one party is accommodated by another or he may even resort to forming his own party. Virtues such as loyalty and principles are concepts which many candidates are unfamiliar with and they are shameless in their corruption. It is a sad fact that too many people sell their votes for a handful of pesos without realizing how cheap they have mortgaged the future of their country.
Such is the sad truth about democracy in the Philippines. And as a people, are we that hopeless? As members of LCHS community, we should enlighten those who are less informed, to educate them as to how a true democracy should function and to teach them the sanctity of the ballot so that the best candidates are elected.
So my fellow LCHS alumni ... why should we vote for HENRY DY as our next Vice Mayor of Iligan? Is it because he is our former classmate? Our fellow alumnus? Our friend? If it is for these reasons alone that we vote for him, then we are doing a great disservice to our country. We would be just as ignorant as the less informed voters in our society. But if you are of the opinion that HENRY DY happens to be the best candidate for the office of Iligan's vice mayor as proven by his exemplary commitment to any number of civic and other organizations not only in the local arena but also at the national level; if you believe that his dedication to public service during his three terms as city councilor with outstanding achievements makes him the best man for the job -- then we would be making the right choice. Let us look forward to a bright and prosperous future with the right man to shape our hope and dreams for Iligan.
By Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch
'69
The Memories of Class 1963
Thirty-eight years ago, in School Year 1962-1963, I was a grade IV pupil. The graduating seniors then were composed of my sister Mila and her classmates, namely: Elsa Ang, Catalino Benolerao, Ursulina Bernardo, Samuel Dy, Ong Ching An, Jesus Dy, Dy Siok Ching, Romeo Go, Virginia Hoy, Cristina Lim, Godfrey Siao, Leoncia Sy, Manuel Tan, Lelisa Wong, Flora Uy, among others.
I have ample memories of the members of this particular class simply because they were Mila's classmates and, as such, I often saw them in our house, specially the barkada composed of: Gonge, Tining, Beling, and Poyang, who called themselves "Teenage Senoritas," the title of one of the top hit songs of that era, along with "Crazy" by Timi Yuro, among others. They would frequent our place during weekends and holidays either to play Chinese checker, sungka, domino, do some crochet, or simply bashed in sinugbang mais or piniritong saging. They were great movie fans who would talk endlessly about Amalia Fuentes and her archrival, Susan Roces, one reason why there was a division in their class. Mila and her barkadas were diehard Amalians, while the other group led by Elsa Ang were avid Susanians. They would also write to Josephine Estrada, Jean Lopez, Luz Valdez, among many other favorites, with a self-addressed envelop and 40c worth of stamps. Their huge, gallery-like collections of movie stars' pictures were arranged alphabetically in a black paper photo album. They oftentimes skipped snacks in favor of buying Confidential or Graphics, and other such movie magazines, from Capitan Newstand. They would go and watch those black and white Tagalog movies at King or Premier Theaters, or at Queen or Century for the Hollywood movies of Ava Gardner, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and the like.
It has almost been four decades, but until now I still remember vividly the events that took place during the 60s, like: November 2, 1960 (All Souls' Day) - when Mila burned her balloon skirt at the Chinese cemetery to my auntie Felisa's shocked reaction, telling uncle Pepe, "Oy, Pe, si Mila nasunog sa sementeryo!" I can still imagine how big the blisters were on her buttocks and thighs as a result of that accident. September 29, 1961 - when Mila celebrated her sweet 16th birthday at home with her barkada singing "Happy Birthday" as she blew the birthday candles. October 10, 1961 (Double Ten Celebration) when Class 1963 joined the other members of the LCHS Choir in singing "Sipadidoda, sipadiye, my, oh, my, what a wonderful day" under the baton of Miss Ramonita Siao. Likewise their Itik-Itik dance number wherein they were clad in checkered kimona costume with a bandana as head dress, their fingernails wrapped with long shiny silver paper. The principal of the English Department then was Miss Amparo Villaruel in her favorite cream colored chiffon dress, her strict and stern looks, and her flawless command of the English language. March 29, 1962 (Good Friday) when Poyang accidentally fell down from the roof of their house and died on the spot. For days on end, I was dead scared to pass by that area of our bodega where Poyang and the barkada used to play.
Other fond memories that I have about the other members of Class 1963 are as follows: Boyen and his store in the mercado area where I went during weekends to listen to his stories and have free readings of Liwayway and Wakasan. Hesing and his nasal twang whenever he uttered his favorite expressions and his "walking tall" stance. Hym Hym and his being the undefeated champion in chess tournaments, who later became our teacher in Chinese Arts where we had gardening at the back of the grades I and II classrooms, molding fruits out of wax and gulaman, etc. Aki was the cowboy of the class who would tell stories like no other in his typical style, with matching actions. Chung Bing, as the name implies, was the Math wizard, who, along with Ahon, Beling, and Tining, were the consistent honor students of their batch. I always saw their names in the honor roll list posted on the bulletin board near the faculty office. Gonge was our immediate neighbor, our stores being just two doors away from each other (Dy Cham Shoe Store Capitol Trading - King Sing Bazaar Pasing's Grocery).
I remember March 23, 1963. It was the Graduation Day of four different classes: Kindergarten (Class 1973); Primary (Class 1969); Elementary (Class 1967); and Secondary (Class 1963). And we were all there inside the school auditorium, all seated in front, anxiously waiting to go up the stage as our names were called.
Today, as another graduation draws near, I look back to my very own grade IV graduation with thanksgiving in my heart to Miss Concepcion Yap, our grade IV teacher-in-charge; to our beloved Lanao Chinese High School, and to Class 1963 for the memories of being the graduating seniors at a time when we were graduating from grade IV. And that was all of 38 years today in history.
Apology
By Cle Estrera, Jr., M.D.
CIM, Batch 1972
(Last of two parts)
"I should have known from the start, I break
your heart, I'm sorry ..."
There are four elements that characterized successful and complete
apologies. They accomplish the vital exchange of shame and reestablish
trust.
"I just call to say, I love you! ...."
Our relationship with my children had never been close until
I've learned and started acknowledging and apologizing for my mistakes
and saying "I love you" to them more often. Many of us take small things
like these for granted. We find it hard or feel awkward to say, "I love
you" to our children that we could never start getting ourselves into saying
it. We simply assume that our children know we love them because of the
things we have done and are doing for them. Yet just like us, children
are also assuming but their assumption can change in a heartbeat depending
on our behavior or attitude toward them. We'll be like a boy who keeps
giving gifts to a girl and not telling her he loves her and yet assumes
the girl knows and then expects the girl to respond. Isn't it ridiculous
for the girl to just say, "Yes, I love you, too."?
It may indeed be hard for some of us to say, "I love you" to our children
in particular especially if the children are already grown. It would have
been easier if we only started getting used to saying those words when
the children were still small. But it is never too late to start. My daughters
were already in college when I started calling them occasionally on the
phone to say, not sing, "I just call to say, I love you." So to make it
a little easier, try writing the statement first in one of your letters,
cards, or e-mails, then start saying it on the phone, and finally in person.
You'll be surprised how good it feels once you learn to say it with conviction
and the children say the same words in return. You and your kids will love
each other even more. Good luck.
LCHS ALUMNI DIRECTORY (7th of a Series) |
BATCH
1961
Antonio Benolerao, 001 Cherry Blossom
Village, Sto. Rosario, Iligan City, tel. 221-1544; Manuel Bernardo
(deceased); Kwan Huy Ching, Cagayan de Oro City; Juanito
Chiu, Iligan Educational Supply, J. Luna St., Iligan City, tel. 221-3034;
Vivina
Chiu, Cebu Doctors Hospital, Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City, tel. 254-1237;
Nelly
Co (Hammon), Australia, e-mail: nelco@spot.com.au;
Francisco Co,
U.S.A.; Erlinda Escalante, Laray, Talisay, Cebu, tel. 296-1341;
Charito
"Un Huy" Go, Cebu City; Corazon Kho, c/o GSL Merchandising,
J. Luna St., Iligan City, tel. 221-3113;
Aida Lim (Uy), Fortune
Travel Int'l., Inc., Dañaque Bldg., Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City,
tel. 253-5319, e-mail: cfortune@mozcom.com; Carmen Lim, Maputi,
Misamic Oriental;
Samuel Quintara, Tibanga, Iligan City; Eddie
Rodriguez, 52 Don Pedro Rodriguez St., Cebu City; tels. 255-7351, 253-6666,
cell 0919-3579681;
Conchita Soy, Cebu City; Santas H. Tan (Seitz),
U.S.A, e-mail: seetawei@hotmail.com;
Conchita Te (Ong), China Drug
Store, Plaridel St., Cebu City; Romulo Tiu, Tacloban City;
Alfredo
Uy, Visayan Educational Supply Corp., 187-193 Magallanes St., Cebu
City, tels. 254-7312, 256-0881, e-mail: vescorp@cebu.pilnet.com; and Eliza
Uy, Kaideco, Inc., Tibanga, Iligan City, tel. 221-5660.
(Next issue: Batch 1962)
"Hardy Boys" of LCHS
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"Hardy Boys" of LCHS Chinese Grade VI Class of 1960 in a rare souvenir photo with their teacher. Front row, from left: Teacher-in-charge Giok Dian Uy, Peter Co, Hong Kiau Sy, Victor "Eng Bik" Sy, Yolando Siao, and Henry Dy. Back row, from left: James So, Jesus Dy, Alexander Samson, Rolando Te, Bonifacio Te, and Romeo Go. (Photo courtesy of Peter Dy) |