Effective Medium of Communication
Sun, 29 Mar 1998 17:03:56 -0800

The Spectrum has been very effective in keeping us informed on new developments in Iligan and the whereabouts of LCHS alumni.  It's as if I've never left.  I have also learned a lot about our fellow alumni and their experiences in life, their travels and the cultures of different countries they've been to.  The Spectrum format is simple but to the point, which is desirable.  Most of the topics are relevant to the alumni and to all Iliganons as well.  The weekly issue is sufficient enough and not too frequent.  Most of the jokes were funny although occasionally it is corny, and the terminology used is quite deep and some readers might not grasp the whole intent of the story.   The entry of Dr. Rodriguez's new column is a bright idea.  It offers medical advice to the reader as well as  medical insights on ailments. I would also like to suggest if there's a lawyer/alumnus who is willing to provide his services, too.  The identity of the reader who needs help may remain confidential. Thanks to everybody for enriching and refreshing the memories of our alma mater and the classmates, schoolmates and friends we haven't seen for ages. More power and Happy First Anniversary!

Alfred Lai II (Batch '89), Iligan, Philippines
lai@iligan.com

Congrats!
Thu, 02 Apr 1998 01:21:32 -0500

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Spectrum staff for doing such a great job of keeping us alumni overseas updated on the latest groundbreaking news in Iligan.  I certainly enjoy every edition of the LCHS Spectrum. Keep up the good work.

Luna U. Sy,  M.D.  (Batch '81), Ozark, AL, U.S.A.
lunasymd@snowhill.com

Fast News from the Spectrum
Wed, 1 Apr 1998 10:13:09 -0700

It used to be that whenever we received news from back home, it was all history, because it took so long for the news to reach us, sometimes even never at all.  But now, with this new Internet technology and the Spectrum, even though we are half way around the world apart, it seems like we live just around the corner because the news comes so fast and well updated.  To all Spectrum editors and writers I take off my hat and salute you for a job well done.  Keep up the good work. Happy Anniversary, Spectrum!

Mike Lee (Batch '66), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
mnmm@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca

Congrats for LCHS Home Page Nomination!
Tue, 07 Apr 1998 14:05:18 +0800

Congratulations! LCHS has ascended with the country's best as far as the Internet goes.  Among the Webby Awards List of Nominees for children/education category, only five schools made it out of eleven, namely UP, De La Salle U, Poveda Learning Center, Manila Science High School, and of course Lanao Chung Hua School!  The LCHS Alumni Home Page nomination goes with a description: "Website for LCHS alumni to converge and reestablish contact."  Solidarity of LCHSians from generation to generation of school graduates could well have described our existence on the web.  Check this website: http://www.webbyawards.com.ph/cgi-bin/nominees?Children/Education#11

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

Dateline Buffalo

By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D., Batch 1965 Ernstyu49@aol.com

Backpedaling to the mind-set and groovy climate of the '60s Spectrum, I can sweetly reminisce the journalistic circus of my immature delight in the merry mating of action verbs and hugging adjectives (also, atrocious grammar goofs!) that were apt to be splashed with reverential, self-processed psychic peace, which more than compensated for the hustling, edgy pace of deadline writing and the undue rigor of imprinting inner juvenile restlessness into visible scripts.  The ethereal charm of this sensory titillation doubly glowed when it racked up lots of ego strokes from readers who sipped, imparted in a way, the essence of my reaching out in hyperbolic extremes.  My gracious, the throbbing hits of small fame rippled with primal resonance that was deliciously godsend; appeasing a tragically repressed emotional cipher with puckish, joyous spirit.

At barely eighteen, a jittery age for maniacal testosterone to shuffle in such tortuous intellectual twist and turn, saturating a quarterly byline with love notes transcribed from the spastic chaos of a moaning heart was closely akin to shadow boxing: slug your imaginary target with solid combinations and hope that the sweaty sessions in due time  will build character.  My infantile "Reverie" column three decades ago swapped wallops of dreamlike rainbows and starry nights with subtle dollops of romantic mutterings, trancelike rhythm, hypnotic fascination ... till it refined into incessant grunts of huffing passion.  It was actually a smorgasbord of quivering tenderness and sonorous prose that aimed at tweaking everyone's core of loveliness in love.  Consequently, the sequences of oozings from a seasoned daydreamer graced the earlier editions which, by all frankness, were enhanced portraits of the bombastic silliness in my teenage soul.  This was at a stage when all you needed to arm yourself "in the ring" were a robust imagination, a vintage but well-lubricated Underwood processor and two obliging fingers educated in the physics of pounding drills.  Being privileged to have a printed medium to centrifuge my emotional whacks and colorful absurdities, in a way,  booted me out from potential hair-curling electroconvulsive therapy and outright jail time in the loony bin.

Having defibrillated our newsletter to another crack at life, my dormant literary neurosis has likewise flared up. The prevailing surpassing ease of cyber-conferencing has enormously expedited the propulsion of thought processes,  in whatever sets of differing time zones. In a quantum leap, my weekly dispatches are becoming nothing more than a walk in the park: I can guide manuscripts to the Spectrum's electronic clouds even in a few crazy minutes prior to the looming cut-off point. Truth be told, the dominant barrier to relaying fillers to my reserved spot is really the disconcerting spin-cycle of a shrinking mental engine that woefully dramatizes the ill-effects of sparkless hormones and punishing senility!  Nonetheless, as long as the awesome dudes, Charles and Henry, smooth the wrinkles and snags at the front office with unyielding A-plus dedication, I’ll exhaust whatever residual bolts I have twinkling sparingly, as a gesture of gratefulness, among other things, for the freedom to linger in your personal paradise once a week: jarring marvels of nostalgic bosh and pastiche of exquisite moments, massaging sensibilities with muffled laughters and folksy pitches, resuscitating crippled but breathing friendship, and bridging avenues for future face off of "toothless dinosaurs" with exfoliating identities.

With this anniversary issue, I disperse this lyrical open-invitation: "Come fly with me."  Let's distill our antique silence and retread the muffled echoes of our treetop days, diffuse updated tidbits of family laurels and triumphs of cool glamour, seduce our senses with the current teeny-weeny chirps of pleasure, and synchronously clinch our fists to brave the rough uncertainties of the new frontier.  Life is too damn short not to dream.
 
 

It was exactly a year ago this week,
When we found what we always seek.
A weekly magazine through the cyber space,
About old friends and the good old place.

With LCHS alumni scattered around the world,
Very much eager to hear from home any word.
Now with the wonders of electronic mail,
It reaches us in a click with much detail.

Thus old classmates become on-line again,
Old anecdotes with new friendship regain.
Hometown news are always of importance,
Now coming thru the net in an instance.

Thanks to the rebirth of Spectrum Bulletin,
Many things we thought were long forgotten,
With the many tales and fantastic stories,
Now coming home to our failing memories.

It was indeed a very wonderful relief,
With such a great vision and belief,
Of its founder and editor Charles O. Sy,
His love and devotion now for all to see.

With some glorious past by Dr. Henry Yu,
We're always reminded of our yester blue.
With his elder brother on Dateline Buffalo,
Dr. Ernie's magical words constantly flow.

Now we have this new column - Dr. Do Little,
Dr. Alex Rodriguez deserves a better title.
Giving expert medical advises just for free,
A very noble service by accepting no fee.

Thanks to the other many feature writers,
And the countless volunteer reporters,
Like Rene Tio - our man in Cagayan de Oro,
With story of a tragic plane flying too low.

You all feed us our thirst and hungers,
For news from back home and many others.
Lots of good tidings, our congratulations,
Some about sorrows, with sad contemplations.

And this is just my briefs from down under,
A little tribute after one year in cyber.
And may I also add, I just remember,
Wishing everyone - A Very Happy Easter!

Sentimental Journey

By Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch 1969

Thank you, Lord, for bringing mama and papa into this world; for allowing their paths to meet, because it is through this meeting that I came into being.

...for giving mama the strength to carry on with her pregnancy for nine solid months; for papa's moral support when mama was about to give birth.  Most of all, for welcoming me into this world.

...for the loud cry which signalled my life; for making me a bouncing baby at seven point two pounds; for giving me my name forty six summers ago.

...for welcoming me to our Catholic faith through the Sacrament of Baptism; for giving me my first two lower incissors at four months; for letting me crawl at six months; and for letting me walk before I could blow my first birthday candle.

...for neither giving me infant colics nor febrile convulsions; for not allowing me to get too ill to warrant admission in the hospital; for neither complicating my measles nor leaving scar out of the chicken pox epidemic.

...for the sunny day on my first day in kindergarten; for the Sacrament of Confirmation; for the snow-white get-up on my First Communion; for the Catechism classes, the rosary, and the prayer book.

...for the trust you gave my classmates when they elected me their class president; for letting me win the oratorical contest, the spelling bee, and other competitions; for the dances and songs; for the medal pinned by mama on my graduation from elementary.

...for the four years in high school; for the penpals, the autographs, the Beatles, the jam sessions, the Science Fairs, the Junior-Senior Prom; for the campus paper I had to edit; for the puppy loves, the infatuations, and the "love at first sight"; for the barkadas, the campings, and the picnics; for making mama and papa happy and proud of me for being awarded another medal on my high school graduation.

...for guiding me and enlightening my teenage mind, through the Holy Spirit, as to the right course in college; for the campus life, the fraternity, the initiation, and the paddles; for my first puff and my first hard drink; for protecting me from bad company, from drugs; for helping me mend a broken heart; for the baccalaureate mass and the college graduation; for helping me pass the medical college admission test; for giving me the strength to hurdle with enthusiasm the challenge of becoming a doctor.

...for the right institute of medicine where I strove to reach my goal; for the cerebral fatigues, the litany of definitions we had to memorize; for the strength you afforded me in preparing for the countless and seemingly insurmountable exams; for the volumninous books and notes I had to carry; for the instant coffees that kept me awake amidst December winds, typhoons, and brown-outs; for the precious weekend dates in the movies; in the night clubs, or in the parks, to breathe anew and feel refreshed.

...for the memories of internship; for opening our eyes to the harsh realities of life; for the compassion, the sleepless nights, the rounds, and the hospital duties; for the class ring worn on graduation day; for the diploma and the yearbook which was offered to You and to our parents.

...for the three hundred sixty five days of Postgraduate Internship; for the actual medical cases, the diagnosis and treatment; for letting me realize that life, indeed, is too short with so many things to do in a lifetime.

...for giving me the stamina, the patience and the diligence to review for the Philippine Medical Licensure Exam; for not letting me get sick at the height of the board exam.

...for the four months rural health service spent in a place miles away from home; for being there each time I felt homesick; for helping me diagnose and treat patients in a rural setting; for the greetings and handshakes with the town mayor and the rural folks; for the fellowships and the fiestas.
 

It was a very sad and disappointing night at the board meeting of the LCHS Alumni Association last April 2.  From the notices of nomination for new alumni officers we sent out,  only one made a positive response (except for the current officers who ultimately are left with no choice but to say "yes"). It was quiet sad indeed that most of our alumni say they don't have the time.  Or perhaps they need some degree of persuasion to join in or serve as officers for the benefit of our alma mater.

Most outgoing members of the board of directors want to retire and give way for new and younger blood to lead the pack.  However, as I now understand, they are stuck with it since nobody appears willing to take the torch.

Most of those invited are qualified, but some insist they are not.  Who is ever not qualified when their alma mater is calling?  Time?  Everybody has his own businesses to attend to.  A little sacrifice is needed.  I personally once didn't choose to be a part of the board.  Being the youngest member in the Board, I had to go through a period of feeling out-of-place because of age and background.  I had to struggle between boredom during meetings and the urge to make a difference.

I hope we can help awaken some of our sleeping or drowsy alumni. But then if the attitude of apathy persists, what is the purpose of supporting the alma mater in the first place, when everybody simply wants to stay at the background?  We all know that the school can't really stand on its own.  Its very existence lies on the will of the "old" generation to instill our culture to the new generation.  I personally am not really convinced with this pure idea, but we have no real choice.  Culture is what makes the difference between us and the rest. Our fellow alumni, many of whom are very much competent and qualified, must spare a small part of their time to come forward and take active participation in running the affairs of our alumni association.  The spirit of volunteerism and a sense of individual initiative are needed from our fellow alumni if we are to expect our association to prosper and be of service to us in return.
 

Year after year, LCHS students leave its portals upon graduation without a yearbook or a shared memento by which to remember their classmates and alma mater.  The bond that keeps them together as LCHS students eventually diminishes as they go their separate ways.

To preserve the bond among LCHS alumni, a newsletter was conceptualized by Charles O. Sy in the summer of 1968.  The concept took several months of gestation until it caught on with two other alumni who committed themselves to give the project a push.  They were brothers Ernesto Yu and Henry Yu.  And in August of 1968, the maiden issue of what was then called The Spectrum Bulletin was published.  It was printed in Cebu City with funds contributed by alumni and students of LCHS.

Among the original staff were Charles O. Sy, as editor; Ernesto L. Yu, executive editor; Henry L. Yu, associate editor; and Teresita U. Racines, Peter C. Dy, Miguel Ong, Rudy Co, Antonio Leo Te, and Castor Lim, as correspondents.

The newsletter was warmly received by LCHS students and alumni.  More funds poured in from supportive alumni and faculty members of LCHS.  The alumni association, then headed by Carlos Dy, also committed itself to help subsidize the publication.  With that, the Spectrum grew from 4 pages to 12 pages and came out once every two months.  In time, more alumni also came forward to join the staff.  And in 1969, a new editorial staff was formed with Charles Sy, as editor; Victor Chiu, managing editor; Ernesto Yu & Henry Yu, associate editors; Eduardo Dy (former name of Leonardo Tan) & Miguel Ong, correspondents; Yolando Siao, Emma Yap and Peter Dy, staff writers; and Artemio Lagrosas, staff artist. The paper was rechristened The LCHS Spectrum.

Despite the primitive state of telecommunications in those days, the Spectrum had already assumed the nature of a network operation.  Members of the staff were dispersed in four key cities where most LCHS alumni were located: Iligan, Cebu, Dumaguete and Manila.  They communicated with one another thru couriers via slow boats and occasionally by telegrams and postal mails.  The newsletter lasted a little over a year and ceased publication in November 1969.  In its final issue, its editorial entitled "Anniversary in Tears," said: "We pray that the next generation would find themselves in an enlightened establishment, because on them we pin our hopes for another Spectrum - no, not just another, but a better one in every respect!"

The editorial swan song turned out to be prophetic.  Today, thirty years after the birth of the Spectrum, a new generation has emerged, more dynamic and no less enlightened, in a new era nurtured by the sheer dynamism of digital technology.  The Internet, which now renders distance irrelevant, has brought alumni scattered in different parts of the world within reach and in contact all over again.  By sheer stroke of fate, the new global interconnectivity also reunited the same team that brought the Spectrum to life a good generation ago.  In the summer of 1997, the same old keymen, propelled by constant rendezvous in cyberspace with a new generation of alumni, brought the LCHS Spectrum back to life.  And on April 15, 1997 the LCHS Spectrum, as a new weekly Internet medium, was born and launched into cyber orbit.