Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School Vol. 3, No. 2, April 19, 1999, Iligan City, Philippines A CHANGE OF PACE Spectrum now a fortnightly Starting with this issue, the Spectrum will be published fortnightly (once every two weeks) instead of weekly. This is among the first of a series of changes taking place in the Spectrum as it enters its third year of publication. The new frequency will now allow the editors more time, and less pressure, to prepare each issue. More innovations and additional sections will soon be introduced in this newsletter. This is partly an offshoot of the survey conducted among Spectrum readers recently. A detailed report on the survey is published in this issue (see "Editor's Notes"). Our next issue will be on May 3, 1999, and every fortnight thereafter. However, the Spectrum may revert to a weekly by next year when important announcements and news bulletins require prompt dispatches as the grand reunion day draws closer.  George Po, 71, passes away George Po passed away recently at the age of 71 years old. He died of a lingering illness and was buried last April 14 in Iligan City. He was an active member of the LCHS alumni who was often in the forefront of alumni activities. He used to work with Kim San and Company and later opened his own business as a rice dealer. A few days after George passed away, tragedy struck again. His elder brother, Tony Po, also died in Manila.

EDITORIAL STAFF Charles O. Sy, Editor Henry L. Yu, Associate Editor Correspondents: Iligan: Johnny Chen, Alfred Lai II, Teresita Racines, & Santiago Ong. Cebu: Igdono Caracho. Canada: Peter Dy & Mike Lee. Australia: Leonardo Tan. U.S.A.: Ernesto Yu, Alex Rodriguez, & Aurora Tansiokhian Founded Aug. 1, 1968. Published weekly since its revival on April 15, 1997. Distributed free to LCHS alumni, friends and supporters worldwide. Postal address: LCHS Alumni Association, Lanao Chung Hua School, Pala-o, Iligan City, Philippines. Website: http://www.iligan.com/~lchs/alumni/ For subscription, contact: Johnny Chen, Tel. No. (063) 221-3883. E-mail: johnchen@iligan.com Address articles & comments to the editors, e-mail: charlesy@cnms.net Countdown: 66 WEEKS before Grand Reunion

Sy Bing Gue marked his 60th birthday last April 15 with a party for relatives and friends at the Iligan Village Hotel. Aside from his wife Gloria and children, his brother Richard and sisters from Cebu, Cagayan de Oro and Cotabato were all in attendance. His employees at SBG Merchandising presented a short program of song numbers at the reception. Fellow alumni who graced the occasion were alumni president Arturo Samson, Edwin Co, Robert Co, Suniel Lim, Santi Ong, Farley Sy, Luis Kho, Henry Siao, Frederick Siao, Ngo Chin Bon, Jose Lim Teck Hua, Jose Tan, among many others.

LCHS-AA scholarship is 1 year old

The LCHS-AA Scholarship Program is now 1 year old. The idea was proposed by Dy Sung Kang at a meeting of the LCHS-AA in February 1998. After a lengthy discussion, the proposal was unanimously approved by the directors. Appointed as members of the Scholarship Committee were Dy Sio Te (then LCHS-AA president); Christopher Chua Teck An (LFCCCI president); Dy Sung Kang; Fe "Guat Ching" Quimbo; Andy Ang Lee; Carlos Dy; and Luis Kho. The fund raising for the scholarship project started right at the meeting. After the directors had each pledged their contribution, the committee launched its fund drive the following day in the Chinese Filipino community, particularly among those who were concerned with education. The move earned the support of concerned alumni. Our collective efforts drove home the unmistakable message that we care for our fellow alumni in this day and age of modern communication. We are thankful for the community's support last year. Together let us continue to help in the pursuit and appreciation of our culture and heritage, with love and care in our hearts. This project needs the all-out support of young alumni, material as well as moral support. United we stand. Let's make our Association stand forever. Let's produce more outstanding LCHS alumni!

Fe Dy Quimbo, Iligan, Philippines

If God made man from dust and woman from the man's rib on the seventh day of the week, then it is perfect there is no chaos on earth. Read Genesis 5:18-24, we live in the world, but the world must not live in us. God bless us all!

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

Every Spectrum subscriber and LCHS alumni will agree that a newsletter is an important communication tool for linking up our alumni members who are scattered in different parts of the country and the world. Just as the Internet is proliferating in households worldwide, with many fellow alumni still remaining to be reached with a copy of the Spectrum, reducing the frequency of its publication is tantamount to dismembering the goose that lays the golden egg. The downgrading of its publication has a withering effect instead of nurturing growth. I hope that the subscribers would see things in this light and rally the Spectrum to continue its good work as a weekly newsletter. To the staff, sorry for stretching your sacrifices - time, pressure, talent - for our reading pleasure. Rest assured that, as far as I am concerned, I am reading and enjoying every Spectrum issue from top to bottom. A worthy reading material. Where else can we get a weekly alumni newsletter for FREE?

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

Suggestions for the grand reunion
By Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch '69

As an alumnus of LCHS and one who looks forward to our Grand Reunion 2000 with much excitement and fervor, I enjoin everybody to cooperate and put our best foot forward in making this affair truly memorable and worth remembering in the years to come. In line with this, I would like to suggest that we make this 3-day affair worth remembering by filling up each day with certain activities - non-stop, so to speak.

Day 1 - to include: Registration; Holy Mass at the LCHS auditorium where all alumni are to wear their original LCHS school uniform (females: white blouse with dark blue skirt matched with white socks and black shoes; males: white polo shirt with khaki pants); Convocation with keynote speaker; acknowledgement of LCHS alumni by class; Awarding of the "Most Outstanding LCHS Alumni"; Recognition of LCHS faculty members (past and present); Luncheon by individual class to be sponsored by individual class members based in Iligan; City tour; Welcome dinner to be hosted by the LCHS-AA.

Day 2 - Registration; Opening of booths and exhibits (each class will put up its own booth where they can exhibit memorabilias, gimmicks, etc.  This is going to be a contest as to "The Best Booth" in terms of memorabilias, originality, nostalgia, etc.); Spectrum Lunch Forum to be hosted jointly by LCHS-AA and the Spectrum staff; Free afternoon; Individual class dinner/reunion.

Day 3 - Share-a-Memory Gathering where representative from each class will talk about or share their experiences as LCHS students, or Iligan in the 50s, 60s and onward; Individual class luncheon to be hosted by individual class members not based in Iligan; Bingo Social; Grand Ball / Fellowship / Homecoming / Reunion for all LCHS alumni and guests at the LCHS auditorium.

I'm sure this will entail a lot of organizing, spending special time and efforts, that's why this has to be a long-range planning (one year in the making). Please remember that this grand event doesn't happen everyday.  Since this is going to be a once-in-a-blue-moon affair, we might as well make the most and the best of it. I may sound too idealistic, but that's the essence of having a GRAND reunion, an extraordinary affair.

The Spectrum unplugged

How did the Spectrum fare in the last two years of its publication? A survey was conducted by e-mail on April 5, 1999 among Spectrum readers. About a third of our subscribers responded. The response reflected a broad range of individual preferences and perceptions among our readers here and abroad. Their feedback indicates that most of our readers are genuinely concerned about improving the Spectrum. The suggestions were sensible as they were candid. Many readers emphasized that they favored a fortnightly publication instead of a weekly in order to allow "the staff some rest." A kind thought indeed, thank you. Here's how they rated this newsletter.

How did our readers rate the Spectrum as an alumni newsletter on a scale of 1 to 10?
29 readers rated it a "10"; 16 answered "9"; 5 answered "7".

What do readers like most in the Spectrum?
News section tops the list with 16 votes; Tracers, 13; Alumni Corner, 11; columns, 10; all of its contents, 7; Humor, 6; others, 4.

How often do readers want the Spectrum to come out?
22 preferred twice a month; 18, weekly; and 4, monthly.

What kind of articles do readers want to be included in the Spectrum?
Alumni news and updates, 17; alumni profiles, achievements and success stories, 12; interviews, 5; business section, 4; spiritual pieces, 3; human relationship, family values & self-improvement, 3; unemployment among the youth & problems in LCHS, 2.

Does the Spectrum serve its purpose as an alumni newsletter?
39 said yes; 7 answered more or less; and none said no.

Would readers like more pictures to be included in our web site edition?
Yes, 37; and No, 8.

Is the current length of each issue sufficient enough?
Yes, 31; More or less, 6; and No, 3.

What do our readers suggest to improve the Spectrum?
20 suggested more news about alumni, LCHS students, teachers, and Iligan; 12 suggested contributions by other batches; 10 wanted more feedback from readers; 5 wanted whereabouts of batch members; 4 proposed more features on LCHS teachers old and new; 4 proposed literary works by LCHS students; 2 wanted LCHS exchange students to contribute articles; 2 wished writers would write more understandable humor; 2 proposed some layout innovations; 1 suggested short stories; and 1 suggested more variety in content. (We received many more interesting insights from our readers' suggestions in the survey. We will publish them in detail in our next issue .)

In what way will our readers be able to help the Spectrum?
19 said by continuing with their subscription; 8 said by introducing more subscribers; 5 said by contributing news scoops; and 4 said by contributing articles.

The following batch listing is supplied by the Reunion Steering Committee based on available school records and other individual resources. The listing is disseminated here for the information of all concerned in preparation for the 1st LCHS Alumni Grand Reunion. If you notice any names missing, please bring them to the attention of the Steering Committee thru the Spectrum.

BATCH 1960:  Flora Chiu; Ben Hur Dy; Bestre “Ching Chong” Dy; Felicidad Go; Agripino Jo; Marietta Kuan; Lilia Lee; Benita Lim; Frisco Taongan Lim; Rosie "Bian Bian" Siao; Alexander So; and Arlene Yap.

BATCH 1961:  Manuel Bernardo; Juanito Chiu; Vivina Chiu; Nelly Co; Erlindo Escalante; Charito Go; Samuel Quitara; Corazon Kho; Francisco Co; Kwan Huy Ching; Aida Lim; Carmen Lim; Eddie Jo Rodriguez; Conchita Soy; Santas Tan; Conchita Te; Romulo Tiu; Alfredo Uy; and Elisa Uy. (To be continued)

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

Think scrambling to a drugstore for prescription diet pills in front of fine-boned valley girls with aesthetically pleasing curves a test of will power and guts? Try humming into the pharmacist's ears your urgent demand for Sildenafil citrate refill in a crowd of educated consumers who quietly know what you are begging for. Sildena ... what? Bet you my farm there was a point in time that your heart almost arrested from the fusillade of flooring punch lines about this manna from Pfizer's chemists. Still clueless? Yes, Sildenafil citrate is the generic (or pseudonym, in literary lingo) of the sensational blue tablet of 1998, VIAGRA: The major leaguer that propels demoralized egos to score home runs, the extract that diverts major blood flow to the guys' lower brains, the force that Han Solo of the Star Wars fame always wishes that it's still with you ... the Shakespearean lament of "where art thou, youth, when mine strength is but a smokeless candlestick?"

After the initial sizzling bang in marketing pitches and comedy shops, it seems like Viagra's steely power-packed, confidence-enhancing heightened value has been downgraded to the B-list. It is sluggishly being zipped back (no pun intended) into the ranks of the lowly Tiger Balm - potent, famous but its mention doesn't ring the original stirring gravity of its name! With health maintenance organizations actively debating whether to be sensitive to limping studs who resoundingly clamor to make this glitzy pill an insurance-covered item or whether to gobble in one gulp the woeful cost and blot their fiscal budgets in red ink, the handlers of V adamantly refuse to market the hard-knocking boy wonder at bargain-basement prices. The tag of ten dollars per pop is still the governing swallow-it-or-leave-it written law of the land. In fact, I gathered from the grapevine, the sticker price amazingly quadruples in sites where more hopeless romantics thrive than the regional stockpile of these rejuvenating chewables. A glaring evidence that when the male sex physiology is in ground zero, a mindless testosterone tornado becomes a welcomed disaster.

How do you detect addicts of this sexual revolution who bought a piece of the '90s dream of dreams? For one thing, they ambulate in stooped posture secondary to the magical resurrection of the phantom of the grand opera. Another thing: they schmooze in irrational chitchats due to a trickling intracranial oxygen delivery, climaxing in vital nutrients being siphoned by the grand organ of all time. Furthermore, these love warriors glimmer with a kind of airy bravado, one that also mutely mumbles heartfelt appreciation for the borrowed three hour-long garland of sensuous dances (double the dose and you are as good as toast!).

For symptom-free caballeros with fully cranked pistols, we can only hustle with the delicious fantasy that our bullets of hormones will let us thunder the trademark Hollywood squeal "Die hard, Bruce" to the next millennium without chowing on these pricey pellets.

Wistful thinking, boys!

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

It is now a month or so since it was announced that definitely there is going to be a grand reunion in the middle of 2000. However, I am still at a lost as to the exact dates. The last time dates were mentioned it was a choice between the last week of July or the first week of August. Unless I missed something, I just want to be clarified about the exact 3 days on which we are going to hold the great event. I just could not commit or make my itinerary without these dates. I know many also share this predicament.

I noticed that we started the publication of names of alumni by their batch year. And the earliest one published was in mid-50s. What about the earlier batches? I know our alma mater celebrated its 60th anniversary a few years ago. I know my mother is an alumna and she belongs to the earlier batch. I hope we don't exclude them in this grand event. Their presence in fact would be very enriching for us who followed them.

This is going to be a grand LCHS homecoming. What is the status of the spouses and children of LCHS alumni? Will they be invited as well or welcome to all the 3-day activities? We understand there will be a registration fee of P1,500 for each alumnus and they will each be issued a reunion kit. How about the spouses and the children? Will they also pay the same registration fee? If they will not be issued any kit, will they pay a lesser amount as guests? If the children are below 12 years old, are they entitled to a lower fee?

May I suggest that with or without kit, everybody attending should be issued a reunion name tag to be worn throughout the duration of the event. With this, we would avoid the embarrassment of recognizing a face but could not remember the name.

Is this grand event only for the alumni and their families? What about the faculty members? Do we invite them as well along with their spouses? We will not be charging them of course, will we? For those who stayed in Iligan and adopted it as their home, there won't be any problem. But for those out of towners, will the association shoulder their travel expenses?

I understand that this event is also a good opportunity to give awards to most outstanding and deserving alumni in the various fields of endeavors. I am all for it. And my friend Vy Beng Hong heads the award committee. My unsolicited advice to him would be to limit the awards to just a handful so as not to cheapen the honor. This is a very difficult job for the committee. With human egos, you can't expect to satisfy everyone. There will always be critics no matter what you do. It will never be an easy task as we have so many outstanding alumni.

I hereby submit these points of clarification for the next meeting of the Reunion committee.

The theme of the Grand Reunion is: "Onward with LCHS in a New Millennium: The Beat Goes On!" The sub-theme, announced earlier, has been deleted. The schedule of the 1st LCHS Alumni Grand Reunion is officially set on Aug. 3 to 5, 2000 (Thursday to Saturday). Sunday has been declared a free day for homecoming alumni to spend time with their family and for individual batch sub-reunions. The published batch lists starting with 1956 are based on existing school records. Earlier batches dating back from 1938 to 1955 are still undergoing reconstruction. All alumni from 1938 to the present will be recognized and welcome. Non-alumni spouses and children are free to attend certain appropriate functions. These functions and terms of access to these functions are yet to be finalized.  However, kits will be limited only to those who have registered. Name tags are a must in all events. Ex-faculty members will be invited but accommodation will be on their own account. Only ten award categories for outstanding alumni are being proposed. These will be finalized soon so that nominations can commence. --Johnny Chen, Chairman, Reunion Secretariat.

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

"How I'd like to look into that little book, the one
that has the lock and key, and know the boy that you
care for, the boy who's in your diary..."

My 13-year old Merriam Webster dictionary defines a diary as "a record of personal experiences and observations; a book for keeping such private notes and records."

I myself have kept a birthday diary wherein the "how and where" I celebrate it is recorded. It all started in 1967 when I celebrated my 15th birthday with classmates and friends held in our residence located at #63 Washington St. (now 26-A Aguinaldo St.) with a gastronomic dinner and matching jam session to the tunes of "Black is Black", "The Jokers Went Wild", "Diamond Ring" and other hits of the era. It was a prelude to Summer of 1967 when we had just finished our Second Year High under Miss Teresita Maulas as our class adviser. Since then I have kept up with the recordings till the present time. That's all of thirty-two years!

It has become my habit to read again this birthday diary a day or two before each birthday - this so-called "Remembering the Birthdays in My Life" - and each time I do, memories of the bygone days come into full view making me feel like the cute little boy again, the way I used to be. Some I could vividly imagine, while others, because of the passage of time, are now seemingly blurred. Recorded in that diary are: the "how and where" I celebrated my birthday, the attire I wore, the people who greeted me, the gifts I received, the top tunes of the era, etc. Looking back, I'm glad I did keep a record of all these happenings. All the while, I knew I'd be needing these in my sunset years while I recall the bygone days of my young life. And I was awfully right! As we grow older each year, we can no longer fully trust our memory. The aging process eventually catches up with us thru the years. That's why we need a guide to help us bring back past events, recapturing the once-upon-a-time episodes in our life.

So now you know why I sound so precise with the dates and events in my write-ups for this column. Nothing really beats the fun and sentimentalism of keeping records of those memorable events. All these inside the pages of my diary. And I intend to continue this habit for as long as I live, for as long as there are birthdays to celebrate. With a song in my heart, I'll forever sing the tunes and remember the events that occurred in my life, along with the people I was with, the scenarios of Iligan during my heydays, the caring and loving from those who have once upon a time been a part of my dear life. All these being recorded thereby making me feel young once again, no matter if it is just within a wink of an eye in an ephemeal afterglow. And if only for these, I can fully say that I had indeed wonderful childhood memories spent in our beloved Iligan - my hometown, the place of my birth, and LCHS - the place where I had my formative years, my Golden Gate to what I have become today. Forever, Iligan will occupy a soft spot in my heart. It was my kind of city in my growing up years, a city filled with so many beautiful memories of a young life that was mine. I left my heart in Iligan City (Now, sing it to the tune of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco").

See you come year 2000 for our Grand Reunion. Indeed, "Onward with LCHS to the new millennium: The Beat Goes On!" Aren't you proud you're a product of LCHS? I was. I am. And I will always be...

Has life really been better for the Chinese-Filipino women of this generation? Yes, the women and daughters of today get equal quality of education, equal chance of going to other places, equal treatment in almost everything. Please take note of the word "almost" because our young ladies today still do not enjoy equal treatment when it comes to their choice of marriage. I have lots of classmates and friends who are in their twenties, the marrying age now. They are in a dilemma. For one, they dread being "left by the train," so to speak. Yet, Mr. Right is still no where in sight.

We were brought up to think that Mr. Right should be a Chinese descendant, someone with a Chinese surname. He may or may not speak the language as long as in his veins a tinge of Chinese blood still flows. Some of my friends have Pinoy suitors but they are afraid to come out in the open; afraid that their families will be put to shame. How could this be? There are many Tsinoy men in the community who married Filipinas and yet they still get the same treatment in our society. But when the tables are turned and one of our women gets married to a Filipino, she somehow ends up being ostracized.

Being in a small place like Iligan, the choices one woman has are limited. To make matters worse, the men we know, like our classmates and schoolmates, choose to marry Filipino women. So what do our Tsinoy women end up with?  They are left with two choices: one, they marry a Filipino, and suffer the wrath that goes with it, or two, they could just stay single forever. Those with braver souls would opt for the former while the majority would opt for the latter. The "braver" ones are those that can withstand the criticisms, the discriminations, and the "tsismis."

Those who opt to stay single think that they have been spared the ugly treatment. They are wrong. People in our community would still speculate as to why this person was not able to find herself a husband. Is there something wrong with her?

It seems that living in a small community gives everyone the license to meddle into other people's lives. When does it all end? It seems that when a girl marries a Filipino almost everybody expects their marriage to crumble. Then they would play smart aleck and say "I-told-you-so!" But is marrying a Tsinoy an assurance of a smooth, peaceful, and successful life? Does marrying a Pinoy automatically consign one's life to hell?  All I know is that everyone deserves to be happy. We only live once. Life is too short. Every girl dreams of that day when she could wear a beautiful white gown and march down the aisle towards the altar and live happily ever after. Who are we to hinder it?  Who are we to judge them?

This dilemma has plagued the generations before us and will continue to do so to the generations that will come after us. Is there something we could do? Can we save the young girls of today from tomorrow's dilemma?