Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School Vol. 3, No. 4, May 17, 1999, Iligan City, Philippines 1 more school building for Iligan Iligan City will receive a two-classroom school building worth P300,000 donated by the Chinese Filipino Business Club (CFBC) of Manila. Councilor Henry Dy received the check from George Lee, CFBC vice president, in Manila (see accompanying photo). Previously, the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce also donated school buildings to Iligan’s different barangays. Henry Dy himself has donated four school buildings out of his salary as city councilor. Henry said there will be motorcycles and fire trucks from Taiwan that will be donated to Iligan soon. Henry C. Dy (center) receives the check donation from officials of the Chinese Filipino Business Club in Manila.

EDITORIAL STAFF Charles O. Sy, Editor Henry L. Yu, Associate Editor Correspondents: Iligan - Johnny Chen, Alfred Lai II, Teresita Racines & Vinson Ngo. Cebu - Igdono Caracho. Metro Manila - Marie Janiefer Lee. Canada - Peter Dy & Mikee Lee. Australia - Leonardo Tann. U.S.A. - Ernesto Yu, Alex Rodriguez, & Aurora Tansiokhian Founded Aug. 1, 1968. Published fortnightly 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: 63 WEEKS before Grand Reunion

The Grand Reunion web page is now available on the Internet. The page features information about the 1st LCHS Alumni Homecoming & Grand Reunion scheduled on Aug. 3-5, 2000. It offers a glimpse of the festivities in store for the grand reunion. It also contains a list of the different committees working for the grand reunion. More info and announcements will be posted thereat as more data are released by the Reunion Secretariat from time to time. The page is accessible on the LCHS alumni home page, under "New," at this web site: http://www.iligan.com/~lchs/alumni

Yu off to Thailand as debate judge
By Vinson Ngo (Batch '83)

Rodolfo Yu (Batch '69) went to Bangkok, Thailand last May 10 to act as adjudicator in a series of debates among universities. Yu, an English professor at the MSU-IIT, is the man behind the annual debate festival at LCHS. He is the incumbent chairman of the LCHS-AA education committee. He founded the MSU-IIT Noble Debating Society (MINDS). In 1997, he led the MSU-IIT debating team to Singapore where its debaters competed with teams from other Asian universities.

Alumni daughter graduates with honors
By Dominic Siao (Batch '85)

Charmaine "Mimi" Go, eldest daughter of Teresita "Mei Mei" Siao-Go (Batch '66), will receive her Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with honors and History, at the commencement exercises of the University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A., on May 21, 1999. Tessie and her husband Charles, together with Mimi and Cheryl, immigrated to San Diego, California, when the kids were still very young. The daughters are typical Asian high achievers, consistently garnering honors in their classes from grade school onwards, and very active in school activities. Mimi was swamped with job offers since last year, and has decided to join Arthur Andersen, a prestigious financial services company. Tessie and Charles have a son, Christopher, born in the United States, who is also doing well in his studies. He is tall like his dad. He is aspiring to become a basketball star, and maybe join the NBA as a player.

What Christian faith can do
Sat, 1 May 1999 21:19:04 -0700

I'm not a religious fanatic. I'm a believer. I encountered and accepted Jesus in my heart ten years ago when my marital turmoil shut down, and my daughter just turned a year old. For many years, Jesus was gently knocking on my door, but I didn't hear Him because of too much commotion going on. As one door was closed, another door opened up, and I received the most precious gift no money can buy - the love and faith of Jesus Christ. With His strength, I survived every trial and tribulation in life that came along and went by. It helped me to grow up and mature. It nourished my faith and personal relationship with Christ. With Him, I accomplished my dreams that once seemed so impossible to reach. In Him, I found my lost self. I learned and am still learning to appreciate "who I am" and "what I am." Since my childhood and for many years I suffered from inferiority complex due to physical defects, and to finally be able to see what's good about "me" and keep on working towards self-improvement -oh, boy! it's such a wonderful feeling! There's a choice in life and that's entirely up to you - to accept yourself as God's creation, love yourself and be happy or to hate yourself for what you are and be miserable for the rest of your life here on Earth! The journey isn't over yet, but now I feel safe with Jesus as my companion. God bless! --Evelyn Yu-Go, R.N. (Batch '77), San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A., ejyugo@express-news.net

A proposal for recognition of alumni achievers
By Roderick L. Ngo (Batch '70)

First of all, I wish to congratulate Vy Beng Hong on his daughter Sally Vy's selection as a Globe Telecom awardee for 1999. Likewise on his appointment as chairman of the Committee on Awards for our Grand Reunion.

As an LCHS alumnus, I suggest that, instead of awarding ten most outstanding alumni, we give recognition to as many alumni as possible. Let's recognize all ordinary alumni with extraordinary achievements. To award only ten outstanding alumni in so many conceivable fields of endeavor, covering a span of 62 years from 1938 to 2000, is an awesome task. Why limit the awards to only ten? Every alumnus has in some way made his own mark of achievement in life. Others have their moments of heroism, a stint in public service, or an object of invention. To limit the award to only ten individuals is to discriminate against many others who may prove to be as equally deserving of our recognition or respect.

Why don't we simplify the process? I propose that nomination forms be distributed in which our alumni will name those alumni who have done something exemplary in whatever capacity. Description of the achievement will be in the form of a caption not exceeding 20 words. The job of the committee will be made simpler. It will only receive nominations, verify the facts, and gather the photos. Verification is much easier than judging. All nominees may then be presented in a roster of alumni achievers, which we may call "A Glossary of Individual Achievements of LCHS Alumni Through the Years." The list will be presented on a big screen by means of slide presentation or Powerpoint audiovisual software which can be easily set up for the grand reunion ball.

This way, we free the awards committee of the intricate job of having to select only ten among hundreds of deserving alumni. This way, we make the recognition process less contrived and less controversial. This way, my friend Vy Beng Hong won't have to endure many sleepless nights.

The suggestion of Roderick Ngo is hereby duly noted. The LCHS-AA Board of Directors, in its May 13 regular meeting, took up the suggestion in its deliberations under "other matters" of the reunion agenda. Unfortunately Vy Beng Hong, chairman of the Awards Committee, was not available at the meeting. Thus, the Board will convey Roderick's suggestion to the Awards Committee chair for further discussion in the next board meeting. -- Johnny Tamala Chen, Chairman, Reunion Secretariat.

The following batch listing is supplied by the Reunion Steering Committee based on available school records and other individual resources. If you notice any names missing, please bring them to the attention of the Steering Committee or the Spectrum.

BATCH 1966:  Salvador Booc; Igdono Caracho; Lilia Chin; Ernesto Chiu; Lina Chiu; Janne Co; Robert Co; Peter Dy; Deborah Debalucos; Nicomedes Debalucos; Josephine Jane Go; Khu Chai Tin; Ruben Lee; Bienvenido Lim; Elena Lim; Lolita Lim; Suniel Lim; Wilson Lim; Aurora Ong; Miguel Ong; Gloricita Racines; Lolicita Samson; Marcelino Siao; Sergio Siao; Teresita Siao; James So; Rudolfo Suy; Robert Sy; Corazon Tan; Leonardo Tan; Pablito Tan; Ricarda Tan; Florfina Teh; Teh Yu Siong; Juanito Tiu; Virginia Wong; Vy Siu Tin; Emma Yap; Johnson Yap; and Perla Yu.

BATCH 1967:  Joselyn Ang; Ramon Balian; Aldo Caracho; Rudy Co; Dionesio Chiu; Aida Chou; Abraham Edusma; Jose Sam Go; Melania Handumon; Elsa Lagrosas; Rosalinda Kaw Hoc; Lily Lueong; Carlos Ong; Lilia Lua; Lolita Lua; Virginia Ngo; Susan Ong; Teresita Racines; Charles Sy; Marcy Sy; Fena Choa Tan; Florentina Tan; Lucio Choa Tan; Josefina Tiu; Manuel Tee Tiu; Alberto Yu; and Lalita Uy.  (To be continued)

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

A physiologic facet of life: Reaction time mirrors age in years; the more you tilt toward the ancient subgroup, the more moribund is your mental interaction. Plainly, the elasticity of one's memory muscle parallels the intimacy it treasures with the dreadful noun "extinction." In layman lingo, greying brain waves always ripple in slow motion. Thus, with the Spectrum sporting out a new biweekly facelift and with my recent extinguishing of fifty birthday candles (a torch would have conveyed identical symbolism at a lower pocket cost!), my response rate to pressing issues and touching sob stories that graced the latest menu of the Spectrum is seemingly sluggish, along the likes of turtles in siesta hour. Nonetheless, here's my belated seizure of anxiety to Marie Janiefer Lee's eye-popping lament on the crucifying double standard lashed on Chinese maidens when hunting for male genes to star in their sappy romantic dramas.

I might as well load up on my habitual brand of sleeping pills because my thrusting around the bed is not propelling my limp anatomy anywhere close to dreamland. MJL's all-five-senses assault that echoes the woeful flight of her fertile comrades relentlessly twirls my psyche; I wilt under the strain of her waterlogged despair. How can a pathetic "taboo" on mixed marriages during the dinosaur era be as hot a wire as at the present time when racial integration and cultural assimilation have long been buzzwords? When brown and yellow are tints in the color chart with no distinct dissimilarities when pooled for everlasting union? When even the lowest form of animals have basic freedom, as rightful inhabitants, to mop the bounties of the planet? I factored in my decades - 24 years to be exact - of being contaminated with and brainwashed in a looser Western society where there are, generally, lighter constricting pressures when a lady is aggressively scouting for her lifetime half of the puzzle to utmost happiness. Where nuptial ceremony is not a question of what breed of partner is he, but a parental wish that their princess ultimately bumped into the ideal Mr. Right. Sadly, I still spin around the same one-word ache, "why?" Why on earth torment love if it doesn't harmonize to the old familiar tune? Why should it be a cause of judgment when a "radical non-conformist" deviates from the traditional codes of behavior and be targeted with a sarcastic barrage of "I told you so" when the marital bond leaves a nauseating aftertaste later? Granted there are no leeways and flexible ifs and buts to this ethnic standard, why not gag and roast everyone, man and woman alike, under the same flaming tent? I abhor pointing out rather acidly this irrational injustice and be tagged as the devil's advocate. However, every XX-chromosome holder should scream foul when flagged with such prejudice and discrimination. Though parents have the liberty to counsel their beloved baby dolls on critical matters that crop up along the way (wedding bells especially), dad and mom have also the major obligation to lean an ear and transcribe in mature understanding their prized daughter’s foray into heavenly bliss, be it along the grain or against mainstream, outmoded remnant of the Stone Age, politics of emotion. The harsh truth: Eventually, the decision has to stage the too-familiar theatrical deathbed scenario where at the finale of a fainting heart, she gasped, "Whose life is it anyway?"

Incidentally, Dominic, our sheltered 23-yr. old surname-carrier, called up last week to broadcast that he has been dating an angelic lass whose sparkling blue eyes never fail to massage his sensibilities, whose humanness is as alluring as a passionate dream, and whose towering 5'10 frame made him regret snubbing, as a kid, the prescribed growth hormone trials. "Son," I quipped, "if she is a keeper, good luck. She can be the golden goose in your fertility rite who can purify your race!" I delivered this news, frame by frame, to his mother. Verna reflexly twitched a litany on faith, stroked a hurried sign of the cross and begged for a dose of my favorite sedative. And I, antsy on the mattress, watch each ticking rotation of the clock's second hand till it mellowed me down in hypnotic trance.

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

When I first arrived here in Sydney some years ago, I heard this story about a man who was told by the authorities to remove the big sign in front of his house. The reason was his house was situated in a private zone and he was not allowed to advertise his profession as a chiropractor. A few weeks passed and after consulting a lawyer, the man put up another sign in front of the same house. The sign was almost the same except this time he added the prefix MR. Or simply MR. CHIROPRACTOR. Again the authorities came and demanded that the sign should be taken down. This time the man produced some documents which showed that he had changed his surname to CHIROPRACTOR legally and he was entitled to announce that he lived there. He won and the sign stayed.

This reminded me of a sign and lettering shop in front of our old house in Ilaya back in Iligan. The shop had a big sign hanging across its 5-meter frontage. What was interesting was its slogan beneath it. It says "A business Without Sign Is A Sign Of No Business." It was very appropriate and I was very impressed at how a few words being rearranged could become quite an interesting slogan. Remember that slogan from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes? "A Winner Never Quits And A Quitter Never Wins." An investment company here in Australia is inviting people to invest in share markets. Their catch phrase is "You Don't Have To Be Wealthy To Invest, But You Have To Invest To Become Wealthy." Sounds wonderful.

What about the most misunderstood fraternity in the world, the FREEMASONRY? Very often we are taught that they are "Not A Secret Society, But A Society With Secrets." As a Freemason myself, I find this as very true but too difficult to be understood by outsiders. It seems that a sinister meaning is behind it. Usually, I explained it this way: I am not secretly married to my wife but my wife and I have many secrets. Are you now convinced?

The other day, I went shopping and discovered this poster just behind the cash register of one of the shops. It says "The Bitterness Of Low Quality Remains Long After The Sweetness Of Cheap Price Is Gone." Which is very true!

I asked an office receptionist once to explain to me the meaning of the little sign on her table which says "When The Truth Is Ugly, A Lie Could Be Beautiful." She instead gave me an example such as a telephone call for the boss and he is in the toilet. She won't tell the person on the other line the truth but instead say the boss is in the meeting. Fair enough.

I will always remember this sign which amused me very much as I unzipped myself. It simply says "Come Closer, It Is Not Long Enough." For the first time, I laughed aloud as I relieved myself.

By Aurora H. Tansiokhian, M.D., Batch '58

Marie Janiefer’s courageous article on the plight of women of Chinese parentage in Iligan City highlights a culture that has caused a lot of unhappiness and alienation in families. I commend her for bringing it into print. When it is written, it is harder to deny that it exists. I would like to congratulate Fe (Guat Ching) Dy Quimbo for raising such a daughter.

Why is it more acceptable to the Chinese Filipino community for their sons to marry persons of other ethnic groups than for their daughters to do the same?  Is not this behavior an atavism, that is to say, like the human appendix, still present in the system, but of little or no utility, but may even cause illness?

1.  We are all products of our history and environment.  No other people in the world have such an ancient origin coupled with a continuous history reaching into the present. Immigrant communities tend to develop a culture, to maintain tradition and to adapt to their new environment.

2. The family is protective of the daughters. Throughout history, the Chinese have assimilated other peoples. When a Chinese male marries a Filipina, she customarily takes his surname. Thus, it seems, he is assimilating her into Chinese culture. The reverse is believed to be true when a Chinese woman marries a Filipino. Her children will have non-Chinese surnames, symbolizing her assimilation into Filipino culture. It would be well to remember that the Chinese have been known to refer to foreigners and members of other races as barbarians and savages, suggesting a conviction of racial and cultural superiority. A daughter is supposed to “marry up” and the son to “marry down” as in the villages of old China.

3. The traditional Chinese society is a patriarchy.  At least to the appearance of others, men have the power, and therefore have greater latitude for behavior that is considered acceptable. Without risk of severe sanction, the male can marry a female regardless of her ethnicity and can even have extramarital affairs. It is more problematic for the female (sexual asymmetry).  To allow the woman the same freedom (symmetry), would be to diminish the power of the male.

 We should retain the good in our culture, discard the hurtful, and change with the times.

The change should start in the home. Prejudice is learned.

Women should strive for economic independence. Money is an equalizer.

It is not easy to do but ignore gossip. Nobody can live your life for you.  Form a support group.

It is never too late. “Custom is the guide of the ignorant.”  --English proverb

Welcome to the Spectrum staff, Marie Janiefer and Vinson!

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

"The boat rides we would take, the moonlight on the lake,
the way we danced and hummed our favorite song,
the things we did last summer, I'll remember all winter long ..."

Summer is that time of the year when we too somehow slow down with life's routine. It's that time when family plans for a summer holiday, an overnight stay at the beach, or enrolling the kids for special classes (ballet, swimming, speech, piano, etc.). As parents, we likewise enjoy the summer days despite the scorching heat of the sun which, for this year, is quite unusual as it rains intermittently. It gives us ample time to take breakfast leisurely with the kids, stay up late watching TV, spending more time with the kids without the hurried paces of life and living. We see in the faces of our kids the reflection of ourselves in our desire to have fun, fun and more fun, when our very own summers meant waking up late in the morning, flying kites, fishing, biking, mountain climbing, swimming in Timoga or Saray, or went on a trip to Cebu, Manila, or Baguio. We were young then and all that mattered to us was where and what to do during the off-school season. Oh, just how we adored summer and the seemingly endless fun that went along with it!

Part of the things we did last summer were dreaming dreams - those midsummer night's dreams amidst a summer place backed up by the summer rain. Once upon a time, we did dream of becoming a millionaire, either out of the family business empires or a winning streak from the raffles perhaps, being president of our professional group, being a lawyer, doctor, nurse, a bakeshop owner, a hotel and restaurant manager, etc. Truly, yesterday's LCHS students are today's professionals of the world, with some of our dreams becoming a reality or just left in the can as plain dreams.

Who would ever think that the once frail-looking classmate would become a millionaire at 35, that the once shy girl in our class is now president of a multinational company, that the stummering and nervous classmate is now a university professor, or the boy next door would marry the girl next door? We will never be Superman or Darna, but deep in us, we have more or less become like them - powerful, sturdy, and strong through the years, able to surmount whatever problems that come our way. A sign of maturity and wisdom. Well, we cannot be forty something for nothing!

A lot of songs have been composed about dreams. There's "I'll Dream of You", "The Impossible Dream", "The Things We Did Last Summer", "A Summer Place", "California Dreamin'", etc. When we were kids, we used to dream a lot, not knowing that someday such dreams would either make or break us. In all these, we never dreamed of a miserable life, did we? One thing is sure: For as long as we live, we will always be dreaming, it being part of life, of being alive, of being paradoxically young forever.

Summer will soon be gone, but not our dreams and the memories of the good and wonderful life that we used to have, that we're having, and will be having for as long as we live. For as long as there are rainbows, the chirpings of the birds, blue skies, songs to sing, people to love, and a lot of beautiful things to do in a lifetime.

For those who are not residents of Metro Manila, this would be the first thing you'd say "color-what?" with matching wide eyes.

"Color-coding" is a traffic-volume-reduction scheme covering all areas in Metro Manila. This was initiated in the hope of somehow reducing the volume of vehicles on the road each day. But this has nothing to do with any colors nor with any codes. Here is how it works: Each day of the week, certain cars are not allowed to ply the streets between 7 a.m. up to 7 p.m. Like Mondays, all plate numbers ending in 1 & 2, then on Tuesdays it's 3 & 4, on Wednesdays it's 5 & 6, on Thursdays it's 7 & 8, on Fridays it's 9 & 0. Then on Saturdays, it's different, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. banned from the roads are all vehicles with plate numbers that end with an odd number, and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. all vehicles with even-ending plate numbers.

I am sure with all the figures above you're all dizzy by now. Well, I am, too, but not with the numbers, but in trying to figure out why they call this scheme "color-coding."

If you have been to Manila recently, the traffic situation is still the same. It would take 10, 30 or more minutes before a vehicle could move an inch, especially during rush hours. It is during this "stalled" moments that you can't help but notice the occupants of the vehicles around. Most of the time with lady-drivers, they make good use of this time to put on their "mask" or their make-up for work before taking their curlers off at the next stop. Then there are kids who are having their meals. There are men who are reading the "dailies" as in tabloid. There are MIT's or men-in-ties who are talking animatedly with someone through their mobile phones. And there are some who are grabbing these precious moments to take some needed rest.

It is only after being bombarded by this same scene day in and day out that I realized why they call this scheme "color-coding." With the length of time one spends in a car, you would have a glimpse of different people from different walks of life, thus giving different "colors" to your day. So the next time you're in town and you're caught in the middle a monstrous traffic jam, don't blow your top. Just relax and enjoy the "colors!"