Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School Vol. 4, No. 7, July 10, 2000, Iligan City, Philippines GAH UPDATE GAH registration now 141 By Teresita Racines (Batch '67) Registrations for the Grand Alumni Homecoming (GAH) continue to pick up as the grand affair approaches.  The new registrants are: Felicitas Lee Asam; Merlyn Tan Yap; Constantino Sy; Glenda Siao Lim; Jane Dy Wang; Amelia Sy; Alfredo Uy; Alfredo "Chu Tek" Sy; Rosie Siao Sy; Nelson Uy; Felipe Lim; Henry L. Yu; Bebencio Palang; Ike Saturnino Gaite; Terence Sebastian Gaite; Edwin Co; Robert Co; William Dy; Jone Raye Racines; and Gloria Lagrosas Yu.  Total number of registered alumni is 141, as of July 4, 2000. New LCHS-SG officers sworn in By Jane Dale C. Racines (HS 4th Year, LCHS) The new officers of the LCHS Student Government (for school year 2000-2001) were inducted into office last July 3.  The new officers are Jeremy Ling (4th year), president; Sheila Vy (4th year), internal vp; Raffy Earl Tan (2nd year), external vp; Heather Chua (3rd year), secretary; Bryan Cynric Dy (3rd year), treasurer; and Jan Michael Cerna (3rd year), auditor. The SG adviser is Beverly Romano.

EDITORIAL STAFF Charles O. Sy, Editor Henry L. Yu, Associate Editor Correspondents: Iligan - Johnny Chen, Teresita Racines, Vinson Ngo, & Roger Suminguit. Cebu - Igdono Caracho. Metro Manila - Marie Janiefer Lee. Canada - Peter Dy & Mike Lee. Australia - Leonardo Tan. U.S.A. - Ernesto Yu, Alex Rodriguez, Aurora Tansiokhian, & Alfred Lai II. Founded Aug. 1, 1968. Published fortnightly since its revival on April 15, 1997. Distributed free on the Internet to LCHS alumni 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. Email: johnchen@iligan.com For submission of manuscripts, Email: charlesy@cnms.net 24 DAYS To GAH

The GAH souvenir program, now in the process of printing, may yet be a collector's item for all LCHS alumni. It will form part of the kit to be distributed to registered alumni at the Grand Alumni Homecoming on Aug. 3-5, 2000.  The souvenir program is rich in contents, with hardbound covers and 180 glossy inside pages. Among its contents are photos of LCHS-AA officers and past presidents; lists of LCHS-AA and GAH committees; photos of the GAH committee members at work; GAH general program of activities; history of LCHS written by Fe Quimbo; and articles by notable alumni writers. Another section features class pictures and listing of alumni by batches. Another attraction is a 24-page pictorial showcase featuring rare vintage photos of LCHS dating as far back as 1938, including pictures of LCHS students in various campus activities in the good old days. Accompanying thumbnail photo shows the cover design of the souvenir program.

Alumni son graduates from Ateneo with honors

Another alumni son recently made high marks in the academe.  Sheyne Rodriguez, 20-year old son of Eddie Rodriguez (Batch '61) and Milagros Ma Rodriguez, graduated last March from the Ateneo de Manila University with honors.  He is the only student from outside Luzon to have graduated with honors in the course of Management Engineering this year.  Sheyne's younger sister Shand, 18 years old, is also a student at the Ateneo de Manila, taking up B.S. Management. Both Sheyne and Shand finished high school at the Cebu National Science High School.

Alumni updates

"Tracers" recently scooped up some more fresh updates on alumni whereabouts. Franklin "Bobo" Siao (Batch '62) has been appointed by the Interim Receivership Committee of the Securities & Exchange Commission as NSC Iligan Plant General Manager. San Mondarte (Batch '68) is now connected with the purchasing department of the piggery business of Benjonhson Siao.  Another alumnus in the purchasing career is Lee Using (Batch '69), who is now with Pilmico Foods Corp. in Kiwalan.  Using is married to Lorna Lee, with whom he has 3 children. Elder brother Lee Kee Sing (Batch '68) is with the sales department of Discovery Lights.  Kee Sing is married to Ester Seraña, of Siquijor, with whom he has 3 children. Eldest son Charlie Lee (Batch '94), 22 years old, is a computer technician at Microhouse.  Second son Stephen Lee (Batch '95) is taking up refrigeration course at the National Manpower & Youth Center. And the youngest, Alvin Lee, is a second year Commerce student at the St. Michael's College.  Kee Sing's elder sister, Carmen Lee-Tan (Batch '65) now resides in Manila.  Two of her 5 children are engineers.  Eldest son, Carlo, is a chemical engineer, and the second son, Harold, is an electrical engineer.  Currently pursuing a successful career as a top-rate traveling salesman of various industrial products is Eddie Rodriguez (Batch '61).  As area supervisor for Visayas & Mindanao of Technoresins Industrial, Inc., Eddie travels a great deal to supervise sales in such places as Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Valencia, Pagadian, Ozamis, Oroquieta, Dipolog, Zamboanga, Tagbilaran, Iloilo, and Bacolod.  Eddie is also a dedicated member of the Freemasons.  He was Worshipful Master of the Cebu Lodge No. 128 F & AM in 1997.  He soon went up the ladder to become Venerable Master of the Cebu Bodies of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rites from 1996 to 1999. Currently making a name for herself in Cebu as a dentist is Dr. Grace Bernardo, daughter of alumna Tina Bernardo Ong.  Grace's dental clinic is located at the Coco Mall along Osmeña Blvd. in Cebu, where the number of patients queuing up for their appointment is increasing day after day.

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

Oftentimes, I can sense my heart pulsates in a breezy rhythm of giggles and smile whenever the thought of you waltzes into my field of dreams. Of course, I have long been a seasoned dreamer. Dreaming is the second-best route to snatch you away instantly from the distant moon. I have refined the technique to an endpoint where just by gazing at the evening skies, I can filter out your trademark glow from the rest of the twinkling sparkles that dot around that shapely round planet above. The emotional resonance is like hurling a flat stone into a calm pond and grinding rainbows out of its rippling splashes. Almost synonymous to paging an aging diva from my century, Barbara Streisand, to dilute the atmospheric mix with soothing vocal chops that echo the muffled dictates in my heart: If I never met you / If I never saw your face / The world would be a colder place, I bet / If we never met.

How about during dim times when this orbiting candle in the dark is too timid to light up the heavens? Hmmm, I backpedal into the ethereal charm of previous summers and bag the wonders of you from there. Practically. Honest. Always.

It crosses beyond the borders of rational comprehension how the advent of our Grand Alumni Homecoming energizes my dwindling memory jewels to inhale a renewed brand of oxygen, especially at a pathetic stage in my life where my brain has been tagged as "cool" (kuli-kuli!). To proclaim in minimal waste of syllables, I cheer each new morning as the silly sweetness of the moldy past recycles with a lame attempt on my part. Perhaps being tendered a fulfilled wish to have a ball at peeking into the historical echoes of my wonder years at LCHS campgrounds, I can savor the needed intermission to my constant nightly passion of reaching out for all the blinking stars that wrap meanings to my meaningless snores. Maybe it is a knee-jerk reaction to acknowledge that, as I inch closer to mortality, the masked desire to go for a joy pop and romanticize yesterdays' jolly walks in LCHS park directs my nostalgic eyes to the graveyard of faded splendor. Or, the effort to drift by wornout clouds makes sense now that I'm handed the opportune break to sneak back into an era where happiness was as pristine as my favorite recurring dreams.

Regrettably, as of 7:30 PM, July 2, I'm still debating with my conscience whether to suit up in my best party outfit for the reunion march or just be numb on the sideline to all the promised festivities. The sporadic toxic press releases of Mindanao's peace and order decay seem to conspire with the caustic contaminants in the Buffalo air that I breathe, infusing a mood swing where I feel being choked in one instance and euphoric in another.

Whatever the gods above and my horoscope sign have designed at this particular crossroad in my life, I'd gladly slide along the grains. If we get the anticipated bliss of whispering to each other's ears the language that we learned to dangle in our eyes, dub that as super fate. On the other hand, if all these jabbings in the dark of mine are mere exercises in disappointment and frustration, I'd be back to square one: humming the pain of a missed opportunity to shower you with gratitude for being pleasant souvenirs in my memory box. Indeed, every moment that I free up my senses from this aimless tunnel of thwarted yearnings, I can only visualize the what-could-have-beens and sigh at the what-ifs. Nonetheless, nothing can stop me from dreaming about being there with you all.

With dreams, I can fly without wings.

By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

Just Come as You Are

The grand homecoming is just a stone's throw away.
And it's about time to count each day,
As just a few more nights to the big day.

Let me just say a few words to our pals
Who'll be coming in from all poles,
That we'll really have a ball
If you come and join us all.

You may have lost some tufts.
Or may have gained some stuffs.
But still come as you are
And don't let the issues bar.

We have not seen each other for ages.
But I'm sure it'll still be the same images.
So come let's build new bridges.

We were together growing up.
So I wonder what's up.
Come home and we'll catch up.

We shall revisit our roots,
From where we set foot.
It's time to take another look
At our childhood nook.

Whether you're still making up your mind.
Or you're already mine.
I'm sure it'll all be fine.
So come and let's have a great time.

Coz if you'll miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance,
Then you'll live the rest of your life with a constant glance
At how you should just have pursued your stance
To come and see me dance.

If you missed those three august nights,
Then you won't witness the twinkling lights
And those glorious sights,
That would be there in all their might.

So grab your bags
And don't mind those rags.
Together we shall brag
At how LCHS has made us smug.

Whether you're from near or far,
Come and let's see again the star
That we've missed from afar.

See you all there.
And please be a dear.
Join us in the cheer
And let’s reminisce those wonder years.

For Old Time's Sake

We often revisit our past, especially the days of our youth at our school of LCHS.
There are now so many happy scenes flashing back into this old man's memories.
About an old campus that has long been erased from our Iligan City's landscape.
Yet old friends and classmates are still around and into oblivion dare not escape.

And now I am looking back from this vantage point of my quite golden autumn,
I longed for the many beautiful summers I thought I would never abandoned.
And always those were the lovely days when I was young and I was at school.
A campus surrounded by tall pine trees and green grass which kept it cool.

There were the twin basketball courts at the center where we played when free.
With all the school buildings all around them plus a giant haunted mango tree.
Yet the place is all gone and just a small and faint segment of my memorable past.
It is our former classmates and old friends that really matter and meet we must.

Alas, the very first week of this year's month of August is becoming very exciting,
As the historic 3 days for all LCHSians on its first ever Grand Alumni Homecoming.
A once in a lifetime chance for all of us to meet once again in real flesh and blood.
What a golden opportunity for everyone of us to be together and be happy and glad!

Like the swallow that travels halfway around the globe yet return to its birth place.
All LCHSians should take this unique occasion to meet each other face to face.
For us humans, we ask ourselves - what is life without the sweet old memories?
It is as if we didn't have a life at all, as if we've wasted on some plotless stories.

Blessed are those officers and people who made this possible our return journey.
To the memories of the past, to the days of my youth for which I now only envy.
Those are the things that only survive within the precious minds of this old friend.
We shall then reminisce and share them as flashbacks of stories without an end.

There were times I really wondered where are you now and how are you doing?
I'd like to meet your spouse and how is your family? Things I keep on guessing.
That's why let us all make it to the Grand Alumni Homecoming this August 3-5.
This rare opportunity may not come back again, so let us all meet, let us all strive.

Remember our reunion dates, 3 very special days of August this millennium year.
For you are all still very much part of my life and still remain to me so very dear.
As we know not when nor where nor how shall our path in the future may take.
Once again, let us kiss and hug each other after so many years for old time's sake.

It's twenty three days to August 3, a red letter day for all LCHS alumni scattered all over the world. By then, a red carpet welcome will be accorded those of us who will be coming home to celebrate the Grand Alumni Homecoming, the first ever in the history of Lanao Chinese High School since its founding sixty-two years ago, in l938, at a time when our country was on the verge of an eminent danger and devastation of World War II. Since then, LCHS has produced hundreds of graduates year in and year out who has etched an indelible mark in the fields of medicine, nursing, law, education, architecture, engineering, business, trade, and industry.

Once upon a time, you and I had our SEASONS IN THE SUN when we were students under the sheltering roof of LCHS in the tutelage of our mentors, in our khaki pants and white polo, or the blue skirt and white blouse. We have traveled life's many journeys thru time, space, and distance. Together, "we had joy, we had fun, we had SEASONS IN THE SUN" as Westlife would sing in today's era of text messaging, cyberspace, cell phone, remote control, digitals, fonkard, caller IDs, gigantic malls, flyovers, sky high buildings, etc.

With a certain kind of high and excitement, we look forward to another SEASON IN THE SUN come August 3-5, 2000, when we will all be coming home to Iligan. Together we will be reminiscing the glorious era of the jukebox, 45 rpm records, RCA hi-fi stereo, the Beatles, fishnet, jackshirt,  etc., when the world was then simpler, more peaceful, and less polluted of trash and dust. We shall be seeing each other again in the city of our birth, where the memories of our dreams and piles of other memorabilia are stocked, along with the beautiful memories of "those school girl days of telling tales and biting nails," of thanking "someone who has taken us from crayons to perfume," and remembering "a friend who taught us right from wrong, and weak from strong."

We were yesterday's kids and today's professionals all because of one school known as Lanao Chinese High School in a city called Iligan. Together, we will be paying tribute to our alma mater, our mentors, classmates, schoolmates, friends, and all the significant others who were part of our dear life once upon a midsummer night's dream. We will be rewinding yesterday's SEASONS IN THE SUN when "we're the young ones" believing that "the young ones shouldn't be afraid to live, love, while the flame is strong 'cause we may not be the young ones very long." Oh, just how we loved to sing those hit songs of the era, learning the dance steps, following the fashion trends, playing the games, idolizing those screen heroes, signing autographs, collecting coins, postcards, and stamps, penpal writing, intramurals, rehearsals, field trips, picnics, etc. all these being part of our student days. Of our kind. In our time.

Very soon, we will be making a salute to a bygone era when we were that young, innocent, and carefree, when all that mattered to us were our barkadas, puppy loves,  lollipops, roses, sugar and spice and anything nice. We will be bringing back the smiles, the fun and laughter, the sunrise and the sunsets, the lazy afternoons, the silent nights, and the splendors in the grass. Together, we will be home to celebrate one very significant occasion. Together, we will have joy, we will have fun, we will have another SEASON IN THE SUN. And so we sing:

"Goodbye to you my trusted friend, we've known each other since we're nine or ten.   Together we've climbed hills and trees, learned of love and ABCs, skinned our hearts and skinned our knees. Goodbye my friend it's hard to die, but all the birds are singing in the sky, now that the spring is in the air, pretty girls are everywhere, think of me and I'll be there. We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun, but the hills that we climbed were just season out of time ..."

Many events of interest to LCHS alumni are in store at the Grand Alumni Homecoming (GAH). Not only because this is the first such event ever to take place in LCHS history.  But also because the affair, conceptualized pretty much like a national convention, covers three days and three nights of funfilled activities.

The GAH commences on Aug. 3, 2000 with several events for sport buffs. Aside from golf, bowling and lawn tennis, popular childhood games are lined up for the day.  Sure to stir childhood memories are games of glass marbles, takyan, samparay, kundisi, patintero, antolihaw, bikaka, sagudsod, jackstones, tug-o-war, among several others.   It bears watching how our alumni, now mellow with age, will perform in these games of yesteryears. Can they still straddle?  Or will they now struggle?

The booth fair is yet another event that is sure to summon fond memories of the good old days. Scheduled for exhibits are vintage photographs and miscellaneous campus memorabilia to be put up by each batch of students.  At nightfall, all roads lead to the LCHS gym for a barrio fiesta. This is an evening for alumni and their family to enjoy a feast of hometown delicacies and to renew old ties with long-missed buddies and barkada under an atmosphere of fun and fellowship. It should also be fun to watch the presentation of talents from each batch as the evening's highlights.

Day Two, Aug. 4, reels off with a sentimental journey to Iligan's notable landmarks. The trip brings returning alumni and their families to such unforgettable places as the Maria Cristina Falls, Tinago Falls, Mimbalot Falls, and Maze Park. The tour winds up at noon with a picnic at Timoga, reminiscent of the class excursions of our student days.  Timoga is a must-see for returning alumni.  Many will be pleasantly surprised to see how this famous spring resort has mushroomed from one solitary swimming pool to over 20 nowadays, including one olympic sized pool nestled atop a promontory overlooking Iligan Bay.

Alumni, from batches 1940 to 2000, will have the time of their lives in a reunion with their classmates in the evening.  A band will be on hand to provide music of yesteryears to complement the ambience.  Counters and partitions are in place at the LCHS campus for batch members to gather and party among themselves.  A perfect setting for batch mates to update each other about their lives and loves since graduation day.  Needless to say, this is going to be a long night of endless chatter.

The entire morning of Day Three, Aug. 5, is free time. This should give everybody ample bed time to sleep away the hangover of the night before.  General assembly resumes at noon for a luncheon at the Salvatori Hall of the Maria Cristina Hotel, where the plenary session will be held.   Highlight of the plenary session is a consensus meeting to explore the prospect of the next grand homecoming.

The three-day festivities culminate in the evening with a Grand Ball at the Maria Cristina Hotel ballroom. This is the Grand Reunion, the grand finale.  Alumni will see themselves attired in their evening best for a formal dinner. Highlight of the evening is the awarding of outstanding alumni achievers, a first in LCHS history. Adding excitement to the occasion will be the grand raffle with an array of fantastic prizes at stake. The program winds up with music and dance, just like the good old days, before alumni part ways once more to return to each their respective homes elsewhere the following day.

We migrated to Texas in 1991 and started life from scratch. My mom came along with us and stayed till Karen was in First Grade. She was indeed a godsent angel. Without her, it could have been a nightmare raising up a toddler by myself, with me working 7P-7A shift full time. My mom played the role of the other parent for Karen and we really missed her when she left, especially around the holidays and special occasions. I was all alone when Karen had her First Communion, her piano recitals, her school programs and I felt sad deep inside of me.

With just us, life is hectic. It's goin' and goin' like the Energizer Bunny and there's only one of me to be both mom and dad to Karen. I remember greeting a co-worker Don: "Happy Father's Day, Don!" and he answered back with: "Same to you, Evelyn."

It's tons of responsibilities to be a single mom, to strive hard to be a good nurturing parent. I want to give Karen the best I can possibly give.  Yet I don't want to spoil her like a brat, to grow up not knowing any chore and responsibility. To be her best buddy yet a figure of authority.  To give her some freedom yet not too lenient; phone calls, friends, clothes, activities have limits. Karen and I can talk, laugh and giggle for hours like best buddies! Or we can confront each other for our sentiments in the heart. We care for each other. Last year I had a very bad flu with 102.6 F fever and Karen made me soup. On my birthday and Mother's Day, Karen served me breakfast in bed, with a card she made herself. One time I wanted a CD-ROM for our PC but it was so expensive that I didn't want to buy it. Karen gave me her saved up money so I could buy it for me.  My eyes were all teary, my heart melted! Karen is quite mature for her age. She's also a straight "A's" student.

If I had a choice, I wouldn't choose to bring a child into this world and raise her alone as a single parent. However, situations in life do happen when you least expected it. We can't have everything in life. As much as we aspire for a PERFECT FAMILY like the Brady Bunch, not all of us are destined to have it. Life must go on and it doesn't have to be martyrdom. It's not fair to the child to be in a broken home family, but it's not good either for the child to grow up in a home with two constantly fighting parents.

I've learned a lot from being a single mom.  Many lessons in life I probably wouldn't have if I had remained married to Karen's dad. I've learned the true essence of mother's love to her child. I've learned to speak up, to stand up for my rights, to appreciate justice and liberty. I become more mature and responsible. I've seen how far I've gone and starting to like myself. And above all, I found Jesus Christ in my heart: to live life with faith that no matter what, God will ALWAYS be with us and He will provide; to do the best we can and let God take care of the rest. He is our family man. My daughter witnessed many times God's Mercy upon us that she would write letters to Jesus for special intentions. My co-workers used to tease me because I have no boyfriend. I teased them back and said: "I do, his name is JC." They were curious who was this mystery man. I laughed and said: "JC stands for Jesus Christ. Got 'ya!"

When I was young my mother used to tell me that I am very lucky to have sisters, which is one thing that we had but our mother never had. Instead she has 7 younger brothers to whom she played mother when their own left them early in life.

Never did I realize that what my mother said has come true. Because when we were young my two younger sisters seemed to be synonymous to trouble for me. They kept on messing with my things. The two of them meant double trouble because they did things together. They were classmates in school, they wore similar clothes, they played together and practically did things together. I was on my fifth year in college when they became freshman.  Jen went to UP-Diliman while Joan took up nursing in Iligan City.

Jen and I discovered the beauty of letter writing. Each day we would write a letter for each other. Instead of writing on our journal we wrote the things that we did and posted it to the other.  Our joys, disappointments, failures and successes in school were shared with each other through letters. A day would never be complete without one receiving a letter. Even how short or long the letters were, there was love in each one of them. It went on for years until today when the letter became emails, cell phone text messages and phone calls.

My sisters are always there to lend a helping hand.  Once I had to go to the dentist and going to one was never easy for me.  When my mother could not accompany me to see one, Jen was there to go with me. When I was 3 months pregnant and it was learned that I had polyps that needed to be removed, she was there beside me throughout the procedure, whispering soothing words to make the pain more bearable since anesthesia was not possible because of my pregnancy. When I was getting married, Joan was truly a bride's maid in the real sense of the word. She was everywhere helping me to organize things.  Whenever I am in Manila, Jen and I would usually have our bonding session on the first night, as if we haven't talked for years. We talked about movies, songs that we love, the kids, almost everything under the sun.

When I was newly married, Stanley, Jen's husband, advised my husband Boyan not give me problems.  Otherwise he would seem to be against the two of us, Jen and I.  He added: "Parang kakambal ang dalawang iyan." Thanks to you Stan, Boyan never gave me any trouble big enough to confide to my "twin." Physically, we are different.  People would say I take the features of my mother while she has my father's. Jacob, Jen's eldest son, commented one day: "Ba't pareho boses nyo." We laughed it off because that was what friends used to say about us.

My two sisters add color to my life. Though it was black and white when we were kids, now it is in vivid colors -- a picture perfect one. They are really the wind beneath my wings.  I could not imagine how dull and boring life would be without my two sisters.

"The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease"  --Voltaire, the French philosopher

Introduction.  Over the entrance to the Sterling Hall of Graduate Studies at Yale University, is inscribed: "He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad." This is an adaptation of the reply which one of Sabatini's characters gave in answer to the question, "What makes life worth living?".

Laughter makes a tremendous contribution to one's happiness. Think what the world would be without it particularly the kind of world we live in today. Yet the wonder is - not that comedians are being paid better than philosophers and politicians - but that laughter could have been frowned upon by philosophers who are supposed to make life better for mankind.

For example, Lord Chesterfield considered laughter beneath a gentleman's dignity. "I am sure," he wrote, "that since I have full use of my reason, nobody has ever heard me laugh." Even the poet, Shelly, who could be enchanted by a skylark, sadly insisted, "I am convinced that there can be no entire regeneration of mankind until laughter is put down." Joseph Addison declared that "laughter ... unbraces the mind, weakens the facilities, and causes a kind of remissness and dissolution in all the powers of the soul."

Perhaps these straight-laced characters understood laughter's tremendous power to express inner truths and were frightened by it. For what is laughter but a natural expression of one's reaction to the absurdity of the world around him.

We know that laughter can be therapeutic, and can even help to lengthen one's life. Some of us who had seen the movie, Patch Adams, which was based on true story, must have found the French philosopher, Voltaire, convincing on what he said on the quote above regarding amusing the patient. In fact, according to Dr. Paul Allan Cox in his article on Ethnobotany, that culture like the Samoans believe that "illness is the result of some sort of disharmony - Disharmony with your family, your social ssetting, the world or yourself. The goal of the healer, therefore, is to restore harmony to your life in whatever area it is lacking." And what could better restore harmony that amusement and laughter. That's what Patch Adams did as a healer. Also, the Samoans accept as fact the idea that "people become ill for two reasons: from poor diet and as a result of interpersonal hostilities." So, if I'm angry at you, and you're angry at me, one of us is going to get sick.

Well, we can't do much about folks who have no desire to laugh or who disagree with the benefits of laughter. But we can do something about ourselves. Let's continue laughing, or learning how to laugh. After all, what have we got to lose by laughing? I understand that for some old folks, the aging process is very upsetting. Many of us must have noticed that as we get older, things start to either wear out, fall out, thin out, or spread out. God bless his soul, but George Burns used to constantly laugh about his years, "Eighty is a beautiful age. It takes very little to turn me on, and sometimes when I think I'm turned on, I find out I'm not even plugged in." He lived to be a centenarian.  (To be continued)

(Editor's Note: The author, Cle Estrera Jr., is a doctor based in Petersburg, Virginia, U.S.A.  He is a regular reader and contributor of the Spectrum.  He belongs to Batch '72 of the Cebu Institute of Medicine.)
 

FYI: ILIGAN HOTEL RATES

Published hereunder are the room rates of selected hotels in Iligan, as gathered by the GAH committee for the benefit of alumni coming home for the GAH.

MARIA CRISTINA HOTEL
Gen. Aguinaldo St., Iligan City; Tel. Nos. (063)221-3352; 221-5308; Fax No. (063)221-3940

Single: P560 (w/o TV); P710 (w/ TV)
Double/Twin: P765 (w/o TV); P915 (w/ TV)
Triple: P951 (w/o TV); P1,101 (w/ TV)
Executive Suite: P1,293 (w/ TV)
Extra Bed: P185 (w/o TV); P200 (w/ TV)

10% Discount for LCHS alumni

CHERADEL SUITES
Pala-o, Iligan City; Tel. Nos.: (063)223-8118; Fax No. (063)221-4926

Dream Suites: P1,600
Prime Suites: P1,400
Queen Suites: P1,200
Double Doubles: P1,200
Extra Bed/Extra Person: P250

10% Discount for LCHS alumni

ELENA TOWER INN
Tibanga Highway, Iligan City; Tel. Nos. (063)221-5995 to 97

Standard Room:
Single:  P690
Double:  P820

Deluxe Room:
Double/Twin Bed: P1,080

Suite Room: P1,730
Extra Bed: P200

10% Discount for LCHS alumni

CASA ROYALE II
Tibanga Highway, Iligan City; Tel. Nos. (063)221-2721; 223-8704

Executive Room:
2 Twin Beds w/ TV: P800

Semi-Executive Room:
2 Twin Beds w/o TV: P700
2 Single Beds w/ TV: P700
1 Twin Bed w/ TV: P700

Deluxe Room:
1 Twin Bed w/ TV: P550
2 Single Beds w/o TV: P550
1 Twin Bed w/o TV: P350

10% Discount for LCHS alumni

CORPORATE INN
Pala-o, Iligan City; Tel. Nos. (063)221-4456 to 58; Fax No. (063)221-4459

Single: P620
Twin/Double: P860
Economy (3 pax): P1,060
Executive Suites: P1,250
Extra Bed or Extra Person: P250

For every 5 rooms: 1 room free
For every 10 rooms: 15% discount