Banner
Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School
Iligan, Philippines, Year 5, Issue No. 10, August 13, 2001
EDITORIAL
Looking forward to 2005

GAHWith this issue but without much frills and fanfare, we commemorate the first anniversary of the first LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming held on Aug. 3-5, 2000. The collective euphoria of the unprecedented three-day gathering is still fresh in our memory.  Images of teary-eyed alumni coming together after decades of separation are still as vivid today as they were a year ago. The rapture among alumni, caught in a rare embrace of rekindled friendship, has diminished somewhat.  For now only the memories remain and linger on.  Looking back, the whole scenario seems too good to be true. Initial doubts about its success were aplenty. Apprehensions of possible anemic attendance were enormous. Yet the outcome proved otherwise. If there's one thing that continues to amaze everyone about GAH2000, it is the realization that alumni who were strangers to each other many moons ago have come together like long lost friends, regardless of age and social status.  The rare occasion saw former classmates and teachers being reunited, old friendships revived, old memories retold, and old ties renewed. Will the next GAH turn out to be another smash hit? Will we see the same familiar faces in 2005? Can we still muster enough energy to mount a sequel to an event that began only as a dream?  (COS)

EDITORIAL STAFF
Henry L. Yu, Editor 
Correspondents: Roger Suminguit, Teresita Racines, Vinson Ngo & Johnny Chen (Iligan); Igdono Caracho (Cebu);  Marie Janiefer Lee (Manila); Peter Dy (Canada); Leonardo Tan (Australia); Ernesto Yu & Aurora Tansiokhian (U.S.A.); and Charles O. Sy, Editorial Consultant
Founded Aug. 1, 1968. Published fortnightly since its revival on April 15, 1997. Distributed free on the Internet to LCHS alumni & supporters worldwide. Postal address: LCHS Alumni Association, Lanao Chung Hua School, Pala-o, Iligan City, Philippines. Web site:
www.geocities.com/lchsspectrum
Spectrum welcomes articles, news reports & comments from LCHS alumni, students and readers. For contribution or subscription, contact: Roger Suminguit, tel. 221-2422; Teresita Racines, tel. 221-3253, or Henry Yu, Suite 101, Visayas Community Medical Center, Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City 6000, Philippines; E-mail: hvty@skyinet.net
Rudy Yu is Asian debate adjudicator

RudyRodolfo "Rudy" Yu (Batch '69), in photo, was adjudicator in the 8th All-Asian Inter-varsity Debating Championship held recently at the De La Salle University, Manila. The debate was participated in by 54 teams from China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Rudy served as Chair from Round 0 to Round 8 of the Elimination Phase and proceeded as panel adjudicator from Octofinal Round (Top 24 adjudicators), Quarterfinal Round (Top 20 adjudicators), and Semifinal Round (Top 10 adjudicators). The team from the University of the Philippines romped away with the championship trophy. The next All-Asian debate will be held in  Bangkok, Thailand on May 13-19, 2002.

Alumni golfers shine in tourney
By Peter C. Dy (Batch '66)

LCHS alumni golfers shone anew in the recent Masonic District-36 2nd Amateur Novatos Golf Classic.  Sponsored by the Maranaw Lodge 111 headed by WM Henry Siao (Batch '56), the tournament was held to encourage new golfers. Each team was composed of one amateur player and one beginner. Among the winners were Jesus Dy (Batch '63) with Nilo Pala as team mate, 1st runner-up; and Peter Dy (Batch '66) & James Yu, husband of Felisa Khu (Batch '75), 2nd runner-up.  The team of  Frederick Siao (Batch '83) & James Booc (Batch '82) was adjudged the team with the most exercise; and Jesus Dy & Nilo Pala, the team with the most par.

LCHS scholarship fund drive

The current fund drive for the Scholarship Program of the LCHS Alumni Foundation received the following contributions, as of Aug. 8, 2001: Caroline Sy, P3,000; family of the late Elisa Suminguit, P3,500; Johnson & Irenea Dy, P5,000; and Jesus & Melania Dy, P1,000. More contributions from kind-hearted alumni and friends here and abroad will be highly appreciated.

Wedding bells for Joan Quimbo

Marie Joan Quimbo (Batch '87), LCHS-AA assistant secretary, will exchange marital vows with Michael Ernest Quidlat in a wedding ceremony to be officiated by Fr. Pacifico Gupana at the Corpus Cristi Church, Iligan City, on Aug. 11, 2001.  Dinner reception will take place at the Maria Cristina Hotel.  Joan is the daughter of Fe "Guat Ching" Dy-Quimbo (Batch '55).  The groom is the son of Aurelio Quidlat Jr. and Purita Quidlat.  Joining the bridal entourage as principal sponsors are Othello Geverola & Josefina Bañez; Jesus Dy & Mansueta Dy; Henry Dy & Zita Tañedo; Santiago Ong & Linda Yap; and Capt. Perfecto Quimbo & Nora Ngo.

TracersFeet
Alumni whereabouts

Seen lately on frequent home visits to Iligan is Virginia Ngo-Ormoc (Batch '67), now a resident of Ubay, Bohol, a town noted for its cottage industry like banig products (straw mats).  Virgie is married to Antonio Ormoc, who manages Ormoc Enterprises, a family business dealing in hardware materials.  Virgie and Antonio have two children. Eldest son Steve Alain, 28 years old, is a licensed architect and currently helping out in the family businesses, which include an inter-island ferry servicing Cebu and Bohol.  The other son, Vincent Brian, 21 years old, is a Naval Architecture student at the University of Cebu.  Virgie herself runs her own Verggs Bakeshop & Restaurant annex their hardware store. Her younger brother, Pablito Ngo (Batch '70), is connected with Kim San Company, Inc. in Iligan.  He and his wife Nena have 3 children.  Nena is a nursing aide at the St. Mary's Maternity Hospital. Another brother, Joseph Ngo, is the manager of Iligan Coconut Oil Corporation (ILICOCO) in Kiwalan, Iligan.  Joseph and his wife Candy have one child.  Another brother is Rodolfo Ngo who lives in the family residence along Quezon Ave. Ext., together with their mother and youngest sister Silveria Ngo (Batch '77).  During their recent trip to the U.S.A., Henry Ang, Rita Ang and Peter Sy (Batch '62) visited Eddie Co (Batch '56) at his clinic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  They also got to meet Ellen Co (Batch '57) and Arlene Co (Batch '72), who are staying together with Eddie in his plush Milwaukee residence.  Eddie's two daughters, Yvonne Janette and Elizabeth Ann, are both practicing lawyers.  Now back in his home base in Edmonton, Canada is Jesus Dy (Batch '63) -- just in time to catch the on-going Worldd Championships in Athletics at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Jesus returned home last Aug. 7 after a month's vacation in Iligan.
 
Henry Life's Journey
By Henry L. Yu, M.D.
Batch '69

Reunion

It’s reunion season once again – of classmates, friends, family or clan members. Reunion times are always pleasant times, looked upon by us with so much excitement deep within. For one, it gives us the rare chance to be together again with people whom we haven’t seen for quite sometime, updating us of what’s the latest on this or that seatmate of ours back in our high school classroom. Time and distance have somehow made us strangers in the night, not knowing what happened to the barkadas we used to spend time with amidst sunshine and rain, or that girl of our dreams whom we wanted so much to court but never had the guts to do so. And what about that knight in shining armor with whom you went with but never became your husband for one reason or the other? We get thrilled with the thought that after all these many years, here we are again, back to a place where we once were – singing, dancing, chatting, gallivanting, just like the good old days. What has happened to the once beautiful face that refreshes? The whistle bait figure of our school majorette?  The Adonis stance of our basketball team coach? Our idols, secret admirers, and fans? All these loiter around our minds each time we look forward to reunion times – times when we can nonchalantly be ourselves without being conscious that other people might make us a subject of their ridicule for being eternally childish, times when we could go back to our being young, innocent, and carefree, unmindful of the country’s current events, young as we were then, devoid of too many responsibilities.

For  always, there are tears and joys at reunion times. We cry a tear for those mates who have gone ahead of us. We shout for joy realizing that after all these years, we can still climb up the stairs without much panting, vibrantly sizzling with renewed vim, vigor, and vitality. In short, we are just happy to be back to each other’s arms, feeling the same way we did decades ago, to the consoling company of friends whose shoulder we put our head on, resting in the assurance that after all it’s only our age that moves, that we are basically the same Pepe and Pilar who used to sweep or scrub the floor, danced the twist or jerk, declaimed or sang during the Literary Musical Contest, led the cheering squad during intramurals, spent quite a number of sleepless nights thinking of our crushes to the tune of  “Di na makatulog, di na makakain”,  and all those seemingly crazy adventures of the once youthful us.

Then all of a sudden, we wake up to the realization that time has indeed glided so swiftly by, that we now have become hypertensive or diabetic, experiencing joint pains here and there upon waking up in the morning, that our digestive system could no longer take in so much lechon, chicharon, leche flan, and the like, that we now have to read the newspaper that far to be able to decipher those blind items, etc. Indeed, we have  come of age, to life’s inevitable process -- of doing more things for the last time and fewer for the first time. Then we pause and ponder and ask ourselves: What more are there to life and living? Where have all those years gone? What have I done? Where have I gone wrong? Where is life leading me?  These and many more we ask ourselves. Some of the answers may be blowing in the wind. Some may take a lifetime to really understand. But let us not mind that at the moment, rather let’s live each day as it comes along. After all, life is not a contest. For now, let us make use of this rare chance to be reunited with our classmates and friends, for as the song goes “For all we know, we may never meet again. Before you go, make this moment sweet again.”

So, catch this moment. Make the most out of it. For a lifetime of memories. Ours to hold and to cherish.
 
Straight from the Heart
By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee
Batch '87

Power Lunch

It’s amazing how a simple lunch can strengthen a bond. What started out as just a simple catching-up get together turned out to be something so uplifting. We ended up with not just a full stomach but also a contended spirit, and a calmed soul.

My college roommate was in town a few weeks ago and so we met for lunch.  We talked about almost everything under the sun. And how life has been for us since we parted ways ten years ago. We realized that we’ve been through almost the same typhoons and hurricanes in life, and seeing that we’re both still on our feet right now only means that we are survivors.

Back in college we were always trying to outdo each other with our grades. We were one of those people who would never give up, who would always want to be ahead. But with real life, it’s nice to hear that at one point she almost gave up too, just like me.  Call it “misery loves company” but it really works.  We feel so much better knowing that we’re not an isolated case in this story of lives, and that trials do come to anyone and everyone in different forms and shades. It’s a matter of how we face these challenges and if we falter at times it’s really how we get back on our feet again that counts.

Now all we can say is that we’re so much stronger and better, and more matured emotionally.  And just to console ourselves we declared that we’re still beautiful both inside and outside. This is our last ditch at making ourselves feel like our old selves again.

I had another lunch date with a college friend. It was actually a farewell lunch because she was leaving with her whole family the next day to stay indefinitely in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  This time our conversation revolved around “fear.”  Fear of the unknown, fear of what the future has instored for us.  She’s leaving her career, her so-called safe “world” to be a family.  Up until the last minute she was still unsure whether she’s making a right decision or not. All I can say to her was that I feel that it would really be better if they go there together as a family.  I think it’s a privilege to be able to do that, knowing that there are probably thousands of families who would give up anything just to be able to stay together. Especially with the number of Filipino OCW’s in that area. I’m sure there are lots of families who would want to trade places with her. I guess she just needed an outsider’s viewpoint of her situation.

On both lunch dates, I realized the true meaning of friendship. It’s a bond that stretches, something that doesn’t recognize distance or time.  No matter how far we are from each other, no matter how long ago was the last time we’ve seen each other or talked to each other, this powerful bond would always bind us together.

I wish my two friends more luck as we trod on this path of life that we’ve chosen.  I know that wherever this road will lead us, it would take just one lunch once in awhile and we’d be right on track with each other’s lives again.
 
Ernie moody BLUES, 14221
By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D.
Batch '65

Charming Palaypay and Kenkoy:  Teased and brainwashed in the Philippines hilarious fondness for baptizing everyone with nicknames, I cultivate this cultural habit to a point where no one in my Buffalo radar escapes its scope without being packaged with secondary name-calling scratches. For starter, my boys answer to tags like Doic (Dominic), Batman (Sean) and Pepper (Christopher). My nieces acquired from my lips labels like Mimi Dokot, Tashing and Matutina. Also, I guess it is engrained in my bones to best remember my neighbors and friends with names that breathe an easy chuckle. Like, Patchuchay, Bekya, Dikyam, Kalbo, Palaypay.  Regrettably, having a spouse who is genetically wired to the same trait makes me a depot of weird titles, depending on the barometric pressure of the occasion: Hon when the look of love hits a high note in her heart; Kenkoy when I start flapping like the wild joker in a stack of cards; La Machine when my non-discriminating taste buds bulldoze the week-old home cooking in our fridge (original life span: 2 days maximum!); Estong when my nose commences to flare from teasing of the ultimate degree. And what holy water do I sprinkle on her forehead in return? Depends on the tempo of the atomic dance in my mental circuits. Suffice to say, I address her as Sweetie when I aim to be excused from mowing the lawn and unloading the laundry basket, and Boss when I need her credit card to bag a new computer printer that can no longer be swallowed without choking by the limits of my own plastic money. Somehow, those tender references and silly sweetness can jog smile on the face and mesmerize the psyche . Try it, works like a charm.

Good luck, Siong Ho.

Sunday School's Agony And Ecstasy:  As a transplanted Asian American, I initially sensed precordial distress from viewing a cockfight video that was mailed by an acquaintance in Negros. I find it wryly amusing to observe two raging cocks stage a nightmarish kiss of death, especially when these vigorous birds are compelled  via human orchestration to pound on each other’s jugulars, to judge which Braveheart will herald the next dawn with a triumphant serenade and which slashed anatomy will head to the grill or simmer in the soup mix. Essentially, this fanfare deprives these hapless feathered species the liberty to stretch their mortality, a downright assault against animal freedom. If I write with offensive bluntness, attribute this transient insanity to two decades of  Western culture bombardment. At any rate, instinctively, I only took a few glimpses at this arena entertainment to revive my native juices. My adrenaline sparked ceaselessly with each blur of blood-tinged feathers and with each swing of killer punches. I rediscovered the manly delight of this ethnic sport: The teeming energy of the bulangan (cockpit);the crazed, caffeinated look of the masyador (bet master); the array of local calories in makeshift eateries; the astounding hundreds of peso that exchange hands with a twitch of finger language; the resuscitation of injured victors by self-taught surgeons. Before long, I could perceive the roar of a phantom crowd, the sick thrill of being in Sunday school, the ancillary pleasure of growing up in Iligan.

And the fragility of life and death.

FeaturesStar

Reflections on GAH2000 and GAH2005
By Charles O. Sy
Batch 1967

It's now one year after the first LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming (GAH) held on Aug. 3-5, 2000.  The event now occupies an indelible niche in the archives of LCHS history.

To say that the affair was a success is an understatement.  That much everybody agrees.  What many did not see were the untold sacrifices that many others had to make to transform GAH2000 to the success that it was.  As huge as its success was the hard work put into it.  The organizers labored more than a year to accomplish such a feat.

So much efforts, time and resources were spent for GAH2000. God knows how many sleepless nights organizers had to endure in the frenzy of preparations.  There were frayed nerves as there were high anxieties. There were heated debates as there were tantrums thrown during committee deliberations.  In the heat of it all, occasional conflicts of opinions and misgivings gave rise to a few bruised egos and, in some cases, strained relations among some key players . Success, one soon realizes, does come with a high price.

Yet, in spite of the hassles and pitfalls, we still look forward to the next GAH in the year 2005 with much promise as the rest of those who attended the first GAH in 2000.  For many others who missed the first one, the next GAH should likewise be a golden opportunity to experience the pleasure of a grand reunion that will henceforth come only once in every five years.

Given the positive feedback about the first GAH from various sectors of the community, it is not farfetched to foresee that the next one will be even more spectacular in attendance and magnitude.  After all, we now have the lessons of GAH2000 to serve as basis for more realistic forecasts.  Many aspects of the first GAH provide ample reference points for projecting attendance, food preparations, and other budgetary concerns for the subsequent GAH.  Lessons from the first GAH offer better insights for more refinements in program content and preparations of activities.  Needless to say, the next GAH will be easier to organize than the first one.

What remains of paramount concern perhaps is to usher in a new set of key players for GAH2005.  Not that the first batch was ineffective.  The planners and organizers of GAH2000 have done their part. They merit a break for all their efforts and sacrifices in making GAH2000 a historic success.  They deserve the chance to enjoy the next GAH.  It's time to pave the way for new players to run the show.
 

LCHS ALUMNI DIRECTORY (16th of a Series)
The LCHS-AA, in coordination with the Spectrum, is currently updating its alumni database -- in preparation for distribution in the next GAH. The directory is presented here by batches, based on initial inputs. If you have any correction or additional data, please e-mail the Spectrum at: charlesy@i-cebu.com.ph

BATCH 1970
King Erlinda Barbon; King Ruben Barbon; Sherly Co (Schneider), 430 W. Longden Ave., Arcadia, California, U.S.A., e-mail: cadbooks@pacbell.net; Elizabeth Dychutee, XRG Hardware, Tibanga, Iligan City, tel. 221-5269; Noel Edusma; Antonio Go; Ruben Lee; Peter Lee, Cagayan de Oro City; Armando Lim; Elizabeth Lim, Purok San Antonio, Tubod, Iligan City; tel. 221-6670, e-mail: demy6670@iligan.com; Felipe Lim, 2nd St., Happy Valley, V. Rama Ave., Cebu City, tel. 253-6648; Johnson Lim, 8 Eisenhower St., San Juan, Manila, tel. 731-5681, cell 0918-9018220, e-mail: jonlim@email.com.ph; Lim Kim; Wilson Lim, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.; Felicitas Ly, Taiwan, c/o Animore St., New Frontier Subd., Iligan City; 221-3507; Pablito Ngo, Kim San Co., Inc., 109 Quezon Ave., Iligan City, tel. 221-5118; Roderick Ngo, Hammercon, Inc., 180 M.J. Cuenco Ave., Cebu City, tel. 232-8281, cell 0917-3260980, e-mail: westside@mozcom.com;  Luis Ong, Cebu City; Santiago Ong, Ang Suan Em Upholstery Supply, Quezon Ave., Iligan City, tels. 221-3077, 221-2924, cell 0917-7162680; Johnny Sim, Lanao Milling Corp., Tubod Highway, Iligan City, tels. 221-2756, 221-3085; Jane Sy (Limtin), Geo-Transport & Construction, Inc., Room 301, 3/F Cebu Long Se Temple Bldg., Osmeña Blvd., Cebu City, tel. 412-4088, cell 0917-9747396, e-mail: elvie@cdc-cdh.edu; Elsie Tan (Lao), 16195 Stonehill Court, Riverside, California 92503, U.S.A.;  Elsierito@aol.com; Antia Tan; Ester Tan, Crestan Commercial, Sabayle St., Iligan City, tel. 221-2318, cell  0917-7162506; and Gloria Tecson (Webb), 1735 Irene Place, N. Vancouver, B.C., Canada V7K-2V5; Reynaldo "Rene" Tio, Blk. 7, Lot 5, Ruby St., Golden Village, Carmen, Cagayan de Oro St., tel. (8822)-711-551, cell 0917-7066834, e-mail: fisher@cdo.weblinq.com; Vy Sio Hua (Tan), 22 Balagtas St., Cebu City, tel. 221-5301, cell 0917-3215850, e-mail: cristinatan@pacific.net.ph; and William Yee, Lugait, Misamis Oriental, tel. 225-1691. [Next issue: Batch 1971]

Flashback

Rizal
Rizal Monument, 1951

Jose Rizal monument, one of the main
attractions at the old Iligan Public Plaza,
taken in 1951.  At foreground are city
assessor's office personnel.  Building
at the back houses the city assessor's
office at what is now the site of the
Iligan city police department.  Photo taken
by Neri Studio,1951.


 
  1