INTERNET NEWSLETTER OF THE ALUMNI OF LANAO CHUNG HUA SCHOOL
Vol. II - No. 26, October 12, 1998, Iligan City, Philippines

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Henry C. Dy (Batch '64) was installed as new Lieutenant Governor for Division IV-B of the Kiwanis Philippine South District during the Turnover Ceremonies last Oct. 3 at the Elena Tower Inn, Iligan City.  There are 7 clubs in Iligan under the stewardship of Henry Dy as Lieutenant Governor. He took over from past Lt. Gov. Joel Bacayo.

Sy Tiong An marks 91st birthday

Sy Tiong An will mark his 91st natal day on Oct. 10 with a grand birthday bash tendered by his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren at the Iligan Day Inn Plaza, Iligan City. The celebrant is the father of Sy Chu An, Sy Chu Pin, Lina Sy (Ozamis) , Ben "Chu Eng" Sy (Cagayan de Oro), Alfredo "Chu Tek" Sy (Cebu), Sy Chu Guan, Augusto "Chu Kok" Sy (U.S.A.), Amelia "Leh Hua" Sy (Cebu), and Norma "Leh Tin" Sy-Lim. The popular Fishers of Men Choral Group of Cagayan de Oro City will be on hand to grace the occasion with its inspirational songs.  Among LCHS alumni in the group are Rene Tio and Giovanni Co. The choral group, much sought-after to sing in various religious and social affairs in CdeO and elsewhere, also performed at Sy Tiong An's party at the Emperor's Hall of Grand Caprice Convention Center, CdeO, a few years ago.

Going global via Internet

LCHS alumnus Roderick Ngo (Batch '70), has a novel way of global marketing.  He is tapping the vast potentials of the Internet in marketing his housing units.  He has set up a home page on the World Wide Web that offers visitors an in-depth look of his Neo Vista Homes.  Neo Vista has 150 completed units of low-cost houses in Caloocan, Metro Manila.  The home page features everything one may desire to know about the town houses, including vicinity map, detailed drawings, photos, appraisals, building specs, and many more.  Check them out at:  http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Gold/9062/

On Scholarship Fund
A Suggestion for LCHS-AA

Sometime in 1996 officers of the LCHS Alumni Association started a fund drive for a very noble cause, i.e., of providing scholarship grant to less fortunate but deserving children of our fellow alumni who wish to study at our school. Many did contribute and would like to know what had transpired since then ... from accounting of said funds to updates of said project. A regular reporting should be in order and what better way than to have it published in the Spectrum. -- Name Withheld Upon Request

Keeping us up-to-date
Fri, 2 Oct 1998 18:50:13 +800

Kudos to the two bantugan editors of the Spectrum, Charles O. Sy and Dr. Henry Yu.  Both of them are my neighbors in Cebu. I'm glad that the Spectrum was established because it keeps us up-to-date on what is happening in Iligan City and on how our former schoolmates are doing at present.  This newsletter has enabled me to keep in touch with other schoolmates who are now abroad like Mike Lee in Canada, Leonardo Tan in Australia, Dr. Ernesto Yu and Dr. Alex Rodriguez in the U.S.A.  Even if I'm not originally from Iligan, this city will always have a special place in my heart.  My parents, brothers, sisters and I stayed in Iligan for five years in the early 60s and we have so many friends there whom we can never forget.  Guys, keep up the good work and more power to the Spectrum!

Jose Sam Go (Batch '67), Cebu, Philippines
sammy_g@cebu.pw.net.ph

The humorous article "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" by Charles O. Sy (Spectrum, Oct. 5, 1998 issue) is a "mass-hair-piece"!  Bravo! One of its kind! I have been receiving a lot of  joke items lately, but this one really made a punctuation! I will send it to the Mickey Funnies List soon.

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

Alumni marketing aces

One LCHS alumnus who's in perpetual motion is Johnson Lim (Batch '70). He is into the marketing of specialized instruments and gadgets.  Johnson runs Mechatronics Instruments and Controls based in Manila, with marketing links in the U.S.A.  Another alumnus in the marketing trade is Eddie Rodriguez (Batch '62), who is now a salesman of construction materials, covering the Visayas and Mindanao.  Eddie lives in Cebu with his wife, Dr. Milagros Ma, of Tubod, Lanao del Norte.  Their two children are both pursuing college education at the Ateneo de Manila University.  The son, Sheyne, is a third year Management Engineering student while daughter Shand is a freshman in Business Management. In Iligan, Marciano Tan (Batch '65) runs the Trademore Commercial Corp., in Barangay Tubod, together with his wife, Helenita Sim Tan (Batch '68) ... Currently back home in Iligan for a brief visit is Dr. Augusto "Chu Kok" Sy (Batch '62). He is in town to grace the birthday celebration of his father, Sy Tiong An.  Chu Kok is a specialist in spinal cord rehab medicine in California, U.S.A. He is married to Virginia Morgia of Ormoc, Leyte.

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

One positive spin of having an e-mail slot is messages - trivial (just leveled another milligram of brain mass), urgent (Is a 15-gauge chain sufficient to subdue a Viagra overdose?), and dead serious (Whoa, her new self is courtesy of the knives!) - are relayed as speedily as the flutter of one's heart. Best of all, these ping pong-like tosses of raw or calculated human data don't acknowledge distance and time zones; it can be mailed or retrieved at one's own tranquil or bored moments. Nowadays, you can even cement marriage vows through the Internet.  How? Sorry, chap, I hooked my spouse via vintage Underwood (what genus of tree bark is that?) and sheets of kundiman (a man of what?), not the screaming and red-hot shotgun chases in the barrio.

Did it ever hit you why our column write-ups lately either close with "to be continued" or worm out of our crevices in abbreviated, direct jabs at the main idea? No, the weekly cranial stimuli to our limpy neurons have not triumphed in waging a Montezuma revenge; our gray matters still flicker when flashed with lights. Managing editors, Charles and Henry, begged for parking spaces (we are gagged after 400-500 words) for your truckload of feedbacks and flashbacks, which are healthy inflows of oxygen to our newsletter. Ultimately, I guess, readers are puncturing their bubbles to donate their two-cents to the mix. Consequently, those who are waiting to be counted are encouraged to expose their nostalgic itches, private paradise and smarmy jokes. Believe me, these are redeeming potions for us, "remote outsiders",  who yearn for such mental caresses. Cram the void now before our big mouths are freed up from the insane habit of counting words while typing.

By Leonardo "Eddie" Tan, Batch '66

We arrived Orlando when it was still school holidays and the place seemed to be very crowded. This is the number one holiday destination and the airport itself was already full of activities. We picked up our Dodge Caravan from Dollar Car Rental where one of the staff was a Pinoy - Joe from Subic Bay.  Joe was quite deelighted to learn that I am an Iliganon; he stayed in Iligan for about 4 years while his father was assigned in one of our industrial plants there. He finished high school at La Salle Academy and he mentioned many of his former classmates whom I also knew. I told him one of them is now our present congressman. Joe was one of the members of the Ramblers combo. Small world indeed.

I was the designated driver of the van while my brother-in-law, Al, was the navigator.  It was quite a difficult adjustment for me to drive again on the right side of the road after 11 years here in Australia. So I had to be extra careful and told my passengers to remind me to keep right every now and then. We found our hotel without much difficulty. It was an all-suite place which is especially designed for large family groups. 2 bedrooms with toilets and baths, a living room with sofa bed, a completely furnished kitchen save for the food, and a dining nook in the middle. But what I liked most was that the air-conditioning was working well.

Just about 40 years ago, this place was just a terrain of swamp lands infested with alligators and one hardly heard of its existence. The Disney Corporation was planning to build its new theme parks in Florida for its all year round weather and to cater to the eastern part of the USA. But of all the places in Florida, why Orlando? It was in the fifties when Pres. Dwight Eishenhower embarked on the massive infrastructure interstate road network for the entire USA. And Orlando was fortunate enough to be the lucky place where 2 interstate roads intersect. Disney then formed several companies just for the purpose of acquiring some swamp lands at the average cost of $200 per acre for its dream Disneyworld. 3 days after it was known to the general public, the cost per acre of the adjacent swamp rose to $8,000. Today, the price is 2 million per acre and no one is selling!

Orlando is no longer the exclusive home of the pioneering Disneyworld but also where one can find many of other independent theme parks as well, such as Sea World and the giant Universal Studios which was recently voted as the best theme park in the world. And I seemed to agree with the critics. Welcome to the virtual world of Orlando, the theme park capital of the world.

By Henry L. Yu, M.D.,  Batch '69

In the Sept. 21, 1998 issue of the Spectrum, I wrote about "Remembering People in the Past" where I made mention of names of people who remain unforgettable despite the passage of time.  So, what do I remember most in these people whom I made mention of?  Some facts may only be known now, after thirty something years, maybe because there was no chance to relay the message then. Or if there was, I couldn't express it then due to youthful coyness, of being innocent and carefree.

What I remember most in these people are as follows:
Jocelyn (Angkaw) Ang - She used to be our volleyball star.  We had this habit of exchanging word meanings and sharing new vocabularies whenever we met in the LCHS campus. Angkaw, more or less, contributed something in my becoming a seemingly learned man of words.  She was two classes ahead of me (belonging to batch 1967).  I remember her habit of eye twitching and her bubble gum chewing.
Charles (Amboy) Ang - He was one of the handsomest guys LCHS has ever produced.  A face that refreshes, full of innocence, always coming to school with his clean image.  We were classmates in Chinese class.
Rudy (Nonoy) Co - Another handsome face who used to be part of the Grizzly group (a barkada of Diony, Hon Tian, Kee Siang, etc.). He was that bespectacled, genius-looking guy who was two classes ahead of me in English class.
Henry James Go - He came to study in LCHS when I was in Grade V.  The Go brothers (Sammy, Mario, Edwin, Pido, and himself) added to the list of handsome students LCHS ever produced.  He was one class ahead of me in English, and two classes behind me in Chinese.  Bedimpled and immaculately neat with a ready smile.
Timmy Tan - His full name is Timestocles, my classmate since Grade I, and formed part of the THJL group (composed of Timmy, Henry, Jimmy, and Leopoldo).  He used to come to our house specially on weekends to play jolen and lastiko.
Leodegaria Lagrosas - We call her Leoding. She was my classmate since Grade I.  She was the shy girl forming a part of the JEL group (Janet, Edna, and Leodegaria). She is the sister of Artemio, Elsa and Henry.  (Continued next issue)

By Alex S. Rodriguez, M.D., Batch '65

Hepatitis non A, non B, or hepatitis C is transmitted through blood, blood products, or sexual contact. The virus can be mild and often the patient is asymptomatic. It rarely progresses to the fulminant form. This hepatitis accounts for about 20% of sporadic cases and approximately 95% of post transfusion hepatitis cases. About 7% of transfused patients develop non A, non B hepatitis.  30 - 50% of post transfusion cases evolve into chronic hepatitis.

Hepatitis D relies on the presence of hepatitis B to spread. It is transmitted through parenteral (injection) route. It is endemic to the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, and Asia. Hepatitis D virus superinfection in patients with chronic hepatitis B may lead to fulminant hepatitis or persistent hepatitis D infection resulting in severe chronic liver disease.

Clinical course: Despite variations in etiology, the clinical courses of all types of hepatitis are similar. Common signs and symptoms of hepatitis start with the prodromal period before jaundice (yellowish discoloration of the skin and sclerae of the eyes) appears, 3-4 weeks or  2-3 weeks, is marked by nausea and vomiting, abdominal discomfort, and a low grade fever. The patient complains of fatigue and malaise, and may note weight lose. The liver becomes enlarged and tender (painful to touch). The urine darkens while the feces lighten and the skin becomes yellowish, so with the white part of the eyes which becomes yellowish. Transient skin itchiness may occur. The liver is palpable in 70% of cases.

Medical Treatment: There is no definitive treatment for hepatitis. Bed rest and maintenance of nutritional status are important. A high carbohydrate diet is usually recommended and fatty greasy food should be avoided. Small frequent meals may be better tolerated. Special precautions should be implemented while caring for the patient to prevent contamination and spread of the virus like proper disposal of feces and urine. Handling of blood samples needs extra caution.  Immune globulin can be injected both before and after exposure to the virus. Immunization is only available against hepatitis A and B viruses.

Nursing has come a long way to reach its current stature since the time of Florence Nightingale.  So long and good-bye to the misconception about the dreaded 16 hours, back breaking hospital duty. Those were the medieval ages when nurses used to break their back taking care of about 60 patients, aside from sweeping the floors of their ward.

Nurses in America are classified as follows:  (1)  Registered Nurse or the RN.  A Philippine educated nurse has a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, a  full 4-year course. Graduates of Associate Degree, which is offered here in the States, hold the RN title also. But they have only 2 to 3 years of training.  When U.S. hospitals went into budget cuts, RNs were replaced by the LPNs (Licensed Practical Nurses), who don't have as adequate training and qualification as Registered Nurses do.  In one episode of  the TV  "infor-mercials," a patient asked, "Are you the RN? The Real  Nurse to take care of me?" (2)  Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) has a limited scope of nursing practice and is under the supervision of the RN.  (3) The Certified Nurses Aide or CNA health worker, certified by the State, undergoes certain hours of training and schooling to take care of or assist clients in  the basic routine of daily living, like bathing and feeding.

By experience, a Registered Nurse normally spends 50 to 60% of his or her work doing the nursing process (assessment, referrals, and follow ups) which involves a lot of documentation and paper work. The rest is bedside care which requires clinical skills acquired  from 4 years of education and training.  Nursing is not a sinecure job. It demands critical thinking since you are dealing with life here. It requires the ability to handle pressure for you are working with human beings and not the computer machine.  The job is not so much mechanical labor that breaks your back, as it is more mental exercise that requires the presence of mind at all times. RNs who work on call in the operating room are paid 24 hours by the hour (whether you are sleeping or not), as part of the standby team for emergency surgery. (Continued next issue)

(EDITORS' NOTE: Carlo Bodiongan, Rn, C.,  is a Registered Nurse, Certified in Geriatrics, based in New Jersey, U.S.A.  He was editor of the Plumblossom, student publication of LCHS in 1968.)

This is a retort to Carlo Bodiongan's rebuttal entitled "Look Where We Are Now?" (Spectrum, Sept. 28, 1998 issue).  I didn't say that alcohol, per se, motivates a person to commit a crime. My point was that alcohol ingestion is a predisposing factor; a breeding ground for crime. Drunk driving, domestic violence, vehicular accidents, incestuous rape and teenage pregnancy tremendously affect innocent children, wives and individuals like you and me, even the unborn child. Lives are lost, dreams are unfulfilled.

I don't need a fancy thesis conclusion to prove my point. I just watch Channel 2's "Magandang Gabi Bayan" daily and everything falls into place. Due to its being a federal government, each U.S. state has its own laws and regulations. Insurance fees, for example, are derived after considering several factors. These include the cost of living, the strategic location of a state, accident vulnerability (due to weather conditions, earthquakes and natural disasters), and average personal income of that state. Believe me, it doesn't take an American to understand America. On the other hand, I do agree with the premise that a lot people do abuse the law. And there's nothing we can do about it except to be very careful in everything we do to ensure that we're not going to be sued.

At this time and age, we shouldn't ask the dead but the living. Maybe during Manuel L. Quezon's time racial prejudice was not so widespread. Race should not be a reason to prohibit a person to be successful. Maybe we should ask Peruvian President Fujimori. Life must go on ... C'est la vie!