Internet Newsletter of the Alumni of Lanao Chung Hua School Iligan, Philippines, Year 5, Issue No.20, Dec. 31, 2001 QUEST FOR NEWS LCHS-AA forms news bureau to avert Spectrum shutdown LCHS-AA President Vy Beng Hong has created a "news center" to assist the Spectrum in the gathering of news materials. The move came following announcement by the Spectrum earlier that it may have to cease publication due to the problem of news supply.  At the board meeting held last Dec. 19, Vy Beng Hong appointed the following alumni to constitute themselves as a mobile news bureau: Suniel Lim, Marie Joan Quidlat, Belinda Cu Lim, Edwin Co, and Glenda Sy Cabilan. The group will coordinate with Spectrum's mainstays Roger Suminguit and Teresita Racines in gathering news materials. They also plan to tap the student council and the faculty of LCHS in the hunt for news and other useful materials for the Spectrum. The LCHS-AA president himself also signified his interest to contribute a column from time to time in which he will share his personal insights on alumni activities and other related issues.  This recent move on the part of the LCHS-AA provided momentary relief to the Spectrum, seen earlier to be on the brink of total shutdown for lack of news materials. Henry Yu has expressed his intention to serve as editor until April 15, 2002 when he completes his one-year term.  The date also marks Spectrum's 5th anniversary.

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

All is set for the annual alumni Christmas party at the LCHS gym come Dec. 30. This year's bash promises to be more meaningful than previous years. The invocation and national anthem will be sung by the RLCFCC Choir. LCHS students will entertain the crowd with a Chinese folk dance.  There will also be a musical drama. Another highlight is an all-male choral number starring LCHS-AA officers and past presidents. Dinner is free, with lechons donated by perennial alumni benefactors Charles Ang, Benjohnson Siao and Victorino Tan. Another piece de resistance are roast calf legs, compliments of LCHS president Vy Beng Hong, Manuel Sy Gaite, Arturo Samson, and Fernando Khu. In charge of food preparations is Belinda Cu-Lim. The affair will be capped with the raffle draw where fabulous prizes are at stake.

RLCFCC regales crowd in CdeO
By Teresita Racines (Batch '67) & Belinda Cu-Lim (Batch '82)

Some 20 members of the Resurrection of the Lord Chinese Filipino Catholic Community (RLCFCC) and its choir trooped to Cagayan de Oro City last Dec. 16 to perform at the Thanksgiving Mass held at the Recreational Center of the San Agustin Valley Homes. The RLCFCC was invited by Richard Lim (Batch '69), owner and developer of the newly completed housing project situated at the Pueblo de Oro Township. The performance of the RLCFCC choir won the admiration of the guests, including the officiating priest who was visibly impressed.  The visiting group was led by RLCFCC Foundation president Henry Siao, RLCFCC Council president Edwin Co, and Vy Beng Hong, among others.

Fire brigade holds x'mas bash
By Belinda "Bunz" Cu-Lim (Batch '82)

Members of the Iligan Filipino Chinese Volunteer Fire Brigade gathered at the residence of Agustin Cu, J & K Compound, Pala-o, Iligan City, for their Christmas party last Dec. 19.  It was not an induction or a turnover ceremony, as some people thought it was.  The fire brigade is headed by Kelly Dy (Batch '74) as president.  The group plays basketball at the LCHS gym every Friday to foster the spirit of camaraderie among members.

OBITUARY
Ti Chun Lian passes away
By Roger Suminguit (Batch '73)

Ti Chun Lian, mother of Ngo Bun Se (Batch '50s) of Sonic Video, passed away in Iligan City last Dec. 18.  She was 94 years old. Her husband, Ngo Peck King, was a former business associate of Sen Thay Sing Co. One of her grandchildren is Alex Gaw, a college professor at MSU-IIT. LCHS-AA officers, led by President Vy Beng Hong, held vigil while members of the Resurrection of the Lord Chinese Filipino Catholic Community offered a Mass officiated by Fr. Dan Sormani, at the wake last Dec. 21.

All good things must come to an end
Fri, 14 Dec 2001 12:59:32 -0500

I'm sorry to hear about the coming end of Spectrum. I wish I could have helped you more. It was through the Spectrum that I gained so much confidence in writing. And I don't know how to thank Henry, Ernie and Charles for readily taking me in like I was a member. I guess the saying is true that all good things must come to an end.  -- Clem S. Estrera Jr., M.D., Peterrsburg, Virginia, U.S.A., cestrera@HDMC.state.va.us

You all have come a long way to build a solid foundation for the Spectrum. It's saddening to see what took so many years to build to simply disintegrate in just a matter of time. It's going to take years and years for a new bunch of alumni as dedicated as you to set up another Spectrum. Instead of closing down for lack of materials, why not space the frequency of publication to once a month instead of twice a month?  Iligan is a small place. News, whether good or bad, is hard to come by. For as long as the Spectrum is still there, no matter how long its frequency, it will always remain a pleasure for us who are abroad to read its news and articles.  -- Mike Lee (Batch '66), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, mnmm@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca
 

Life's Journey By Henry L. Yu, M.D. Batch '69

The 31st of December -- the last day of the last month of the year 2001. In a few hours from now, we will be saying goodbye to a year that will soon be part of life’s history. We’ll soon be starting another year. Hopefully, not just a new beginning, but a happy and prosperous one, with love, joy, peace, and harmony reigning in our hearts.

As a retrospection of the year 2001, allow me to share with you this piece entitled “Looking at Yourself” wherein you come face to face on a one-on-one encounter with yourself and answer these questions in all honesty. It’s between you and yourself. A self-examination. So, nothing to hide. Here goes:

- What haunts you most?
- In what ways are you not functioning fully?
- What are some aspects of your lifestyle that are unhealthy?
- Which are your most dysfunctional relationships?
- How do you medicate yourself for excessive stress?
- What are the lies you tell yourself?
- What are you hiding from?
- What is it about your “secret self” that remains hidden?
- What are your greatest doubts and insecurities?

Looking back, what have we done the past 365 days? How many of those dreams became reality? How many of those plans remain mere plans? How many people have we helped and made happy by the things we’ve done? How many of them have we hurt or offended along the way? What have we achieved as parents? How far have we grown as professionals? What are the things we have acquired? Who were those who left us with a void in our heart because of their passing away to eternal life? Who were those who “wiped it dry when we cried a tear, cleared our minds when we were confused, or gave us strength to stand alone again?”

May these serve as our guide in our yearend inventory as we look back to the life that we’ve lived the past days, weeks, and months, through recollection and meditation as the clock slowly ticks away one by one till we finally see the dawning of another year, that is the year two thousand and two (2002). Let’s review our lifelines. Keep those lessons. Establish a paradigm shift. Let’s forget about yesterday and start anew. What’s done is done. There’s nothing we can do about it. The past is past. Yesterday is dead. Here’s today. Have an open heart and mind. Let’s start the New Year right. Think positive. Make plans for the whole year. Wish upon a star. In everything, do it your way, but always be attuned with God’s ways, for they are still the best --  the secret to a new and happy beginning.

Happy New Year to one and all. In His Time.
 

Straight from the Heart By Marie Janiefer Q. Lee Batch '87

My Christmas Morning

I woke up late, well, later than usual
Judging by the soundless house
I knew that the whole household is still in bed
I gingerly crept up to the attic
And sat by the window, hugging both knees as I watch the scene below
There I watch as the Ipil-ipil tree swayed with the wind
I muttered to myself “wow what a nice and beautiful chirstmas morning.”

Some people may be opening their presents by that time
Well, I would be too if I were still two
But at almost thirty two
I know that there’s no gift to be excited about

I saw a group of kids
In their Sunday’s best
Chasing each other towards the church
Their hair were caught by the wind
And their laughter were carried through my window
Again, I whispered “wow what a nice and beautiful christmas morning.”

The night before as my own kids opened their gifts
It felt like the “moment of truth”
After several days of suspense
After several days of guessing
After several days of shaking those boxes
It’s finally time to meet those rattling objects inside.
Watching the look of glee in their eyes
And listening to their squeal of delight
Is more than enough for me

On my christmas morning
I got the present I really need
It wasn’t tied with a red bow
Nor was it wrapped in a shiny paper
The gift I got was the few minutes of peace and quiet.
It was just enough time for me to take stock of what’s around me
And to ponder and realize that the year 2001
Wasn’t so bad at all.
And the gift of overflowing hope and faith,
That the next year will be better,
Not only for me but for all of us.

moody BLUES, 14221 By Ernesto L. Yu, M.D. Batch '65

Here We Go Again:  Nonetheless, whether the New Year's marching song smucks you with a jarring hello or rearrange your sourgraping molecules to a subdued level, we are all rocking in the same boat. Another leaf to the millennium is breezily waltzing in the air. It settles eventually on the ground against anyone's forceful effort to impede its landing. Personally, the New Year signifies racking up another page to my current dreadful count of 52 breathing years in Planet Earth. Yes, favorite enemies, I already included the three that I managed to skip in previous calculation! Oh well, it would have been a perfect heaven if we can only freeze the drifting time. Then again, no one can buck hormonal destiny. Even those who make a hobby out of playing the "Forever-32" lotto. With age, our juices trickle down, eyesight learns to rely on magnifying glasses, "top-gone" scalp yearns for the hairy warmth. Somehow, even if you shower daily in massive doses of age-defying cosmetics and flood every available pore in your body with rejuvenating potion enough to peel off wall paints, alligator skin, facial blotches and drooping eyelids have insensible ways of distorting your anatomy: To make prunes out of your once-moist exterior. Worst, repetitive groans of dismay over this inevitable add-on year has been documented in medical science as a major factor in speeding up your free entry in the culture of long-goodbye-to-youth. A favorable news: Your best outlook depends heavily on how you comfort yourself in believing that those unwanted dark spots on your skin and the leathery feel of your hand are mirror images of mental maturity. The more you collect these ugly features, the wiser you get. In a give-and-take world, I'm sure you'd readily embrace intellectual glows over physical attributes that eventually sour to the point of beyond-novena redemption. Other bright footnotes: There are always squadrons of fake cheerleaders who will air generously glorifying remarks that could make your day. Healing comments like, "Gosh you look like you just got out of high school" (Prison high school?) and "Whoa, you are as smooth as lamb wool for someone from Jurassic Park." Oh well, follow my trick: Learn to exist in the real world because life is a propulsive forward motion; you can unleash some sort of hesitation in your strides for a few minutes, but never for days. Hence, blow a smile to the old year.

Another one bites the dust.

Surrender To Sweet Embrace:  So you have confirmed your overpowering suspicion that your godparents are magical graduates of the Harry Potter School of Disappearing Acts during December holidays. It's terrible that it took a wonderful Yuletide celebration for you to shore up the guts to proclaim that your ninoys and ninays are seasonal sufferers of amnesia. Yet, can you blame them if they don't want their extremities smeared by kisses wet with ransom notes such as "Give me my gift or I kiss you till you melt in awful guilt"?  Just visualize the load of agonizing migraine when a fleet of drooling and incontinent juveniles aimed their luscious lips for a feel of wrinkled skin with red-hot wallets. If you are in the receiving end, you have no choice but to redefine the rules behind enemy lines. You scream out, "Here's the prize if you can spot my bunker!" During my childhood years, I accomplished my obligatory visits to my godparents' caves out of the solemnity of the event (Yeah right!).  First, I fire a telephone call to check their presence in my radar. Then, I put an all-out ambush with lots of twinkles in my eyes as I mutter good tidings to their scared ears. I refined such tactical maneuver that when I became a godfather myself I always come out uninjured after the troop of little devils ransack my hiding places. I do admit of losing one or two in this get-the-sniper game. Out of hundreds! Gift giving is actually not a chess game, who can outsmart who. It is a thrill ride if you map out your escape routes way ahead of doom's day. However, in this era of cell phone, email and text-ing, you might as well wave the white flag before some obsessive-compulsive tots poke you from behind. Lay all your hands on deck if you hate to be humiliated in your own Christmas drama of hide and seek.

Unless you can act Mr. Alzheimer's role.
 

Holiday Tips

Let's drink to your health!

With all the endless feasting and partying in this holiday season, let's pause and learn a thing or two from this holiday tip sent in by Peter Dy (Batch '66) of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada:

In the article, "Red Wine's Health Secrets Uncorked," published in the Edmonton Journal, Dec. 21, 2001 issue, scientists confirmed that drinking red wine, particularly cabernet sauvignon, is good for your heart. They explained why people in France can eat lots of cheese, buttery sauces and other rich foods and still suffer less heart disease than people in other countries.

The secret lies in pigments known as polyphenols. These pigments are not present in white wine or rose, or grape juice. Polyphenols inhibit the production of a peptide that contributes to hardening of the arteries. The polyphenols in red wine decreased the amount of the peptide endothelin-1, which is a potent blood vessel constrictor, and overproduction of the compound is thought to be a key factor in why arteries clog with fatty deposits. The decrease in endothelin-1 levels was related to the amount of polyphenols in red wines. These researchers believe the pigment comes from red wine skins. In white wine and rose, the grape skins are taken out before fermentation. Four of the six most effective red wines used in the study were made entirely or partially from cabernet sauvignon grapes.

So at your next party, go for cabernet sauvignon red wine -- not so much for its taste and bouquet, but for the good that it does to your heart.  Let's all drink to that!

.

This edition of the Spectrum in your hand could have been our last issue. Unthinkable as it may seem, the Spectrum was that close to its extinction. That this newsletter will continue well into the new year is a result of the positive response of the LCHS-AA to help gather news materials for the Spectrum.

But aside from the LCHS-AA, the Spectrum can also use some help from our alumni -- wherever they may be.  There are numerous ways by which our alumni, in each their individual capacity, can help the Spectrum.  Every tiny bit of information you come across involving your fellow alumni is worth sharing with our readers. It does not have to be an event of earthshaking magnitude. Stuffs like that abound on the Internet.

While it is true that the scope of our alumni news must cover our alumni stationed in all parts of the globe, we cannot deviate our focus from the one place that is closest to our heart -- Iligan City. It is, after all, the home of our alma mater.  It is here from which we seek the remnants of our ties to reconnect with our past.  It is where our bond as fellow alumni all began.  It is also the seat of our alumni association. All official alumni affairs and communiques emanate from here.  Where else but in Iligan can we turn to in search of day-to-day events that remind us of our roots as Iliganons, and our bond as LCHS alumni?

As an alumni newsletter, Spectrum's main diet consists of information about fellow alumni and their whereabouts, and periodic updates on happenings at the alma mater.  Every single little event or news about our fellow alumni is prime commodity in this newsletter. Between an alumnus winning a cooking contest in Tominobo and Osama bin Laden being captured in Tora Bora, our alumnus would merit a bigger headline in this newsletter.

News for the Spectrum could be any social event involving our alumni or their family members, such as weddings, job promotions, birthday celebrations, going on oversea tours, opening a new business, product launch, inaugurations, baptismals, visiting home from abroad, or family reunions.  Or it could be about honors and achievements, such as civic or academic awards, passing the board exam, winning in sports contests or beauty pageants, or elections as officers in civic clubs and other associations. And if an alumnus has a poodle that wins in a dog show, that too will make one howl of a news for the Spectrum.

Many of these events don't require you to go out of your way to get the story.  In most cases, the news source could be just a neighbor or a friend, who is only a quick chat or a phone call away.  It doesn't take much effort to call them to obtain a few additional data or to ascertain a few details. Once you have the story, you don't even have to compose it for submission to the Spectrum.  Just relay the raw facts to us or to our correspondents either by phone, text message, or e-mail, and our editors will do the rest. As easy as that.

How about your kids or your friend's kids?  If you know they have a knack for writing, encourage them to contribute to the Spectrum. Who knows, you might discover a new talent in the family.  Or you may know of some fellow alumni who have e-mail.  Introduce them to the Spectrum by sharing their e-mail address with us so that they can be included in our subscription list.  In so doing, you not only help your  friend get involved in our alumni activities, you also help the Spectrum expand its reach.

You can also be a source of inspiration to the Spectrum.  As readers, you can share your insights on what is published in this newsletter. If you like what you read, ventilate your reaction by writing a letter to the Spectrum. Every thought that you share will work wonders for our writers' creative nourishment.  And if you disagree with what you read, it will help, too, for you to bare your thoughts so that our writers will also discover how their ideas stand in the bar of public opinion.

These are a few of the many things that you can do to help the Spectrum "deliver the goods" to our alumni worldwide. The extent of your help will determine whether the Spectrum can continue to be of service up to April 15, 2002 or beyond.
 

BATCH 1978
Jose Andaquig, Davao City; James Chu, Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, King Khalid University Hospital, PO Box 2925, Riyadh 11461, Saudi Arabia, tel. 9661-4671045; e-mail: jameschu@ksu.edu.sa; Regalado Chua, Star Belle Mdse., Sabayle St., Iligan City, tels. 221-3314, 221-3931; Alicia Cu (Go), SMA Commercial, Sabayle St., Iligan City, tel. 221-3430; Luz Dagondon, Quezon Ave. Ext., Pala-o, Iligan City; Johnny Delorino (deceased); Dy Sun Che, Exquisite Display Center, Tubod Highway, Iligan City, tel. 221-6079; Jocelyn Dy, Iligan Shoe Center, Aguinaldo St., Iligan City, tel. 221-3158; Judith Dy, Manila; Normita Dy, Pala-o Market, Iligan City; James Khu, Airsun Marketing, Cabili Ave., Iligan City; Maria Carolina Lee, Davao City; Maria Carla Ong, Echavez Ong Compound, Quezon Ave. Ext., Iligan City, tel. 221-6709; Charita Riveral, Pala-o, Iligan City; William Sy, Cebu City; and Emmanuel Yu, Manila.  [Next issue: Batch 1979]