Vol. 6, No. 14, October 14, 2002
Dr. Greg Dy (Batch '59) was appointed Grand Pursuivant of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, U.S.A. last Oct. 5. His designation now is Right Worshipful (RW). There are only 27 Grand Lodge officers out of 89,000 members in Illinois. Their Grand Master is planning to attend the ANCOM scheduled in Davao.
8,000 trees planted in ‘Pista sa Lasang’
Participants
of the fourth “Pista sa Lasang” here last Oct. 4 - 5 have planted about
8,000 seedlings in five hinterland villages in a drive to reforest Iligan’s
mountains. Norberto Badelles, supervising environment management
specialist at the city mayor’s office, said that at least 500 people joined
in the reforestation drive headed by Mayor Franklin M. Quijano (in photo).
Center of this year’s activity was Barangay Lanipao. But participants also planted trees in the neighboring villages of Kalilangan, Digkilaan, Mandulog and Panoroganan. The mayor also initiated the project way back in 1999, holding it in different mountain barangays. In its first year, the "Pista sa Lasang" was held at Rogongon, then Hindang, then Mainit. Badelles said that 80 to 90 percent of the trees planted survived because the barangay officials and their constituents took care of the plants.
Iligan dance troupe conquers Europe
The leading cultural group of Iligan City came home with a lot of bacon on Sept. 17 after more than two months of performance in Europe.
The Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) of the MSU-IIT represented the Philippines in cultural festivals in Monaco, France, Belgium and Spain. They performed with cultural groups from countries such as Scotland, Ireland, Chechnya, Yugoslavia, Guatemala and China.
But it was the Iligan dance troupe, composed of 11 dancers, 3 musicians, and 2 technical staff members, that earned the admiration of the spectators and judges, and bagged several grand prizes. Artistic Director Stephen Fernandez said IPAG's performance in Monaco alone, which was attended by Prince Albert, was critically acclaimed.
The group presented Mindanao dances, including the singkil, kamalong, and kalilang, using the agong and the kulintang, which all enchanted the audience.
One of the group's major prizes came during the 13th Cultural Festival in France, organized by the Association Culturelle d'Echanges Internationaux.
308 MILF rebels yield in Marawi
308 MILF rebels laid down their arms and returned to the fold of law. Gen. Benjamin Defensor, Jr., AFP Chief of Staff, formally accepted the surrender of four top commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) along with their 304 guerillas at Camp Ranao here Thursday.
The rebels, who denounced war and pledged their support for the development of Mindanao, also presented 212 firearms including 27 explosives. Some of the firearms, ammunition and explosives were powerful including surface-to-air missiles, rocket-propelled grenades and caliber .60 machine guns.
In accepting the former rebels in simple ceremony, Defensor underscored the futility of the rebellion waged by the separatists and enjoined them to look forward to a Mindanao where development abound because of peace. Defensor said, “I am very happy for you and admire your courage and bravery to come down and help government in its peace effort in Mindanao.”
The surrenderees were led by their respective commanders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) identified as Amer Pangandama Bantac, Bacvat Gadia, Khaldon Batabor and Abdullah Dimasangcay.
Tomasa Tan, 80
Tomasa Chiong Sy vda de Tan, aka Sy Masang, passed
away last Oct. 6 in Cebu City, at the age of 80. She was the mother
of Shirley Tan-Vy (wife of LCHS-AA president Beng Hong Vy)
and Truman Tan (husband of Sio Hua Vy-Tan). Funeral
mass was set at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. l2, 2002, after which interment
followed at 9:00 a.m. at the Cebu Chinese Cemetery.
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To Beng Hong, Shirley, Truman, Sio Hua and Family: We are extending our deepest and heartfelt condolences for the passing of your mother. May the Almighty God guide you all during this time of sorrow and grief. She will be remembered in our prayers. --Arturo G. Samson (Batch '59), Mrs. Eileen Samson & Children, Iligan City, Philippines.
My heartfelt condolence to the Tan and Vy families. May God comfort and grant you peace at this difficult time of losing your mother. --Roberto Lagrosas (Batch '72), Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.
Our deepest sympathy for your family loss. --Roderick Ngo (Batch '70), Cebu City, Philippines.
Our deepest sympathy to Beng Hong, Shirley, Truman, Sio Hua and family. --Reynaldo Suminguit (Batch '72), Iligan City, Philippines.
Our prayers for the eternal rest of the late Tomasa Tan. --Roger Suminguit (Batch '73), Iligan City, Philippines.
My family and I are extending our profound condolence on the demise of your beloved mother. Our prayers will be with her on her journey to be with her Creator. --Remedios Tan-Wee (Batch '64), Cotabato City, Philippines.
Roger Suminguit, Batch '73
Social events and business on the go
Henry Dy (Batch '64) stood as principal sponsor at the wedding of Rommel Lastimoso, son of LTO Commissioner Gen. Roberto Lastimoso, in Roxas City last Oct. 5. Among his co-sponsors were some of the prominent names in the country, namely First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, DOTC Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Housing Secretary Mike Defensor, Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson, Undersecretary of Dangerous Drug Board Atty. Bernardo Lastimoso, Sr. Superintendent Angelo Sunglao of DOTC, See Hong of Ororama, Joel del Rosario, Mrs. Judy Roxas, and others. Together with Henry as wedding guests were Carlos "Bonnie" Dy, Christopher Chua Tek An, and Joe Tan. The following day, Henry and his group flew off to Boracay to enjoy and feast on the pristine beauty of the beach as well as the beauties ashore. After a side trip to Cebu for some rounds of golf with his buddies, Henry Dy proceeded to Manila to attend the board meeting of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
I have visited the new hub near my home called Tap Bar & Restaurant, "The Alternative Place" owned by several alumni. This place really has unique attraction. An airconditioned bar and open patio with chairs and tables. Customers usually hang out here late at night. I bumped into some of the night owls. They were: Ernest Oliver C. Uy ('87), Ian C. Uy ('86), Chester Dy-Carlos ('87), Raymund Sy ('94), Ronald Sy ('83) and Benjo Tan ('87). Adjacent to their table were: Angelie Tan-Dy-Carlos, Cristina Dy-Carlos-Deleste and Marie Joan Q. Quidlat. At the other table were seated Santiago Ong ('70) with buddy Rod Enriquez, Allied Bank Manager, Iligan Branch. Seen one day after the fiesta at the sidewalk of Berds Theater was Dr. Belinda Cu-Lim together with other lady physicians taking blood pressure of patients who have probably over-indulged themselves in lechon, adobo, dinuguan and other rich delicacies during the last fiesta. It's good that somebody is minding this silent and insidious disease. Not many are aware that hypertension is a killer and widow-maker. To Doc Bunz and Company, my compliments. Your timing was perfect!
Clarification
on batch list
Wednesday, October 9, 2002, 08:26 PM
I'm responding to the LCHS Alumni Directory of Batch 1984 published in the Sept. 30, 2002 issue of the Spectrum. I noticed the name of Panilo Docog listed in our batch. I don't remember a certain Panilo Docog in our batch, or even in the batch before us or after us. Just want to bring this to everyone's attention. I was really anticipating our batch to be listed and was happy to see it published. Thank You and more power to the Spectrum and its Staff. --Willy C. Dy (Batch '84), Texas, USA, e-mail: willycdy@houston.quik.com
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Hi! I learned about the Spectrum through Willy Dy, brother of Kelly Dy. He was my batchmate. He emailed me from the States and had been telling me to browse the Spectrum. I just did not have the time to do so until a few days ago when I finally came across it. I browsed almost all the issues from the most recent, retroactively, and I had fun reading it. This is really an informative site to keep me updated about my alma mater and what's up in Iligan. Is E.R. Quirante my former teacher in High School? I read her comments, just wondering.
Regarding the list of classmates, there were a few names which do not belong to our Batch '84 and they were: Panilo Docog -- we didn't have a classmate of such name. I knew all my classmates pretty well because we grew up together since kinder, most of them. I did not recall having such a classmate named Panilo. Maria Elena Siao -- she was a year ahead of us, batch '83. She was a classmate of Juvy Dy. Edward Ryan Sy -- is Edward Sy, I could remember his name without "Ryan." Anyway, I maybe wrong. Edward Sy is my batch mate.
On the whereabouts of some: Virginia Chan -- I heard she is in Davao but no specific knowledge of her address. Judith Chu -- she is residing in Tibanga. She is working in Alsons Cement Corporation. Gina Chun -- she is managing their family business: Lanao Lumber Corporation, Tubod, Iligan City. Reynaldo Grepaldeo -- he is residing in Cagayan de Oro and is tthe Branch Manager of Fortune Tobacco (am not sure of the Company though) in CdO. Rogelio Jose Lee Trinidad -- he is in Cebu City now. Elaine Zabala -- the last time I heard about her, she was in the U.S.A.
Hipolito Guiritan is my brother. He was ten years older than me and I remembered being in grade one in LCHS while he was graduating in high school. I have relocated to Makati 4 years ago. Looking forward to reading the future issues of Spectrum. Keep up the good work. --Josefina Rizalina "Datdat" Guiritan (Batch '84), Makati, Philippines, e-mail: datguiritan@yahoo.com
Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch '69
Time and Talents
TALENTS AS GIFTS. In this lifetime, we certainly have so many things to thank God for, talents which are given to us as gifts to be made use of, for the service of humanity and for the glory of God. Have you ever thought of these and started counting them? There's the talent in writing, singing, dancing, playing the piano, bowling, cooking, painting, skating, etc. As for me, one of the talents that I would like to thank God for is the talent of remembering people, places, and events, specifically in associating a song with the year when it was the top tune, like for examples: Que Sera Sera (1955), Three Coins In The Fountain (1956), April Love (1957), Some Enchanted Evening (1958), Stardust (1959), An Affair To Remember (1960), Tender Is The Night (1961), Aldila (1962), Crazy (1963), Sad Movies (1964), Walk Away (1965), To You From Me (1966), This Diamond Ring (1967), Sitting In The Park (1968), Sound Of Silence (1969), A Time For Us (1970), Love Story (1971), Close To You (1972), First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (1973), Can We Just Stop And Talk A While (1974), Let Me Try Again (1975), One Day (1976), Mr. DJ (1977), etc. Yup, I’m like a jukebox. You let me listen to a song, and I'll tell you the year. Hey, why up to 1977 only? Oh, that's the first 25 years of my life. The next 25 later. Ok?
TIME FLIES. Truly, time flies so fast that without our knowing it, another year has gone with the wind and we've turned a year older. Let’s face the honest mirror and what do we see? Oh, some gray hair here and there, receding hairline, wrinkles, laugh lines, age spots, obesity, flabbiness, etc. Yup, we never have these ten or twenty years ago. But then we also were not as financially blessed as now. When we were young, we had so much beauty and freshness in us but we didn't have the money. Now that we're older, we have the money but we don't have the vitality and magic of youth. Yes, in this world, we just cannot have everything. Funny, how people could be so budget-conscious during their younger days. Now that they can easily afford to buy all the food in the grocery, they just couldn't freely eat them as there are now some diet restrictions due to diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, ulcer, and other ailments of The Aging and The Restless. How ironical indeed some people are leading their lives. They work so hard to the point of skipping or eating their meals late, putting too much stress on day-to-day living in their workplace or at home, etc. Now they have saved and accumulated their wealth. But the money they earned and saved just goes somewhere, to pay for the bills on a battery of laboratory tests, medicines, etc. Life in actuality is simple. It's us people who make it complicated. Remember, "Life is what we make it". So take it easy. As long as it's not between life and death, everything will be fine. No reason to panic.
Enjoy LIFE'S JOURNEY.
Ernesto L. Yu, M.D., Batch '65
A Heartbeat Away
A rickety comrade from a generation of molds was harping about my swirling display of a mental zone that exudes a charming chemistry to manufacture generic love letters out of the blue. For a fella with tons of punishing miles in the age odometer, my “Love Juice – Part 1&2,” according to a sidekick of three hairlines ago, was amazingly bewildering, laced with steamy clumps of passion too chunky to squash in one pass. Without any watering down, he sighed, my exhibit of emotional nakedness proved beyond any reasonable doubts that words of love can do the trick whether you are just a new recruit learning the ropes of the DIL (Deadly In Love) Society or a seasoned Romeo who dwells on matters of the heart with a missionary zeal. Furthermore, he wondered out loud, how an old fart can grind and scribble a fast one when I should be confined in the comfort of the rocking chair, relishing the swooning beauty of sunsets and rationing my dwindling energy in thanking my squadron of angels for setting my heart to chime in regular rhythm!
Was I in a twitchy race against whatever residual hours are left desperately dangling in my hormone clock, attempting to sweeten a souring pie? Or was I in a monkey-maneuver to fan a barely flickering faith in the power of romanticizing the pristine past? A gigantic wallop of nope to both guessing-game question marks. Actually, it was a personal demonstration of a vibrating desire to “bend a spoon telepathically.” Some sorts of revving up my ancient banks of youthful recklessness and abandon. A kind of whooping, rocking, thrilling joy pop along Paul Anka’s “Puppy Love” paradise and Neil Sedaka’s “Stairway To Heaven.” Both throbbing and haunting hit-makers can rattle the wind beneath every hopeless romantic wings at whatever temperature in the day.
It is not a sexual awakening, but something akin to sensuality. Y’know, the swaying poetry in sidelong glances, the rhapsodic merry bustling of fireflies, the electrifying comfort of eye-kissing photographs, the magnetic draw of recurring dreams, the rainbows that peek out of the evening skies, the silly sweetness in idle talks, the cosmic glee in stargazing … Oh well, don’t reboot the chemicals in my engine because once my heart cranks the gas there is no stopping to this lovey dovey burst of kinetic excesses.
And everything is but a heartbeat away.
Charles O. Sy, Batch '67
Octobeer-fest
This month ushers in the season of Oktoberfests. Drinks will overflow anew in bars throughout Octobeer.-- ooo -- People no longer mix beer with gin because it is said that beer-ginity is a thing of the past.-- ooo -- Some people get allergy if they drink beer. My good friend Toto Samson gets allergy if he doesn't.-- ooo -- If only hangovers would precede the intoxication, beer-drinking would be a virtue.-- ooo -- You know you're drunk when you start to feel sophisticated but can't pronounce it.-- ooo -- I only have two reasons for drinking beer: one is, when I'm thirsty, to cure it; the other is when I'm not thirsty, to prevent it.-- ooo -- Many men gathered at the MSU-IIT gym last Sept. 27 to catch a glimpse of Joyce Jimenez during her dress rehearsal. Me, I'd rather wait for her undressed rehearsal.-- ooo -- Roger Suminguit, an avowed admirer of Joyce Jimenez, confesses that he en-Joyce every minute just watching the sexy star.-- ooo -- The trendy new Tap Bar & Restaurant is drawing huge crowds in Pala-o, Iligan City. Santi Ong, one of the owners, says the reason for its success is that they were able to Tap the right people to run the bar.-- ooo -- A friend in Cebu asked me to join him in rendering a jazz number with my harmonica in his new bar. I told him: I couldn't because my talent is jazz between you and me.
(Part
12)
One afternoon, about ten years ago, we were eating champoy in
my Mom's (Nang Eyay) office table in our store, when a family friend,
an army sergeant (name withheld to avoid humiliation) came to visit.
We invited him to eat champoy. After a few tries, he said,
"Mao diay ning tsampoy sa intsik, lahi kaayo nu, gahi unya walay unod."
Hesus!! He was picking and eating the seeds we just spat out diay!
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My Journey to the 17th World Youth
Day
By Josefina Rizalina “Datdat” Guiritan
Batch 1984
He looked very frail as he stooped and moved haltingly. With trembling hands and affable smile, he waved at the crowd as he passed by. Yet his infirmity did not diminish the excitement he generated by his mere presence. Karol Wojtyla, the first Polish Pope in the Roman Catholic Church history, known throughout the world as Pope John Paul II, enjoyed incredible popularity among young Catholics.
I was so excited to see the Pope for the first
time. My heart rushed when I heard commotion from the pilgrims as
the Pope mobil passed by. 
Joyful
cheers resounded as pilgrims shouted to the top of their voices, pouring
out their love to him, “John Paul II, We Love You!” I waved at the Pope
with a Philippine flag on hand. I felt a cold breeze brushed my face
amidst the hot day as I caught a quick glimpse of him. It was a strange
feeling. I was touched watching my fellow pilgrims in tears as they expressed
how they felt seeing the Pope in person.
That singular event fully made up for all the hardships I went through in coming to Toronto, Canada. Like young people across the world who responded to Christ’s invitation to follow Him, to be light of the world and salt of the earth, my journey to the world youth day was an offer of thanksgiving to God.
The World Youth Day started in 1984 in Rome when Pope John Paul II invited young people from all walks of life to come together and share their faith and love for Jesus Christ. Since then, the World Youth Day is held every two years. This year, the 17th World Youth Day was held in Toronto, Canada from July 18 to 28. In the heart of this multi-cultural and multi-faith city, over eight hundred thousand pilgrims gathered to celebrate their faith. I was deeply inspired meeting this great number of youth who in “one heart” responded to Christ’s invitation to follow Him, to be light of the world and salt of earth ...
On July 20, 2002, I was aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR 107, bound for Vancouver, in transit to Toronto. The long flight finally brought us to St. Ambrose Parish at Brownsline Etobicoke, our accommodation. We arrived at twelve midnight, tired and sleepy. The mini auditorium where we were housed was enough to accommodate at least a hundred people. The hall was bare, without any beds or mattresses. We wasted no time, pulled out our sleeping bags and spread them on the floor. In a short while, snores of tired pilgrims, in varying melodies, filled the hall.
I woke up shaking, the cool air crept through my sleeping bag. I glanced at my watch and it was only 5:30 in the morning, time to get up and have a shower.
Make-shift shower stall was available across the building. It was made of wood and white plastic canvass with white shower curtains covering each partition. When taking a bath, one should not forget to close the shower curtain, otherwise her silhouette could be seen from the outside. I got my first shock in Canada in the shower room! When I turned on the valve, ice cold water splashed my face, as in literally “ice cold.” I shrieked out, "Ngeeeee ang lamig!" My jaws were shaking. It was like dipping myself inside a soft drink cooler, perhaps that could best describe it. I finished taking a bath in a jiffy.
Unfortunately, the water-heating system at Saint Ambrose was out of order and it could not be fixed in the next few days. Upon hearing about the situation, some kind-hearted families and parishioners of St. Ambrose offered their homes to the pilgrims for showers. The volunteers came by to fetch us at a designated time.
Our first day of exploring Toronto was exciting. From St. Ambrose, Brownsline, we took bus number 123 Shorncliff to Kipling Station at $2.25 fare. I thought that was expensive for a short-distance travel. Our next ride was the subway train to Union. We could not find where to buy the train ticket until we learned from friendly Torontonians that with the $2.25 fare, we could already take the subway train at no extra charge since the bus we took from St. Ambrose and the sub way service were operated by the same Transit Company (Toronto Transit Commission or TTC). That was cool! Toronto’s transport system was so convenient and easy to familiarize.
We went around the University Avenue, Nathan Phillips Square, the CN Tower and explored the main streets of Toronto. We met flocks of pilgrims of different nationalities, who like us, had fun moving around. The main streets of Toronto were filled with joyful cheers and friendly gestures of the pilgrims. Toronto was alive and according to some Torontonians we met, they felt so blessed and touched with the presence of the pilgrims.
The next day, catecheses were held at the Exhibition Place, located near downtown, just north of Lake Ontario. It was an avenue of befriending one another, sharing reflections, singing and praying together. We enjoyed posing for photos, exchanging calling cards, coins, pins and caps for souvenirs. I came home with tons of reading materials, pens and all those freebies from various religious congregations at the Exhibit. We even sang Mary Immaculate songs in chorus just to claim free T-shirts. My fellow pilgrim burst in laughter, "Sintunado daw ako!" On our way out of the hall, we saw young men holding placards and exclaiming, “Free hugs, free hugs, come for free hugs!” Out of fun, we rushed to the pogi boys to avail of the free hugs. Cool!
One of the highlights of the event was the Vigil with the Pope at the Downsview Land. The area was so vast that it accommodated over eight hundred thousand pilgrims gathered all together in one setting. The vigil began at 7:30 p.m. with prayer, music, testimonies and a message from the Pope. Amazingly, 7:30 p.m. was just like 3:00 p.m. in the Philippines. During summer, sun sets in Toronto at 9 p.m. I was kind of disoriented with my meal time. I did not feel like eating dinner at seven in the evening as the sun was still pretty much shining. I got mixed up with my dinner and snacks.
I was amazed at the great number of pilgrims across the world at the Papal Vigil. I saw various colorful flags swaying in the air, and most of them were unfamiliar to me -- my apologies to my world history teacher in LCHS. The group next to us were pilgrims from Croatia. I had no idea then where Croatia was, maybe near Russia, just a wild guess. I enjoyed listening to their lively songs of praises though I did not understand the lyrics.
I learned there were around 7,000 Filipino pilgrims in all, with a thousand of us coming from different parts of the Philippines while the rest came all the way from various countries.
Daily during the World Youth Day, all the subway trains, street cars and buses were jam-packed with pilgrims singing and cheering in different languages. Everyday, we marched through the streets for hours under the scorching heat of the summer sun along with thousands of pilgrims. I consumed almost a bottle of sun block. When I came back, my colleagues did not believe that I came from Canada. With my suntanned skin, they thought I went snorkeling in Siquijor.
The Toronto weather was harsh as it switched from heavy rain to a really hot day in a matter of few hours.
At 3:00 a.m on the last day, my fellow pilgrims woke me up. It was raining heavily and we were all wet including our sleeping bags and belongings. I grabbed my contact lens kit and immediately put on my contact lenses. There was no way to get back to sleep anymore. We pulled our mats and used it to cover our things. We settled down amidst the heavy rain awaiting for the Papal mass at 9 a.m. which marked the closing of the WYD.
One of the reflections I had at the World Youth Day was asking God if I was really meant for marriage vocation. In staying single for a length of time, I began to wonder if this was really God’s will for me. During the Holy Communion at the Papal mass, I asked God for a sign. “Lord, if I am truly meant for marriage vocation, I will be able to receive your Holy Eucharist right here, as a sign.”
At that moment, nothing crossed my mind that would prevent me from receiving the holy host. Just as it was my turn to receive the communion, the priest announced, “We’re very sorry but we ran out of hosts.” I was stunned with disbelief! I rushed to the rear end where I saw another queue of people. I was at the tail end of a lengthy line that I could not see the frontmost. I had been standing there for a while but the queue did not seem to move. I saw a fellow Filipino pilgrim hurrying in and I asked: “Is this line for those taking the communion. “No,” she said. “This is for those claiming their bunch of meals!” By golly, gee! I was on the wrong queue. I was on my way back to our place, desperate, when I saw a priest giving communion at the far end, I approached him and there, I received the Holy Eucharist in solitude.
What was the lesson of the story? My prince frog would never come! Kidding aside, God is far smarter than I can think of. I was too impatient that I needed a quick answer to my doubts. In retrospect, God was telling me to discern for His will, instead of seeking a snap sign from heaven. In Don Bosco, we were always encouraged by our Spiritual Director, Father Armand Robleza, SDB, to go through the process of discernment as we move on and face big decisions in life, like marriage.
But I digress.
After the World Youth Day, we had the opportunity to be hosted by Filipino Canadian families in Toronto. God was so kind! After 9 days of sleeping on the floor, it was a taste of comfort at last. With the points I accumulated from my length of stay at Seoul Hilton last year, I was able to avail of a four-day stay at Hilton Toronto for free, upgraded to an executive suite. I stayed in Hilton while having the chance of staying with my host families in between duration. My sincere thanks to my host families, Ched Javier, Douglas Henderson and Michael Montealegre for their warm hospitality and for accommodating me like their own family member.
A few days after the world youth, I went around Toronto again. Most of the pilgrims had left, Toronto was quite, the trains were not even half filled, as if the whole city rested after the busy days. My stay in Toronto did not end without experiencing the breathtaking boat ride onboard the Maid in the Mist which took us to a close glimpse of the awesome Niagara Falls.
Despite the long march with other pilgrims under the scorching heat of Toronto’s summer, being soaked in the heavy rains, getting lost amidst the throng of pilgrims, the whole experience was really a treasure chest of unforgettable memories! The experience blessed me with meaningful encounter with Christ in a very personal way. The pilgrimage was not only spiritually enriching, it also brought me many fond memories of friends and places.
The world youth day leaves me with a challenge to live by each day, that is to live my life in simplicity around the heart of Christ and to shine out to others in my own little way …
To my fellow alumni who are young at heart, the Pope is inviting us again for the 18th World Youth Day to be held in Germany in 2004. I hope to catch you there, God willing!
On Moon-Lit Nights Like These
By Josefina “Panga” Salvador
The article of Charmaine Molo, “Siopao, Tarzan and King Kong,” reminds me of many nights forty years ago when the moon was full and the children were young. On moon-lit nights like these, the streets served as playground for all the kids in the neighborhood which was bounded by De Leon, Luna, Burgos and Zamora streets.
This neighborhood was the home of Belinda Tan and her sisters; my children Lecon, Letty, Nelson and Willy; Elsa, Jocelyn and Charles Ang; Yolando, Sergio and Teresita Siao; Glicerio, Amang and Lalita Uy; Richard, Michael and Letty Dy; Tarzan and Perla Yu; Virginia, Melania, Alex and Larry Handumon; Franklin, Joseph, Philip and Rex Siao; Ruben, Emelita, Janet, Inday, Bobby, Philip Lee and the bright twin sisters.
On moon-lit nights like these, the young girls would gather and chat while the boys would play bulan-bulan, patintero and tago-tago (hide and seek). In the game of hide and seek, the name of the boy that was caught must be called out. Now, there were four boys with the same nickname of Dodong. To identify which one was caught, the name of the mother was added -- like Dodong Alice (Alex Villanueva Handumon, now a physician in USA); Dodong Teria (Tiaolito Ruben Lee, now a CPA and manager of Trendline); Dodong Panga (Nelson Dy, now an engineer working with the National Power Corporation) and Dodong Viola (Michael Abejo Dy, a successful businessman).
Now, all of us mothers have become widows. Sooner or later, we will follow our dear husbands. Only three of us are still in Iligan, saying hello as we see each other. Alice, whose house was only a few steps from our doorstep, is now in the USA. We miss her so much and the things we and our children did on moon-lit nights like these.
Oh, if only we could turn back the hands of time!
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LCHS
BATCH 1985
Catherine Bodiongan, 038 P. Zosa, St.,
Bara-as, Iligan City, tel. 221-8106;
Helen Booc, Pala-o, Iligan
City, Ferdinand Comacho, Davao City; James Comacho, Manila;
Alvin
Cogmon, Tibanga, Iligan City; Charina Dy-Carlos (Yu), New International
Watch & Jewelry Store, 209 V. Gullas St., Cebu City, tel. 254-3042,
cell 0917-3180041; Elviro Euave, Pala-o, Iligan City;
Dominic
Siao, Kim San Co., Inc., 109 Quezon Ave., Iligan City, tel. 221-5118;
e-mail: Dominic@iligan.com;
Jeferson Talladua, Pala-o, Iligan City;
Christy
Tan, Cebu City; Yuven Taongan, Lugait, Misamis Oriental; and
Jo
Ann Marie Ylanan, Brgy. Suarez, Iligan City.
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