Vol. 6, No. 16, November 11, 2002

THREE-DAY FESTIVITIES
LCHS celebrates Foundation Day

LCHS will kick off three-hectic-day activities on November 14 to celebrate its Foundation Day with a motorcade.  It will be followed by the opening ceremonies and synchronized dance competition.  Sports competitions will include volleyball, basketball, table tennis, badminton, softball, and relay games for father/mother versus sons/daughters, and elementary teachers versus high school teachers.

Other much awaited activities will be sayawit (song-and-dance) contest, poem recitation contest, story-telling contest, art competitions that include crayon coloring, clay molding, finger painting, paper mosaic art and water color painting contests.  The activities will conclude with the selection of Little Mr. & Ms. LCHS.

Iligan bags championship
in Mindanao Games

Iligan City upstaged Davao City at the close of competitions to capture the overall crown in the 2nd Mindanao Friendship Games at the Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Complex in Cagayan de Oro City.  The final day of the Games was immersed in confusion after organizers fed reporters covering the event the wrong results which erroneously awarded Davao City the overall championship title.  Nevertheless, the monumental mistake committed by the event secretariat was rectified, giving Iligan City the victory on the strength of its 34-19-30 gold-silver-bronze medal haul.

Davao City (34-19-18) made a mad dash at glory and tied Iligan City's gold and silver-medal output but finished at second place as it finished 12 bronze medals short of Iligan's collection.  Misamis Oriental had 27 gold, 29 silver and 31 bronze medals and finished third overall.

Iligan folk dance group wins big
in France and Monaco

For sheer verve, diversity and color, and faithfulness to folkloric traditions, Iligan's premier performing arts group got to perform for Monaco's royalty and took the grand prize for music and other prizes for sports activities in the recently held 13th International Folklore Festival in Port Sur Saone, France. The Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG) also received a gold medal as one of only 11 of the world's cultural groups selected to join this year's festival.

The 25-year-old IPAG, the resident theater company of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), wowed and stunned European audiences in its three-month tour of Monaco, France, Belgium and Spain. IPAG executive director Steven Patrick Fernandez unabashedly recalled how the judges at the folkloric festival in France gave IPAG a standing ovation after its performance that edged out other cultural troupes from Paraguay, the Ivory Coast, Mexico, Surinam, Chechnya and five other countries.

IPAG's prize-winning repertoire opened with the a capella singing of National Artist Lucio San Pedro's "Ugoy ng Duyan"; "Dahil sa Iyo" and, its signature version of the national anthem.  Capping the performance was the ecological number "Bird and Fish," based on a Maranao folktale that left audiences in tears.  Obviously, the audiences comprehended fully the message: to paraphrase Henrik Ibsen's "The Wild Duck," nature does not forget when man violates her.

Roger Suminguit, Batch '73

INSTANT CLASS REUNION
Batch '82 together again after 20 years

LCHS Batch '82 had an impromptu reunion when one of their batchmates Luisa Soy Ang, who is now residing at Manila, came back to spend All Saints' Day here in Iligan.

Steven So, energetic president of Batch '82, contacted all those who were around in Iligan for an impromptu class reunion at Alavar's Seafoods Restaurant. After dinner the group then proceed to Jose Chu's apartment. The reason for the transfer of location was because Jose could not go out to join the group, for he was then on "code alert 163 (BANTAY BATA)" since his wife went to Cagayan de Oro (her wife is a native of  CdeO) leaving behind two children.

It was a night worth remembering.  Everyone was having fun talking about the Good Old Days, joking with each other, and exchanging tips on married life which is very useful especially for the guys who were the Kings in their Queendom.

Present at that gathering were Jessica Sy, Luisa Soy Ang, Concepcion Khu Bartolome, Francisca Monterola, Steven So, Peterson Sy, Ferdinand Parado, Jose Chu, Yuri Taongan, Robert Lueong and James Booc.  Maribel Ang Tseng, who now resides in Taiwan, was able to join them through Mobile Phone only since their unit is not yet capable of the Video Phone technology.

The party lasted until 2 a.m.  They had to cut short their party for some of the guys (name withheld for security reason) were eager to go home already. They all went home with big smile on their faces, except again for some of the guys who were worried that they would be sleeping "outside the kulambo" when they got home.

Mr. Fuertes to quit smoking

In response to the query of Robinson Salvador (Batch '89) who was concerned if Mr. Fuertes was sick, "Tracers"visited the venerable old teacher at his residence in Canaway and found out that indeed Mr. Fuertes was sick.  In fact, he was admitted to the Mindanao Sanitarium and Hospital on October 6 and was confined there for seven days.  He collapsed and was brought to the hospital unconscious due to severe high blood pressure (280/110), which was immediately brought under control.  Acting normally and suffering no impairment in his movement and speech, Mr. Fuertes credited his quick recovery to the medical skills of his attending physician: Dr. Jun Debalucos, son of his Grade-VI pupil, Nicomedes "Kim Huat" Debalucos.  "My fault," said Mr. Fuertes, "I should have quit smoking and refrained from high-cholesterol and salty food."  At 78, it's not yet too late to quit smoking, is it?
 

Letter of Thanks

Beng Hong & Shirley Tan-Vy and Truman Tan & Sio Hua Vy-Tan together with all the relatives of the late beloved

wish to thank all who paid their last respects, sent flowers and messages of sympathy, offered Masses and prayers, visited and kept vigil at the wake, attended the funeral rites, and who, in many countless and generous ways, gave us comfort at this time of our great loss and sorrow.  Thank you for sharing with us the happy memories of our beloved Mother and Grandmother who, for 80 years, lived a long and full life of grace and beauty.  She showed us the value of love and integrity, emulated the qualities that made one worthy of respect, and gave us all an abundance of joy, happiness, and unconditional love.

Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

When I was around 6 or 7 years old, while my classmates were busy dreaming of someday becoming a doctor, a teacher, a scientist, and a fireman among other things, all I wanted was to be Elvis Presley. Yes, the one and only King.  I don’t know how and where I got this idea but somewhere inside of me was a voice dying to sing along with the radio every time an Elvis hit was played.  Even if I don’t know the exact words, much more understand the songs. All I wanted was to imitate how low his voice can go.  What seems to have captivated me was his great voice.  If my calculations are right, when I was 6 or 7 Elvis was already dead.  But I didn’t know it at that time, nor does it really matter.  Even now I feel like the King is still alive.

My fondness of him became dormant until the new Disney movie "Lilo and Stitch" was shown.  When I saw that movie my fondness of Elvis’ songs is reawakened.  Now I have something in common with Stitch, the alien from outer space, and that’s being an Elvis fan -- although I’m glad to proclaim that the similarity ends there, thank goodness.  I mean I want to believe that the similarity ends there.

While my classmates were trying to look like Barbie, I was telling myself that someday I’d grow a side-burn. Yes, I know that this sounds crazy now but to a 6 year-old kid, it was something worth hoping for.  Although I know for a fact that I really don’t have a chance to grow sideburns.  Since back then my mother was the one who cuts our hair and she would cut it in only one style and that’s the bangs look or the bob cut. All three of us girls would get the same type of haircut and therefore would come out looking the same.  If not for our size and shape difference, we’d look like triplets.  I know my sisters would stage a protest about this last sentence because no matter what I do, I won’t have their “chinita” eyes.  I’d always be the one different with my “twa bak” (big eyes).  Incidentally, that’s how I got my nickname “Bak”.  Although I want to warn the general public that this is for family-members’ use only. Call me “Bak” and your name will end up in the “enemy” list along with the name of Osama Bin Laden.  Because, you see, I’m still sensitive around the eye area.  Going back to Stitch, the alien, well, I hate to admit this but I think the other similarity we have is the size of our eyes.  With that out in the open, I can finally say that the similarity really ends there.

When we were in Atlantic City, we went to a show where somebody was impersonating Elvis.  I thought to myself, “maayo pa sya.” In an envious tone, thinking that the performer is so lucky to be able to do something that he must really love.  At least he can sing in a big casino, while the only room I’m really free to belt out my Elvis songs is in the safety of our bathroom. “Safety” in the sense that no one could throw rotten tomatoes at me.

During the show I couldn’t tell if he was able to do justice to the songs.  All I know is that I end up with a hoarse voice after the show, because I was already competing with the loud speakers in that theater.  If  somebody suddenly switched off the power, I know that I’d die with embarrassment since my voice would be the only one croaking in the air.  On the other hand, I’m glad that their power in that casino wasn’t affected by my voice.

Looking at that performer in that Casino, I can see that it takes lots of guts and lots of gyration to be Elvis.  While I don’t possess the former at the same time I can never do the latter.

So now I finally realized that dreaming of being another Elvis is just that, it’ll always be just a dream. A big fantasy. And it will always be one of my life’s greatest frustrations.

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

It was one of those fantastic reunions of two gang members from the famed (burp,burp) Alaber family.  Basically, it was one of those rosy happenings carved in heaven between a tanned guy from steamy Miami and an iced resident from frosty Buffalo. Both exhibit the same exfoliating identities: arthritic, beer-bellied old farts with alligator skin primed to be manufactured into leather shoes and belts.

Last week, Alex Rodriguez, Beth (Alex's bedside cheerleader when he snores), and Manang (Beth's mom) landed in chilly Buffalo for a 6-day survival course in life among the hibernating mammals of the Niagara region. (In photo, l to r: Alex, his wife Beth, and me.)  Naturally, being of the same polarity, our trend of conversation streamed along the rainbows and moonbeams of the once-upon-a-time in LCHS campus: The high and mighty, clean fun, dirty tricks, simple thrill, rare (yeah, right!) heartaches, lifelong secrets. Of course, once you start brewing such topics of recollection, a parade of names from the Age of Aquarius marches along. To enumerate a few, Alberto Bernardo, Clemente Lim, Dodong Uy, Fernando Khu, Fernando Chin, Manuel Te. How about the girls who tickled our crops of pimples? We just cracked a tight-lipped grin and huddled in one corner for hushed exchange of whispers in order to save ourselves from being littered on the street by our wives while mumbling bizarre excuses and generic explanations.

Alex, after all these missing years, still harbors the impression that Fernando Poe is his clone, not the other way around. Except for an ounce of weight loss in the memory department, he is as robust and healthy as a workhorse.  He took up fishing and scuba diving as leisure-sources of adrenaline kick.  He finds skydiving and bungee jumping as nothing more than kissing the wind in terminal velocity.  He'd rather kiss the free-flying carefree spirit of Miss Brandy and Johnny Red.  He is an accomplished cook who can give the Iron Chef a run for his money. All the gourmet dishes he invented in our premises were transformed into skeletal debris once made to breathe on the table. I don't know if it was due to his serving of one dish at a time in a portion good for two diners when there were seven hungry Pac Men seated.  Aha, got to be because he spiced up his signature shrimp and quail eggs recipe with dizzying sprinkles of sesami oil that had our taste buds tailspin in disorientation; and, like starving sharks, we strike at the first hint of edible tease.  Furthermore, he prides himself in putting any dieters to shame by gobbling any sinful cholesterol without feeling a chunk of guilt in his throat. He champions the philosophy: "Eat, drink, and be merry. Whether you die today or you die tomorrow, it is the same die."

Whenever we have guests from the Sunshine State, we find it refreshing if they don't break out in a rash when fog and mists exit thru their mouths everytime they talk.  It is an assuring sign that, at the conclusion of their sojourn, we would air out our goodbye in vertical position. Honestly, we don't mind if they bundle themselves in layers of sweaters and wool derivatives to a point where only their eyes represent them. We won't even get offended if their teeth clatter from the penetrating chill as long as they don't wonder why we are in shorts and not sneezing our noses off.

With a decent pack of memories from Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Niagara-On-The-Lake and Toronto, we traded the ritualistic hug and handshake of friends who have to go on their separate ways. Of course, the airport ceremony was conducted in upright posture, though their spine and bones were shaking nonstop.  I pledged to run by them next year in their new house if they will master the art of reviving heat stroke victims and if they don't tour me around Miami Beach on Wednesday when all the senior citizens of Florida pollute the sea breeze in spandex and thong!

.

Of the many TV programs available today on cable television, there are a few that offer an evening of real good laughs. Unlike the garbage of local sitcoms, these shows offer rare treats of intelligent humor.  These are shows that tickle and sizzle.

One such show is "Late Show with David Letterman."  Talk show host David Letterman (in photo with Madonna) is the main attraction in this one-hour gig.  He is a one-man comic and wrecking crew.  As razor-sharp as his wit is his brand of irreverent humor.  His opening salvos at the start of every show are gems of humor at their sparkling best.  He is one man who can poke fun at prominent personalities and get away with it. He brings the house down with such one-liners as: "An adult movie actress has offered to have sex with Saddam Hussein in exchange for world peace.  An hour ago the offer was accepted ... by Bill Clinton."  On sex scandals rocking the Catholic church, Letterman quips, "The tv show 'The Bachelor' is now on its new season.  But there's a new twist.  The bachelor is a catholic priest."  On the city of New York, he throws in this punch line: "It's so noisy here in New York. At night you can't hear yourself scream.  You have to be a lip reader to know that you're being held up."   "Late Show" (CBS) is on at 10:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, Channel-E (Channel 13 on local Sky Cable Network).

Another show that packs a wallop is "Frasier."  This upscale sitcom provides hilarious insights into the neuroses and tribulations suffered by an insecure and pompous psychiatrist, Dr. Frasier Crane (played by award-winning Kelsey Grammer).  Frasier hosts a Seattle radio advice program. His peaceful home life of fine cigars and haute cuisine is shattered when his gruff, ex-cop father, Martin (played by Emmy nominee John Mahoney), was injured in the line of duty and has moved in with Frasier.  The father brought with him a semi-psychic, live-in home-care provider, Daphne Moon (Emmy nominee Jane Leeves).  Their home is frequently visited by Frasier’s snobbish and competitive brother, Niles (played by David Hyde Pierce).  This show unleashes endless dosage of between-the-lines humor that is both snappy and high-brow.  The spirited repartees among the characters make for a evening of pleasurable viewing.  "Frasier"(NBC) runs Mondays through Fridays, at 7:30 p.m., on Star World Networks.

Another rare show that can convert the viewer into a virtual couch potato is "Everybody Loves Raymond."  This hilarious sitcom, with standup comedian Ray Romano in the title role, revolves around Ray Barone, a successful sportswriter living on Long Island, who lives with his wife Debra (Patricia Heaton), an 11-year-old daughter and 7-year-old twin sons. That's the good news.  The bad news? Ray's meddling parents, Frank (Peter Boyle) and Marie (Doris Roberts), live directly across the street and they frequently infiltrate their son's home to interfere in his family affairs.  The show parodies the riotous situation of family life.  It airs at 8:30 p.m., Mondays, on Star World.

At par with the wealth of witticisms and wisecracks of "Everybody Loves Raymond" is another top-caliber sitcom, "Will and Grace."  Will Truman (Eric McCormack) and Grace Adler (Debra Messing) are best friends and neighbors in this adult comedy about two people who seem perfect for each other but can never actually find romance together.  That's because Will is gay and Grace is straight.  This Emmy Award-winning show is one of the centerpieces of NBC’s “Must See TV” lineup.  On the show, Will is a successful Manhattan lawyer who recently ended a long-term relationship. Likewise, Grace is a beautiful, self-employed interior decorator.  Grace’s work life is complicated by her unusual assistant, Karen Walker (Megan Mullally), a wealthy socialite who only bothers to show up at work because it keeps her “down to earth” -- and because she likes to tell Grace how to live her life. Will has another good friend in the outrageous Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes), a well-meaning but self-involved young man who comes with a complete matching set of emotional baggage. This NBC hit show is heavy with slapstick that rests on the strength of its sizzling wit. Will and Grace is on at 9:00 p.m., Sundays, Studio 23 (on Sky Cable Network).

These are among the few TV shows that offer therapeutic -- and comic -- relief after a long day's work. They aree also a welcome diversion from the plethora of silly local sitcoms cluttering our local networks.  And best of all, they are good enough reasons to keep me home for a while.

Two years ago when I was still connected with National Power Corporation, we had a LAN/WAN Project that connects the regional offices to the Head Office in Diliman, Quezon City via T1 communication line. The LAN in the region consists of 10 Base 5 and 10 Base T cabling. At that time we thought we are “high tech”. After two years, my instructor here in BCIT would not discuss it because for him it is an obsolete technology.  He added that we would no longer see these things in the modern network.

In computer world obsolescence is just a matter of a year or two. What seems to be cool this year may be considered obsolete a year after. In our class of 15, 13 are using high speed Internet and 2 of us were still using dial-up to connect to the Internet and he laughed at us saying we are still living in the dark ages.

I am satisfied with my Internet connection that it never crossed my mind to connect to either ADSL or Cable. Until my 5 year old son asked me one day if we could have High Speed Internet and I asked him why we need such connection and he answered that he has homework to do. Whew, it really blew my mind off … a kindergartner needs a high speed Internet for his homework. Wow … am I really behind the times.  I could still remember when I learn the ABCs and 123 in kindergarten without the aid of computer, much more an Internet. Then again, one morning he woke up with a sore throat and he didn’t want to go to school.  I said that sore throat is not a reason to miss school, then he said, “Can you email Mrs. Knight that I can’t go to school because my throat is scratchy?”  His appreciation of the Internet is really beyond me …
 

BATCH 1987
Finella Bernardo, 0011-C Aguinaldo St., Iligan City, tel. 221-4670, cell 0917-8122721; Jocelyn Bernardo, Bernardo Hardware, Quezon Ave., Iligan City, tel. 221-2768, cell 0917-4117975; Simonnette Bernardo, c/o Junjun Bernardo, Initao, Misamis Oriental; Elizabeth Booc, Cebu City; Genevieve Carlos, 0030 Champaca Rd., San Miguel Village, Pala-o, Iligan City, tel. 223-8017; cell 0917-6037189; Jasmine Chu, 23 Zone 5, Brgy. Sto. Rosario, Tibanga, Iligan City; Junith Chu, 23 Zone 5, Brgy. Sto. Rosario, Tibanga, Iligan City; Janet Chun, 145-D Quezon Ave. Ext., Pala-o, Iligan City, tels. 221-6547, 221-5071; cell 0917-4038956; e-mail: leann@iligan.com; Benedict Ratunil Co, Labao St., Iligan City, e-mail: co_benedict@hotmail.com; William Delorino, Kalilangan, Bukidnon, tel. 221-1959; cell 0917-7160768; Chester Dy-Carlos, Iligan Apollo Electrical Supply, Aguinaldo St., Iligan City, tel. 221-3416, e-mail: hi_12@iligan.com; Minie Lim, Chicago, U.S.A.; David Warren Lim, Regence Ent., Sabayle St., Iligan City, tels. 221-3593, 221-6524; cell 0917-7160455; Rowena Oblimar, 0017 Labao St., Iligan City, tel. 221-1225; cell 0919-4037385; Albert Pua (deceased); Marie Janiefer Quimbo, 41 M. Roxas St., South Admiral Village, Merville, Parañaque City, tels. 822-0911, 867-1131; cell 0917-7168742; e-mail: janiefer@pacific.net.ph; Marie Joan Quimbo, 29 B.S. Ong St. Ext., San Jose Subd., Mahayahay, Iligan City, tels. 221-6278, 223-1949; cell 0917-7160843; e-mail: joan@iligan.com; Mary Freylyn Siao, 542 Pala-o, Iligan City, tel. 221-6550; Maria Olivia Siao, 2nd St., Plum St., Brgy. San Miguel, Iligan City, tels. 221-1414, 221-5592; cell 0917-7162399; Romeo Sy, 31 Ubaldo Laya, Pala-o, Iligan City, tels. 221-3011, 221-5656; cell 0917-7160101; Angelie Tan, Quezon Ave. Ext. cor. Seminary Drive, Pala-o, Iligan City, tel. 221-2057; cell 0917-7162084; Geraldine Tan, 46 Seminary Drive, Pala-o, Iligan City, tel. 221-3361; e-mail: truckers@iligan.com; Ernest Oliver Uy, Lanao Cycle Ent., Labao St., Iligan City, tels. 221-4808, 221-9795; cell 0918-9050019; and  Esperanza Valdez, Makati City.
 

EDITORIAL STAFF VICTOR L. CHIU, editor  Correspondents: Roger Suminguit,Teresita Racines, Charmaine Molo, Rodolfo Yu, Vinson Ngo, & Michael John Siangco (Iligan); Igdono Caracho (Cebu); Emma Yap Matiao (Dumaguete); Marie Janiefer Lee (Manila); Peter Dy (Canada); Leonardo Tan (Australia); Ernesto Yu & Aurora Tansiokhian (U.S.A.); Castor Ong Lim, business & circulation manager (Iligan) & Marie Joan Q. Quidlat, treasurer, (Iligan); and Charles O. Sy & Henry L. Yu, past editors. 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 subscription, contact Roger Suminguit, tel. 221-2422. For contribution, e-mail manuscripts to the editor: perfidia6180@hotmail.com with cc to: spectrum@iligan.com