Vol. 6, No. 17, November 25, 2002

On Nov. 4, 2002, a memorandum of agreement was signed by the creditor banks, the Danaharta of Malaysia and other parties.  The agreement finally made it clear that the National Steel Corporation, the biggest steel mill in the Philippines, is owned 80% by the creditor banks, 16% by the Malaysians and 4% by Kawasaki and the National Development Corporation. The creditor banks are led by the Philippine National Bank, majority of which is owned by the taipan Lucio Tan.

The agreement paves the way for the appointment of the interim management body that will decide on how and when NSC will operate.  Among those who are interested to operate NSC is the Austrian firm Voest-Alpine that has the financial capacity and expertise to do so. This is the steel company that envisioned to put up a Corex system to make NSC a fully integrated steel mill. Other advantages of a Voest-Alpine operation of NSC is that its Corex has a built-in provision for power supply generation.

The re-operation of NSC will surely revive the moribund economy of Iligan.  Councilor Bill Bacareza, who was once an NSC executive, noted that NSC was once the biggest taxpayer of the city.  During its heyday, NSC contributed about a fourth (P130 million) of the city’s income.  Many believe that the city will be financially stable if ever the NSC will operate again.

LCHS alumni win in bank promo

Virgilio "Tarzan" Yu together with his children, Johnsmith and Vivian, won an undisclosed prize in the Milyon-milyong Pasasalamat Promo of Banco Filipino, a savings bank located in front of SBG Merchandise and the old Lian Hong Trading at Quezon Avenue, Iligan City.  The bank became famous for its "subok na matibay, subok na matatag" slogan before it fell victim to corporate raiders.

Sy-Ng wedding Dec. 1

Brandon Derick Sy and Melodee Ng will exchange marital vows at the Cebu Gospel Church, Cebu City, at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2002.  Reception will follow at 7:00 p.m. at the Cebu Grand Convention Center.  Brandon Derick is the son of Alfredo "Chu Tek" Sy (Batch '56) and Rosie "Bian-Bian" Siao-Sy (Batch '60).  Melodee is the daughter of William and Linda Ng, owners of Uyson Mercantile, Cebu City.  To stand as principal sponsors of the new couple are Sy Chu An, Elson Siao (Batch '56), Benson Dakay, Lili Gothong, Elizabeth Gan-Go, and Florcita Tiu-Sy (Batch '64), among others.

Roger Suminguit, Batch '73

Itaas mo!
"Tracers" was lucky to find Roderick Ngo and his wife at the Tap Bar and Restaurant on All Saints' Day.  Seldom did the couple stay overnight in Iligan.  Sitting with them were William Dy, father-and-son tandem Bonnie Dy and Chester Dy-Carlos, and the most eligible bachelor Santi Ong who came direct from Guam.  And what were they drinking?  Siempre, itaas mo ... isa pa nga!  Nagbaha na pud ang San Miguel beer sa Iligan.

China bound
If you miss the "Odds & Ends" column of John Michael Siangco, don't be surprised.  He is now in Xiamen, China, pursuing advanced studies on scholarship grant.  Another China-bound alumna, Melicia "Lecon" Dy-Lamayan, is in Beijing on a company-sponsored group tour.  The company, INOSPHIL, is the largest distributor of the unique surgical stainless cooking ware which is very popular among modern housewives in the Philippines.

Trip to Cagayan de Oro
"Tracers" took a trip to nearby Cagayan de Oro city and had good and bad news to report.  The good news:  SM City opened for business on Nov. 14.  It drew so much crowd that the other malls -- Ketkai, Gaisano, and Mega Rama -- virtuaally became ghost towns.  Another good news:  A new bus terminal located at Bulua became operational.  It was designed like a modern airport with smooth one-way flow of passenger and bus traffic.  With this new bus terminal, west-bound passenger buses and jeepneys need not pass through the city, a big help in decongesting the city traffic.  And the bad news?  My, my -- it was really bad.  Every day, starting at 7:00 a.m., traffic flows almost to a halt at the Kauswagan crossing, Carmen-Patag junction, around the old bridge near the Agustin church and at the crossing near the Gaisano City mall.  The traffic jam lasts for three hours.  It recurs again starting 5:00 p.m.  The day "Tracers" was there, the traffic jam lasted five hours.  In contrast, Iligan with its bad roads and on-going road repairs, traffic never stands still.  You can even ride in a rig-driven tartanilla (yes, it's still there) and reach your destination on time.

Count me in
Please include me in the Spectrum subscription list:  Name - Jane Dale Chua Racines, Batch year - Batcch 2001, Residence - #15 Park 9 Street, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines. --Jane Dale Racines, e-mail: jader1129@yahoo.com

Lee Peng Seng, 88

Lee Peng Seng passed away last Nov. 16 in Cebu City at the age 88.  He is survived by his wife Wong Sue Chin (living in Taiwan) and children Lee Kheng Shiong (Taiwan) and Michelle Lee-Sy (Manila).  Lee Peng Seng was a key officer and one of the prime movers of the Cebu Kin-men Association.  He is well-known to many Iligan travellers to Cebu in the 50s and 60s, having once been the community relations officer of the William Lines, Inc. in Cebu City.  He also spent several years in Iligan while running a copra business venture with the late William Chiongbian before World War II.

A rare photo of Lee Peng Seng taken in 1938 with friends. Standing, from left to right:  Unknown, unknown, Jesus Dy, unknown, Lee Peng Seng, and Dy Tiao Lim; seated, from left to right: Dy Tiao We, unknown, Alfonso Dy, Dy Tiao Boc, and Dy Tiao Ping.  Photo from the archive of the late Dy Tiao Lim through the kindness of Mrs. Emeteria Dy.

Charles O. Sy, Batch '67

I heard somebody won a handsome prize in a cell phone speed text contest and became an instant cell-ebrity. -- ooo -- Two ballroom dancers in Cebu said their love affair started with the exchange of text messages.  Well, it text two to tango. -- ooo -- Cromwell Jansen Co is the new editor of the Campus Keeper.  With Cromwell at the helm, we can look forward to a better Co-verage of LCHS activities. -- ooo -- Our former Grade VI teacher, Fidel Fuertes, says he's determined to quit smoking totally -- no ifs or butts. -- ooo -- Cigarettes are truly expensive.  You pay for them twice. When you get them and when they get you. -- ooo -- Last Nov. 1, All Saints' Day, I saw this sign in a cemetery:  Due to manpower shortage, graves will be dug by our skeleton force. -- ooo -- Postscript:  Marie Josiefel Ello wrote us from Vancouver, Canada asking if we could correct some typographical errors she noted on the LCHS alumni home page.  Unfortunately, we couldn't.  IligaNet, which hosts the alumni home page, has restricted access to its server since February last year for "security reasons." That, of course, is a management prerogative of IligaNet.  After all, it is hosting the LCHS-AA web site for free. -- ooo -- As a result of this impasse, the home page has become stale as we could no longer access the host server to update its contents.  As far as we are concerned, the home page, which we helped conceptualize in 1997, is now as good as abandoned. It's a pity because the home page has served well as a window for many homesick alumni abroad to catch some glimpses of home. -- ooo -- If the LCHS-AA is interested to maintain its presence in cyberspace it may have to designate some alumni in Iligan, who are knowledgeable in web page design, to assume the administration of the home page and transfer it to a more accessible host server elsewhere. That's what we did with the Spectrum home page (now hosted by GeoCities, U.S.A.).  Or the LCHS-AA can choose to leave it at that -- and allow the web site to turn itself into a site for cobwebs.

One Sunday afternoon as I was cleaning my bedroom, my little girl barged in with tear-stained face and with dirt all over.  I knew without her saying a word that she’d been hurt by her two brothers again.  It may not have been a physical hurt but it certainly crushed her spirit.

When I gave birth to her two years ago, I was half afraid that we might love her too much and that she'd grow up to be the classical spoiled brat.  Knowing how everybody, especially me, waited to have a baby girl.  I was thinking that her two older brothers would dote on her and be her protectors.  I don’t know if it’s too early to say but I’m afraid that the two “protectors” turned out to be the villains in her life story.

A few days after we brought my baby girl home, my second son had a discovery of a lifetime.  While I was changing Shania’s diaper my son Justin exclaimed, “Hala! Bakit punit ang pwet ni Siobe?”  They were wondering how come we brought home a “defective” baby.  A baby with something lacking in front, something dangling is missing.  They assumed that all babies look alike, that they all look like them and that they make wee-wee or pee-pee through the same equipment.  After the two boys whispered among themselves, the older one said matter-of-factly, that maybe when Siobe grows as big as them then her “lacking thing” will grow.  I was dumbfounded because I didn’t know how to explain things, I assumed that when we told them that they’re having a siobe I thought that they understood the difference.  It was only then that I realized that they thought girls and boys differ only on the outside.  I guess that from that time on, they’ve considered their sister a different kind of being because she’s a she.  I thought that they’d treat her in a special way for being different. But now I feel like they treat her like a freak for being different from them.

Through the years I’ve seen how she tries very hard to belong.  How she tries to fit into their world.  She’d drop her dolls and try to play with cars instead.  She’d scramble to climb up the headboards and try to jump as high as her brothers.  She tried to run as fast as them, tried to eat what they were eating or drinking.  But nothing seems to work.  She’s still pushed and shove whenever she gets in their way.  And my heart goes out to her each time I see her being treated this way.

When the boys have something, be it food or toy, they would hide it from her.  On the other hand when Shania has something, she always make sure that her two brothers have the same thing too.  Just like last Sunday when we were visiting their grandparent’s house, their Ama was giving her a pack of juice.  Then she asked for two more, she made sure that her two brothers get some too.

Or when I buy her some Jellyace, those gelatin in tiny packs, she’ll always set the blue ones for Jacob and the green ones for Justin.  She’d tell me that blue is Jacob’s “borit,” her version of “favorite,” and the green ones is Justin’s.

Through her I see how love should be, she loves her brothers more than they love her.  Her love is one of those so-called “unconditional.”  She reminds me to love that way, and that love should be that way.

That Sunday afternoon, as I was wiping her face with a damp cloth while listening to her story about what happened, as I took away one stain after another she felt renewed and energized. After I was done cleaning her up she was back to her old self.  With a quick “thank you” she run off, off looking for her two brothers again.

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

A turkey is one plump, juicy bird that represents a myriad of connotations. It can denote a New Age source of appetizing proteins, viewed to be low in caloric cholesterol by dieters who would cram their hyperactive mouths with such meaty fibers without a thread of second thoughts. On the other extreme, it can be a prickly term to describe a screwball with a loose cannon IQ that borders in the low digits. Yes, the Paul and Mary whose common sense is so uncommon.

Nevertheless, every last Thursday in November, this feathered species is the classic emblem for Thanksgiving Day in the United States – a spectacular, snail-paced holiday to jot down “thank you” notes for everything sunny and bright in one’s life, like a clean bill of health, a rainbow-tinted love life, a new baby who ignites the home with glowing grandeur, an imagined kiss that tiptoes in dreams time and again, a romantic rhapsody that nibbles on star-studded ears … oops, I’m doing my accounting of good tidings (minus the newborn!). It is one of those occasions where you can slam-dunk your overworked anatomy on the mattress for extra hours of sonorous sleep. Furthermore, this seasonal rite is punctuated by a five-day school break, an opportunity for a snugly family huddle by the fireplace, a respite from workplace stresses and anxieties, and colossal storewide bargain giveaways. This last honorable mention never fails to paint sparkles to any shopping mall rats. Really, this annual Thanksgiving Day sale is one well-anticipated, all-out affair for the pocketbooks. A pal remarked, “It is too devilish a temptation not to fake an abrupt onset of disabling migraine or an acute bout of food allergy, just to justify an emergency day-off.” If there is a pre-Christmas phase to check off your gift lists without tinkering at the danger zone of your credit cards, this is it. Tons and loads of merchandise are peddled at rock-bottom discount, too incredible to a knowing wallet. How can you not drool on a 50-inch color TV for $50, even if you have to watch all channels upside down and in Japanese dialogue? Kidding aside, the tremendous one-day specials alone are worth the circumstantial white lie. Even Santa, in his traditional red and white fashion statement, will be flashing a cheap, incandescent smile to possessed bargain hunters – seasoned shoppers whose heads have acquired Linda Blair’s gymnast-flexibility in The Exorcist. Guess if you were embroiled in a shopping frenzy, you’d be able to direct and sink your face at whatever unthinkable angles, front to back in one spine twist! Of course, knowing the reflexes of consumers who had a taste of the good blood for one day, our bearded Saint Nicholas finds no reason not to whirl the price tags to inconceivable altitude the minute Thanksgiving Day wraps up and his Yuletide air drifts in.

Indeed, Turkey day can be rendered meaningless and lackluster without the soothing warmth and comfort of a family that swings in the same wavelength. Sadly, once afforded the independence to relocate, our boys have mastered every excuse in the world not to head back to their native Buffalo nest, especially when such week in the calendar can be a torture to hit the road or insanely expensive to fly. Upstate New York’s renowned unpredictable weather pattern – one day you are baked in sunshine, the next morning your bones are rattled by a freezing rain – can down any adventurous spirits that juggle the thought of travel. Consequently, we grab the next best solution to our potential major dose of emptiness and moody blues: We invade the kids’ condominium in Boston and display the stuffed, browned main course on their dinner table, complete with gravy and pumpkin pies. The kids emit refreshing delight to such parental ambush because it signifies free homemade meals for the next several days, a grocery supply good for the next final Thursday in November and a chance to substantiate their plea for more allowance with well-choreographed emotions that exceed any movie directors’ demand for real tears! The other positive spin to our forced excursion: A new mall for us to check out and to swipe our plastic money till it is in powder form.

Now, which electronic outlet is selling that digital karaoke machine?  For ten bucks, I could care less if I sound like Donald Duck on speed!

Fidel L. Fuertes, former LCHS teacher

A month ago, I collapsed and was brought to the hospital unconscious.  I suffered from sudden rise in blood pressure, which was quickly brought under control -- thanks to the medical skills of Dr. Arnel Debalucos, son of my Grade-VI pupil, Nicomedes “Kim Huat” Debalucos.  Although I was already feeling well, I had to stay in the hospital for seven days for observation and laboratory tests.

I had plenty of time in my hand.  Afraid that I might die of boredom, my son brought me plenty of reading materials, including back issues of the Spectrum.  As I went over past issues, I noticed that the constant bright stars in the Spectrum firmament were Charles Sy, Ernesto Yu, Henry Yu, Roger Suminguit and Janiefer Lee.  Their writings seldom failed to appear in every issue.  Aurora Tansiokhian, Charmaine Molo, Rene Tio and other writers came in at irregular intervals.  Those who used to write regularly but ceased abruptly were Alexander Rodriguez and Leonardo Tan.  I wondered why.

I wondered why, for quite some time, Teresita Racines, Rodolfo Yu, Vinson Ngo, Igdono Caracho, Emma Yap, Peter Dy and other staff members never wrote even a single line.  I wondered why Victor Chiu, the editor, was so reticent that no matter how hard I tried, I could not find his byline.

I wondered why I had not come across the contributions of some alumni in whom I had high regards.  I had in mind the distinguished alumni like Henry Siao, Greg Dy, Franklin Siao and Arturo Samson.  I had in mind those who during their student days never shied away from verbal skirmishes like Guardson Siao, Rufino Booc and Eddie Ang.  I had in mind those who excelled in my class like Santas Tan, Ursulina Bernardo, Nora Uy and Charie Chin.  I had in mind those precocious kids who could easily tackle subjects far beyond their years, like Alfredo Uy, Wilson Lim, Glicerio Uy and Sinforosa Lim.  I had in mind those who showed the way in community affairs and leadership like Calix Tan, Henry Dy and Suniel Lim.  I had in mind those brilliant students whom I did not have the chance to know, like the graduates during the seventies, eighties and nineties.  I wondered why I had not seen their writings in the pages of the Spectrum.

I wondered why they had hidden their talents like Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “fresh Rhodora in the woods, spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook, to please the desert and the sluggish brook.”  I wondered why they had chosen to waste “this charm … on the earth and sky.”   I wondered why they believed “that if eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.”  I wondered why it had not occurred to them that “the purple petals, fallen in the pool, made the black water with their beauty gay.”  But I, “in my simple ignorance,” supposed that the angels would rejoice if they started sharing their God-given talents by writing for the Spectrum.

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This is a first-hand story of a case of discrimination against myself primarily because I am a Bangsamoro and a Muslim, which was thus far the worst humiliation I have experienced in my entire life. It is a very ironic incident that should happen to an international peace advocate like me.

This story began as a happy one, when on August 3, 2002, a Saturday, I and my family -- my wife Janeth and children (Jedd Rauff, 6, and Jannellah, 4) went to Cagayan de Oro City to spend the weekend, to relax and shop in Cagayan's malls as many Iliganons usually do. But never did I imagine this would lead to something more than a nightmare nearly three weeks later.

At the Lim Ket Kai Mall, Janeth was enjoying her time at the parlor, the kids and a niece were having a grand time at the games area, and me, reading a newspaper and sipping my coffee in a cozy restaurant in the second level of the mall.

It was 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon, and I thought it had been some time since I left the kids with Christine, their elder cousin. So I went down to look for the kids, only to meet them near Jollibee as they were about to check on me, too, because it was snack time.

But before we could leave for our favorite snack bar, a lady in her 40s approached and handed me a flyer for a new promo for a house-and-lot in a subdivision called Grand Europa near the Lumbia Airport.

"Please don't bother, ma'am, I can't afford to buy a house-and-lot in your plush subdivision," I politely told her, knowing that this lowly public servant would have no place in an upscale subdivision atop a hill. I, and my family, have been living in contentment in a low-cost housing area in Iligan.

But this persistent real property agent wouldn't take no for an answer and begged for me to listen to them first. In their booth in the middle of the walkway, she pulled out a chair and presented me what her company, the Communities Cagayan, Inc. (CCI), had to offer. In the meantime, my kids were getting excited looking at the photographs and scale models of the beautiful houses in the subdivision.

"I told you I can't afford your package," I told her again with thoughts of my modest appearance in my shorts, sandals and sleeveless shirt.

"I know you are just being humble, Sir. I'm sure you have lots of money. You can easily afford a house-and-lot," Gemma Patalinghug, the persistent sales agent said.

"Ssshhh ... please don't say that aloud I might get kidnapped," I jokingly told her.

It was at this moment that she offered to take me to the subdivision estate because they have a free shuttle bus leaving for the site soon. I really had no plans to purchase, but since we're going somewhere for free that surely would give a good afternoon experience for the kids to see a beautiful scenery, I conceded. Janeth, meantime, was still attended to at the parlor and couldn't come with us.

Really thinking I'm somebody rich, Gemma and her colleagues brought us to the Frontierra section of Grand Europa, supposedly the most expensive part of the subdivision. The kids enjoyed the facilities -- swimming pool, the basketball court, the wide green expanse of the golf course, and a really beautiful playground. I too, liked the place, if only we could afford it. I told Gemma that my wife needs to see this for herself first before we could decide.

When we went back to the mall, Janeth was already there at the realtor's booth waiting for us. Gemma invited Janeth to see the place, too, on our next trip to Cagayan de Oro.

We were supposed to go back on August 10, but Janeth's Mom had just arrived from the US and wanted to see us. So we drove to Oroquieta City instead, all the while getting calls and text messages from the CCI agents wanting to bag a deal. They said they would be expecting us on August 17.  Incidentally, our car was due for checkup so we needed to go to Toyota in Cagayan de Oro City and decided to go the following weekend. This opportunity to further convince us made Gemma happy so that as early as 8 a.m., she was already calling and reminding us to go see the subdivision. We went to Toyota first, left the car there for checkup, then went to Lim Ket Kai to meet Gemma and company at around 11 o'clock in the morning. We were told that the shuttle bus had already left at 10 o'clock but another bus will be going by 2 p.m.

But Janeth can't afford to waste time and surely was also excited to see the subdivision. So, she told Gemma we would just get a cab and we pay for it. On our way up, Janeth called her brother, Rene Sumalpong who has long been living in Cagayan de Oro City, to meet us at the subdivision so we could ride in his car on our way back and save expenses for another taxi trip back to the city.

Janeth was so impressed with the location and what she saw there. The problem now is on the cost of the house-and-lot package of PhP1.7M. Janeth's brother advised us to just purchase a lot, then build the house later when we can already afford to build it on our own. By that way, we could have the lot in the location but spend less, he said.

However, Gemma said they don't sell just the lot in this part of Grand Europa. If we want the lot only, we can check out Portico, another section in the same subdivision where only lots were sold.

Janeth said she liked the place, but there's no way we can buy a house-and-lot package at its current cost. So she insisted on just negotiating for the lot purchase. If they can't offer us that, then we were ready to leave.

Gemma made a few phone calls. Shortly after, we were told there's this just one lot in all of Frontierra that they are selling. Accordingly, this single lot is in a beautiful location, situated by the corner overlooking the other houses in the subdivision. Both of us were excited with the prospect of being able to purchase the lot and thought we were lucky it must have been God's plan for us.

We were told the 189-sq.m. lot costs PhP795,000, on installment basis, and PhP680,000, on cash basis. We were told that we could get the details about the transaction -- monthly amortization, requirements, etc. -- later at CCI's office downtown. So we agreed to meet there by 2 p.m. Unfortunately, there was nobody around when we went there in the afternoon. Gemma later called us through cellphone and apologized that no one was around because everyone at CCI was at the Portico as it was its launching day.

So we went up to Grand Europa again. We didn't regret the trip back because we were told they were offering a promo in connection with the fiesta celebration of Cagayan de Oro City that falls on August 28. This promo will give us the chance to purchase the lot (if the deal is closed before month's end) with only PhP165,000 as downpayment instead of PhP200,000 and a monthly installment payment of PhP10,740 per month for ten years through CCI's in-house financing scheme.

This is too good to be true, we thought.

The sales agents and Emy Lustado were so eager to close the deal and convinced us to pay a non-refundable, non-transferable reservation fee of PhP10,000 to guarantee that we can get the said lot and the processing of the lot purchase application will be initiated. Unfortunately, we did not have that much cash that time. We could only afford to pay P5,000 then. The CCI employees agreed to receive only the PhP5,000 at that time and gave us an RCBC account number to which we can deposit the remaining P5,000 the following Monday (August 19, 2002) which we did.

In the meantime, Janeth already signed the conforme portion in CCI's quotation sheet. We decided to make the transaction in her name to have higher chances of approval because she is a doctor of medicine (an internist and a gastroenterology specialist) and has bigger income than I have.

To be really sure, I asked Emy Lustado and her colleagues if there's any chance that we would be disqualified because we were worried of the non-refundable, non-transferable reservation fee. P10,000, after all, is a big amount for us. "Are you sure we will not be disqualified?" I inquired.

"I'm sure you won't be disqualified, Sir!" Emy emphatically assured me. She noted, too, that our aggregate household monthly income is higher than CCI's minimum monthly income requirement of PhP35,000.

To make us more comfortable with our upcoming purchase, the biggest we would have in our married life, Gemma and colleagues who were present during the transaction, told us that the subdivision is owned by Sen. Manuel Villar. "The senator spent a fortune for this subdivision," she assured me. Gemma even cited an incidence in this Villar-owned subdivision, wherein a house-and-lot buyer painted his house differently. Villar reportedly didn't like it, and ordered it repainted at company's expense to conform with the subdivision's color scheme. "He's really strict when it comes to following subdivision rules," she added. CCI is a subsidiary of Crown Asia, which is owned by the senator's family.

With Villar's heroic deeds at the House of Representatives that led to the impeachment of Erap, I joined Gemma in praising Villar. I even told her I voted for his boss as I wrote 12-0 in the senatorial race in favor of the administration party. "It is secure here. We have lots of security guards. In fact, there are many foreigners living here," Gemma boasted.

I was surprised because, as far as I know, foreigners aren't supposed to own lands in the Philippines. So I let Gemma know of this. "But these are in the names of their Filipina wives," Gemma answered with a smile.

Janeth filled up a number of documents, including the customer information sheet that asked about basic information like address, date of birth, age, employment, income, etc. Surprisingly, religion was not there. We were also given the list of requirements, 17 in all, that needed to be submitted.

Back to my normal activities on Monday, I was trying to figure out how to obtain the money for the downpayment from my time deposit with our multi-purpose cooperative, our little savings somewhere, financial assistance from relatives?

A friend suggested that I ask if I'd get a discount if I pay cash, then try borrowing money from relatives who would lend money without, or at very minimal, interest. I thought this was a good idea so I called up Emy. "Yes," she said, "we give 15 percent discount if you pay cash." This was good news.

So, in the next few days we sought help from relatives, reexamined our savings, and concluded that we could indeed raise the amount enough to buy the lot at spot cash. Now that we have decided to pay in cash, the CCI's list of requirements suddenly dropped to just three, which included our marriage contract. All the troubles apparently started with this document because it was here that they learned that I am a Muslim because this was clearly stated there.

And then the nightmarish discrimination on my person and religion began.

It was almost noon on Wednesday, August 21, I was outside my office when my cellphone rang. It was Gemma asking for my wife. I told her that my wife will be arriving any minute to fetch me on her way home. I gave her our land line telephone number and asked her to call back in thirty minutes. I inquired whether they had received the documents that I had faxed and the additional PhP5,000 that I had deposited earlier thinking that the call was made to acknowledge receipt of these. Gemma acknowledged receiving these but added that there was a problem and that could she talk to my wife.

"Why, what's the problem? You could at least tell me," I told her. But she continued to ask for my wife. This made me so curious and again asked why? Finally she opened up.

"Sir, amo lang i-uli inyong reservation fee nga P10,000. Sorry kaayo, Sir, pero dili madayon ang transaction kay Muslim diay ka. Sir, ayaw lang kasuko sa ako, gisugo lang ko sa opisina nga paingnan ka." (Sir, we will just return your P10,000 reservation fee. I'm sorry, Sir, but the transaction can't push through because you are a Muslim. Sir, don't get angry with me, I am only requested by the office to inform you.)

I was stunned and felt goosebumps swelling out of my skin but surprisingly, I was not angry yet. "Why, what's wrong with being a Muslim? Why won't you allow us to buy a piece of property in your subdivision?" I asked her politely.

"It's a policy of our company, Sir, not to sell to Muslims because they usually have a lot of visitors that would disrupt the neighborhood," Gemma tried to appease me.

"But you shouldn't worry about me because I'm a Tausug, I'm from Jolo, and I seldom have relatives visiting me. The few relatives that I have would only visit me when I give them money for their transportation because they ask for their fare from me because of the distance," I countered.

"Actually, it is company policy, Sir, not to sell to Muslims," she repeated. "Honestly, Sir, wa gyud mi gatuo nga kanang imong nawong, nawong diay ug Muslim," (Honestly, Sir, we did not really expect that your face is, in fact, the face of a Muslim) Gemma said.

That statement made me really mad. Under the noontime heat, I felt my blood pressure surge. I thought I would collapse, or have a heart attack right there and then. I prayed to God, the God I know ... Allah, Lord as I went into an outburst.

I continued to argue my case. I told Gemma that if they were in my shoes, to imagine themselves to be working comfortably in Jolo, yet they can't buy land there because of being Christian. But my words apparently fell on deaf ears. I later felt defeated as Gemma kept insisting it was company policy and she could do nothing about it. She was only doing her job, she said, and that she was really so sorry for having caused me all the trouble.

But I argued some more and pleaded.

"If the Muslims have sinned against you or your company, can you just please sell to my wife? She's Catholic anyway. My kids -- I don't know yet what religion they'll follow when they grow up. I could sign a waiver that should we eventually build a house there, the guards could stop me at the gate and deny my entry. Then, I'll just sleep in the trees outside your subdivision."

"Outside your office and your subdivision, please post a sign that say you don't sell to Muslims. And, can you please put down in writing what you just told me, that you're not selling property to my wife because she's married to a Muslim. In your computer, please put in bold the word Muslim."

Toward the end of my conversation with Gemma, Janeth arrived. She saw my face red with anger, and told me to sit inside the car and cool down. I told her about the cancellation of the land deal, then it was a quiet ride all the way home. We had tinolang tangigue for lunch, but I didn't have the appetite for lunch.

Then the phone at home rang; it was Gemma again. This time she talked to Janeth, telling my wife the same lines she told me earlier. I could feel Janeth's anger this time. The last words that I heard from my wife to Gemma were to put their refusal into writing.

Back at the office in the afternoon, my colleagues saw distress in my face and asked what's wrong. Everything showed in my face.

I had a hard time getting sleep the next few days. The few moments I was able to sleep, I had nightmares recalling the dialog between myself and Gemma.

I went back to my normal life after three days, only after talking to religious leaders, both Muslims and Christians and to legal advisers.

I and my wife wrote a letter to CCI on August 23, still demanding that they sell us the land by virtue of the already perfected agreement between us and their company and if they will not honor anymore this agreement, then they put all of this into writing. Up to now, we still haven't received their reply.

But they did invite me for a luncheon meeting in Cagayan de Oro. I told them I'm busy with my work. And since business with them is no longer feasible, then they should be the ones to come to Iligan City if they want to talk to me. They said that they would come and probably talk it out with us at Sunburst Restaurant. But again I refused because I have a lot to do in the office. If they should talk to me, they should come to my office.

Since then, I have this resolution not to let them get away with this. This is a blatant discrimination against Muslims, an ignorance of the religion of Islam, and clearly a violation of the Constitution. It is just so unbelievable that while foreigners can buy lands at Frontiera with the help of their Filipina wives, they won't even sell to my Filipina wife who is married to a Filipino citizen whose only unacceptable disqualification (according to them) is being a Muslim.

Although I am a Tausug from Sulu, I've been away from my home province for the past 32 years. I have been living harmoniously with Christians in heterogeneous communities this long and have been happily and faithfully married to a Christian (Roman Catholic) wife. I was even accorded an Outstanding Citizen Award by a Christian-majority community that is a concrete testimony of my being a peace-loving Muslim Filipino citizen living in a Christian-dominated community. I had never before personally experienced this discrimination against Muslims although I did hear of such stories. This is my first direct encounter with discrimination. Or maybe, am I just too confined in the academe that I did not get to see it?

This incident only underscores the need for redressing historically-rooted problems that we often shrug-off as trivial or not serious enough. While this unfortunately happened to a Muslim in a largely Christian populated community, the same can also happen to a Christian in a Muslim populated community. The issue here is no longer on who the aggrieved person is or who the aggressor is, but instead, this experience should be an eye-opener to all of us to be cognizant of the stark reality of prejudice and discrimination borne out of ignorance of each other's culture. It is also sad to note that this issue is in no small measure aggravated by an equally prejudiced media and educational system that have bred stereotypes of Muslims as unruly and lawbreakers.

Sad a story this maybe, but still I don't feel hatred against Christians. I hope the Christians will reciprocate by not branding all of us Muslims as bad elements of society, especially in this era of post 9/11. I'm sure there are as much evildoers in Christianity as there are in Islam, and there are as much Muslims with good hearts as there are Christians.

I have been helping to build a peaceful world through the academe in peace conferences and other endeavors all over the world. This experience only strengthens my resolve to continue working for peace.

Just this morning, my four-year old daughter Jannellah asked me and her mother, "When are we going to stay in that beautiful subdivision?"

Her mother replied, "We cannot anymore, because your Dad is a Muslim and Muslims are not allowed in that subdivision."

Then Jannellah asked, "Why? What is wrong about being a Muslim?"

We could not answer her.

(Dr. Jamail A. Kamlian, Ph. D., is an International Peace Advocate, Associate Member, International Movement for a Just World (JUST) and Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension, MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City.  He has visited China and observed the social, religious and cultural practices of the Chinese Muslim population.)