Vol. 9, No. 8, August 8, 2005

The 3rd LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming will be in 2008.  This decision was reached at the general consensus meeting held during the GAH-2005 on July 9, 2005 at the Elena Tower Inn.  During the meeting presided over by LCHS-AA President Henry Dy and moderated by GAH Chairman Suniel Lim, several alumni expressed their concerns about the GAH's five-year interval being too long.  This prompted past alumni president Christopher Chua Tek An (Batch '56) to move that the interval be reduced from five to three years.  The motion was approved unanimously.  Hence, the next GAH will be in 2008, and the succeeding GAHs to be held every three years thereafter.  A brief discussion followed about the month for the 3rd GAH but no definite date has been fixed.  It was agreed that the issue of the exact date shall be determined in due time by the GAH committee.

Those were the days ...

Corazon So-Tan

Corazon So-Tan (Batch '60), in photo, died of a lingering illness at 10:30 p.m., July 25, 2005, in Manila.  She and her husband own the Tansambin Foodarama, Inc. in Cagayan de Oro.  Her family was owner of the former Washington Trading in Iligan. She was laid to rest in CdO last July 29.  Corazon was present at the 1st LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming in 2000.  She was also helpful in the GAH campaign in CdO and played host to the group of alumni officers on their campaign sorties in CdO.  We request our pious readers to pray for the eternal repose of her soul.

See you in 2008
Thu, 21 Jul 2005 04:54:03 +0000

Viewing the GAH VCD's (courtesy of Charles Sy and Roderick Ngo) and reading through the list of those who attended our 2nd GAH (Spectrum, July 25, 2005 issue) made me realize that there were fellow alumni who attended the event but whom I didn't get the chance to see or mingle with, like: Franklin "Bobo" Siao, Evelyn So, Aida Andaquig, Stephen Ang, Victor Chiu, Farley Sy, etc. I didn't know they were there. Oh, there were indeed so many people to meet in so limited a time that you have to budget the seconds and minutes of those three days. I would have loved meeting them again. See you all in 2008. In His Time.

Being a long-range planner that I am, at this early, I already have a theme in mind for our GAH 2008. It's:  "Going Diamond And Still Strong ... The Beat Goes On."  How about that, fellow alumni?
--Henry L. Yu, M.D. (Batch '69), Cebu, Philippines, email: hvty@skyinet.net

[You have a nice, appropriate and consistent theme.  Maybe we can use it as your early contribution to the theme contest. I will personally bring that up in the next LCHS-AA meeting in due time. --Editor]

Roger Suminguit, Batch '73

To this day, I'm still trying to recollect the series of events that transpired on July 7-9, 2005.  Time passes so much like a breeze that I don't know exactly where to start.  A few days following the GAH aftermath, I, as alumni secretary and Spectrum editor, have yet to make a full report.  Anyway, here are a few of the sidelights of the recent GAH.

SPECTRUM'S 37TH YEAR.  LCHS-AA officers & directors and Spectrum staff got together for a luncheon meeting on July 7. We had fewer attendance this time than in our first meeting in 2000.  We discussed the past, present and future of the Spectrum.  We also did not hesitate to point out that the Spectrum is sailing on dire straits, as underscored in our July 7 editorial.  But, in my short message at the gathering, I stressed that we shall strive to enable "the Spectrum to stick around and continue our job."   Personally, I never had any serious doubt even to this day that the Spectrum will be able to surmount the odds and continue to pursue the goals shaped by our pioneering alumni writers in Cebu.

The hardships and struggles of the Cebu personalities cannot be forgotten nor taken for granted.  They spent so much time and effort in nurturing the Spectrum from its infant stage to a full-fledged global medium of communication.  It would be a shame to let it go down in just a simple click.  I choose to stay as the Spectrum will stay.  I know its founder Charley Sy will still guide me and the rest of the incoming editors as well.  Last Aug. 1, without any fanfare, the Spectrum marked its 37th founding anniversary.  This paper was founded on Aug. 1, 1968.

While this is my first stint as editor, this is not my first time as secretary of our alumni association.  Back in 1986-87, I served as secretary under then alumni president Christopher Y. Chua; and in 1987-88 under president Andy A. Lee, until I was assigned to Bukidnon as manager of a business venture for one and a half years.

ALUMNI TALENT SHOWCASE.  With the reverberating beat of a live band, a good number of alumni sang along one after the other during the Batch Night on July 8.  They took turns in front of the stage and sang their hearts out with the accompaniment of a live band.  PP Calix Tan (’57) sang his masterpiece “Matud Mo,” an old Bisayan favorite, followed by GAH Chairman Suniel Lim who sang a couple of Four Aces and Lettermen hits (see photo).  Other talented alumni immediately followed suit.  During this reunion of batches at the LCHS gym, Rudy “Nonoy” Co, Santiago Ong, Diony Chiu & Lee Kesiang were visibly pleased to hear their favorite old songs of the 60s.  That moment brought them back to their high school days.  Earlier, members of Batches ‘80 and ’82, all in their uniformed t-shirts, started the ball rolling by initiating a train dance around the gym, followed by other younger batches.  This eventually triggered a chain reaction of uninhibited dancing and celebration.  The main attraction was at the center stage where older batches performed the dances of the  50’s & 60’s, led by the energetic Rodolfo Yu and Henry Yu.  Body dancing was the craze of their time. Yah and yo! Di sad palupig ug nagpakita nga okey pa ang tuhod, yo!  The GAH 2005 registration reached 230, a little lower that the 1st GAH. But the fun was a little different this time with our discovery of many hidden talents.  One could not forget the sights of so many happy faces during the 3 days and 3 nights of the GAH. Lisod malimtan jud!

To all alumni who missed the GAH, please don’t forget to keep in touch with us through our web site. We have agreed to have our next GAH in the year 2008.  Stand up and be counted.   Be part of our grand alumni happenings.  Let's continue to rekindle our sense of belonging to our own high school days at LCHS, our beloved Alma Mater. See yah! Yo!

NEW PARTY STORE.  Without our knowledge, last July 8, in the height of our GAH activities, an active alumna, Cristina Dy-Carlos Deleste (’90), together with husband Peppo Deleste, opened RJ’S Party Factory.  It's located at the ground floor of her father PP Carlos Dy's residence along Quezon Ave. Ext., Pala-o.  Their business deals with children's party toys, cake décor, balloons, accessories and party mascot.  The store is named after their eldest son, RJ, a bouncy, energetic boy. Congratulations!

NEW ALUMNI BABIES.  On August 6, 2005, Ann Jeremy Suminguit-Candungo (’95) delivered her first healthy baby girl. Ann Jeremy is the eldest daughter of Romy Suminguit (’73) & Melly Lagrosas-Suminguit.  Romy now has two grand daughters.  Last February, Jan Michael & Stephanie Guiluriza-Suminguit also had their first healthy baby girl.  The Suminguit brothers have now six grandchildren.  Moses once said to his people: Go out and multiply.  Medyo sakit na amo tuhod ug hawak! He-he-he.

LIONS PRESIDENTS.   LCHS-AA past president Calix Tan was inducted as Iligan Amity Lions Club president with fellow alumni Tiaolito Ruben Lee (’66), as treasurer; Romy Suminguit and Jerry Gaite, as members, last July 30 at Salvatorre Hall, Maria Cristina Hotel.  The affair was highlighted with the inspirational message of Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz, who was also the inducting officer.  A short message was also delivered by LCHS-AA president & City Vice Mayor Henry C. Dy.  The charging & induction of new members was conducted by Lion Cely U. Gordiel, district governor of 301-E based in Cagayan de Oro.  PP Calix Tan has been a Lions club president several times over.  He was a charter member & president of the mother club, the defunct Maria Cristina Lions Club & Iligan Agus River Lions Club.  The Iligan Agus River Lions Club has several LCHS alumni as charter members, namely, the late LCHS-AA PP Dy Sung Kang and Ong Ching An (aka Hem-hem), Roger & Romeo Suminguit (‘73), Prudencion “Wahoy” Tan (‘72), Kelly C. Dy (‘74), PP Guardson Siao (‘58), Robert Dychutee (‘72), & Rene Bernardo (’73). Leonardo ‘Loloy” Tan was also a charter member of the mother Lions club.  After a short period, the Iligan Agus River Lions Club was renamed Iligan Amity Lions Club.  In the late 70’s & early 80’s, Iligan has seven Lions Club. PP Calix Tan was also elected as Lt. District Governor of 301-E (Mindanao).  Calix has been so busy these days I can hardly uncover his business or social escapades. My intelligence network often failed to locate him.

Our congrats also to Arthur Lim on his induction as president of the Cebu Centennial Lions Club.  He was sworn in last Aug. 6 at the Grand Majestic Convention Center, Cebu City.  Arthur is the son of Helen Ngo-Lim (Batch '68).  He is currently managing the Westpoint Inn, where many alumni prefer to stay when they visit Cebu.  Also inducted as first vice president on the same occasion was Abigail Chan, daughter of the late Susan Ong-Chan (Batch '67).

BOOK DONATION.   The Tan family, led by Remedios Tan Wee (Batch '64), Marciano Tan (Batch '65), Ricarda Tan-Lee (Batch '66), Pablito Tan (Batch '66), Temitocles Tan (Batch '69), recently donated boxes of books to the LCHS Library.  The donation was coursed through LCHS-AA President Henry Dy.  Our thanks to the Tan brothers and sisters for their donation.

OBERES-SAMSON WEDDING.  Our best wishes to Jennifer Samson (Batch '94) will be married to Elegio Oberes Jr. in the Holy Sacrament of Matrimony on Aug. 13, 2005 at the Redemptorist Church, Cebu City.  Reception will follow at 6:30 p.m. at the Social Hall of the Casino Español de Cebu.  Jennifer is the daughter of Arturo "Toto" Samson (Batch '58) and Eileen Samson.  Elegio is the son of Elegio Oberes Sr. and Jovita Oberes.

BACK TO CANADA.  Peter Dy (Batch '66) flew back to Edmonton, Canada together with his wife Tita last Aug. 2, after returning from a tour of China's key cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Senzhen.

Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch '69

For those of us who came to, who saw, and who conquered Iligan last July 7-9 for the 2nd LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming (GAH), we will forever remember this grand event, a rare chance to see people again after so many years of being classmates and schoolmates in a school known as Lanao Chinese High School (now Lanao Chung Hua School). It's been five long years since I last visited Iligan (August 3-5, 2000 during the 1st GAH).  And coming back home once again to one's birthplace, a place where I spent the best years of my adolescence, was indeed a welcoming and exciting experience as it brought forth so many memories of the glorious past when the world was more peaceful and simpler in many ways than one.  It's one for the record for us die-hard alumni of LCHS. Yes, our looks and surroundings may have changed through time, distance, and space but not the way we love and care for each other. Someday when we will be more arthritic than athletic, old(er) and gray(er), we will look back to this event with nostalgic undertones. That once upon a time in the month of July of the year 2005, this was what happened:

Wednesday, July 6, 2005 -
Four of us from Cebu boarded M/V Our Lady of Fatima at 7:00 p.m. at Pier 4 for Iligan via Ozamis (Ursulina Bernardo-Esteban, Class '63, who flew in from Manila to Cebu to join us.  Betty Bernardo-Jover, Class'69.  Roderick Ngo, Class '70; and me). It was a safe and smooth sail all the way. Thank God.

Thursday, July 7, 2005 -
We arrived the Port of Ozamis mid-morning for a short stop-over. Then proceeded to Iligan, arriving there a little before noontime.  Yo! Iligan, here we come!  We were met by no less than Suniel Lim (Overall Chair of the GAH) and my classmate Beng Hong Vy (Past President of LCHSAA). We headed to Cheradel Suites in Pala-o where the Luncheon Meeting of the LCHS-AA and the Spectrum Staff was held.  It was fun seeing and being together again with fellow alumni, officers of the LCHS Alumni Association headed by my tukayo Henry C. Dy (the indefatigable Vice Mayor of Iligan and President of the LCHSAA) and the Spectrum Staff headed by Roger Suminguit (the workaholic Editor of Spectrum).  After lunch, we (Roderick and me) checked-in at Elena Tower Inn in Tibanga where Charles Sy also stayed.  After freshening up, we proceeded to the LCHS gym for the Opening Ceremonies. The ambiance was very festive, reminiscent of the fiestas of our youth that we used to celebrate in Iligan circa 1960's.  There was a smorgasbord of 3-in-1 Nescafe and Lucky Me Sotanghon which we partook of to our heart's delight, both the young ONES and the young ONCE. We rested for a while in our hotel rooms before going to the Barrio Fiesta Night held at the very impressive Celebrity Dome. There were so many classmates and schoolmates to see and to exchange pleasantries with that we have to hop from one table to the other. Rodolfo Yu of Class 1969, my batchmate, was the emcee for the night. I seemingly couldn't believe that the once shy boy of our class in short pants and with runny nose has now become a total performer. Oh, he's so good at dancing, singing, and making ad libs.  There was so much fun, laughters, reminiscings, food, wine, music, talents, pictorials, etc.

Friday, July 8, 2005 -
After a generous serving of Filipino breakfast at the hotel's coffee shop, the three of us (Charles, Roderick, and me) went to the LCHS gym where we assembled for the tour of Iligan that morning. There were several vehicles courtesy of the City Government thru the young and debonair Mayor Lawrence Lluch Cruz and my handsome and ever-youthful tukayo Vice Mayor Henry C. Dy. Tourist guides from the Department of Tourism (DOT) were assigned to each vehicle.  With me in our van were: Nene Co and husband Bill, Beng Hong, Charles, Roderick, Luigi Co (son of Rudy) and Pat Noel from the DOT.  We passed by several familiar places on our way to NPC (National Power Corporation). Due to time constraint, we didn't push thru with the other itinerary but instead proceeded to Naawan for the luncheon at Suyo Beach.  On our way back to Iligan, we dropped by the Centennial Park in Dalipuga to take a closer look at the original Dr. Jose Rizal statue, which used to be a fixture in Iligan City Plaza during our time. We also took a closer look at "The tallest flag pole in the Philippines".   Tired and exhausted, we went back to our hotel rooms for some rest as we prepared for the Batch Reunion that evening held at the LCHS gym. Our batch (Janet, Betty, Chiok Hian, Proserpina, Delia, Leodegaria, Jose,Beng Hong, Using, Julius, and Rodolfo of Class 1969) had dinner at JY Dimsum, after which we joined the rest of the alumni at the gym for that ultimate fun and frolic - drinking, smoking, dancing, singing, laughing as if there's no tomorrow. Batch 1980 (this year's Silver Jubilarians) was in green t-shirts, while Batch 1982 was in yellow.  Great idea, huh.  The dancing prowess and steps of Marlon Joe (Class 1980) were really infectious.  The heavy rain outside didn't deter the funfare we had inside the gym. In fact, it was a reason to stay and had more fun. It was way past Cinderella's curfew. Hoy, buntag na, manguli na ta!  Finally, when the rain stopped, we headed home to rest and sleep.

Saturday, July 9, 2005 -
First there were the three of us in Elena Tower Inn (Charles, Roderick, and me), now there's only Charles and me taking breakfast as Rod has to leave for Dapitan for the 50th Wedding Anniversary of his parents-in-law.  After breakfast, we headed off to the City Plaza for some nostalgic moments, reminiscing the bygone days of our youth when the plaza was where we played patintero,
tago-tago, and other games of our time.  While sitting in the park, Toto Samson saw us and invited us for coffee at the nearby Maria Cristina Hotel (used to be Doris Department Store). We were joined later by Edmund Samson.  We have to stay for a while inside the coffee shop while waiting for the rain to stop.  We then headed to get my boat ticket and dropped by Cheding's for some peanuts as pasalubong.  We hied back off to Elena Tower where the Consensus Luncheon Meeting was held, to decide when the next GAH would be, among other things. Some more alumni arrived today, like Dr. Vivina Chiu (Cebu), Gloria Lagrosas (Cebu), Flor Tiu (Cagayan de Oro), Felicitas Ly (who works in Taiwan and whom I haven't seen for 37 long years).  Whattareunion!

By 2:00 p.m. we (Sammy, Jane, Henry James Go and me) walked around the city to get a feel of the old Iligan that we used to know by taking a sentimental journey into the past thru recollection galore.  Our city tour culminated at Sunburst in Pala-o for some snacks.  It was raining hard and the traffic was heavy.  Added to that, the parking area at Elena Tower was full. So the Gala Night started late. But the early birds had fun greeting each other, beso-beso, chika-chika, atiba pa.  Igdono Caracho (Cebu), Janiefer Lee (Manila), Dr. Wilson Lim (Manila) came with brothers Richard and Johnson.  Former LCHS teachers like Ma'am Josefina Tan (Gaid), Ma'am Crisanta Alcover (Ayson), among others, were with us that night.  The production number presented by the members of the Resurrection of the Lord Community brought in some nostalgic feelings as they sang the old, familiar songs of our kindergarten and grade school days ("Haw chia lai loh", "Suy bin suy chio", etc.) with matching school uniform.

As in any gathering, the end part is always the hardest because, truly,it is hard to say goodbye. It is never easy. Yes, the trouble with hello is goodbye. But that's the way it is. It hurts to say goodbye because in our case we very seldom get the chance to be in Iligan to see our Iligan-based classmates and schoolmates, unlike during our student days when we saw each other practically everyday of our lives during flag ceremony/retreat, recess period, high school building, auditorium, canteen, laboratory, basketball and volleyball courts, and other parts of the LCHS campus. Memories. Memories. Memories.

"When will I see you again?  When will we share precious moments?" Until then. See you in 2008. In His Time.

Personally, the GAH is considered a significant event.  Aside from reuniting with friends and batch mates, it gave me the chance to visit the places close to my heart, Misamis Occidental, my home province, and Cagayan de Oro, where a sister, Sabeth (Batch '68) and a younger brother reside.

This year's journey lasted for five days with almost two days on the road and sea, embarking from Dumaguete, my permanent residence.  With me was my constant companion, Wilkie who made the trip comfortable and pleasant.

The GAH '05 yielded a low turnout of alumni but it didn't lose its essence and purpose of converging.  Our Batch '66, which had the biggest delegation on the first GAH, was disappointingly decreased to half of the expected homecomers.  But the number didn't matter to disrupt our enjoyment of each other's company.  The presence of Carda, Elena, Jane, Peter, Pabling, Toto and of course the chairman, Boy, was enough to make the group lively.  Guat-le, whom I was looking forward to meeting again after the GAH 2000, failed to make it this time because of more pressing concern.  Amidst the dismal attendance, it is heartening to note that it didn't lessen the excitement and fun and, instead, letting the thoughts of getting-together count more -- even if there were only two of them, as in the case of Vice Mayor Henry and Remie, of Batch '64.  There were some batches who came well-prepared, complete with uniformed t-shirts which we think is a nice idea.

For taking time to attend, we in our own small way contributed our share to make the three-day affair a fulfillment and of showing our appreciation of the enormous task of the hardworking and dedicated men and women behind the organization of the event.  It is no small feat of the LCHS-AA and the Spectrum staff to successfully hold a grand reunion.  Certainly those presentations, programs, receptions and outings entailed a lot of planning and preparations.  Whatever were a letdown along the way was negligible enough to affect the highly favorable endeavor.

A touching moment during the GAH '05 was the presence of the late Ma'am Enriqueta Arnejo who was already weakened by a lingering ailment.  Caringly aided by former students to be able to move around, she struggled to mingle with every batch who wanted to pose for pictures with her.  Few days after, she passed away and one can't help to ponder that the GAH, in a little way, was able to make a lonely soul happy in her final days.  Because nothing is more rewarding to a retired teacher than being valued by her former students. And she had her shining moment during that night.

The next GAH has been reset to every three years.  To fellow alumni, take time, be there at GAH '08. It will be worth your precious time.

We would like to extend our appreciation to Yugine Taongan (Batch '83), in photo, for his contribution to the success of our party at the GAH-2005.  Although his name didn't even appear as member of any committee in our GAH souvenir program, he was one of the reasons why we had a very successful party during the Batch Night on July 8, 2005.  Yugine was the person I assigned to hire a band and at the same time to lend us some of his musical instruments so that we could enjoy a fuller and better audio for the band's performance.

Actually, Yugine and I had been talking about getting a band for our 2nd GAH many years ago.  However, it was just a casual exchange of ideas.  We never realized that it was going to materialize.  Credit for that goes to our GAH organizers who were very open-minded and always welcomed new ideas and suggestions, like the one we suggested about getting a band.  They immediately gave us the go signal to hire a band for our GAH.

Many may not have noticed it but there were in fact two groups who were performing at our Batch Night.  We had an oldies band (called Stonehenge) and a yuppies band (The Audiophile).  The Stonehenge Band was the one that we hired.   The Audiophile was part of Yugine Taongan's group who performed and jammed with us free of charge.

At the outset, our main concern was:  Will our alumni enjoy the band?   Concerned about this, we started planning on what to do in order to get the audience to participate (like let a singer pick someone in the audience, etc.), in order for everyone to have fun.  But as it turned out, all this was totally unnecessary -- thanks to the alumni around, special thee older batches (they may sport older looks but are still very young at heart).  We didn't have to resort to gimmicks for they all gamely rose from their chairs and began joining the younger ones by dancing all night long.

We were so relieved that the party turned out to be a blast.  It was evident that everybody had fun that evening -- thanks to the great and danceable music provided by the two bands arranged by Yugine.  Who knows, maybe in the next GAH, we can put up an all-alumni band to entertain us. And for those of you who are eager to rock and roll, better start contacting Yugine Taongan.