Iligan City has set up a Christmas Village at the Pryce Property in Barangay Tubod in observance of the Christmas season.  Among the attractions is the Iligan City Hall replica, the city government’s official entry to the Lady’s Choice Christmasterpiece: Bayanihang Pasko National Competition.  Engr. Elegio Herrera of the City Engineer’s Office revealed that the city government has spent more than Php300T for the said project.  The National Power Corporation has also artistically crafted a replica of the Maria Cristina Falls which has long become the city’s trademark as one of the featured major attractions in the Iligan City Christmas Village Year 2.

LCHS faculty attends educator's congress
By Michael John Siangco, Batch '96

Seven members of the LCHS Chinese Department faculty joined this year's 8th Mindanao Chinese Educator's Congress held in Top Plaza Hotel, Dipolog City last November 17-18.  The yearly congress aims to improve Chinese Language teaching strategies and facilitate the exchange of ideas among teachers in the area.

The educators were divided into two groups, namely: the Kindergarten and Elementary/High School teachers.  Each group has keynote speakers (educators) from China through the courtesy of the Philippine Chinese Education Research Center.  The Congress was attended by over a hundred Chinese educators from the cities of Davao, Zamboanga, Pagadian, Cotabato, Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Dipolog.  It culminated with a dinner at the famed Dakak Beach Resort in the nearby Dapitan City courtesy of Dipolog Mayor Roberto Y. Uy.

LCHS students win math quiz

Lanao Chung Hua School congratulates the winners of the 2nd Elementary City-wide Mathematics and IT Quiz Show.  3rd runners-up were: Maxine Ang, Justin Roland Lee, and Mary Olivienne Uy.  The champions were Kenn Carlson Dy, Joshua Ling and Thomas Derrick Siao.  LCHS also congratulates the following Top Mathematical Olympiads Awardees for Elementary and Middle Schools (worldwide competition):   Khrislyn Mae Aguilar; Karen Andrea Chua; Kenn Carlson Dy; Kevin Bryan Dy; Jason Louie Lim; Ben Alfie Oliverio; Al Josef Rai Tan; Mary Olivienne Uy.   More felicitations as well to Kevin Bryan M. Dy for ranking in the top 25% in the Cayley Math Contest, a Canadian Math Competition.

LCHS Foundation Day awardees
By Michael John Siangco, Batch '96

November 12 is perhaps the next most important date (aside from holidays and one's birthday) for any LCHS alumnus.  It is the time when he reminisces the school's humble beginnings back in Roosevelt Ext.  The hardship and dedication of the Chinese-Filipino community in Iligan has educated and taught the local hua yi values and traditions to the sons and daughters of the Dragon.

The year marks the 67th Foundation Day Celebration of Lanao Chung Hua School.  And since the school has come a long way, the School Administration decided to make this year's celebration quite a different one.  With the theme: Pressing Towards Excellence, the school paid tribute to the people/alumni who have done their part in pursuing the big dream for the alma mater.  The following are the recipients of the acknowledgment awards:

LEADERSHIP:
Vice Mayor Henry Dy -- For successfully mounting the 2nd Grand Alumni Homecoming through his proven leadership and for his initiative to supplement the school library's General Information Section through his book donations.

Sio Te G. Dy -- For her proven leadership in manning the LCHS Alumni FOundation, Inc., which for eight years in operation until the present, had succeeded in registering children of alumni members to LCHS through scholarship grants funded by the Foundation.

Suniel S. Lim -- for successfully mounting the 1st and 2nd Grand Alumni Homecomings through his proven leadership as chairperson of the LCHS Alumni Association steering committee for two consecutive terms.

Fe D. Quimbo -- For her proven leadership in manning the screening committee of the LCHS Alumni Association Scholarship Program, which for eight years in operation until the present, had succeeded in granting scholarship assistance to children of alumni members.

James T. Yu -- For his shrewd leadership in successfully mounting a fund-raising project the proceeds of which was partly used to put up a pump to provide continuous water supply to the school and for his collaborative effort in constructing an additional wash area in consortium with the school.

SERVICES:
James L. Booc --  For his proven and unwavering support to the school especially in the area of sound system supervision and maintenance.

Evelyn C. Racines -- For her creative efforts and assistance which were contributory to the success of the school's Foundation Day celebration.

Charles O. Sy --  For aptly ingraining his advocacy of valuing vintages of school life and rekindling remnants of fellowships with schoolmates from the past through his articles in the Spectrum.  This has ignited many alumni to respond back with stories of their own and sharing their sense of appreciation to their Alma Mater.

Col. Aaron T. Fetalvero (Commanding Officer) and Maj. Charlton Sean M. Gaerlan -- For graciously granting us the favor of allowing their men to perform their military drill during the school's 67th Foundation Day.

FACILITIES:
Jose R. Chu - For his unfailing support in sponsoring Internet service to the school's computer laboratory for the students and teachers to avail of.

First Year Parents (represented by Mrs. Alexis B. Natividad) -- For their collective efforts and resourcces to provide the First Year classroom with a sound system facility and a new electric fan.

Kindergarten 2 Parents (represented by Marie Lynn S. Booc and Shirley W. Taladua) --  For their collective efforts and resources to reconstruct the K-2 classroom lockers making it possible for the prep students to safely keep their things behind.

DONATIONS:
The Church of Iligan (represented by Sy Chu An) -- For their donation of two water storage tanks in the Mess Hall to facilitate a daily supply of water for the school's constituents.

Edwin S. Co -- For his initiative to supplement the library's General Information Section through his book donation.

Richard D. Lim -- For his generous gesture to provide the school's library holdings with a complete volume of encyclopedia books.

Teresita U. Racines -- For her initiative to supplement the library's General Information Section through her Reader's Digest donation.

Arturo G. Samson -- For his initiative to supplement the library's General Information Section through his book donation.

Remedios Tan-Wee -- For her sincere response to help augment the school's library holdings through her book donations.

Iligan Chinese Grocery Association (Emilia Supermarket, Inc., FK Supermart, Gaisano Iligan, Inc., Iligan Galaxy Merchandising, Inc., Lian Hong Co. Inc., San Cha Trading) in consortium with its co-members of the Iligan Chinese Grocery Association which donated PhP 224,270.00 as financial assistance for the much-needed renovation of the school library.

Let's party!

LCHS Alumni Christmas Party is on Dec. 30, 2005.  LCHS Gym.  Be there and let's all have fun.  Lots of raffle prizes at stake.

Happy Thanksgiving Day
Thu, 24 Nov 2005 06:00:45 +0000

Dear classmates and fellow alumni of LCHS: As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day today (the 4th Thursday of November), I would like to thank you all for the beautiful memories we've built and created in the not so distant past. Thank you for the sunshines and the rainbows that you brought into my life once upon a time. Thank you for being there in good times or in bad. May ours be a friendship to last a lifetime.  Thank you for the memories.
--Henry L. Yu (Batch '69), Cebu, Philippines, email: hvty@skyinet.net

What a wonderful time my husband (Bill) and I had at the 2005 reunion. It was great catching up with old friends and meeting the new. It was a pleasure meeting Dr. Henry Yu and others; their company will always be remembered.
--Nelly Co-Palmer (Batch '61), Australia, email: bpalm@dodo.com.au

Spectrum web site
Tue, 08 Nov 2005

It is nice to know that you have one of these web sites.  My batch really appreciates it a lot. It is cool.
--Heather Kizia Chua (Batch 2002), Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, email: hkc_kizzy@yahoo.com
 

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

Say, how do you feel each time you hear "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light, from now on our troubles will be out of sight" or "Chestnut roasting on an open fire, Jack frost nipping at your nose, Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, and folks dressed up like Eskimos" and other such Christmas hit songs? It sure brings us back to that era somewhere in time when the world was much simpler and more peaceful in more ways than one, and we were so young and innocent and carefree then, devoid of so many responsibilities of life and living. I still have to meet somebody who would claim that he could not care less or feels nothing. After all, who would not feel nostalgic looking back and remembering those Christmases of our childhood? Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, a merry season of non-stop shopping, gift-giving, sharing, eating, singing, dancing, caroling, ad infinitum. Truly, there are just so many memories of Christmases past that remained intact in the inner recesses of our beings, no matter how old we have become, untarnished with the passage of time. So, here's a glossary of memories of the things we usually associated Christmas with, in the eyes of a child that was us:

A (Angel, Apple) // B (Bethlehem, Belen, Baby Jesus, Bell) // C (Christmas tree, Christmas card, Candle, Caroling, Chestnut, Crepe paper) // D (Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly) // E (Exchanging gifts) // F (Fruit cake, Firecrackers) // G (Gifts, Garland, Grapes) // H (Ham, Ho Ho Ho, Hark the Herald Angels Sing) // I (I'll Be Home For Christmas, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus) // J (Jesus, Joseph, Jingle Bells, Joy to the World) // K (Kriss Kringle) // L (Lantern, Little Christmas Tree) // M (Mary, Manger, Misa de Gallo, Manito-Manita) // N (Ninong, Ninang, Noche Buena) // O (O Little Town of Bethlehem) // P (Poinsettia, Parol, Pasko, Party) // Q (Queso de bola) // R (Ribbons, Rudolf the Red- Nosed Reindeer, Rondalla) // S (Star, Santa Claus, Silver Bells, Silent Night, Stocking, Snowman) // T (Toys, Twelve Days of Christmas) // W(Wreath, Watusi, Wrapper, White Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Whispering Hope) // Y (You're All I Want For Christmas).

He is the son of bank employees (Herbert Ano-os and Prescila Rosario) from Bank of Philippine Islands, Jan Brian grew up in a world of Chinese belles-lettres.  During his intermediate years when his classmates were then going ga-ga over the Chinese garter, he was already engrossed in practically every reading material available in the library about China.

His fondness for and fascination on China stemmed up from his desire to trace and follow up the ancestral beginnings of his Guan Guangha, his maternal grandfather, whom he adores so much.

He was born on January 3, 1990, a favored Snake Year under the Capricorn sign which spells good fortune.  His in-depth knowledge of China has given him the edge over the rest of the contestants during an inter-school competition among Chinese schools in Mindanao held in Zamboanga Chong Hua School in February 2005.  He practically romped off with most of the awards:  First in the Chinese Oration, Second in Chinese Writing, Third in the Current Events Quiz, and a special award in the Language Assessment Contest.

This experience has prompted the school to choose him, after going through series of qualifying tests, to compete in the Chinese Knowledge Competition, which vied through regional and national categories last September 23.

Indeed, this brilliant student is referred to by his classmates as a "walking Chinese dictionary."  His love for this language has gone so deep within him that when asked what is his philosophy in life, he will spontaneously quote Lao Tzu's "A journey through a thousand miles begins with a single step."

"I am just a simple person who is proud to belong in the Chinese community."   That's Jan Brian R. Ano-os, a senior student of Lanao Chung Hua School.

[N.B.:  Jan Brian R. Anoos, a fourth-year student of the school, is part of the 3-student delegate to Beijing, People's Republic of China sponsored by the Philippine Chinese Education Research Center. The members of the delegation are outstanding students from different Chinese-Filipino schools nationwide. Jan Brian will tour Beijing from December 18 to 22, 2005.]

Igdono U. Caracho, Batch '66