Vol. 6, No. 25, March 17, 2003

FFCCCII donates eight school buildings

March 12, 2003 was a red-letter day for eight barrios in Iligan City.  Each of them was a beneficiary of "Operation:  Barrio Schools" project of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. whose officials, composed of Don Jose Tanconkong of Avesco Marketing Corporation, FFCCCIII vice president Vicente Sitosta, welfare committee chairman Henry Ah, welfare committee vice chairman Fernando Lim and project coordinator Steve Samson, visited the newly-completed school buildings in the barrios of Maria Cristina, Sta. Elena, Buru-un, Pugaan, Abuno, Tubod, Kiwalan and Villaverde.  Mr. and Mrs. Gan Tiak Kheng of the Globe Paper Mills (Iligan) personally turned over to City Mayor Franklin Quijano a newly-constructed school building in Angelico Medina Memorial School in Sta. Elena, Iligan City, in a formal ceremony witnessed by Sy Chu An, Henry Dy, city administrator Franco Badelles and other government and school officials.

FFCCCII launches bimonthly magazine

The maiden issue of The Federation:  Business and Community Report just came off the press. Published bimonthly, it is the official publication of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc.  The magazine, in photo, looks expensive with its glossy pages, clear pictures and topnotch print quality.  The content is even more impressive.  It carries interviews with Speaker Jose De Venecia, Economic Secretary Romulo Neri, BCDA President Rufo Colayco and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes.  Among articles that will whet one's intellectual curiosity are:  Globalization Causes Poverty by Elfren Cruz, The Chinoy Beyond Mano Po by Doreen Yu, Combatting Terrorism by John Kaw and Taking the 747 Flight: Towards Eliminating Absolute Poverty by 2010 by Sergio M. Andal, Jr.  The Federaion is edited by Francis Chua who explained its editorial position, "This publication was so named to stress the point that as a national organization engaged in business, we must give equal importance to our social responsibility.  We must serve society through our business activities.  Hence, this publication will report not only business-oriented issue but also our social and developmental work.  We will give emphasis to the social significance of doing business."  This position is amplified by John K.C. Ng, the publisher, "The Federaion will be our voice and will serve as a mouthpiece of the Chinese-Filipino Community.  It will dare to explore and aim to enlighten.  And since it will be geared mainly towards mainstream society, its main language will be English."

Iligan a well-protected city, says Mayor Quijano

In a speech before the Chinese-Filipino businessmen from Manila on March 12, Mayor Franklin Quijano said that contrary to common misconception, Iligan is a peaceful and well-protected city.  The mayor explained that the city is heavily protected because the power plants that supply 80% of electricity in the whole island of Mindanao are located in Iligan.  To protect the power plants as well as the transmission lines, the military has deployed more than adequate forces in and around the city.  Mayor Quijano emphasized that Iligan is very far away from the war-torn Buliok complex in Cotabato.  By fast cars, it is about nine hours away, a distance equivalent to a trip from Manila to Naga City in the Bicol region or a trip from Manila to Urdaneta, Pangasinan.  He added that Iligan has a population of 97% Christians and 3% Muslims.  Being the gateway to the two Lanao provinces and the Zamboanga peninsula, Iligan is the main place from where the Maranaos procure their supplies, medical, dental and other health needs.  It is to their disadvantage if trouble arises between Christians and Muslims in Iligan.  That's why responsible Muslim leaders exert their influence to maintain peace and order in the city.

Letters of Condolences

Fri, 07 Mar 2003 02:09:51
Our prayers & heartfelt condolence to the family. Sincerely, Alex Rodriguez & family, Florida, USA, e-mail: alpacino_8@hotmail.com

Roger Suminguit, Batch '73

Alumni kids in the limelight

Pretty soon we will have another new lawyer in our midst.  Dominic Siao (Batch '85), in photo at left, is among this year's batch of law graduates at the MSU-IIT. An eloquent speaker and civic leader, Dominic is the 1st vice president of the LCHS-AA.  He is also the Worshipful Master of Iligan Lodge No. 207. Dominic is the son of Henry Siao (Batch '56) and Nene Wee-Siao.  Meanwhile, as the school year approaches the homestretch, graduating high school students everywhere are once again burning midnight candles preparing their yearbooks. Among those in the lead pack is Alexander Edward Dy, son of Dr. Arthur Dy (Batch '75) and Elizabeth Sy-Dy (Batch '75).  Alexander is this year's editor-in-chief of the Seeds, yearbook of the Sacred Heart School for Boys in Cebu.  Another alumni kid in the campus limelight is Derwin Dexter Sy (in photo at right), son of Nelson Sy (Batch '62) and Josephine Suralta-Sy.  "Tracers" still remembers Derwin as the Grade-V whiz kid who helped design our alumni web site and assisted his uncle Charles O. Sy (Batch '67) in launching the Spectrum on the Internet in 1997.  Now a graduating high school student, Derwin is news editor of Talents Unlimited, yearbook of the Bethany Christian School, Cebu City.  A consistent honor student, he recently obtained the highest score in the I.Q. tests among this year's batch of college entrance examinees at the University of San Carlos.

Charles O. Sy, Batch '67

I failed to make the trip to Iligan to join our alumni officers for a feast of fresh lumpia last Feb. 9.  Too bad, I missed another evening of wrap-and-roll. -- ooo -- Robert Kho, new president of the Cebu Kinmen Association, says in his inaugural speech that he bears no big plans but to preserve our traditions and sense of belonging to our ancestral home of Kinmen.  All he wants is to maintain the status Kho. -- ooo -- Last Valentines' Day, many single women were wishing Cupid would strike them with a beau and arrow. -- ooo -- Businessmen are complaining that the Philippine economy is so bad doing business these days has become a matter of life and debt. -- ooo -- Do you know that in The Netherlands many Dutch people carry a will requiring active euthanasia to be performed on them in case of serious physical injury or mental illness of which no recovery to reasonable and dignified existence is to be expected?  I think Dutch what we should also do here. -- ooo -- In celebration of the lunar new year last February, Rod Ngo offered me a glass of Scotch whiskey.  I politely declined because, like Toto Samson, I am a beer-getarian. -- ooo -- Edwin Co had no less than Senator Panfilo Lacson as guest speaker in his installation as Worshipful Master of Maranaw Lodge last Feb. 8.  Credit that to Edwin's Co-nnections. -- ooo -- Our readers are wondering why some regular writers have been missing in the pages of the Spectrum lately.  Maybe they are too busy with work at the moment.  I'm sure they will be back sooner than expected -- at the write time. -- ooo -- Postscripts:   I doff my hat to Henry Siao for doing a fine job as editor of the Agong, the weekly magazine of the Rotary Club of Iligan.  Since the start of his editorship in July last year, Henry has not missed a single issue.  He has given depth to the Agong with his weekly editorials on various issues of general human interests.  Our alumni will be pleased to know that Henry has agreed to share his articles with us in the Spectrum starting with this issue.  His articles are full of profound insights that make for a real good read. -- ooo -- I just recently learned about a new TV show that's projecting a positive outlook of today's Tsinoy.  Called "am@nbn" or "Amat NBN" (Fei Lung Thai, in Chinese), the program showcases the diverse aspects of Tsinoy life and community.  It features culture, foods, trends, feng shui, fashion, people and places relevant to the Chinese Filipino.  It is hosted by four young and articulate Tsinoys: Mariescel Yao, Michael Lim, Shirley Barredo and one other guy whose name I failed to jot down.  They are fluent in Fookienese, Mandarin, English and Tagalog.  It's amazing how they shift comfortably from one language to the other while emceeing the show.  The program is well paced, informative, and interesting.  It airs every Sunday, 10 to 11 a.m., on NBN Network (Channel 4 on Skycable).  Shows like this contribute to a greater understanding of the Tsinoy by the Filipino populace, a step in the right direction toward integration of the Chinese Filipino to the mainstream of Philippine society.

It’ll be vacation time once again, and as early as January I’ve been getting requests from both friends and relatives that they’d want to go with me wherever I’m planning to go this summer.  Honestly, I don’t have any problem with that.  Di ba the more the merrier?  But with the global tension brought about by this spat between U.S. and Iraq, I really don’t feel safe going anywhere.  And with the recent bombing of Davao airport, travelling within the country doesn’t sound that safe either.  But this safety issue is beside my main point.

My main point is this, as much as I want to bring along whoever wants to go with me it’s just that there are certain issues I want to clarify before we start packing.  For one thing I may sound really contented and satisfied with most of my trips, it’s because I really don’t expect too much.  In other words I’m a “shallow” person or “mababaw lang ang kaligayahan.”  A friend once scolded me not to use the term “shallow” to describe myself coz it sounds like somebody with an I.Q. of  0.  But I don’t mind, it’s the only term that comes near the way I consider myself.  So if you guys want to come with me and expect to party all night or be entertained the whole day, then I’m the wrong person to be with.  I’m the kind of person who goes for the simpler things in life.

Just like when we went to Bohol last year.  I had a chance to sit under a palm tree one afternoon and noticed that the sun seems to be playing hide-n-seek with me as the leaves sway with the wind.  At that particular moment I feel like I was in paradise. I’d be contented to just sit under that palm tree all afternoon.  And feel the warmth of the sun on my face.  Or feel the cool sand as I sunk both bare feet down the sand.  See ain’t that “shallow”?  But that’s me, that’s how I am.  So for those who find this type of vacation boring, then again I’m the wrong person to be with.

Or when we took the kids on a cruise last summer on board Star Virgo.  It wasn’t the majestic cruise ship nor the destinations we went to that made the whole trip a success, it was the warmth of the Filipino crew that made that trip really relaxing and comfortable.  Just being greeted with a familiar smile and a cheery “kumusta!” in a foreign land made our trip really one of a kind.  It was indeed a “vacation” in the true sense and meaning of the word.  We felt right at home even if we’re hopping from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Or whenever I get a chance to go home to Iligan for a vacation.  My sister Joan knows that in the afternoons I’d sneak up to my mother’s bedroom.  And open all the windows and just watch the breeze waltz with the curtains, listen to the birds outside and just watch the sunset turn the whole room into orange. The glow never fails to mesmerize me.  The only thing that would break the spell is when somebody calls out to me and say that my favorite kinilaw is ready to be wiped out.  Or the Sunburst fried chicken is already served.  Sounds mouth-watering right?

If somebody would ask me what do I really look for in a vacation.  Honestly, I can’t say one specific thing.  All I know is that when I find a place that would make my heart smile then I know that I’ve found what I’m looking for.  It could be just the scent of a freshly made bed, or the sound of the crickets.  Or just the sound of the waves washing to shore.  I know that I’ll only find “it” when I get there.

So wherever I may go this summer, you’re all free to come with me.  Of course KKB ha? As in (kanya-kayang bayad) ha?  But don’t expect me to make a detailed plan, because I don’t “go as planned, I plan as I go”.

More on "Kung Hei Fat Choi"
EDITOR'S NOTE:  Our editorial entitled "Congee, Batchoy" in the Feb. 3, 2003 issue of the Spectrum, has elicited quite a few reactions from our readers.  Hereunder is a more incisive perspective on the subject of "Kung Hei Fat Choi" from Henry Siao, school director of LCHS.  The piece was written by Henry Siao as an editorial in the Jan. 29, 2003 issue of Agong, weekly magazine of the Rotary Club of Iligan, of which he is the editor.

Contrary to the belief of many persons, Kung Hei Fat Choi does not mean "Happy New Year."  It means "Congratulations on Getting Rich," or "Wishing you Good Fortune."  That’s one way Chinese greet each other on the Chinese New Year, which according to the lunar calendar, falls on February 1 this year.  Chinese also greet each other Xin Nian Hao, or Gong He Xin Xi, which means "Happy New Year" in Mandarin. But Kung Hei Fat Choi, which is Cantonese, is more popular in Philippine newspapers because the western press in cosmopolitan Hong Kong gives it prominent write-ups.

Chinese New Year, which is also called Spring Festival, is the first day of the lunar new year, and is the most important and longest holiday in China.  It lasts 15 days until the Yuan Xiao or Lantern Festival, which is the first full moon of the lunar year.  The Chinese government officially marks Spring Festival with a three-day National Holiday.

Filipino tourists should not ever make the mistake of flying to Hong Kong, Singapore, or any other Chinese city, and even Vietnamese city, during the first three or five days of the Lunar New Year.  They would find themselves in ghost towns!

The focus of the celebration is the family reunion and dinner held on New Year’s Eve. The dinner is full of symbolic meaning, such as fish, which Chinese pronunciation is similar to abundance; noodles, which symbolizes long life; and dumplings, which imply wealth because they have the shape of ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots.  After dinner, the parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts distribute red packets or envelopes, or ang pao, which contain money, to the younger generations, and even to neighbors and friends.  The family usually stays up late to send off the old year and usher in the new. They spend the time to talk with each other, reminisce about past events, exchange ideas and discuss plans, and share jokes and laughter.  The first two days of the new year are spent visiting friends and relatives.

In Iligan, however, the observance of Chinese New Year is very much scaled down.  Chinese families are celebrating New Year’s Eve based on the solar calendar, just like the mainstream Philippine society. It is on this night too, that the red packets or ang pao are distributed.  There might be a get-together dinner on Lunar New Year’s Eve, or there might be none.

Kung Hei Fat Choi to all!!!

Long before Pres. John F. Kennedy enunciated his famous dictum, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," a group of Chinese-Filipino businessmen silently and without fanfare built a schoolhouse in Barrio Obrero in Iloilo City.  That was in 1961.  During those days, only a limited number of barrios in the provinces had public elementary schools.  The government then could not support the requirements for the schooling of children, especially the construction of schoolhouses.  It was common to see pupils attending classes under the shade of a tree.  They had to endure heat and dust and take cover when the rain comes.  Feeling the strong need to address this depressing state, the Federation launched Operation Barrio Schools.

After four decades, how did the program fare?  Federation President John K.C. Ng reports:

"Operation Barrio Schools is the Federation's flagship program that involves the donation of two-classroom schoolbuidings.  Through the Welfare Committee headed by Mr. Henry Ah, the Federation took the initiative of constructing schoolbuildings to support the government's limited capability in providing educational infrastructure, a task we have not relinquished for the past four decades.  To date, our Operation Barrio Schools is considered as the biggest private sector initiative in schoolbuilding construction in the Philippines.

"As of the end of December 2002, we have constructed 2,546 two-classroom schoolbuildings.  These schoolbuildings benefit as estimated 509,200 students per school day.

"This year, we expanded the resource base of Operation:  Barrio Schools to construct more schoolbuildings.  Specifically, we sought support from the Chinese-Filipino community by asking them to forego luxuries, such as extravagant spending for celebrations, and donate schoolbuidings instead.  We also solicited donations from various member organizations that invite the Federation President to grace their respective occasions, generating nearly 100 schoolbuildings since May 2002.  We had fund-raising campaign for the program through the conduct of a golf tournament, generating an amount equivalent to 28 schoolbuildings.

"Aside from the expansion of the program's resource base, we refocused priority of site selection to depressed and far-flung areas.  For 2002, 14 schoolbuildings were donated to seven Mangyan communities in Oriental Mindoro, while 20 units were allocated to remote barangays of Zamboanga del Norte.  A new schoolbuilding design made of pre-fabricated materials that can be transported in mountainous terrains was initially used for the schoolbuildings for the Mangyans.

"Aside from donating the most number of schoolbuildings, we have the reputation of constructing schoolbuildings at the lowest cost, with a two-classroom unit costing P350,000.  Because of our track record and reputation, Senate President Franklin M. Drilon entrusted P100 million of his Countrywide Development Fund to the Federation for the construction of schoolbuildings nationwide.  Under the Senate President Franklin M. Drilon-FFCCCII School Building Project, 285 schoolbuildings will be constructed in support of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's "School in Every Barangay Program."  Also in support of the President's Program, we committed to construct 147 units of schoolbuildings in barangays without schools in Region IV, Pampanga and Iligan City."

BATCH 1996
Philip John Abejo, Dalipuga, Iligan City; Leah Mae Andaquig, Roosevelt St., Iligan City; Ritchelle Ang, San Miguel Village, Iligan City, tel. 221-3464, e-mail: ritchelle@eudoramail.com; Christopher Bodiongan, Bara-as, Iligan City; Almer Dagondon, Aguinaldo St., Iligan City; Loreto Daguman, Brgy. Del Carmen, Zone 7, Iligan City, e-mail: d-loreto@mailcity.com; Scarlet Dy, 16-17 U & J Bldg., Aguinaldo St., Pala-o, Iligan City, tel. 221-3413, cell 0917-3231465; Lee Van Go, Lady Luck Bakeshop, Roxas Avenue, Iligan City, tel. 221-5255; Michael Phillips Lim, #152, 2nd St., Happy Vally, Cebu City, tel. 253-5454;Rubylle Luna, #14 White Plains St., Tibanga, Iligan City, tel. 221-6347; Sherwin Mondarte, Camague, Iligan City; Glenn Natividad, Sabayle St., Iligan City, tel. 221-1258, cell 0917-716-0096; e-mail: glennbn@hotmail.com; Johnard Ngo, 0023 Laya Street, Iligan City, tel. 221-6523; e-mail: jcngo@dgte.mozcom.com; Marlon Ong, 15-B Aguinaldo St., Iligan City, tel. 221-3370; Roland Winluv Lao Orbe, Tibanga, Iligan City; e-mail: rolandgray@yahoo.com; Marigold Papa, Zone 2, Pineapple St., Iligan City, tel. 221-4705, cell 0917-9268354; Jone Raye Racines, Princeton St., Celdran Village, Iligan City, tel. 221-2244, cell 0917-716-3300; Ian Jerome Santos, Pala-o, Iligan City; Michael John Siangco, Blk. 5, Lot 3, Scions Homes, Tomas Cabili, Iligan City; Lee Abraham Sun, 0006 Rd. 2 Rosario, Cherry Blossom Village, Tambo, Iligan City, tel. 221-1529, cell 0917-9221402; Edward Ryan Sy, Quezon Ave. Ext., Pala-o, Iligan City, e-mail:  joedtan@go.com; Sandy Sy, #134 Noria Pala-o, Iligan City, tel. 221-3818; Jonathan Mark Te, SUCC, Silliman University, Dumaguete City, e-mail: otan@eudoramail.com; Elniel Ian Tiu, Doña Juana Subd., Pala-o, Iligan City, tel. 221-4321; Joy Honeylet Wang, Don P. Rodriguez St., Cebu City, tel. 253-5474, cell 0917-8110254; e-mail: jay_oh_why@yahoo.com; Lemuel Yap, Port Area, Iligan City, tel. 221-3114; and Sheryl Yu, DBP Road, Mahayahay, Iligan City, tel. 221-2377.