Vol. 7, No. 10, August 18, 2003
Marcelino "Kiao Eng" Siao (Batch '66), owner of Nema Electrical and Industrial Sales Inc., was abducted by still unknown persons while driving his Suzuki Grand Vitara (KCL-307) near his warehouse in Zone 18, Del Carmen, Iligan at around 10:45 p.m. last Thursday, August 7.
Del Carmen barangay chairman Pablito Abragan, Jr. was the first to report the kidnapping when he notified the police that a Grand Vitara was abandoned near his residence. The kidnapping was confirmed by Iligan police chief Rogelio Nuñeza who said that the victim's family asked for police assistance after receiving a telephone call demanding a P30 million ransom. Although the caller was said to have a Maranao accent, there was no evidence that the victim had been brought to the Lanao areas. Nevertheless, for the purpose of gathering information on the whereabouts of the victim, Iligan City Mayor Franklin Quijano has been coordinating with Marawi City Mayor Omar "Solitario" Ali who has farmed out his men in some towns in Lanao del Sur.
Meantime, some prominent businessmen have taken more precautionary measures after receiving intelligence reports that they are being targeted for kidnapping. There are unconfirmed reports that the kidnappers in the Lanao areas are having a field day as more and more politicians are tapping their services to raise funds for the next year's elections. As of press time, police are facing a blank wall as they reveal that the victim’s family has become silent on any development of the case, and refused to divulge any more information so as not to jeopardize the victim's safety.
LATE BREAKING
NEWS
Boy
Rodriguez hospitalized for gunshot wound
By Igdono Caracho (Batch '66)
Alberto
"Boy" Rodriguez (Batch '64), in photo, was rushed to the hospital in Iligan
City for treatment of a gunshot wound in his head. Text messages
received from our field correspondents as the Spectrum prepares
to go to press this morning, Aug. 17, said Boy reportedly shot himself
on his right temple with a .45-cal. pistol yesterday morning, Aug. 16.
Doctors attending to him at the Mindanao Sanitarium Hospital said his condition
is still unstable at the moment. It is not clear what drove him to
try to end his life. Several alumni in Iligan observed that Boy, who is
known to be quite sociable by nature, has been keeping to himself
and staying out of circulation lately. He is the brother of Teresita,
Eddie (Batch '62), Jaime (Batch '65), Alexander (Batch '65), and Gingging.
Foundation and alumni officers sworn in
The
newly elected officers, directors and trustees of LCHS Foundation and Alumni
Association were sworn into office by LCHS School Director Henry T. Siao
(in photo) last Saturday, August 9. The induction was held at Crystal
Inn, Maria Cristina Subdivision, San Miguel, Iligan City.
The newly inducted officers and directors of LCHS-AA are: Henry Dy, president; Suniel Lim, first vice president; James Booc, second vice president; Roger Suminguit, secretary; Teresita Racines, treasurer; Vy Beng Hong, auditor; Rodolfo Yu, PRO; Ernest Oliver Uy, assistant PRO; Glenda Sy-Cabilan, Dy Sio Te, Fe Quimbo, Arturo Samson, Alexander Chua, Chester Dy-Carlos, Carlos Dy, Calixto Tan, Andy Lee, Manuel Te and Santiago Ong, directors.
The newly inducted officers and trustees of LCHS Foundation are: Siote Dy, president; Mary Ann “Andy” Lee, executive vice-president; Fe D. Quimbo, vice preisident for internal affairs; Roger Suminguit, secretary; Catalina Dagohoy-Decipolo (Batch ’75), treasurer; Suniel Lim, auditor; Roger Suminguit, Dy Sio Te, Christopher “Tek-an” Chua, Mary Ann “Andy” Lee, Suniel Lim, Fe D. Quimbo and Vy Beng Hong, trustees.
The new set of officers, directors and trustees will serve from 2003 to 2005, in time for the holding of the second grand alumni homecoming.
Shootout
in Iligan
By Suniel Lim (Batch '66)
It seems Iligan is back to the days of the old wild west. Rey Aguilar, father of the owner of Lloyd Car Service Center fronting the site of the old Sen Tay Seng in Tibanga, Iligan City, was shot by a hired assassin early Friday morning, Aug. 15. The son of Aguilar, who is a member of Iligan Gun Club who happened to be nearby, chased the assailant, opened fire and hit the assailant twice in the buttock. The hit man later confessed that he was hired for P45,000 to do the job. It's not yet clear if the hit man has identified the person who allegedly hired him. Rey Aguilar is also the father-in-law of Dominic Siao (Batch '81). This unfortunate incident, along with a series of other recent grim incidents in the heart of the city, came at a time when the city is celebrating Iligan Business Month.
Roger Suminguit, Batch '73
Alumni in orbit
"Tracers" tracked down Roderick Ngo (Batch '70), in photo
at left, who recently returned home to Cebu after a week-long vacation
in Vietnam. Rod, 
together
with his wife Marivic, toured the many historical spots of the once
war-torn cities of Saigon, Phnom Penh, and Hanoi. They cruised the
Mekong River, sneaked into the famous Pak Ou caves, sampled the goods at
the orchards and floating market of the Mekong Delta, explored the underground
hideouts of the Vietcong guerillas, and marvelled at the sights of the
fabled Angkor Wat. But most important of all, Rod, whose Chinese
name is Ho Khik Dih, says he went there to pay homage to the shrine of
his "uncle" Ho Chi Minh. And soon to take off also on a well-deserved
vacation away from his home base in Edmonton, Canada is Peter Dy
(Batch '66), in photo at center. He and his wife Tita
will spend a two-week holiday in Vancouver and Victoria starting on Aug.
18. Their daughter, Princess, recently obtained her degree
in Chemical Engineering at the University of Alberta. She is currently
on vacation in Toronto and Montreal. Earlier on, her flight to Toronto,
Ontario was diverted to Winnipeg, Manitoba where she spent the night when
a massive power outtage hit the whole northeastern part of the U.S.A. and
parts of Ontario and Ottawa last Aug. 15. The power plant in Niagara
that supplies power to the northeast area of North America conked out.
Sounds pretty much like the Philippines, doesn't it? Meanwhile,
Spectrum
anchorman in Cebu, Igdono Caracho (Batch '66), in photo at right,
will soon sail off to Tagbilaran City to stand as wedding sponsor on Aug.
23 at the exotic Panglao beach. The bride is the niece of Venecio
Uy, mayor of Baclayon where its most famous landmark is a centuries-old
church frequently visited by tourists.
Congratulations to all awardees
Last Aug. 9, in a special ceremony, LCHS-AA bestowed special awards on outstanding alumni for their invaluable contributions. To Mr. & Mrs. Henry T. Siao, representing Siao Tiu Siok Chiao Memorial Scholarship Fund, Geraldine U. Tan and Mr. & Mrs. Sy Beng Gue, representing Lucing Sy Memorial Scholarship Fund, for their noble vision and generosity in granting financial assistance to fund scholarship grants to deserving students of Lanao Chung Hua School.
To Fe D. Quimbo, Vy Beng Hong, Rogelio Suminguit, Marie Joan Q. Quidlat and Teresita Racines for dedicated service and exemplary performance in fulfilling their duties as officers. To Edwin Co and Glenda Sy-Cabilan for their inspiring efforts to solicit financial assistance to fund scholarship grants to deserving students and to continuously support school in joint educational endeavors. To Rodolfo Yu for his relentless and untiring efforts in instilling values and discipline through leadership training and youth development among the students of Lanao Chung Hua School.
To Suniel S. Lim for his exemplary performance and effective leadership in the pursuit and attainment of the objectives of the Association. To Jennifer A. Tan for unselfishly contributing her talents, time and efforts in the renovation of the school library of Lanao Chung Hua School. To James L. Booc, Chester O. Dy-Carlos and Belinda Cu-Lim in grateful recognition of their outstanding and dedicated service to the LCHS-AA. To Manuel S. Gaite, Ernesto Oliver C. Uy and Santiago A.Ong for their invaluable support.
A certificate of appreciation was presented to
Henry
T. Siao for his inspiring message and invaluable service as guest speaker
and inducting officer during the joint induction of the officers of LCHS-AA
and LCHS Alumni Foundation.
| Letter of Condolence |
Mon, 04 Aug 2003 09:11:57 +0800
Our deepest condolences to the Portugaliza
family. --Edmund (Batch '76) and Brenda Samson, Cebu,
Philippines, email: edsa@i-cebu.com.ph
Reactions
to kidnapping case
Fri, 08 Aug 2003 22:55:10 +1000
This is indeed a very bad and sad news.
I know Kiau Eng, he being my batchmate and the champion of the marble games
in our youth. I hope and pray for his safe return at the soonest
possible time to his family and love ones. Anlok, thanks for informing
us. Regards. --Leonardo Tan (Batch '66), Sydney, Australia,
email: edtan@idx.com.au
Fri, 8 Aug 2003 13:19:51 -0600
We pray for a safe return of Siao Kiau Eng. Regards.
--Peter Dy (Batch '66), Edmonton, Cannada, email: pdy@telusplanet.net
Sat, 09 Aug 2003 00:00:17 +0000
Our prayers go to Kiao Eng and the family at
this critical moment. Hopefully everything will turn out fine and
God be with him always. --Alex Rodriguez (Batch '65) & family,
Miramar, Florida, U.S.A., email: alpacino_8@hotmail.com
The
kidnapping of Marcelino Siao
The kidnapping of Marcelino Siao has confirmed the worst of my fears. This fear was born during the grand alumni homecoming in the year 2000 when I tagged along with my auntie on an unforgettable trip to Tinago Falls. Unforgettable, because I cannot forget how we were herded into the bus with absolutely no security precautions: no head count, no list of passengers, no group leaders. I remember there were three buses in all -- full of potential kidnap victims, many coming from abroad like Larry Sy, Ernesto Yu and Greg Dy.
From point of origin to point of destination, I did not see even the shadow of a security guard. When we reached Tinago Inn, the excursionists disembarked like high school kids and swarmed all over the place. What if in the confusion one or two were snatched? What if a whole busload of people were abducted? If I remember right, the trip was well publicized and announced in advance. We were lucky that the kidnapping syndicates did not smell a thing.
The organizers seemed to have forgotten that this was Lanao, the refuge of scalawags and scoundrels, the favorite hiding place of bandits and kidnappers, the territory of rebels and lost commands. In the vicinity of Tinago Inn, Maning Dasmariñas, a prominent businessman, was abducted and brought to -- where else? -- the hinterland of Lanao, where even the escaped Indonesian terrorist Fathur Al-Goshi sought refuge. Do we have to wait for the kidnapping of Marcelino Siao to be prudent and careful? --Robinson Salvador (Batch '89), Villaverde, Iligan, Philippines.
A Million Thanks to Donors of Scholarship
Fund
(From 1996 to 2002)
Sy Tiong An, 10,000; Fernando Khu, 10,000; Sy Bing Gui, 10,000; Dy Pico Family, 10,000; Jose Dy Pico, 10,000; Sim Lin Sing, 10,000; Johnny Sim, 10,000; Jim Sim, 10,000; KAIDECO, 15,000; Jonrich Enterprises, 30,000;
Crown Paper & Stationer, 10,000; Sen Hua Trading, 5,000; Nema Electrical, 10,000; King Sing Trading, 5,000; Johnny Po, 5,000; Salatan & Family, 5,000; Iligan Victoria Bakery, 5,000; Iligan CPK Merchantile, 2,000; Dy Sun Kang, 10,000; Guardson Siao, 1,000;
Juanita Jo, 1,000; Alexander Chua So, 1,000; Vy Beng Hong, 10,000; Christopher Chua So, 5,000; Lim Kim San, 1,000; Fe Dy Quimbo, 1,000; Ngo Chin Bon, 5,000; Henry Lee, 10,000; Dy Sio Te, 5,000; Arturo Samsom, 5,000;
Luis Khu, 5,000; Calix Tan, 2,000; Carlos Dy, 1,000; Cromwell Marketing, 2,000; Stephen Sy, 30,000; Henry Ang, 10,000; Jack Dy, 5,000; Charles Ang, 20,000; Sy Chu An, 10,000; Chang Che Association, Class '68, 20,000;
Rico General Insurance Corp., 3,000; Stephen Gaisano Jr., 100,000; Dy Un Suy, 40,000; James So, 5,000; Manuel Te, 1,000; Sy Chu Pin, 10,000; Maria Cu, 10,000; Matea Dy, 5,000; Robert Dy Chutee, 5,000; 1998 Christmas Party Raffle Proceeds, 33,536.40;
Sun Kang Dy Family, 10,000; 1999 Christmas Party Raffle Proceeds, 11,250.45; Ernesto Yu, 11,500; Martina Bernardo, 5,000; Antonio Te, 10,000; LCHS-Alumni Association – GAH, 350,000; Year 2000 Christmas Party Raffle Proceeds 5,858.65; Arturo G. Samson, 10,000. Caroline U. Sy, 3,000; Anonymous from U.S.A, 2,591;
Johnson C. Dy, 5,000; Jesus C. Dy, 1,000; Ernesto Yu, 5,300; Lucio Choa Tan, 5,000; LCHS-Alumni Association, 100,000; Robert Dy Chutee, 2,000;
[The officers and the board of trustees of LCHS Alumni Foundation, Inc. wish to thank the kind-hearted donors for their continued support for the Scholarship Fund. --Fe Dy Quimbo, past president]
Charles O. Sy, Batch '67
Body and Sole The inaugural address of Henry Dy was full of profound insights and vision. It was Henry's version of Dy-siderata.
-- o o o -- With our second grand alumni homecoming inching closer, Henry Dy knows he faces a huge challenge up ahead as our new alumni president. Henry Dy-serves everybody's support.-- o o o -- My good friend Jonas Sy is now into rice trading. But he admits it's a tricky business because of the rice and fall of prices.-- o o o -- More people are now patronizing foot spas to get a real good foot massage. It's a good way to keep body and sole together.-- o o o - In my case, I go for a foot massage only when I feel an urgent knead for it.-- o o o - I know of a swinging bachelor who always brings contraceptives with him so that they will be available in every conceivable occasion.-- o o o -- Women often choose to buy hosiery and stockings with care because they don't want to get a run for their money.-- o o o -- With this issue, the Spectrum ushers in a few talented friends who gracefully responded to our invitation for contributions. Handpicked for their writing skills, they breathe life anew into the pages of this paper left orphaned by our vanishing regular writers. Their articles, skillfully crafted with vibrant prose and poignant with refreshing insights, are enshrined in our Features Section. Read on and feel the whiffs of fresh air that they bring to this issue.
My Lighthouse
As far as I can remember I’ve been sailing in this vast sea we call life, just drifting day in and day out not caring where the waves and the wind would take me. On some days I would be dragged to some really troubled waters that I could hardly keep myself afloat. I’d feel so alone, so scared and so cold. I’d call and call but my voice would just get drowned by the tide. I’d wonder how did I stray this far from shore? Those are the times when I’m not sure if I’m still alive or just pretending to be. My body is so weak, my soul even weaker. How I wish that I could get some rest. How I wish I could finally find my place.
Until that one fateful day when a sight of a lighthouse came into full view. At first I couldn’t believe my eyes, thinking that this is just my mind playing tricks on me. “Are you for real?” a question I whispered softly to the wind hoping that the lighthouse would hear me. It’s very far away but it’s beckoning light ignited this sense of hope in me. It filled me with this glow making me feel brand new. It coaxed me to paddle harder to follow a certain course. Making me feel safe and no longer lost.
Now even when a tempest would manage to blow me off course, leaving me wrecked, somehow the lighthouse’s glow would always bring me back on course..
I’m being drawn to this lighthouse like a compass needle to North Pole. Putting all my hopes in the thought that when I reach it everything will be fine, that I’d be cozy and warm. Even though this little voice inside me is already screaming that this lighthouse could never be mine. But who can stop me.
So I’ll just keep on sailing day in and day out hoping that the waves and the wind would somehow carry me to my lighthouse someday.
They
told me becoming a parent would change me forever. For the better.
What outlandish claims. Why is it that parents think you’ll never
experience the fullness of life until you’ve had your own children?
“Someday when you have your own, you will understand.” Did your parents
ever say that to you? Or worse, did friends who had become parents
suggest that something was terribly missing in your blissful life without
children?
Perhaps misery does love company — except that I wasn’t willing company. Why should I be? Here I was happily involved in myself and my wife with no other cares in the world. Why should I become a slave to smelly diapers attached to needy, crying babies? Was this nature’s way of turning dignified men into fools? Why become a sworn caretaker to tiny tots who grow into boisterous, demanding little people and then later, into perplexed teens who turn on you? Besides, I didn’t have the foggiest notion of tending to a plant, much less to a child.
And yet, ironically, here we were trying. Well, actually, my wife was trying and I was playing along for the sake of marital peace. I still wasn’t convinced I needed to take on more responsibility. But when my wife, who was born a Taurus, puts her mind to something, one has a better chance of tilting the planet on its axis than pressing her to change direction. Besides, all married men who have found nirvana owe it to one simple word, empirically proven to work flawlessly time and again with all female requests. Just say “yes”. And so, rather than risk mortal harm and the doghouse, I had enough sense for the last twelve years to display a willingness to cooperate in this matter of conception, despite my serious doubts of becoming a parent.
Niko, our son, didn’t happen easily. First there was the wondering whether the proverbial stork had lost its way, or worse, had succumbed to boredom. My wife comes from a family of eight kids and I from seven, so having children, it was assumed, was in our genes. In fact, at the outset of our marriage, having them prematurely was more of the concern. But after four years of waiting and wondering and coaxing from grandparents anxious to cuddle a new generation, we finally gave in. We went to see a fertility specialist.
I went first, naturally, for the sperm test, to see if I was man enough to carry an ample supply of squiggly protozoans capable of impregnating a lady egg in waiting. You’d think this was a breeze, except there was really nothing natural about the process. First of all, you are asked to do it in a clinic. How else could you fake sex in an anaesthetic environment filled with people dressed in white garbs, faces drowned in clinical masks? It was absurd.
In the clinic, it seemed strange to be handed a small plastic cup to be filled with your essentials. And it was certainly no help that the attending nurse looked like the old hag and all of the dwarfs combined into a nasty mutation from Snow White. Except for the girlie magazine left in the cubicle by some considerate soul, and me wondering whether I should have brought my wife along to participate in this business (since she was obviously a partner in the venture), the entire experience was a big turn-off. It was one thing to do your job to help multiply your tribe, but there was something distinctly odd about having to rise to the occasion for the benefit of science.
No man wants to be told he’s a dud. Fortunately, the sperm test came back positive and I was spared the humiliation. Nevertheless this issue of unproven fertility was a continual cloud that hovered overhead. When asked the inevitable question whether we were trying, I kept telling friends with children I was perhaps using the wrong sex manual; that they needed to loan me theirs. This always lifted laughter and channeled the conversation elsewhere than questions on my virility.
Having found nothing faulty with my equipment, it was my wife’s turn at fertility treatment. She initially went for fertility pills and close monitoring of her ovulation. When that magical window in time happened, we were told to mentally shut out the world and concentrate on breeding like rabbits. Those were doctor’s orders, honest. “Honey, I’m ready.” That was her secret code for me to spring into action, wherever I was. And so I felt terribly like Bruce Wayne waiting for the Batman signal to shine on, except that when that happened I switched from my refined, cosmopolitan businessman alter ego into a panting, sex-charged Bugs Bunny superhero. I traveled a lot in those days, and many times when I received her frantic phone call, I would abruptly leave business meetings 3,000 miles away in mid-sentence, half-shouting to wide-eyed clients that I had a home emergency to attend to, as I dashed off to take the next plane home like a man with a mission.
This went on for several years like clockwork, until we both finally realized we weren’t getting the results we wanted. She was getting trim and fit, and I gaunt-faced, from all the sex. But we still had nothing to show for it. We tried everything from boxer shorts to sperm implants. Nothing worked. To add insult to injury, nothing was wrong with us, we were told. Finally, after twelve years of trying, we ran out of options and my wife had enough sense to give up. And that’s when it happened. She got pregnant!
Today, I’m a changed man. My life’s focus has been forever altered. My tidy universe has been replaced with toys happily strewn around the house, my blissful silence exchanged for joyful shrieks of laughter and little feet running amok. I’ll never forget the day I first looked at my son in my arms, seconds after he was handed to me by the nurse after he was delivered. All misgivings vanished, all questions answered, all disbelief shattered as I stared in awe at a miracle. I knew right then and there I would give up my life in a heartbeat for this wonderful new baby.
[About the author: Monet Aliño is a Cebuano residing in the U.S.A. He is one of the principals of Software Visions, a software development and consulting company in Oroville, California. He is the author of the computer book entitled "Unlocking Powerhouse," the only major third-party publication about PowerHouse with readership in 20 countries. Monet and Charles O. Sy were in the same editorial staff of the Weekly Carolinian of the University of San Carlos during their college days.]
A
Street-Smart Lesson From My Mother
By Vicky Valencia
Laguna, Philippines
What can I say about my mother, she was one crazy woman who taught us life’s lessons the fun way.
She was always going somewhere, planning new things to do, ready for new adventures. At night, we would all lie down in bed, my 3 brothers and I, and while most mothers would content themselves with bedtime prayers, she would ask everyone to describe how each day went , and compel the others to participate in the excitement (or drudgery) of another life.
That particular night, there wasn’t much to talk about – what, after all, can you expect from a sleepy day in a sleepy town – and we got around to talking about how my father, being a military officer, was out on assignment most of the time, and how difficult it was asking money from him, it was like “squeezing blood out of a turnip.”
I remember how vehemently I protested, “Wow, Mom, sobra ka naman. Tatay ko yan, ano, what a way to describe him.”
And my mother, she gently assuages me with an explanation. That’s just it, she says, early in life you should be able to discern what kind of a person you’ve chosen to love and live with the rest of your life, who you’re waking up with – deal with the fact straight and accept him for what he is. DO NOT EXPECT ANYBODY TO BE WHAT U ARE. It’ll save you a lot of heartaches if there are no expectations from anybody, no yardsticks to measure him up against.
In time, that cliché became my guiding principle. Thru many years in school, at work and even my marriage, it taught me to be non-judgmental, more understanding of other people, be unconditional in my love. It wasn’t easy though, and there were a lot of times when while talking to a co-employee who could never understand a point I’ve repeatedly made, I’d roll up my eyes and think, “well, what can I expect from this turnip!!!"
My 3rd year of marriage was a difficult time for me. Saddled with 2 babies and heavy office work, I was slowly realizing how different my husband and I were, from each other. We were fighting, fighting, fighting and a separation was on the brink. My parents came to talk me out of it and I told my mother I would certainly not want to grow old with someone so different from who I was, in so many, many ways.
For once, my mother did not say anything. Instead, she leaves the house quietly, excusing herself that she has to do a lot of grocery. A few hours, she comes back with a beautifully wrapped gift no-occasion-just-I-hope-you’ll-feel-better gift.
You can guess what it was – a turnip!!! The hub and I had a good laugh, right there and then, and instantly, started rethinking our priorities.
To date, my mother’s turnip-gift to my then-ailing marriage remains untopped.
And after 27 years of marriage, the hub and I sleep beside each other peacefully – a turnip to each other.
[About the author: Vicky Valencia is a full-time housewife who lives in Laguna with her "turnips" -- one husband, 2 sons, 1 daughter, 1 nephew. She says she's some times sweet, sometimes funny but most of the time, feisty -- and insists that had it not been for the "turnip" theory, she and her hub would have killed each other off in 3 years' time. Vicky sits beside Marie Janiefer Lee in a Creative Writing class where they share an occassional sandwich and a passion for writing ... for free.]
Fun
facts from the Internet:
You
are a Chinese living in the Philippines if ...
(Forwarded by Susan Lim-De la Cruz, Iloilo,
Philippines)
It's disconcerting to note that some top students of LCHS have recently transferred to another school. This is not the first such case. Several others before them have done likewise. It seems we are losing our cream of the crop to other schools with handsome offers of scholarship and other incentives. What happened to the scholarship scheme initiated last year by the LCHS-AA? Has it been discontinued this year? Or could it be that the scheme was not adequate enough? Or perhaps other schools have far more superior offers? In any case, it may be time for the LCHS board of trustees to seriously consider and put in place a sustainable scholarship program for deserving students.
One way or the other, we think the problem of
student migration in LCHS goes beyond mere scholarship grants. There
is apparently a need for LCHS to improve its standard of education and
facilities to match the standards of other better-funded, state-run schools
like MSU-IIT. Otherwise, we shudder to think that sooner or later
the lights of the alma mater may be dimmed by the exodus of more of its
bright stars to other camps. --COS
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