Vol. 8, No. 15, Oct. 25, 2004
Mayor
Cruz's First 100 Days
Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz recently
announced his accomplishments in his first 100 days in office. He
enumerated his completed projects as well as other on-going projects and
a few others that are continuations of former mayor Quijano's projects.
In line with his new thrusts, the mayor released in the form of posters
and brochures a "Declaration of intent to make Iligan a truly Prosperous,
Peaceful and Beautiful City." Outlined in the declaration are his
priority projects, among which are: Peace & Order, Infrastructure Projects,
Education, Youth & Women, Health & Environment, New Culture &
Public Service and Business Initiatives. Iliganons can now feel more
secure with the recent appointment of Boboy Mijares as PNP Director of
Iligan. The people, including many in the Tsinoy community, have manifested
their nod of approval to the new PNP top man who is known to be a dedicated
police officer and a determined crime fighter.
Feast
of Many Firsts
Mayor
Lawrence Ll. Cruz recently bared plans of creating a Fiesta Foundation
that will plan and organize fiesta-related events. He disclosed during
his recent meeting with the Department Heads his desire to have a regular
team (the Fiesta Foundation instead of just a Fiesta Steering Committee)
that will look after a possibly yearlong preparation for city fiestas and
arrange other social events that people can look forward to throughout
the year. The mayor said the recent celebration was a “feast of many
firsts” for its free admission to the Ms. Iligan Beauty Pageant, most elaborate
lights and buntings, the most number of fiesta events, most widely-participated
activities and the merriest Iligan City fiesta ever. (Accompanying
photo of Kasadya dancers courtesy of Bobby Timonera.)
Teepoy
Haven
During our night patrol at “Teepoy Haven,” in
the company of Carlos "Bonnie" Dy (Batch ’58), Philip Jones Lee (Batch
’80) and Alexander "Sandy" Chua (Batch '60), Dr. Quimpo, and Teepoy Monterroyo,
councilor Vicente “Barf” Belmonte announced to us that additional seven
service vehicles and ten motorcycles with increased fuel allowance were
approved by the City Council to beef up security measures. As a result,
our city streets are now being patrolled day and night by joint teams of
PNP, Marine and Army soldiers for crime prevention and control.
OIC
City Mayor
Vice Mayor Henry C. Dy (Batch ’64) has been appointed
as the OIC City Mayor during the leave of absence of Mayor Lawrence Ll.
Cruz. The Mayor was invited to a visit in Finland for two weeks by
one of the political parties. Expectedly, Acting Mayor Henry Dy has
been busy daily in his office at City Hall to attend to an array of business
matters and endless stream of visitors. The City Hall has been full of
people milling around seeking jobs, appointments, political favor, business
proposals, courtesy calls, and welfare for indigents.
Philippine
Eagles 23rd Nat'l Congress
The Fraternal Order of Philippine Eagles - Iligan
City Eagles Club paid a courtesy call to the Vice Mayor Henry C. Dy in
his office at City Hall last October 19. The Eagles Club is headed by President
Rodolfo A. De Guzman. The Iligan City Eagles Club will be hosting
the 23rd National Congress on November 26-28, 2004 in Iligan City.
The congress theme “Cultural Revival Through Eagleism” will highlight the
affair. A one-day "Cultural Presentations" will also be staged in
Marawi City as part of the 3-day congress. Between 500 to 800 delegates
from all over the country are expected to attend the national gathering.
This is the second time that the Iligan City Eagles Club will host the
National Congress.
Greetings
to Spectrum staff
Sun, 10 Oct 2004 01:30:29 -0700 (PDT)
Banzai, Roger-san! My warm congratulations to Roger Suminguit-san!
I'm sure that the Spectrum will continue to spread its wings worldwide
under the radar of new and young editor Roger-san. Many in Kadena suspected
that even John Kerry must be a secret fan judging by his imitating Roger'
looks and peculiar hairstyle! The ancient sage of Shuri said: "A young
leader's ascension is like the early dawn of day breaking its sage-like
silence and then humbly holding very high his new torch of wisdom providing
a beautiful but gentle sunset for the elders graceful exit." A toast of
Awamori for the new Spectrum editor Roger!
--Hiro S. Nobumasa, Okinawa, Ryukyu Republic, email: naruwan4ever@yahoo.com
[It is indeed my pleasure to say "Thank You Very Much" to you. I have been reading your messages in our Spectrum ever since and I was amazed that a foreigner would like to contribute articles in our newsletter. We shall be looking forward to our exchanging messages and articles in the Spectrum. Again, thank you, Hiro-san! --Editor]
* * * * *
Mon, 11 Oct 2004 16:27:20 +0000
My heartfelt congratulations to the new editorial staff of the LCHS
Spectrum headed by Roger Suminguit as Editor-in-Chief. Like any undertaking,
it will surely pose a lot of challenges on how to keep the Spectrum
alive, especially with the coming of another big event which is our 2nd
LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming scheduled in July of 2005. Indeed, the Spectrum
takes a very crucial part in the making of our homecoming. It serves as
a good vehicle of communication, a bridge to connect us all alumni scattered
all over the world. So let the legend continue. Let the Spectrum
live. More power!
--Henry Lim Yu (Batch '69), Cebu, Philippines, email: hvty@skyinet.net
[Thank you very much of your greetings. Indeed it poses a great challenge to me these coming days. It takes personal sacrifices when in fact I'm just following the footsteps of a few mentors like you. If it were not for Charley, you and other correspondents, I would not have acquired this rare opportunity to learn reading & sending messages thru e-mail. You are right that the internet has reached worldwide to our alumni living abroad. Again, thank you very much and God Bless! -- Editor]
Roger Suminguit, Batch '73
The Portugalizas of Iligan
Just recently I received a pleasant visit from a good friend. He was Engr. Gil Portugaliza, my batchmate of Class 1973. Gil is a chemical engineer by profession. He is now based in Cebu City with his family. He is into water refilling franchise business that bears the brand name “AQUA SOFT,” which has three outlets in Iligan City, one in Linamon, and one in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental. He will soon open more branches in Oroquita and Aluran, Misamis Occidental. Gil is also a dealer of water refilling equipment. His registered company is GP Healthy Water.
Gil Portugaliza operates his chain of businesses together with his sisters Celina (Batch ’73) and Sherly (Batch ’74) who also runs a water station with drug store called Botica Sholly in front of the Iligan City Hospital in Pala-o. His other youngest sister is connected at Banco Filipino as teller in Iligan City. Gil Portugaliza frequently visits Iligan City to set up businesses. He chooses Iligan as a revival of his love of the city and Marawi where their parents started business in the late 60’s.
Meanwhile,
Mike Lee (Batch '66), who came home from Canada to grace our city fiesta
last Sept. 29, made an enjoyable side trip with a tour group to Sichuan,
in southwest China last Sept. 30-Oct. 5. He flew back to Edmonton,
Canada, last Oct. 19 after standing as sponsor at the wedding of his niece
Jennifer Chan in Cebu City. In photo is Mike Lee together with fellow
alumni Jonas Sy (Batch '68) and Nelson Sy (Batch '62) at a get-together
dinner with his good old buddies in Cebu. Also spotted in Cebu last
Oct. 17 were Henry Siao (Batch '56) and Nene Siao, who were
guests of another wedding ceremony at the Grand Ballroom of the Waterfront
Hotel in Lahug. Together with them were Rosie "Bian-Bian" Siao-Sy
(Batch '60) and Amelita "Leh Hwa" Sy (Batch '62).
Carlos "Bonnie" Dy (Batch '58) arrived home in Iligan last Oct. 11 after a lengthy vacation in Edmonton and Vancouver, Canada. And once again, Teepoy's Grill comes alive with his presence along with me as his perennial escort and aide-de-camp. Bonnie Dy took his leave of absence for 5 months just to tour North America. This Teepoy haven is also the favorite hangout of other nocturnal alumni who gather there regularly for fellowship and some beer. Frequently sighted are badminton enthusiasts Ruben Co (Batch ’86), Ernest Oliver C. Uy (Batch ’87), and Benjo & Franklin Tan. Hala beer-a!
Michael John L. Siangco, Batch '96
A Question of Racial Identity
When I was a little boy, I only had my cousins and a few neighbors as my circle of friends. We played all the time. I go to their houses, they go to ours. Being the observant child that I was, I have noticed the obese and chinky-eyed ceramics with a lot of tiny children surrounding the central figure. I knew he was what we called buddha and I presumed he was a household decoration.
But as I grew up, I realized that only my relatives and my classmates have the replica of that "cute" buddha. It was then I realized that it was a part of the "Chinese heritage" that I was supposed to have.
I studied my primary and secondary education in Chung Hua. I had no problem when people asked me what is my ethinicty. Of course, it is Filipino. My father is a Filipino; my mother is a naturalized Filipino. Of course, my classmates in high school were also Filipinos by citizenship. But aside from the fact that they live here in Iligan, I would say that they are more Chinese than Filipinos (that's why we have the Chinese-Filipinos).
It was not supposed to be my problem. It was not supposed to be a problem in the first place. But after the exposure to the real China, I noticed something else.
When we were in China, we would say that we are Filipinos. Of course, mainland Chinese immediately know that we are Chinese-Filipinos. But there is something else beneath the surface that would prompt us to say we are Filipinos rather than saying Chinese-Filipinos.
I have lived there for two years and saw how the mainland Chinese lived. Of course, they are very industrious and hardworking. But they also have their weak points that would never want us to be associated with them. An effect of the political, spiritual, and even topographical aspects of both the ethnic Chinese.
That's why we always dream of coming back to the Philippines. Talk nonsense vernacular, cook adobo (Xiamen Adobo), exchange gifts on Christmas, listen to Filipino music, and sometimes watch Filipino VCDs. I remember one time as I was flipping the TV remote I saw a familiar face. It was a Filipino movie on Chinese TV (well, we had cable, but since it is China, we didn't have foreign channels, not even a Taiwanese channel). Of course it was dubbed, but I was so happy that I watched it until the end.
It was really homesickness. And experiencing it made me realized that Filipinos and Chinese-Filipinos are both the same. Although I am not really happy and proud of what the Philippines is going through right now, it is my home. And it is only here where I can feel true belongingness.
Of
husbands & wives
Forwarded by Larry Sy (Batch '72)
Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
Battle of wits
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a
word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them
wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats,
and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?" "Yep,"
the wife replied, "in-laws."
What?
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use
a day: 30,000 to a man's 15,000. The wife replied, "The reason has to be
because we have to repeat everything to men. The husband then turned
to his wife and asked, "What?"
Creation
A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid
and so beautiful all at the same time. " The wife responded, "Allow me
to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God
made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!"
When
our mother died way back in the sixties, she was buried in a cemetery which
was then known for its beautiful mausoleums. It was really more of
a park than a place for the dead. The tombs were made of concrete
and steel with granolithic finishing, each with a unique architecture that
could almost compete with the designs of the structures in Beverly Hills
and Maria Luisa Estate. Some even went to the extent of building
a second floor, reportedly with a toilet to boot. (But the cemetery,
as perhaps all cemeteries went, didn't have a water system, so, we guessed,
the toilet could not possibly have served its purpose.)
Our young mind then (as our older mind now) couldn't fully comprehend why people spent so much money for a house that the dead could not appreciate and the living could not use. In our youthful innocence, we concluded that probably these monuments helped to ease the pangs of loneliness of the living and perhaps made the repose of the dead more heavenly. The irony of it all was that a few of those who buried their dead in such a palatial grave, went home to a run-down house that didn't have water sealed toilets, with roofs that leaked even when it didn't rain.
But in a way, we thought it was a consolation, infinitesimal though it was, that our mother was buried in such pleasant surroundings. It made our weekly visitations something to look forward to. Of course, it helped a lot that many of the other families also visited their deads just a regularly because by this time we were starting to develop crushes and we found out that crushes were also developed in such an unlikely place.
If the weekly visitations were an event, the All Saints Day and the All Souls Day were a fiesta. Those two days not only afforded us longer times to spend with our departed mother, but they also provided us with the occasion to socialize. By just sitting inside our mother's mausoleum we'd see all our classmates stream past. Most of them would drop by for a casual tete-a-tete. Along the way we'd meet new friends.
The fiesta started early in the morning of November 1 as people started arriving with their fruits, flowers and candles while some electricians started setting up light bulbs all over the place. All the while, a loudspeaker blared out various instructions to everybody and interspersed these with songs of lamentation. The songs included such Brothers Four classic as "Greenfields." (For a while, every time that song was aired, our mind conjured visions not of a lush verdant valley across which rivers ran merrily but what else? -- the cemetery and all its graves and crosses.) Gosh, for some time, we hated that song.
The festive atmosphere lasted up to midnight. After which people packed up the fruits and the cakes and pastries and locked the steel accordion gate to go home and clean their noses which by then would have been black, both inside and outside, with soot from the candles. Since the whole place would still be lighted up to the morning, people from other places would continue arriving, thus keeping the place alive (no pun intended) till the wee hours of the morning. Everybody would come back on November 2 but would normally go home earlier, the next day being a working day.
This was to be the annual spectacle for the next several years.
In the meantime, we progressed from high school to college, got ourselves one job after the other and got to stay in one city after the other. Needless to say, several summers have come and gone and during all those time our life had known different realities. Along the way, we lost to the Great Beyond our two grandmothers, an uncle, our father, and our brother.
Then this year it was All Saints Day again. We went back to the cemetery and discovered that things were no longer the way the were. The cemetery was not teeming with dirty and unkempt graves and mausoleums, many of them sank in murky waters and mud puddles that the rains had created. In many cases, the paint was flaking off the ceiling and walls of the the mausoleums. The accordion doors were mostly gone -- all of them stolen. Those that were spared didn't have padlocks anymore like they used to because the padlocks were found to be stolen anyway.
Squatters, snatchers and holduppers now abounded the periphery -- some of them going to the extent of building their shanties on top of the crypts, which allow them ingress into the cemetery regardless of whether the gates were open or not. Some of these squatters used some of the graves as their latrines to the utter dismay of those concerned.
Nobody installed no electric bulbs no more. When the night came the place was thrown into darkness mitigated only by the thousands of candle lights glowing eerily. The crowd was considerably thinner and most were gone before seven o'clock in the evening because they were afraid of getting held up. Ironically, not a few left but only to transfer to an uptown cemetery which was better lighted, better kept and much safer.
We left early too. And as we gingerly walked the street, slippery because of the mudcakes, we couldn't help but feel sad. We used to mourn only of our dearly departed beloveds, now we also mourn for a cemetery -- that was now dead.
Words of Great Beauty
By Marah Michelle Alivio
4th Yr. High School, LCHSLovely, that's what I should be
Fascinating would be perfect for me
Although I am literally lifeless
Through each line shows great prowess.I am a symbol of peace
I am a symbol of careful ease
Although I am literally lifeless
Through each curve shows great prowess.Reality is terrifically sewn on me
Life, in me, is what you should see
Although I am literally lifeless
Through each shape shows great prowess.I am what beauty leaves behind
I am what boogles the mind
Although I am literally lifeless
Through each color shows great prowess.Art is seen through my very windows
Fragrance is smelled from the flowers outside in neat rows
Although I am literally lifeless
Through the senses, I show great prowess.I am the living soul of the trees
I am the singing voice of the breeze
Although I am literally lifeless
Through each feeling shows great prowess.But most of all, I am, in itself, love
I am the greatest gift of the One above
Although I am sewn but is neither painted nor drawn
I am what remains as life when the living are gone.
[Editor's Note: The foregoing
is the winning piece of the poetry writing contest among high school students
of LCHS held last July. Marah Alivio is the daughter Normita Alivio, administrative
head of the LCHS high school department.]
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