Vol. 8, No. 17, Nov. 22, 2004
The 2nd LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming (GAH 2005) will be held on July 8-9 (Friday & Saturday) next year. This schedule was set during the board meeting of the LCHS Alumni Association last Nov. 9.
Greg Dy (Batch '59), who attended the meeting as observer, expressed his support for setting the two-day grand homecoming on the second week of July. He said this will enable our alumni in North America to come home for the affair, considering that the 4th of July is a holiday in the U.S.A. and most alumni abroad can go on long vacation during this time. During the deliberations, LCHS-AA past president Carlos "Bonnie" Dy (Batch '58) also suggested that all major activities of GAH 2005 be held at the LCHS campus. This will make the grand homecoming more meaningful and enable all alumni to enjoy more time together right in the heart of the alma mater. The GAH 2005 Steering Committee agreed with the suggestion as it had experienced some difficulties in preparing and negotiating for other venues elsewhere.
In line with preparations for GAH 2005, the Spectrum invites all alumni to share their inputs concerning the forthcoming grand affair. The first grand alumni homecoming in the year 2000 was a smashing success. Let's all take part in making our second grand alumni homecoming an even more successful and meaningful one. Please email your suggestions to: r_suminguit@lycos.com, with "cc" to: lchsspectrum@yahoo.com.
LCHS-AA donates audio equipment to LCHS
The
LCHS Alumni Association recently donated a new set of audio equipment to
Lanao Chung Hua School for use in the school gymnasium. The equipment
consisted of one Yorkbille amplifier, 2 units Yorkbille 15” speaker system,
and assorted accessories. The certificate of the Deed of Donation
was presented to LCHS School Principal William Payonan by LCHS-AA President
Henry Dy, together with LCHS-AA 1st Vice President James Booc and LCHS-AA
Secretary & Spectrum Editor Roger Suminguit last Nov. 12 during
the 66th LCHS Foundation Day celebration
The donation was made after James Booc, who is also chairman of the LCHS-AA Committee on School Affairs, noted the inadequacy of the old sound system at the school gym. During the turnover ceremonies, alumni president Henry Dy delivered a short message on the role of the LCHS-AA in the improvement of school facilities. Federick Siao (Batch '83), on his part as Director of Sport Development of Iligan City, encouraged LCHS students to be sport-conscious in his speech during the Foundation Day sportfest. [Seen in photo at the turnover ceremonies are (from left): LCHS-AA 1st VP James Booc; Vice Mayor & LCHS-AA President Henry Dy; LCHS Principal William Payonan; and LCHS-AA Secretary & Spectrum editor Roger Suminguit.]
CALLING
GOOD SAMARITANS
New
LCHS library needs help
The
LCHS library has been fully renovated. That's the good news.
Now the bad news: Its Children Section needs more children's books.
James Booc (Batch '82), chairman of the Library Renovation Project of the LCHS Alumni Association, is appealing to all LCHS alumni for donations, either in the form of cash or children's books and other reading materials. While the newly renovated library now comes with a beautiful and well lighted Children Section, practically 80% of its book shelves is empty. Renovation of the entire library was initiated by the LCHS Alumni Association. It started in 2003 with funds raised from the December 2002 raffle tickets. The bulk of the funds, however, came from donation of the Iligan Grocery Association and some concerned alumni and other generous individuals. The library still has not yet been officially turned over to the school. Right now, James Booc says, more funds and books are badly needed to complete the Children Section of the library. Our alumni can be of help by simply buying our Christmas Raffle Tickets from any officers of the LCHS Alumni Foundation, Inc. [Photo on the left shows the new and colorful Children Section of the LCHS Library. Another part of the Children Section (photo at right) tells a different story. Photos by James Booc.]
LCHS
Alumni Foundation Raffles
Support our Scholarship Program. Buy your Christmas Raffle Tickets
Now. Raffle draw: Dec. 30, 2004.
Memories
of Old Iligan
Thu, 4 Nov 2004 23:53:42 -0800 (PST)
To Charles O. Sy: I read that you're taking rest from your writing
chores at Spectrum. Just to let you know I enjoy your articles,
especially your recollections of the Iligan of old and your adventures
in it. Your memories of the old public plaza, for instance, also triggered
memories for me. I used to spend a lot of time there also, I wonder why
our paths didn't cross. Or didn't they? Reading your articles, I'd think,
this is my time, these are also my memories. Good luck in whatever has
engaged your attention for now.
--Pacificador Lluch Jr., Iligan, Philippines, email: ladjous@yahoo.com
[Editor's Note: Our mentor, Charles O. Sy, may have stopped writing but he's still very much with us in the Spectrum. He is helping us in our editing job with his guiding hand and assisting us in posting each issue on our web site.]
Roger Suminguit, Batch '73
Alumni celebrants, jetsetters, atbp
Birthday Bash. Iligan City Vice Mayor Henry C. Dy celebrated his 58th birthday last November 14 at his residence. Among his guests were Fiscal Eduardo Cueto, Judge Abragan, Congressman Alipio "Tikbong" Badelles, Mayor Lawrence Cruz, the Sangguniang Staff, and city councilors. And, of course, there were his fellow alumni and good buddies like James So, Christopher “Teck An” Chua, golf partner Jose Tan, and many other friends, aside from his siblings like Carlos “Bonnie” Dy, Greg Dy, and eldest sister Fe D. Quimbo.
New Grandparents. Barely five days after celebrating his birthday, Henry Dy and wife Inday also became new and happy grandparents. Arlene Dy-Henry, the wife of Henry's son Hiram Dy-Henry (Batch '94), gave birth to a healthy baby boy last Nov. 19 at the Manila Doctors Hospital. No wonder Henry and Inday have been busy lately jetting back and forth between Iligan and Manila. Congrats to our alumni president! You're our newest ankong. Welcome to the club! Dili nato mapugngan; diha ta tanan paingon ... mahimong lolo ug lola.
Alumni Jet-setters. Several alumni have likewise been busy lately jetting in and out of the country. Kelly C. Dy (Batch ’74) flew over to Thailand early this month to attend the International Range Officers Meeting. Together with him were two other Iliganons. They were specially selected as delegates for their active participation as district range officers of the Iligan Shooters Club. Kelly is now on his second term as club president. Better watch out; this guy is a real sharp shooter. Another alumni jet-setter is Geraldine “Gigi” Tan (Batch ’87), daughter of golf enthusiast Jose Tan. Gigi is currently on a two-week tour in China together with her relatives from Singapore. There are many spectacular sights in China that one can't find in other countries. Which is perhaps why more and more Filipino tourists now choose China among their destinations. Meanwhile, another jetsetting alumnus just planed in from Canada last November 15. I have not seen him yet since his arrival in Iligan. He had been postponing his trip home for quite a while. Maybe he is preparing something to surprise us. Or could he be another TV actor in the making, just like his nephew? I'm referring to Peter Dy (Batch '66), the tall and amiable uncle of Philippine TV's latest heartthrob Gregory James Dy. Abangan sa personal interview sa “Da Bust!”
Elusive Alumni. Until now "Tracers" still can't seem to catch Calix “Rambo” Tan, our past LCHS-AA president. His frequent rendezvous in Lanao del Sur seems to be eating up much of his time. For all you know, he may become the first Tsinoy to be crowned for Sultanate. "Tracers" learned that Calix just recently returned from General Santos City after attending the 3-day Cabinet Meeting of Lions Club International District 301-E. Another elusive alumnus is Santi Ong (Batch '70). He has been missing in action at our LCHS-AA meetings. He is too busy tending his store which is making a name as the city's top source of Dewfoam products. Santi, we need you in the next meeting for our coming Christmas party on December 30. "Tracers" heard just recently that Santi's sister Aurora Ong-Sy (Batch '66) and her husband Samson Sy, both now residing in Cebu City, are constructing another apartment building for lease. It is located right within the compound of their new residence in Guadalupe, Cebu. Overseeing the construction work is Aurora's son, Hilton Neil Sy (Batch '95), himself a civil engineer.
New KTV Bar. There's a new hangout that's fast making waves in town. It's called Club Space KTV Bar. The place, which used to be Venus KTV Bar, opened last June under new management. The owners are mostly alumni belonging to batches of the 80’s. The club has undergone extensive renovation and is attracting a lot of new patrons. Quite a number of alumni have been spotted enjoying themselves at this new bar. They frequent the place because, well, they are die-hard music lovers. Ahh, sounds reasonable enough.
Share Your Info. We are all aware that we have many alumni who are making celebrations at one time or another. There are many such occasions like birthdays, engagements, weddings, graduations, honors, or awards involving our alumni. "Tracers" simply can't cover all of them. In many instances, we only get to hear about them many days after the events. Thus, such juicy newsbits often become stale or bahaw na by the time they see print in the Spectrum. We are therefore enjoining our fellow alumni to keep us posted about any celebrations involving themselves or our fellow alumni by sharing their info with us for inclusion in our "Tracers" column. You can send them by text message to: +639189277641; or by email to: r_suminguit@lycos.com, with "cc" to: lchsspectrum@yahoo.com.
Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87
Celebrations of Life
My weekend in Iligan for the day of the dead was a very lively one. It was a series of celebrations. There was a baptism, a wedding, a birthday, and a class reunion. It seems ironic but each year it seems that celebrating All Souls and All Saints Day is indeed the celebration of all souls, not only of the dead but also of the living.
When Indian called me up a few weeks back, I knew that it’s got to be something important, knowing how busy he usually is. He said he was delivering Romeo’s invitation. Wow, hand-delivered! Well, when I got the invitation I knew why it had to be hand-delivered, it’s made of glass. I mean the invitation was attached with a pretty knot on to a tiny wine glass. Very unique and very innovative of them. Well, after a few minutes of chitchat we decided that we would take the same plane to CdO for the wedding.
The airport was gearing up for the busy rush of travelers going home to the provinces for the long weekend. Security was tough and the queues were long. Who would know that the minute we reached the entrance of Terminal 2, somebody was already waving for Indian’s attention. And that was just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, because wherever we went from there, even when we were already in CdO, there’s always somebody who knows him or somebody he knows in the crowd. At that time I know that the only way to hold him down was to tie him to his chair. He should run for office one day.
When we reached CdO, my original plan was to stay at my aunt Juaning’s (Mr. And Mrs Leonardo Go’s) house, but Karen insisted that I should stay with the group at Dynasty Hotel. Which turned out to be a great idea because we could all spend the whole night talking and we didn’t have to go anywhere else. The only disadvantage with our new sleeping arrangement was that the boys were always in my room, especially Bonbon. On our first night there, I had to send them to their room so that Meo can rest early in preparation for his big day the following day. I thought I just dozed off when they were already knocking at my door asking me to join them for breakfast. But I’d rather sleep than eat. Because we will never run out of reasons to eat and be merry. But getting a goodnight’s sleep during daytime is impossible, right? Hehehe.
Our main man in CdO, Mr. Rene Tio, invited me for coffee just a few minutes after we landed. It was our “welcome” and “good-bye” merienda since he was also leaving for Bohol the following day. We went to this new place in Kitkai Mall, the Laguna Café. It’s this very homey and very delicately designed place. Over a plateful of puto bombom and two cups of hot chocolate, Rene asked me why have I been absent from Spectrum. The same question I got from friends and relatives who’ve been following my column. And the answer to the question is this: I just couldn’t keep up with how time flies so fast. In other words, I just missed the deadlines. Rene was asking if I was running out of steam, or running out of topics and ideas. Well, yes, that’s partly the reason too. Whatever I said next I couldn’t remember clearly because the sweet aroma of the steaming hot chocolate in front of me was distracting me from the conversation. It was just heavenly.
When I finally set foot on Iligan soil, there was another reason to eat and be merry. It was the baptism of my brand new nephew, Jarred Manuel. He will turn 3 months old on the 24th of this month but he is a huge baby. Thanks to the nature’s formula of my sister Joan. The reception at our house was like a big fiesta since both parents are true-blue Iliganons. Our old house was not only shaken but stirred too.
Then the finale was our class' mini get-together at our house. It was also our way of introducing Meo’s wife to our classmates who didn’t make it to the wedding. And it was also our chance to catch up. Wek-wek’s initial plan was to grille Meo in front of Karen by exposing their adventures and misadventures. But before the night was over, it was Wek-wek who got grilled instead, especially when the name Caroline Lee was mentioned. Hehehe. It was a very wacky night. I’m looking forward to the next chance. Maybe at the GAH 2005?
The four days that I was there, I ate at Sunburst twice. Once at the CdO branch and the second one at the Iligan branch. On both occasions I was with my cousin Leny and Bonbon and on both occasions we ordered the same thing from the menu ... chicken and kinilaw. Ask me which branch serves the best chicken? I’ll just text you the answer. Hehehe. Or you can also ask Bonbon since we share the same opinion.
Speaking of Bonbon, well, I’m sure my short vacation wouldn’t have been the same without him. He listens well and he also gives very sound and very Christian advice. Everybody in our class have always tagged him as the class clown but once you sit with him for hours and hours, you’ll see a different side of him. The side which we seldom see, the caring and sensitive side. Bon, thank you for listening ha. And by the way I still can’t tell if the decaf at Bo’s Café worked because it was already past 3 a.m. when we adjourned the meeting. Hehehe.
Having that one long weekend as my chance to be with friends and relatives makes me glad that I’m alive. Makes me want to celebrate the fact that I’m alive and to give thanks for this life; it may not be perfect but still it’s worth living.
Michael John L. Siangco, Batch '96
Crossroads
I had been through a lot of things these days. We had the school's foundation day; I had my enrolment for MS in Biology; and I applied for a part time job in a local college (include the column for the Spectrum every other week). With the experiences I had before as a medical student, I thought it would not be that hectic and everything would still fall to their places soon.
Actually, I was not forced to do what I am doing right now. I have a job, but I think there is still something that's missing in me. I don't know what it is (maybe love life?) and I seem to look into the academe in search for that something.
Already living for more than a decade right now, I am still confused with a lot of things. What do I want for myself? What job will, I think, give me a true sense of satisfaction? What is my ambition (I hope it's not too late for these things right now)? What was my ambition?
As I looked down memory lane, I remembered saying I wanted to become a doctor. But the first thing I remembered to be the correct answer was when I told the teacher that I wanted to be a linguist. I was fascinated by languages (and still am now). But when I told my parents about my new-found interest, they immediately refuted me. What would be my work afterwards? Then came high school and I was in the dilemma of choosing my course. I thought if astronomy is offered here in the Philippines, then I would probably get that course. Dream on, I know. After much consideration, I chose biology because it was my favorite subject. I neither thought of becoming a doctor then, nor thought of the job after school.
It was simply because I liked the subject. I'm glad my parents nodded their heads that time. After college, most of my classmates went to medical school. I also went with the flow. It was at those moments that I realized the burden of becoming a doctor. Making one of the biggest decisions in my life, I decided to quit medicine and chose a “buoyant” lifestyle.
I didn't regret my choice. I have had some experiences most young people my age never thought of.
I have gained more experiences, met new friends, learned to value my family, and in a whole, saw life in a kaleidoscope.
With my hectic schedule ahead this second semester, I will just have to cross my fingers to that. Whether it is "IT" or not, I know it's something that I can be proud of later in my life -- even if I am always in the crossroads
A
man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs. A woman will pay $1
for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.
A woman has the last word in any argument. Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband. A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change and she does.
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