The Iligan City Athletic Association reaped 35 gold, 23 silver and 18 bronze medals in the recently concluded Northern Mindanao Regional Athletic Association Meet held last April 19-23 at the Mindanao Civic Center, Tubod, Lanao del Norte.

Physical Education and School Sports Supervisor of DepEd-Iligan, Maritza Bontoyan, reported that Iligan could have ended as the over-all champion based on the number of medals won but this year’s NMRAA points system placed the city’s secondary school athletes second to over-all winner Cagayan de Oro City Athletic Association with Bukidnon Athletic Association as third placer.  Iligan swimmers alone garnered 25 gold medals, Taekwondo enthusiasts got 7, gymnasts and table tennis players each got two while the track and field got one. The gold medalists earned the honor to represent the region in the Palarong Pambansa on May 7-12.

44 barangays receive nebulizers

Iliganons in Southern California, U.S.A., through the Iligan City-Lanao del Norte Association of Southern California, recently donated forty-four new nebulizers to the local city government. These life-saving medical devices will be distributed to 44 barangays in the city to increase medical service in every area. The association also donated several medical supplies and equipment to the Gregorio T. Lluch Memorial Hospital last year. Mayor Lawrence Lluch-Cruz confirmed the association's on-going plans to donate additional rooms to the GTLMH. The City-Lanao del Norte Association of Southern California, was one of the many Iliganons the mayor had met on his stay at the United States during his study at the Harvard University last year.

Iligan holdup suspects nabbed

Members of the Special Operations Group (SOG) and City Intelligence Investigations Division (CIID) of the Iligan City Police Office (ICPO) arrested ten suspects of a series of recent hold up incidents in Iligan and neighboring areas.  They were presented before members of the media to City Mayor Lawrence Lluch Cruz and members of the City Council three days after they were taken into custody.

Police recovered six .45-calibre revolvers with live ammunitions, two cigarette-like rolled paper believed to contain marijuana, two units of Honda XRM motorcycles bearing plate numbers MB-7963 and JP-8130, and a Toyota Corolla with plate number TDZ-456 believed to have been rented from a certain Floro Villacampo of Tambacan, this city.  A civilian agent was instrumental in the capture of the notorious group targeting lending firms in the northern and northwestern Mindanao areas with its lone female member, Jane Neri, posing as a prospective loan applicant and preying on lending investors to gather information on their cash flow and standard operations. Iligan City PNP Director, Police Superintendent Graciano Mijares reported that the suspects were positively identified by employees of one of their lending firm victims.

RENDEZVOUS IN SYDNEY.     Past LCHS-AA president Carlos "Bonnie" Dy was in Sydney, Australia last Holy Week together Bebencio Palang and a couple of friends.  While they were Down Under, they had a happy get-together with our man in Sydney Leonardo "Loloy" Tan along with his wife and son at Winston Hills. The visitors spent the most part of their holidays playing golf around Sydney.

TRAVEL BUGS.  As in every summer, it's travel season once again for many of our alumni travel bugs.  Our friend Roderick Ngo just returned last April 28 from a trip to China with his family.  Their trip included a three-day pleasure cruise along the Yangtze River.  Meanwhile, sisters Lalita Uy (Batch '67), in photo at right, Eliza Uy (Batch '61), in photo at left, and her daughter Donna, along with two relatives hied off to the hinterlands for an adventure trip in the Mountain Province. They explored the heartland of the Sagada and the Cordillera mountain tribes.

ILIGAN ALUMNI FLOCK TO CEBU.  Many alumni from Iligan flocked to Cebu City for the 90th ANCOM of The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the Philippines held April 27 to 29.  The activities were held in three different venues: SM Cebu Trade Hall, Grand Majestic Convention Center, and Tambuli Beach Resort.  It was hosted by Masonic District 24, with Maktan Lodge No. 30 as lead Lodge.  Spotted at the convention were Peter Dy, Johnson Lim, Greg Dy, Jesus Dy, William Dy, Chua Tek An, Jose Tan, Carlos Dy, James Booc, among many others.

NEW CEBU PLAZA HOTEL.  Another major event also unfolded while our Iliganon alumni were painting the town red in Cebu.  It was the grand reopening of the Cebu Plaza Hotel, now renamed Marco Polo Plaza, in Nivel Hills on April 27, in photo.  The new hotel has been thoroughly renovated under a new management by the international Marco Polo Hotel chain. Spectrum heard from the grapevine that Metrobank, the new owner of the hotel, poured in no less than P700 million to renovate the entire hotel, including all the rooms and facilities.  No less than Pres. Gloria Arroyo and Metrobank President George Ty were on hand to cut the ceremonial ribbon in the hotel's grand opening. The Metrobank, Spectrum heard, threw an appreciation cocktail party at the grand ballroom of the new hotel for its valued clients that lasted two days, from April 28 to 29.

ON VACATION.  Currently on vacation back home in Iligan is Gloricita Racines Kinnan (Batch '66).  Glo is expected to stay in Iligan for a month or so before she returns to Keno, Oregon, U.S.A. where she lives with her husband.

PINOY BIG BROTHER SENSATION.  Have you noticed that charming Chinese girl in Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition named Kimberly Sue "Kim" Chiu (in photo)?  She is quite a sensation and is making waves with her charisma in this reality hit show. Well, she is a 16 year-old student of Cebu Cherish School, Cebu City.  And do you know that she is a niece of alumna Panga Chiu and former Spectrum editor Victor "A-E" Chiu?  So in the next rounds of text voting, let's give Kim our all-out support.
 

Igdono U. Caracho, Batch '66