Vol. 10, No. 18, January 15, 2007

Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Lluch Cruz has given the go-signal to City Council Committee Chair on Research, Science and Information Technology Voltaire I. Rovira for the city government’s Surveillance System Project. Mayor Cruz deems it necessary to implement the project in the face of current threats Mindanao and other places in the country are facing.  He sees no reason to delay its implementation as the project already has its own appropriation like two other projects of major importance, water supply and solid waste management.  Forty-eight strategic points are being eyed to accommodate the surveillance cameras with two monitoring centers, one at the Iligan City Hall and another at the Iligan City Police Office.

LCHS tops in math tilts
By James Booc (Batch 1982)

LCHS students beat their rivals from 21 other schools in the 3rd City-wide Math & IT Show held last Nov. 28 at the MSU-IIT.  The competition was sponsored by the Mathematics & Information Technology Dept. & Cartesian Math Club of MSU.  LCHS students, composed of Maxine D. Ang, Thomas Derrick P. Siao, and Al Josef Rai A. Tan, won the championship (Category B) for the second straight year.  Meanwhile, other LCHS students, composed of Justin Roland L. Lee, Annamitz A. Rapliza, and Justine Ann, won 5th place in Category A.  The LCHS coaches were Annabelle A. Rapliza, Jemalyn D. Echavez, Elena E. Paloma, Gabbie Ares, and Windel A. Villastique.

Christmas raffle draw winners
By James Booc (Batch 1982)

Listed hereunder are the winners of the raffle draws held during the annual LCHS-AA Christmas Party on Dec. 30, 2006 at the LCHS gym. Our thanks to everyone who supported the LCHS Alumni Association annual fund-raising.  Our thanks also to LCHS-AA president & Vice Mayor Henry Dy for the donation of Sharp Karaoke; Teepoys Grill & JY Dimsum for the gift certificates.
 

About the 3rd GAH
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 23:34:03 EST

I read in one of Roger Suminguit's items mentioning that our alumni officers will soon make announcement on the month and date of our 3rd GAH. I, and on behalf of some alumni here in the U.S.A., would like to ask and suggest that in deciding the date, the organizers will set a schedule that is convenient and friendly to alumni abroad.  We also hope in this 3rd GAH that alumni officers will initiate measures to give preference of not only to expect more attendance but also to ensure overwhelming happy event results.
--Laureto Lao (Batch '68), Riverside, California, U.S.A., email: Ritoelsie@aol.com

For Dominador Tan
Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:15:53 -0800 (PST)

I am enclosing herewith Php5,000.00 for Dominador "Doming" Tan who is now in hospital. I know him but we're not really close. I am just doing this because they were our neighbors before in Marawi City. He must be in need; hence, this financial help.  hope I (we) will be able to help him in our little way. I also hope that others will follow, too, so we can save in whatever condition he may have suffered. Thank you too for taking this time to convey the help to him. Happy new Year!
--Arch't Edmund Samson (Batch '76), Cebu, Philippines; email: oneedsa@yahoo.com

Greetings from a former teacher
Fri, 31 Dec 2006

Through your Spectrum, I wish to extend my greetings to Ms. Lao Gim San (former Cebu Eastern College teacher), Kho Siok We (CEC administrator), Charles Sy (for sending me the Spectrum), and to my former LCHS students Lydia Sy-Chona and Victoria "Un-Ling" Go.
--John Liu (aka Lao Kiat), former LCHS Chinese teacher, 1452 B. San Gregorio St., Paco, Manila

Happiness is ...
Sun, 07 Jan 2007 11:15:15

Happiness is somewhere between too little and too much.  May you have just enough wealth to meet your needs, enough poverty to learn how to work hard.  Enough blessings to know that God loves you, enough problems so you don't forget Him.  Enough happiness to keep you sweet, enough trials to keep you strong.  Enough hope to keep you happy, enough sorrow to keep you human.  What you are is God's gift to you, but what you become is your gift to God.
--Susan de la Cruz, Iloilo, Philippines, email: iko1031@hotmail.com

---

LCHS SPECTRUM ...
making waves from coast to coast, to bring our alumni closer from shore to shore.
Visit our website: www.oocities.org/lchsspectrum

CHRISTMAS IN KINMEN.  Seen spending his Christmas in Kinmen and Taipeh were Roderick Ngo (Batch '70), in photo, his wife Marivic, and their three children.  The Ngos stayed there for about a week during the Christmas holidays.  While in Kinmen, Rod and his family visited several communal villages where many of the Tsinoy families in Iligan have their ancestral homes.  They also spent a great deal of their vacation enjoying the famous foods and delicacies of Kinmen, such as its oyster omelet, Kinmen misua soup, peanut cake, among others.  They returned home to Cebu in time to celebrate New Year's Eve with a bang.

MORE ON KINMEN.  Kinmen, which literally means "Golden Gate," is a small archipelago of several islands administered by Taiwan. Administratively, it is called Kinmen County of Fujian province. The county is claimed as part of Fujian's Quanzhou Prefecture by the People's Republic of China.

Kinmen has a wealth of historical, cultural, and natural resources -- scenic spots, traditional village architecture, statues of the god of Wind-Lion, bird sanctuary, and various temple fairs. As it is located off Xiamen Bay of Fujian Province, Kinmen's village architecture reflects, for the most part, that of traditional southern Fujian style. Due to poor soil and rare job opportunities, many people were forced to leave home for Southeast Asia to make a living in the early 1900s. Majority of the Tsinoys of Iligan have their ancestral roots in Kinmen.

The island was a military preserve until the mid-1990s when it was returned to civilian government and travel to and from Taiwan was allowed. However, it is still recognized as a national park. It is now a popular tourist destination known for its quiet villages, old-style architecture, and beaches. Due to extensive bombardments between the PRC and ROC, Kinmen is famous for its artillery shell knives. The residents would collect the vast amounts of used bomb shells and utilized them to make knives, which are highly sought after by Taiwanese tourists. Kinmen is also home of the locally famous peanut cake (kong-thang) and Kinmen Gao-Liang liquor, a tequila-like liquor.

OPERATION SMILE.  Currently busy preparing for yet another of her many civic involvements in Cebu is Dr. Vivina Chiu (Batch '61), in photo.  She is one of several doctors in Cebu who are contributing their services to the Operation Smile International.  This is a medical mission that offers free operations to indigent children with cleft lips and palates and other facial deformities.  In Cebu, the mission is being conducted by the Mariquita Salimbangon Yeung Charitable Foundation Inc., which will celebrate its 10th year with the mission on Feb. 27.

Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch '69

The Way You Look Tonight, When I Fall In Love, Our Winter Love, I Will Love You, Unchained Melody, Graduation Day, No Other Love, You'll Never walk Alone, The Wonder Of You, Young Love, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing, Time To Cry, Walk On By, She Cried, It's All In The Game, Seventh Dawn, Softly As I Leave You, I Believe, Venus, Portrait Of My Love, If Ever I Would Leave You, You've Lost That Loving Feeling, Sealed With A Kiss, Red Roses For A Blue Lady, The Things We Did Last Summer, I Only Have Eyes For You, Moon River, Witchita Lineman, More, The Impossible Dream, Up Up & Away, Going Out Of My Head, The Look Of Love, Never My Love, Warm, Put Your Head On My Shoulder, Traces, Hey Girl, Hurt So Bad, Shangrila, Precious & Few, Cherish, I Have Dreamed.

These are but some of the many songs by The Lettermen (in photo), definitely one of the most popular trios of our time, who until now still makes us fall in love each time we hear their songs either at home, in the office, while sipping coffee at a nearby cafe, or simply loitering around the mall, or wherever we may be.

Flashback. Iligan City, circa 1960's. I remember hearing their songs, which were repeatedly aired over DXIC (the only radio station then in Iligan) so much so that they have become so familiar and part of my life: As a high school student, when such songs were used as intermission music during Literary Musical Contests, dancing bye-bye and sweet during jam sessions, humming them in the bus on our way to the picnic to Timoga or Linamon Beach or educational tour to Union Carbide, the Junior-Senior Prom, that summer of '69 after high school graduation. As a college student in Silliman in the 70's, and on to our medicine proper years at the Cebu Institute of Medicine. And yes, even up to now that we are in our golden years. For always, there's a memory or two for every song of The Lettermen. And they're here to stay until it's time for us to go.

The Lettermen is originally composed of Tony Butala, Jim Pike, and Bob Engenmann back when the group was launched in 1960 with their first song The Way You Look Tonight followed by When I Fall In Love and so on. Presently, the group is composed of Donovan Tea, Darren Dowler, and the original Tony Butala. The group will be here again in Cebu for a concert. They will once again bring us back to that era somewhere in time when we were so young, innocent, fresh, and carefree. They will once again be singing to us the SONGS OF OUR TIME, as we make way to yesterday once more and recall the bygone days of yesteryears.

I remember back in 1992, when The Lettermen was here in Cebu for a concert at Cebu Plaza Hotel, I was fortunate enough to have the chance to have dinner with them (at Cafe Adriatico, Ramos) after their performance and had picture takings. Yes, I met them up close and personal, talked, joked and laughed with them. How and why was I able to? Because my cousin-in-law happened to be one of the producers of that concert. They gave me a casette tape with their signatures on it. Oh, what a great honor and pleasure! Indeed, a dream come true as in "I have dreamed..."

"Ama" is the Chinese word for grandma. Remembering Ama (the late Ang Suan Em, in photo) brings a lot of memories. Its funny because me and my siblings called her "Ama Dako" since she has a taller and bigger built compared to my paternal grandmother who was petite, so we called her "Ama Gamay."  This was only to distinguish whom we were referring to.

Growing up in Iligan and knowing all eight aunts and uncles, I always wondered how she and my grandpa raised all of them. After grandpa and three of her children passed away through the years and the city fires that burned down the upholstery business twice, she was determined to keep the business running.

She was a strong person -- both physically and emotionally. I remember as a child after school, I would hang out in the store and watch her measure yard by yard from the whole log of cloth. She had help but she wanted to be sure its done the right way. She was very vocal and opinionated if she sees something is not right. And I think I got that quality from her.

A self-sufficient and loving grandmother. She would insist in sewing her own slippers, she would improvise like Mcgyver does. She would walk instead of riding the jeep or the tartanilla. I can still hear her ask me, "Di chia lo ba?" (Did you eat yet?). I can still feel her using the old one peso coin to rub my back with Vicks Vaporub whenever I was sick with flu as a child.

I will miss you, Grandma. I will miss your laughter, your cooking, the yearly ang pao in a red envelope, and your cute Visayan accent. But I know you are in a better place and I know I will see you again.

Goodbye, Grandma. Chay chian, Ama.

[ABOUT THE AUTHOR.  Alfred Lai (Batch '89) is the eldest son of Alfredo Lai and Po Hua Ong-Lai (Batch '62). He is a Registered Nurse currently living in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.  He is a former staff member of the LCHS Spectrum.]

Among the few notable changes is the construction of the multi-storey Gaisano Mall on Roxas Avenue (in photo, right). Residents take unabashed pride in what will soon be the first shopping mall in Iligan. Everybody is eagerly looking forward to its completion this year.  At present, residents have to drive an hour and a half to Cagayan de Oro just to shop in the big malls, such as the SM City and the Limketkai Center.

Another positive development that Iliganons are anticipating is the proposed improvement of the city's water supply system. The project, estimated to cost P445 million, may commence construction this year. When completed, it is expected to solve the problem of inadequate water supply in the city.  Its completion should put an end to the nasty joke about Iligan being "a city of waterfalls but it's all air instead of water that comes out of its faucets."

Surprisingly, the city's once sleepy night life is heating up somewhat.  More people, notably the yuppies, are now spending their nights out. Resto bars, cafes, music joints are flourishing in many parts of the city. The new Gaspachos Restaurant in Pala-o is the city's newest dining hub.  It is air-conditioned, elegant and can accommodate a sizeable crowd for social functions.

There was a time not so long ago when we always had difficulty looking for a decent place to unwind after dinner. Now there's quite a few options to choose from.  Among them is Teepoy's Grill on Quezon Avenue Ext. There's also the Iliganon Restaurant & Bar in Pala-o, owned by the Legaspis. Also near the City Hall is Bat-C, a cluster of trendy pubs, cafes, a sushi bar, and fastfood outlets. On weekends this place teems with a sizeable crowd of students and yuppies out to paint the town red.  Another popular hangout is Club Seven in Tibanga which features acoustic music.  And topping the list is El Centro, run by the Librons, right on the corner of Quezon and Roxas Avenues.  Youngsters gravitate around this hangout nightly to enjoy their favorite drinks and live acoustic music.  The place is often full with the crowd spilling over along the sidewalk.

Karaoke pubs, on the other hand, seem to be losing its appeal among the city's night owls.  The once popular Venus KTV Bar is now history.  Among the few survivors are Ramsky KTV in downtown Iligan and a few remaining honky-tonk types in the port area.  The attractions these days are rock bars.  A good number of bars featuring local rock bands is drawing the crowd. Among them are Frezbee in the heart of Iligan and Darryl's Bar in the uptown area.  These joints were still rocking with a full house when I passed by their places at half past two in the morning.  And it was not even a weekend.

Despite its progress, Iligan, as a growing city, still leaves much to be desired.  Traffic in the city is horrendous and bereft of order and sanity.  Aside from the jeepneys, the other means of public transport are the antiquated Minicas or PUs, most of which are dilapidated, to say the least.  They are a far cry to Cagayan de Oro's taxis, many of which use brand new Toyota Altis sedans.  While in Iligan, I took a PU from my hotel to the Cosmopolitan Funeral Parlor.  When we reached the place, the driver stopped his PU by the side of the road for me to disembark.  I told him I wanted to get off right at the parking bay of the funeral parlor. But he asked me to just disembark by the road side because he didn't want to park close to the funeral parlor.  I was both amused and horrified.  In this day and age, Iligan still has folks who are scared to go near a mortuary!

There's something about the people's parochial orientation or work ethics that may account for Iligan's lagging behind CdO's unstoppable progress.  While CdO is moving forward by leaps and bounds, Iligan is trailing behind in turtle's pace.  I had a foretaste of this when I ordered congee in a Chowking outlet while in Iligan. I've had congee many times over in various Chowking outlets in Manila, Cebu, and CdO, and each of them took no more than 10 minutes to serve my order.  In Iligan, a good half hour had passed after my order and they still couldn't serve my congee. Eventually, I had my order cancelled and took my meal elsewhere instead.

The sharpest contrasts between Iligan and CdO may be gleaned from their hotels.  As early as six in the morning, most hotels in CdO are already bustling with activity. Their dining rooms are already abuzz with guests partaking of the breakfast buffet.  In Iligan, in the hotels I've stayed on various occasions, a simple breakfast at 7 in the morning take considerable time to get served. And serving them are grumpy waiters who look like they need some more sleep. In many of the city's supposedly high-end restaurants, the chairs were still stacked upside down on table tops when I went in at 7 a.m. for breakfast.

These cases may not necessarily characterize the city and its people as a whole.  But they offer glimpses of areas that can stand improvement if Iligan is to be considered seriously as a tourism hub and as a city with a competitive edge in the global market.
 

Igdono U. Caracho, Batch '66