Vol. 10, No. 22, March 12, 2007
Johndorf
Ventures Corp. (JVC) is going full blast on its undertakings this year.
The company, engaged in developing residential communities, will promote
a number of property development projects in Cebu. It will be introducing
to the local market this month its 522-unit Genesis Townhouse Subdivision.
The socialized housing subdivision sits on a 3.4-hectare property in Sudtunggan, Basak, Lapulapu City. Named after the first book in the Bible, Genesis subdivision "marks a new beginning for starting families and the budget conscious market," said JVC marketing manager Glenda Tupaz. The Mediterranean-inspired subdivision features two architectural designs -- Gaia and Tara -- with a lot area of 47 ssq. m. and a floor area of 40 sq. m. Subdivision amenities include 24-hour security personnel, concrete perimeter fence, drainage system, multi-purpose hall, basketball court, parks and playground.
JVC is considered one of the most active companies in the country's real estate sector, especially in Northern Mindanao, for having completed more than 30 housing projects and around 8,500 units with a total asset of 3 billion pesos. One of the company's projects which boasts of socio-economic design is the 8-hectare 1,100-unit Economic Housing in Mactan, Cebu, called La Aldea Buena Mactan which was sold out in 2006.
JVC, together with its affiliate company ProHomes, will be launching next its St. Bernadette subdivision project also to be constructed in Lapulapu City. It will have about 106 houses and lots. Its other projects in Cebu are: St. Catherine residential subdivision; St Anne’s Lane; Simplex 1 in Mactan; Simplex 2 and 3 in Minglanilla, Cebu. Established in Iligan in 1986, JVC is owned by Richard Lim (Batch '68) and his brothers Wilson Lim (Batch '66), Johnson (Batch '70) and Wilford (Batch '75). The company has under its employ several alumni in its branches in Cebu, Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, namely Leodegaria Lagrosas, Reynaldo Suminguit, Josephine Jane Go, Victor Chiu, Jose Sam Go, among others.
Iligan
enjoys lower oil prices
Iligan and Cagayan de Oro register the lowest prices in diesel fuel, unleaded and premium gasoline in the whole Mindanao, according to the Department of Trade and Industry. The report reveals that the Department of Energy has noted visibly reduced rates of P3.56 per liter in prices of diesel, 0.36 centavos for every liter of unleaded gasoline and 0.38 centavos per liter of premium gasoline as compared to Davao, which is believed to be the result of stiff competition between the three major oil players Caltex, Shell and Petron and the springing of new companies, Seaoil and Jetti. It is said that this development can also be attributed to Republic Act 8479 also known as the “Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act.”
Agripino Jo, 67
Agripino Tiu Jo (Batch '60), aka Loloy Jo, died of myocardial arrest
early in the evening of Mar. 9, 2007 in Iligan City. He was 67. His body
lies in state at the Iligan Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes. He is survived
by his wife Juanita "Kheng Dian" Te-Jo (Batch '59) and son Joel Jo (Batch
'91). Among Loloy's brothers and sisters are Cesar Jo (deceased),
Lucio Jo (deceased), Alfredo Jo, Ramon Uy Balian,
Gregoria Jo-Lim (deceased), Maria Jo-Cu (deceased), Monica Jo (deceased),
and Ramona Jo-Yu. Date of interment will be announced later.
We request our pious readers to pray for the eternal repose of his soul.
Money
Fri, 2 Mar 2007 19:37:14
Some years ago, a newspaper offered a prize for the best definition
of money. Out of hundreds who competed, the winner submitted this
food for thought: Money is a universal provider for everything but
not happiness; and a passport to everywhere but never in heaven; and a
doorway to every path but never to our heart.
--Glenda "Hong Hong" Sy-Cabilan (Batch '71), Iligan, Philippines;
forwarded from SMS, cell +639177166091
Someday
Thu, 1 Mar 2007 11:27:27
Someday, we will all be looking back to those days we learned to love,
get hurt, cry and fight. Maybe when that time comes, we will be laughing
at our old dumb selves, realizing how stupid we were to stand for things
we knew weren't really meant for us. But I guess learning takes time,
and mistakes make one's journey fun. Life is what we make it.
Love makes the world go round. So let's live, love, and take whatever
pain it brings.
--Susan de la Cruz, Iloilo, Philippines; email: iko1031@hotmail.com
Touching
one's heart
Mon, 26 Feb 2007 22:31:49
It's not the presence of someone that brings meaning to life but it's
the way that someone touches your heart that gives your life a beautiful
meaning.
--Stela Navarro, Cebu, Philippines, forward SMS +639173879935
Alumni news roundup
PAFP CONFAB. Dr. Henry Yu (Batch '69) jetted off to Manila recently to attend the 46th Annual Convention of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians held last March 1-3 at the Philippine International Convention Center. The family physician is said to be the front liner in the medical profession, the one to whom people seek first when they have some physical complaints as Family Medicine is a field in medicine that caters to the illnesses of all age groups, from the very young to the very old, people in their various stages of life. In short, it is from womb to tomb.
JUST MARRIED. "Spotlight" just learned from its paparrazi squad that an alumnus recently got married in the U.S.A. He is Bryan Bruce Lai (Batch '94), son of Alfredo Lai (Batch '59) and Elita Po-Hua Lai (Batch '62). Bryan, who is now working in the U.S.A., married his former classmate from the Philippines but who has since transferred to the U.S.A. The new couple spent their honeymoon in Hawaii where they had a chance meeting with American Idol celebrity Jasmine Trias. Bryan is the younger brother of Alfred Lai II (Batch '89), now a registered nurse in Illinois, U.S.A.
FIRST
BIRTHDAY. It was a red-letter day on March 10, 2007 in
the household of Cristina Dy-Carlos Deleste (Batch '90), in photo.
The big occasion was her daughter's first birthday. Invited guests,
friends and relatives all gathered at the Celebrity Dome, Pala-o, Iligan,
for the grand birthday bash hosted by Cristina and her husband Pepo
Deleste (in photo).
THERE'S THE RUB. It seems that the health spa business, which has become commercially successful in Manila and Cebu, has invaded Iligan City. Health & foot spas have proliferated all over Iligan offering an array of services such as foot massage, body massage, facials, body scrubs, the works. Among the leading and more elegant spas is the one owned and operated by the Delestes in Tibanga. It offers Thai style of massage and health treatments. The spa is located in the former residential compound of Dr. Deleste where there used to be a swimming pool as its centerpiece. With its growing popularity, more and more spas are expected to rise to provide Iliganons a good hard rub.
Henry L. Yu, M.D., Batch '69
Graduation Day
"There's a time for joy, a time for tears, a time we'll treasure through the years, we'll remember always Graduation Day. At the Senior Prom, we danced till through, and then you gave your heart to me, we'll remember always Graduation Day ..." Yes, that's the song we sang on our high school graduation 38 years ago on the eve of April 5, 1969.
The other day, I was browsing over old school yearbooks, souvenir programs, and some "faded photographs covered now with lines and creases", and you bet, the memories of yesteryears' miseries, glories, triumphs, and victories kept coming back again like a song's sweet refrain. Indeed, there's so much about our past to go back to. Wonderful flashbacks. Beautiful rewinds. A reminiscence of an era gone by. A return to where we once were. Then suddenly I realized, oh just how fast time indeed flies! It's been 38 long years since we graduated from high school. Oh, those were the days! Yes, long gone by, but definitely not forgotten. How could I? How could you? How could we?
38 years ago, on Graduation Day, we were there at the crossroad, in quandary, not knowing what or where life was leading us, of what lay ahead of us in the future, uncertain of what to take up in college. All we knew then was we have to be in college, get a degree, graduate and work, earn and save, build a family, up the ladder. That's life's agenda, handed to us from generation to generation, and we have to take note of the minutes of life's many meetings. In our young minds was imprinted the belief that a man is more useful to his community when he is educated than if he is illiterate. While it is true that in education one has to spend money, effort and time, we were made to believe that nothing is lost here for "Knowledge is power". Education is the only thing that our parents could ever leave to us, something that could never be taken from us, a legacy to treasure forever. As Dr. Jose Rizal once said "Education is very important for the progress of a nation". With that in mind, we went through the agony and ecstasy of student life. We were young then. We were on top of the world. There was so much time to fall and stand up again, to commit mistakes and reform. The world was in our hands. We were the high school graduates of Class 1969.
Now, after 38 years, what have become of the 17-year old high school graduates that we were? Have we achieved our goals? Have we made those impossible dreams possible? Have we fought the unbeatable foe or bore the unbearable sorrow? Have we finally found that pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?
For
some weeks, I was proudly wearing the college ring of my younger son who
will be graduating from Ateneo de Manila University until I felt uncomfortable
with its weight and bulk since it is a good two sizes larger than my ring
finger. Why did I wear the huge ring? Maybe to help convince
myself that my "little boy" is about to break into the real world very
soon. I would have also worn the college ring of my elder son who
will also be graduating from a five-year Industrial Engineering course
later this month. Only that he still does not have the college ring
until now.
Motherhood, of course, is a lifetime role. It however changes significance and prominence at certain stages in a child's life. Like when he/she finishes college and is about to start a career. Unlike most of the graduates out there, my two sons are privileged enough to have a choice of post graduate studies (which both are seriously considering) or rest for some months before entering into either employment or business ventures. They have applied in companies known for stringent requirement qualifications. Hopefully, they will consider the advice I gave them to work for multinational corporations with global standards to learn the ropes.
It is easy to discuss parenting theoretically. Easier to enunciate or pen sound parenting principles that we know by heart over time. It is altogether different when it is time to let go of lives we have nurtured with all the love in our beings, they who give substance to our very existence. It is toga time once more in my life. The last one ever. There is a hollow ring to that when I say it out loud.
The actor, Rex Cortes, with whom I renewed acquaintance over the weekend, patted me on the back when I told him about my sons' upcoming graduations. He, in turn, shared that the "little one" I carried (his child) -- the last time we did "Kristo" -- is now almost six feet tall! All too soon children become adults, sooner than parents are prepared for the role of "consultants" or "friends" or being the "older generation." And toga time is a stark reminder that it is time for letting go.
It is good to remember how it felt when we were the ones donning the toga. Then, letting go would not be that difficult. My mother was, as usual, giving some admonition to my son once. He answered: "If you feel that way about me, then you indirectly think that you have not succeeded in inculcating good values in me." More or less the same words I said when my parents became overprotective in the past. How did it feel when I walked up to receive my diploma? A mixed feeling of fear, excitement, hope and uncertainty. But, most of all, I felt empowered that I was at last an adult moving into the real world. I was glad that my loving parents were there for me but I certainly wanted to do things on my own. That was the reason why I started teaching soon after my graduation. The good feeling of receiving my first paycheck, of paying for some expenses in the house -- despite my father's loud protestation that he could still afford my keep -- of buying my "luxuries" with my own money. These are my beautiful memories of attaining adulthood after a diploma and employment. These are the kind of memories that we must recall when our children reach that crossroad to adulthood ... during graduation.
[ABOUT
THE AUTHOR: Marlinda Angbetic-Tan, in photo, writes from Cebu
City. She is the executive editor of the Lifestyle section of The
Freeman, Cebu's oldest newspaper. She is a co-founder and past
chair of WILA (Women in Literary Arts, Inc.). She taught Philosophy
for several years at the UP College of Cebu. She is also a renowned
figure in the arts and drama in Cebu having been involved as main actress
in numerous stage plays and TV productions. She is a relative of
alumnus Jose Sam Go (Batch '67)]
I
recently recovered from our bodega a vintage bicycle that has long been
consigned to the dustbin of history. It was the bicycle my father bought
for me when I was in high school at LCHS.
The bike is a blue "Sonnet" semi-racer with nickel plated fenders (in photo). Though the nickel plating has since faded, the paint on its frame remains intact. The exterior tires have become unusable but, amazingly, their interior tubes are intact. The bike still bears the Dymo Labelmaker tape that I put on it to mark its date of purchase from Tan Lam Glass Palace: Aug. 9, 1965. Other than the discoloration, all other parts of the bike remain operational. The pedal brake still works. The Japan-made KSM hard-leather seat is as good as new. After replacing the exterior tires plus a good dose of reoiling, I gave the bike a test drive and it still ran! My high school iron horse, now more than 40 years old, is back in service!
My recent rediscovery brings back memories of a time when the bicycle was the chief means of transportation for many LCHS students. It was not so much a status symbol as it was an extension of our identity in school. Everybody somehow recognized which unit belonged to whom. Bikes in those days were elaborately decorated. Some were adorned with pennants, rear view mirrors and headlights. Others came with cushioned back seats, air horns, battery horns, metal ringers, metal foot rests for backriders, and an assortment of fancy accessories.
I got my own bike pretty late. I was already in third year high when my father bought me my own bike. I remember among the first few students to have a bike of their own were Loloy Tan and Ernie Yu. Many of us learned to bike using their units. They were generous enough to lend us their small-sized "Eastern" bikes for our practice during class recess. Another popular brand of bike was "Columbia," with huge balloon tires. Among those who owned this type of bike were Joe Booc, Robert Co, Igdono Caracho, Lee Kee Siang, Dionesio Chiu, Nicomedes Debalucos, and Apache Debalucos. Joe Booc was skillful with his bike and often regaled us with his antics at the school basketball court. Among his tricks was to maneuver his bike to run on its own from one end of the court to the other. His was a class act unmatched by other campus ace riders.
What remains largely unforgettable, however, was our attachment to the bike. The bike was the wings that propelled us to soar within reach of our adolescent dreams. It afforded us unlimited liberty to roam around the city and its suburbs. The bike transported us to distant places like Bayug and Timoga. But the most frequent stopover of our cruises, however, was St. Michael's College, where a brief chat with its coeds was sufficient to lift our spirit to high heavens.
Those were the days when the bike was our single most valuable possession. Today I have rediscovered my lost long love. It is old and a little cranky. But it still takes me places. Although I now have a car that can bring me to even farther places in comfort and style, yet whenever I hanker for a trip down memory lane, my heart knows that it's my vintage bike, and not my car, that can bring me there.
Igdono U. Caracho, Batch '66
Gulong Island
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