Vol. 11, No. 8, July 23, 2007

Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Lluch Cruz (in photo) recently announced that his administration will strive hard to find solutions to the water supply crisis and the three decade-old garbage problem in Iligan City before his second term ends in 2010.

He said that this was determined by him and the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod in a meeting he called on July 2, 2007, considering that some components of the projects have already been started during his previous term.  Cruz disclosed that he will appoint Engr. Benjamin Quitos, Jr., Assistant City Engineer, to work full-time as manager of Iligan City Solid Waste Management Project who will also be backed-up by full-time technical personnel, while the Office of the Iligan City Waterworks Systems Office is also scheduled to implement several portions of the 495.5 Million-Peso Water Supply Improvement Project within the first 100 days.

In a separate occasion, Councilor Chonilo Ruiz who chairs the SP-Environment Committee revealed that, the Iligan City Solid Waste Management Board has set to make the Central Materials Recovery and Composting Facility (CMRCF) operational by August 2008. Along with these big projects, the local administration shall, likewise, continue giving attention to reforms in health and social services, peace and order, livelihood programs, farm to market roads, agricultural development and others.

CANADA PHOTO CONTEST
Peter Dy bags grand prize

Peter Dy (Batch '66), in photo, won the grand prize in the "Capture Your Canada" photo contest sponsored by The Shopping Channel Canada held in commemoration of the 140th birth anniversary of Canada last July 1.  Peter's photo bested over 700 other entries from all over Canada.  For his grand prize, Peter won a travel voucher plus a Sony DSCW80W digital camera with a total value of $3,330.00.  Peter's winning photo (see photo below) is a breathtaking panoramic shot of the famous Hoodoos in Canada.  The hoodoos are fascinating rock formations formed by years of wind and water erosions found in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada.  Peter composed the photo by shooting and merging four separate frames of the same subject.

To be happy
Tue, 3 July 2007 10:13:54

To be happy don't do whatever you like; like whatever you do.  Happiness comes not from having much to live on but from having much to live for.
--Susan Lim-De la Cruz, Iloilo, Philippines; email: iko1031@hotmail.com

Gags from the Bible
Thu, 7 Jun 2007 00:59:13 -0700 (PDT)

Q. What kind of man was Boaz before he married Ruth?
A. Ruthless.

Q. What do they call pastors in Germany?
A. German Shepherds.

Q. Who was the greatest financier in the Bible?
A. Noah. He was floating his stock while everyone else was in liquidation.

Q. Who was the greatest female financier in the Bible?
A. Pharaoh's daughter. She went down to the bank of the Nile and drew out a little prophet.

Q. Who was the greatest comedian in the Bible?
A. Samson. He brought the house down.
--Forwarded by James Booc (Batch '82), Iligan, Philippines; email: dimx2@yahoo.com

Preventing a stroke
Fri, 29 Jun 29, 2007 01:28

According to the American Stroke Association, approximately 700,000 Americans will suffer a stroke this year. That means, on average, someone in America has a stroke every 45 seconds. Strokes are a leading cause of severe, long-term disability, and addressing the associated risk factors can be beneficial. Consider the following suggestions from Dr. Weil: 1. Control your blood pressure either through lifestyle changes or medication. 2. Exercise. People who exercise consistently have a lower risk of suffering a stroke. 3. If you smoke, quit. 4. Limit alcohol intake. If you drink alcohol, do so only in moderation. Moderate alcohol intake is defined as no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks a day for men. 5. Manage diabetes and keep tight control of blood sugar levels. 6. Lower cholesterol into a healthy range. 7. Focus on your diet. Follow a diet designed for those with high blood pressure and heart disease - it may be helpful in preventing strokes. 8. Take calcium and magnesium. These minerals are helpful in controlling high blood pressure, one of the strongest risk factors for stroke.
--Peter Dy (Batch '66), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, email: pdy50ca@yahoo.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

IMPROMPTU GET-TOGETHER.  What was primarily a wedding reception turned out to be a pleasant impromptu get-together for some LCHS alumni who converged at the Cebu City Sports Club last July 7. Spotted at the wedding reception of Jennifer June Go, daughter of Jose Sam Go (Batch '67), were Vivina Chiu, Nelson Sy, Henry Yu, Jonas Sy, Bonifacia Co, Josephine Jane Go-Lim (in photo), Henry James Go, Mario "Amay" Go; and Fernando Douglas "Fedo" Go, among others.

NEW LCHS PRINCIPALS.  We just learned that starting this school year LCHS has two new principals.  They are Glenda Sy Cabilan (in photo at left), principal for Chinese Department, and Christine Veronica "Jing" Uy (in photo at right) for English Department.  They assumed their new posts from William Payonan who has ceased to be with LCHS this school year.  Our congratulations to Glenda and Jing on their promotions!

LOOKING FORWARD TO GAH-2008.  This early some alumni abroad are already looking forward to the 3rd LCHS Grand Alumni Homecoming (GAH) scheduled for next year.  Among them are Laureto Lao (Batch '68) and Elsie Tan-Lao (Batch '70) of Riverside, California, U.S.A.  Laureto and Elsie, who missed both the GAHs in 2000 and 2005, have expressed their intention to grace the GAH next year.  Another alumna is Nelly Co Palmer (Batch '61), of Australia (in photo), who plans to be back for the GAH of 2008.  Nelly attended the GAH in 2005 together with her husband William Palmer.  They apparently enjoyed the grand homecoming so much that they vowed to return in 2008. In fact, Nelly is trying to convince her two sisters, Elizabeth Co (Batch '64) and Sherly Co Schneider (Batch '70), to come home with her next year.  Needless to say, many of their hometown friends and former classmates shall be overjoyed to see all three of them together in the forthcoming GAH.

NEW MALL IN MANDAUE.  A new mall will soon rise in Mandaue City around the last quarter of this year.  Called Parkmall (in photo), the new shopping center will rise right beside Cebu's newest landmark, the Cebu International Convention Center, Mandaue Reclamation Road. Parkmall will house boutiques and shops that offer quality services and low prices.  Occupying a sprawling six-hectare area, Parkmall will have more than 700 parking slots. It will have a wide park, a building for the indoor stores and a piazza.  The park will provide shoppers a venue for leisurely walks.  It is also an alternative place for joggers who have grown tired of the usual parks and sports gyms.  The piazza, for its part, will be a venue for main mall activities, while the main building will house the different stores and shops.  The entire mall is designed like a little village where everything is made available to all kinds of shoppers.  Among them are a Kids' Village, a tiangge zone, a hypermark, a pasalubong center, and an outdoor niche for people who love the night life.  Principal owners of Parkmall are the Co family of Cebu Oversea Hardware Co., Inc., and other investors.

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

A homecoming is defined by Mr. Webster as "the return of a group of people on a special occasion to a place formerly frequented." Indeed, it is one happy occasion when we get the chance to be back to a place that has made us what we are today, to reunite with people who have been part of our young life once upon a time, to savor and visit places, reliving the past, when the world was simpler in more ways than one.

As a student of LCHS, I always looked up to those alumni-friends who were then pursuing college in Cebu or Manila. Deep in me, I would wish upon a star of one day being an alumnus myself, pursuing college outside Iligan, and coming home for the holidays. That dream finally came true when I took up Pre-Med in Silliman University in the early '70s. Each time the semestral or Christmas or summer vacation came, I was filled with so much excitement packing up my things, singing to the tune of "Homeward Bound" or "Leaving on a Jet Plane", to be back to a place where I spent 17 years of my life, from birth to high school.

The months of July and August are called homecoming months because it's summer break for those outside the Philippines. That's why most reunions or homecomings here in our country are held on such months. It is Homecoming Season. A chance for those from abroad to come home to grace the occasion of a family reunion or a class reunion or a grand alumni homecoming.

Reunions or homecomings are always fun-filled. They are events that we look forward to with so much excitements primarily because it's always nice to go back to a place where we once lived, studied, crammed, played, sang, danced, declaimed, loved, etc. Afterall, who does not love memories? It's a great feeling to be reunited with former classmates, friends, teachers, and the significant others, to be children again, young and innocent and carefree, devoid of too much responsibilities, etc. A reunion is a time when we can be both childish and child-like and nobody would mind it. A going-back to a place where we once belonged. A place we called home. A bringing back of that sense of belonging. A time for fellowship and camaraderie. A jubilation. A celebration. But most of all, a thanksgiving: that at least we have reached this far. Thank God we're still alive. Thank you, Lord, for the Gift of Life.

Igdono U. Caracho, Batch '66