Vol. 7, No. 26, March 29, 2004

It's Suniel Lim who will man the top command post once again for GAH2005.  LCHS-AA 1st vice president Suniel "Boy" Lim (Batch '66), in photo, was unanimously chosen as chairman of the Steering Committee for the 2nd Grand Alumni Homecoming (GAH2005) set to be held in the first week of July 2005.  He was also chairman of the widely successful GAH in 2000.  In a recent meeting presided by LCHS-AA president Henry Dy (Batch '64), the LCHS-AA board of directors created the initial batch of committees for GAH2005.  The following were designated chairpersons of the committees:  Suniel Lim, Steering Committee; Roger Suminguit, Secretariat; Teresita Racines, Finance; Vy Beng Hong, Solicitation; Chester Dy-Carlos, Raffles; Arturo Samson, Transportation; Calix Tan, Program; Glenda Sy-Cabilan, Invitations (Chinese) and Rodolfo Yu, Invitation (English); and Kelly Dy, Security & Communications.

Henry Dy turns over new school building to City High

Henry Dy (in photo) was guest speaker at the reunion of Iligan City National High School alumni Batch '78 held during the school's 41st Grand Alumni Homecoming last Mar. 13.   On the same occasion, Henry Dy presented as a gift to the school a new two-classroom school building donated by Lucio Tan through the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry and the Lanao Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber & Industry.   Shortly after the affair, Henry Dy proceeded to the induction ceremonies of the Iligan Lanao del Norte Lending Association in which he was also the guest speaker and induction officer.

BTIC, new ice cream outlet in Iligan

A new ice cream parlor has opened in Iligan City.  Called BTIC (Better Than Ice Cream) Frozen Yogurt, the shop (in photo) is located at the arcade of Valentin Uy building on Quezon Ave. Ext., Pala-o.  It was inaugurated last Mar. 12 with blessing rites officiated by Fr. Nasser.  The shop offers a special ice cream concoction that contains no sugar and is ideal for health buffs with a taste of good and nutritious ice cream.  BTIC comes with 29 flavors and its services include free delivery for minimum order of a half gallon of BTIC ice cream within the city proper.   The new ice cream outlet is owned and operated by Allan Buenaventura (son of Dina Uy Buenaventura, Batch '58) and James Racines (Batch '80).  Allan and James are also partners and co-owners of Ilicom Enterprises dealing in cell phones and other high-tech communications equipment and accessories.

LCHS-AA tenders dinner for Batch 2004
By Roger Suminguit (Batch '73)

The LCHS Alumni Association (LCHS-AA) tendered a welcome dinner last March 21 for this year's batch of high school graduates at the Crystal Inn, Iligan City.  After dinner the graduates of Batch 2004 were inducted as members of the alumni association by LCHS-AA president Henry Dy, assisted by LCHS Alumni Foundation president Dy Sio Te.  Present at the ceremonies were officers of the LCHS-AA who shared some moments of freewheeling discussions with the new graduates on their experiences and problems they encountered in school.  Also in attendance were Peter Dy from Canada and Robert Co, executive vice president of the Lanao Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce (LFCCC) as special guests.  During the interaction, one of the graduates, Sylvester Siangco, stood up to thank the LCHS Alumni Foundation for its support that enabled him to finish his studies at LCHS.  Among the graduates, Sylvester Siangco and Roxanne Conol were beneficiaries of the Foundations' scholarship program.  The members of Batch 2004 are Bryan Capa, Arman Miguel Celdran, Bjorn Kerwick Chua, Dave de Jesus, Kenneth Ong, Sylvester Siangco, Lionel Bryan Yap, Annalyn Bernardo, Krissa HanikaCabagui, Iradine Cabrera, Claire Lorraine Co, Roxanne Conol, Heidi Dy-Henry, Diane Marie Solis, Bethany Sy, Gladys Uy, and Diane Marie Zorilla.  They had their commencement exercises last Mar. 27 at the LCHS Gymnasium.

Anniversary Special
Blast from the past

Wanna see what the early Spectrum looked like in the 1960s?  As part of its 7th special anniversary offering, the Spectrum will republish on its website the maiden issue of the Spectrum of 1968. Watch out for this blast from the past as the Spectrum celebrates its anniversary on April 15, 2004.

Pacificador Lluch, 92

Former Iligan city mayor Pacificador Lluch died at the age of 92 last Mar. 23 in Iligan City.  He was the father of Spectrum guestcolumnist Pacificador "Ladi" Lluch Jr. and nationally renowned artist-sculptor Julie Lluch.  His body lies in state at the Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes, Iligan.  Interment is scheduled on Mar. 30.  He was known as the father of Manpower Development in Iligan (now under TESDA), and was an outstanding student of St. Michael's College.  Our condolences to Ladi Lluch and family.

AFTER 36 LONG YEARS
A rare reunion with Catalina Daan
By Charles O. Sy (Batch '67)

Where is Catalina Daan now?  The question many of her former LCHS students have been asking for so long has been answered.

After more than a year of research, footwork and phone calls, the whereabouts of Catalina Daan (in photo), the affable Pilipino teacher of LCHS in the 60s, was finally traced by Igdono Caracho (Batch '66).  Catalina Daan is now teaching at the Carlos Gothong Memorial High School at C. Padilla St., Cebu City (school tel. no. 418-6121).

Still as demure and amiable as ever, she graciously accepted our invitation for lunch when Igdono paid her a surprise visit at the Carlos Gothong Memorial High School last Mar. 26.  What ensued for the next two hours thereafter was our first reunion with Ma'am Catalina after we parted ways from LCHS 36 years ago.

Catalina Daan (now Mrs. Catalina Pahang) taught Pilipino, Social Sciences and Spanish at LCHS from 1963 to 1968.   LCHS was her first teaching job after she finished B.S. Education at the age of 19 from the Colegio de San Jose Recoletos (now University of San Jose Recoletos), Cebu City.  She transferred to the Samantabhadra Institute in Banilad, Cebu City, where she taught for 19 years from 1968 to 1987.  Thereafter, she joined the faculty of the Carlos Gothong Memorial High School where she continues to teach Pilipino up to this day.  Through the years of her teaching career, Ma'am Catalina also took up Bachelor of Arts and went on further to earn a degree in Bachelor of Laws from the University of the Visayas College of Law.

Now a happy grandmother at 62, Catalina, who celebrated her birthday last Mar. 24, still exudes the same girlish charisma that endeared her to many of her students in her LCHS days.  She has two children, D'Vince Pahang and Phillip Pahang.  D'Vince, 32, is a computer specialist at the Cebu Provincial Capitol.  Phillip, 31, is a nautical engineer.  Her husband, Pedro Pahang, an architect and native of Tagbilaran City, passed away in 2000.  Catalina first met her husband when she was teaching at LCHS and he was working with Union Carbide.

Over our lunch of steaming dimsum and dumplings at the new Elizabeth Mall, Catalina shared an interesting insight with us about how she landed in LCHS back in 1963.  Aside from LCHS, she actually had another offer to teach at a school run by nuns in Leyte right after she finished college. She was about to take on the job for Leyte but a priest at CSJ-R advised her to go for LCHS instead because it offered greater prospects for personal advancement and adventure.  To this day, says Catalina, she has no regret whatsoever for following the priest's advice.

Throughout her 40 years of teaching, Catalina considers her LCHS years as the most memorable and fulfilling. She was the adviser of Class 1966.  She still remembers many of her LCHS students and cherishes every memory of her days spent with them.  I asked her to name five students whom she remembers the most and why.  Without hesitation, she mentioned Jaime Rodriguez because of his dominant character; Alex Rodriguez because he was one of the brightest students in his class; Elizabeth Co because of her keen interest in Spanish; Charmaine Molo because she was the cutest among her classmates and always wanted to be different from the rest; and Johnny Ang because when she once scolded her class, Johnny told her: "Ma'am, please don't get mad at me because I'm older than you."

From Ma'am Catalina we also picked up a few helpful information about her former LCHS colleagues. Tita Fonteras, whom we called "Taras Bulba" because of her unique hairstyle, is now living in Guam.  Chona Serrato, our English teacher, is in Cagayan de Oro.  And Teresita Maulas (now Mrs. Teresita Ayag) now plays a key role in helping orphans as officer-in-charge of the Street Children Project of Cebu City's First Lady Margot Osmeña.  Her husband is chief of the ballistic division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

After sharing some more nostalgic memories, we bade each other goodbye with hope of crossing paths once more at our forthcoming Grand Alumni Reunion in July next year.  "I'll be looking earnestly forward to it," she said.

Greetings from Catalina Daan
Fri, 26 Mar 2004

An unexpected rendezvous that enlightened the past years of my teaching in LCHS, considered to be my most memorable experience, not only in words but in spirit.  How great is this to think of!  Thirty six years is never a joke.  Sana sa lahat ng mga pagkakataon, magkakatampo pa rin tayo muli upang maipababalik ang mga nakalipas na kasayahan at kalukuhan.  Hasta la vista!--Catalina Daan-Pahang, Postal address: Z-01, No. 317, Tangke (back of the Barangay Hall), Talisay City, Cebu

Thanks to all
Sat, 27 Mar 2004 07:48:57 -0800

Forty days had past since the death of our beloved grandfather, Dy Un Suy. On behalf of the Dy family, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everybody who in one way or the other was with us during our time of grief.  We may have lost the pillar of our family, but we find solace knowing that he is in a better place right now. Once again, thank you.
--Marie Josiefel Ello (Batch '83), Vancouver, Canada, email: mjqello@hotmail.com

Roger Suminguit, Batch '73

Johndorf:  Venturing from CdO to Cebu

Johndorf Ventures Corp. (JVC) is starting to penetrate the Cebu market with its first real-estate development project, La Aldea Buena Mactan, located in Babag, Lapu-Lapu City (in photo).  The Cagayan de Oro-based JVC will also be developing another economic housing project in Consolacion, Cebu within the year.  The company is now developing Phase 1 of the 8.3-hectare property, which will house 1,172 house and lot units, each occupying a 40-square-meter lot and sold at P495,000.

JVC will accept financing only from the Home Mutual Development Fund or Pag-ibig Fund and the company’s short-term in-house financing, which is payable in one year, interest-free.  Units of the Spanish-inspired La Aldea Buena Mactan follow one model, the Aldea Prima.  Established in 1986 by Richard "Hong Tok" Lim (Batch '68), JVC is engaged in the designing and development of communities for residential units.  The company has completed the development of 18 subdivisions in Mindanao. Some of these projects are San Agustin Valley Homes and Golden Glow Village in CdO, Green Meadows Villa Subdivision and PN Roa in Misamis Oriental, Floraville Subdivision and Dominique Square Subdivision in Iligan City.  JVC is affiliated with electrical products distributor Jonrich Enterprises Inc, co-packer of Nescafe and Nestle Milk products for Visayas and Mindanao Cofipac Corp., and furniture manufacturer and exporter Techmaster Furniture and Accessories.

Earlier last week, the Lanao Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce (LFCCC) elected its new members of the board of directors.  And insider reports filtering in from "Tracers" paparazzi squad indicate that Robert "Toto" Co (Batch '66), in photo at left, is being groomed to be the new LFCCC president.  The outgoing president is Henry Dy.   Kudos to Spectrum columnist Marie Janiefer Lee (Batch '87) who has been elected president of the Rotary Club of Muntinlupa South for 2005-2006.  Last Mar. 26-27, Janiefer, together with her club members, attended the District Convention of Rotary Clubs in Manila with no less than the eminent Nelson Mandela of South Africa as keynote speaker.  Our belated congratulations to Peterson Dy (in photo at right), eldest son of Peter Dy (Batch '66) and Mansueta Dy, who got married to Amy Wan of Canada last Feb. 14 in Mount Norquay, Banff, Alberta, Canada.  "Tracers" also learned that, aside from the group of LCHS students who joined the Xiamen Summer Study Tour this year, three other alumni kids from their respective schools have joined the tour too.  They are Byron Sua, son of Benton Sy Sua (Batch '77), and Kenderick Ngo, son of Roderick Ngo (Batch '70).  They are from the Cebu Bethany Christian School. And the third one is the daughter of Dr. Arthur Dy (Batch '75), of Sacred Heart School for Girls, Cebu City.  Last Mar. 26, officers and directors of LCHS-AA converged at the residence of Carlos "Bonnie" Dy in Pala-o for dinner with the Dy family and other family friends commemorating the 40th prayer day of the passing of Dy Un Suy.

Charles O. Sy, Batch '67

There comes a time in a man's life when he has to offer something of himself in the service of society from which he has benefited.  Such a time came early for Henry Dy in the service of the community to which he has dedicated and endeared himself.

Long before he gave himself to public service, Henry Dy had already proven his worth in the arena of civic affairs and community leadership. (Photo at left: Henry Dy with the author at a party in 1986.)  As early as 1980 he was already Worshipful Master of Iligan Lodge #207.  He went on to become District Deputy Grand Master of the Masonic District #25 and Master Mason of the Maranaw Lodge #111.  Aside from his involvement in the fraternal society of the Masons, he also involved himself in community service by joining the Kiwanis Club of Iligan.  It did not take long for his fellow Kiwanians to recognize his leadership potentials through his dedication to various community projects.  He was soon elected President of the Kiwanis Club of Iligan and Lieutenant Governor of the Kiwanis Philippines South District, Division 4-B.

Despite his busy schedule, Henry still manages to involve himself in many other charitable, educational and volunteer organizations as well.  He joined the United Way of Iligan City of which he was President for two terms from 1990 to 1993.   He is a past President of the Iligan Volunteers Fire Brigade and co-chair of the Philippine Tuberculosis Society, Inc. of Iligan City.  He is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lanao Chung Hua School.  He has been a consistent member of the Board of Governors of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) since 1994 up to the present.  He is also Chairman of the Iligan City Chapter of the PNRC and a member of the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.

Being the true leader that he is, Henry Dy does not limit his involvement to civic affairs.  He has likewise proven his mettle in the crucible of entrepreneurship.  A graduate in Business Administration from the St. Michael's College, Henry steered what started as a small electrical store near the old public market of Iligan to become a major corporation specializing in electrical and industrial hardware, the Iligan Apollo Electrical & Industrial Supply, Inc.  He also runs a host of other businesses that include the Inport Arrastre Services, Inc., Apollo Shipping Agency, Hi-12 Appliance Sales & Services Center, among others.  Needless to say, his leadership did not go unrecognized among his peers in the business community.  In 1993, he was elected President of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry Foundation of Iligan, Inc.  Today he is the incumbent President of the Lanao Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Equally impressive is Henry's track record in government service.  He served as city councilor of Iligan for three consecutive terms during which he was Chairman of the Committee on Trade, Industry & Tourism.  He was also Chairman of the 1993 Iligan City Fiesta Committee and the 50th Charter Anniversary celebration of Iligan in 2000.  In recognition of his accomplishments as city councilor, he was named Most Outstanding Master Mason in the field of civil leadership for Masonic Year 1997-1998, and one of the Ten Outstanding Citizens of Iligan City for 1993 by the Iligan Jaycees.  He was an awardee of the Lanao Press and Radio-TV Club for community leadership in 1999 and one of the Ten Most Outstanding Alumni of the Cebu Eastern College and the Lanao Chung Hua School for government service in 2000.

Even more impressive are his efforts in bringing education to the masses.  Through the years, he has donated no less than six school buildings from his personal funds to various public schools in the city.   He also donated one school building from his Countryside Development Fund during his term as city councilor and facilitated the donation of 21 other school buildings to different barangays from the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Inc. and the Chinese-Filipino Business Club in Manila.

Despite all his achievements and popularity, his virtues as a person remain unspoiled and untarnished.  True to his character, he remains well-respected yet modest, self-assured yet sincere, and determined yet helpful as ever.  I remember when we were studying at the St. Michael's College (SMC) in 1970.  Henry was already running his business and was attending classes during the evening.  Yet, he never failed to lend a hand whenever I approached him for his help or participation.  When the late Yolando Siao and I needed more members to join us in organizing the Iligan Student Amity Association in SMC, Henry was among the first to come forward and help us attain our goal.  I also can't forget the time when I was tasked to lead a group of school personnel of SMC on a weekend field trip.  I sought help from Henry to lend us his jeep for our transportation.  He didn't only lend us his jeep, he accompanied us throughout the trip by driving the vehicle himself (in group picture, 2nd from right).

I realized then as I do now that a man who never hesitates to go out of his way to lend a helping hand is a man who deserves our loyalty as a friend and our trust and support as a candidate for vice mayor on whom we pin our hopes for a better Iligan City.  Such a man is our man Henry.

Marie Janiefer Q. Lee, Batch '87

When World War II was over I guess almost everybody said that they would never have anything to do with the Japanese.  But it seems that was saying "never" too soon.  Now we may not see the Japanese army taking each country by force but somehow they have "invaded" almost every country worldwide.  As a matter of fact, they are here with us in our everyday life.

First, they have invaded our consciousness of their products. That everything "made in Japan" is better: from a simple home appliance like a toaster to the cars we drive to work everyday.  Here in our store we sell "made in Japan" car stereos, and we use "made in Japan" tools from a simple screwdriver to the electrical jigsaw and iron nibbler.  Somehow these "made in Japan" items have been so intertwined in our life that it seems impossible to be without them.

Back during WW II, the Japanese army had to take our women by force as their so called "comfort women" but nowadays it's our women who go to them.  Women have flocked to Japan since the 80s. They work there and most of them end up marrying Japanese men.  Now in addition to the "made in Japan" electrical and electronic appliances, we have the growing "made in Japan" babies, the so-called Japinos.

While most of us were named with American names, now it seems to be a new status symbol to have a Japanese-sounding name.  I have a Chinese friend who named her two kids Akio and Maiko.

Now that our generation is already into everything Japanese, they are now targeting the next generation.  They are now invading our homes through the Japanese animations that are bombarding our televisions.  These are those shows like Dragon Ball Z, Sailormoon, Flame of Recca, Gundam, Ghost Fighter, Anime, to name a few. These shows may be dubbed in either English or Filipino but their theme songs are still in Japanese.  Now my two sons can sing along with these songs by heart. As if they understand what the song really means.

So we may have succeeded to drive the Japanese away before but they were able to come back inconspicuously.  This time they are here to stay.

Haste, My Love
By Candice Ang Uy
Cebu, Philippines

Haste, my love
to our enchanted bower 'neath the tree

Where the silent river flows
and the moonlight hide their beams

To where the soft, dewy grass
sighs gently beneath our unshod feet

Where the lilacs purple the night
its sweet perfume ling'ring in the air

I long to touch
thy alabaster skin

Thy trembling lips beneath my own
thy sweet head upon my breast

Echoes of my love reflected in
limpid pools of amber haze

Haste on winged feet, my love
morn will soon touch the deepest night

For too long we have to part
e'er the darkness falls again

Kid's prayer
Forward by Ellen N. Lim
Manila, Philippines

I had been teaching my three-year old daughter, Caitlin, the Lord's Prayer for several evenings at bedtime, she would repeat after me the lines from the prayer.  Finally, she decided to go solo.  I listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word, right up to the end of the prayer: "Lead us not into temptation," she prayed, "but deliver us some e-mail.  Amen."

* * * * *

God is watching
Forward by Alex Rodriguez (Batch '65)
Miramar, Florida, U.S.A.

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch.  At the head of the table was a large pile of apples.  The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching."  Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples.

Lilies of Our Youth