9/11 Centenarians: Conching (Living) and Ferdie (Dead)

Two families celebrated the centennial of a loved one this year. One subject of celebration was around his grave site. The other subject is still alive and well to have a say on the manner of celebrating her 100th birthday.

The first subject, Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, was born in Batac, Ilocos Norte on 11 September 1917, who became a popular politician especially in the so-called Solid North of the Philippine archipelago, rose to become president of the republic on 30 December 1965, declared martial law on 23 September 1972, ruled the country as dictator until he was overthrown by People Power on 25 February 1986, died in his Hawaiian exile on 28 September 1989, and finally buried 'under protest' at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on 18 November 2016.

There were two Marcos celebrations: one at his resting place where his family, close friends and loyalists gathered to remember, and the other outside the gates of Libingan ng mga Bayani where activists raised placards and voices of protest. There were earlier reports that the widow Imelda wanted a grander celebration but daughter Imee wanted it simple. If there was any consolation to the protesters, President Duterte did not join former Ministers Cesar Virata and Juan Ponce Enrile at the grave site commemoration.

Sergia Favor Rico, 9/11 centenarian. (Photo by the author)

As far as we know, centenarian Sergia Favor Rico planned her birthday party, and listed 400 to be invited to a luncheon at Johneva Beach Resort in her coastal barangay La Paz in San Narciso, Zambales. Her kin in the USA and its territories, Canada came back for the occasion.

She knew that she will receive the centenarian incentive of PhP100,000 as provided by law: RA 10868, which Pres. Benigno Aquino signed on 23 June 2016. She is said to have told her kin that she will spend that cash gift for a grand celebration.

Conching, her popular name, manang/nana/auntie/lola to various people, may not be as strong as before to walk around to greet her well-wishers but she remains very lucid for the usual amiable conversations.

We do not know if Conching and Ferdie ever met in San Narciso during the World War II years. For some time, he stayed with a family in an interior sitio of this town to hide from the Japanese. That barrio though was far from Conching's coastal village. Both were in their late 20's at that time, and still single.

As an aside, centenarian Filipinos were featured in the 08 September 1873 issue of the Madrid weekly La Ilustración española y americana. 

Dona Rosa, 127 years old when she died in 1867.
(Source: La Ilustracion espanola y americans)

The author M.M. Cabellero de Rodas wrote about doña Rosa, la centenaría filipina (doña Rosa, Filipina centenarian) whose family name he forgot to note down. He met her in 1862, she was 123 years old, and he learned she died five years later. She was of mixed blood: Portuguese and Malay, who came to the country when she was four years old.

He also mentioned two other Filipinos with very long lives: 
(a) a pure indio coachman (a carruaje driver) he met in 1863, who reached 119 years; and

(b) a Boholana who was 116 years old in 1857. In her youth she did the laundry for the Jesuits until they were expelled in 1766.

These accounts of longevity came at the end of an article on hygiene in the Philippines, which also touched on the common diseases of the Filipinos at that time.

In this time and age of many affections and afflictions, to become a octogenarian or nonagenarian is already one reason for celebration. According to WHO (2015), the total life expectancy in the Philippines 68.5 years.