Conventional healthy and happy lifestyle of the countryside has led Florita Valdez Ledda to live a hundred years. She turned 100 on 21 November 2020 and is now one of the few Centenarians in Balaoan, La Union that the younger generation of Brgy. Tallipugo look up to for inspiration.

Lola Florita’s daughter described her as a passionate consumer of farm-grown goods, vegetables, and fish which aid in prolonging her life. She said her mother seldom eats meat, but when she does, she prefers pork since it is quicker to cook.

Lola Florita and her deceased husband raised her family through rice and tobacco farming until her son and three daughters got families of their own. Farming and backyard gardening became her passion through her retirement years. In the last decade, she only took care of her backyard garden with its harvest enough for her daily nutritional needs and some more left to offer to her extended family.  As soon as she learned about the cash incentive for Centenarians, she was so delighted and began planning how to spend it. Her daughter shared that they will use the money to buy medicines for her ailments as well as for her food supplies and other household needs. She shared that they are regularly managing Lola Florita’s hypertension, heart ailment, and hearing difficulties aside from her being unable to stand for a long time. The simple centenarian farmhand from the countryside where farming is the typical source of income received PhP100,000.00 cash incentive. Lola Florita expressed that she is happy as she received the cash incentive from the government that will help a lot in easing her struggles in growing old.

All Filipinos who reach the age of 100 shall receive a centenarian gift in the amount of P100,000.00 as stipulatedinthe Centenarians Act of 2016 or in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 10868. (by: Junly Morla, Information Officer I / Social Marketing Unit)