A native priest or a mambunong and a single mom who raised her only son doing odd jobs are the latest members of the exclusive “Club 100.”
They are expected to receive cash rewards from the city and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“Now, the city has recognized our latest centenarians,” said Councilor Lilia Fariñas after the city council’s approval of the resolution honoring Calixto Chachacan Batiyeg and Dativa Jose Morales who both recently turned 100 years old.
Batiyeg, who was born and raised at Barangay Loakan, turned 100 on Jan. 3 while Morales celebrated her centennial on Dec. 9 last year.
Fariñas, chair of the city council’s committee on social welfare, women and urban poor, said the two centenarians will join the honorees during the charter anniversary of the city on Sept. 1.
Each will receive P20,000 from the city government, while the DSWD will give P100,000.
Batiyeg is a mambunong in his barangay where he leads the prayer during rituals.
Batiyeg is under the care of his youngest daughter Gina del Rosario along with his wife, the former Modesta Parisas who is now 92 years old.
The resolution described Batiyeg as healthy despite his advanced age and still does mambunong works.
It said the honoree is still “physically active, mobile, and with good hearing, he communicates well.”
It also said Batiyeg still does his personal activities ably such as taking a bath, cooking his food, and buying things on his own but he needs a lot of rest whenever he can.
Batiyeg’s secret to his long life is living simply, saying “he always completes his meals a day and prefers food without additives.
Morales was born in Laoag, Ilocos Norte and worked in Manila as a household help until she was 40 years old. By then, she already had a child, Pedro, now 62, with whom she stays with until now.
Unlike Batiyeg, Morales is rather weak, “forgetful, unable to talk very much, and hard up in hearing, she sleeps most of the time and does some walking at home.” – PNA release
April 19, 2024
