“A happier life coupled with a grateful heart leads to a longer life.”
Lola Ulpiana Dalumpines of Davao City proved this point when she turned 100 last year.
For Lola Ulpiana, as she is fondly called, her secret to longevity is to “never get angry.” She believes that “If you’re angry, your heart will get affected,” which shortens your lifespan.
Lola Ulpiana is grateful that she remains in good health as she celebrates being a hundred years old.
The gift of a good and long life is an answered prayer that allows her to continue to share her wisdom and enjoy every moment with her 12 children and 40 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Born on September 27, 1923, Lola Ulpiana considers the day when she was born a bittersweet moment in her life, as the cost of bringing her into this world was the life of her mother.
“After I was born, my mother died. That’s why my birthday is also the death anniversary of my mother,” she shared.
It is for this reason that Lola Ulpiana carried the name of her mother.
She recalled how hard life was without a mother by her side. For instance, to ease her longing for motherly love and care, she composed a song for her mother and sang it every time she remembered her.
Lola Ulpiana spent most of her life teaching at school. She had taught in public and private schools in Davao City since 1943. However, the pandemic forced her to stop teaching.
Her youngest daughter, the one who is taking care of her, believes that if not forthe pandemic, Lola Ulpiana will continue teaching.
Her daughter recalled how passionate Lola Ulpiana was as a teacher, saying, “All my life, kauban man gyud nako ni sya.. Some of the teachers are now stressed sa trabaho kada-uli kapoy. Kani siya never gyud ko nakadungog ani niya mosulti nga mo-undang na og tudlo kay kapoy..”
[All my life, I've been by her side. While some teachers are now feeling stressed and easily getting tired, I've never heard her express a desire to quit teaching because she is tired.]
“In fact, sa adlaw naa sya sa public school, and then pagka gabii naa siya sa private school. Mo-uli siya sa amoa 9:30 na. Wala gyud ni siyay kapoy,” her daughter shared.
[In fact, during the daytime, she teaches at a public school, and at night, she teaches at a private school, often returning home by 9:30 p.m. Despite her busy schedule, she never seems to tire.]
After Lola Ulpiana’s retirement and having no other things to do to keep herself busy, her daughter said that her mother became a suki (frequent customer) of malls in Davao City and actively attended activities of senior citizens in the city.
Now that Lola Ulpiana is having difficulty going outside without assistance, she has found another refuge, and that is writing her autobiography.
When asked about her write-up, she said she wanted to be remembered and make the younger generations learn from how she spent her productive life.
Lola Ulpiana is among the nine centenarians in Davao region who were recently recognized by the regional office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Each centenarian received a cash incentive worth P100,000 and a felicitation letter signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as stipulated in Republic Act 10868, or the Centenarians Act of 2016.
Like the other centenarians who were recognized, Lola Ulpiana and her family expressed their profound gratitude to the government for acknowledging them and their valuable contributions to society.
Lola Ulpiana said that the incentives given would greatly help her day-to-day needs, especially for her medicines.
Aside from the incentives under the Centenarians Law, Lola Ulpiana will also receive another P100,000 in cash incentives from the city government of Davao under City Ordinance No. 0727-21, series of 2021, to honor centenarians.
Jacquelyn Refugio, DSWD-XI centenarian focal, said that the centenarian program of DSWD, anchored on Centenarians Law, aims to recognize Filipino senior citizens who have reached 100 years old.
Refugio revealed that they target identifying and awarding 50 centenarians this year.
Early this year, nine centenarians were awarded. Five are from Davao City, including Lola Ulpiana; two are from Camen and Tagum City, both of Davao del Norte.
DSWD-XI has also identified and awarded two from Matanao and Sta. Cruz in Davao del Sur.
Refugio said that on top of the cash incentives from DSWD, some local government units in the region also give an additional P100,000 to the centenarians under their respective centenarian ordinances, like in Davao City and Tagum City.
Part of the implementation of the centenarian program of DSWD is the consistent monitoring of the centenarians and their families to ensure that the cash incentives will be utilized for the benefit of the centenarians.
At present, Refugio said that they are validating around 25 applications for the centenarian program and are still accepting new applications.
She called on those 100 years old and older who wish to avail of the program to visit their offices in the municipalities and cities to inquire about the application process.
The primary requirements include the centenarian's birth certificate and their senior citizen ID. (ASO/PIA-Davao)
