“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.

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.]

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.

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)