The City Government of Davao started the house-to-house distribution of Php 100,000 cash incentives to each of the centenarians in the city on Monday.
Vice Mayor J Melchor Quitain, Jr., the team from CSWDO led by Officer-In-Charge Julie P. Dayaday, and the team from the City Health Office started the house-to-house distribution to the first four centenarians living in the Poblacion area.
Melecia Abrenillo, Manuel Borbon, Amalia Rafols, Marie Yap, Eleonora Alfafara, Rosa Canuday, Enriquita Adudang, Prescilla Garcia, Julia Yap, Crispina Quino, Julian Siarot, Florencia Castillones, Alejandra Dela Cruz, Teofilo Gamutan Sr, Gregoria Burlaza, Simplicia Panganiban, Consorcia Barrato, Serenidad Palma Gil, Francisco Cerro, Lucia Castillon, Restituta Elle, Pedro Ocharon, Leonarda Siawan, Rufino Canete, and Basilisa Amila are among those entitled to receive the incentive having reached the age of 100.
Abrenillo, Borbon, Rafols, and Yap were the first batch the team visited on October 16, 2023. The city government scheduled house-to-house visitations from October 16-24.
Quitain said, in an interview with the City Information Office, that he is honored to meet centenarians.
“You can just imagine that there are only a few people in this country and this world nga makaabot gyud og 100 years old and to be able to talk to them, interact with them, to see them smiling, to see them very happy– napakasarap po ng feeling. Inspiration gyud na nga we should look after ourselves we should not abuse ourselves our health—health is wealth– it is very precious. (There are only a few people in this country and this world that will reach 100 years old, and to be able to talk to them, interact with them, to see them smiling, and to see them happy give us a really good feeling. This serves as an inspiration, that we should look after ourselves, and we should not abuse our health—health is wealth—it is very precious),” Quitain said.
Dayaday, in a separate interview, said the incentive distribution aligns with City Ordinance 0727-21 Series of 2021, which aims to recognize and honor Davao centenarians by granting them cash incentives.
“Naghatag ang atoang national government pero pinasahi gyud ang Davao City sa paghatag ug pag-ila sa atoang centenarians (The national government has given them incentives but what is done in Davao City to honor centenarians stands apart from that),” Dayaday said, adding that the city-led incentive started in 2021. The distribution is also in line with the Elderly Week Celebration.
Dayaday said their office decided to shift to house-to-house distribution this year instead of conducting a single event for all the centenarians, as they did in 2022, for their convenience.
She said that younger people can get inspiration from centenarians in leading their lives.
“Importante ni labi ni sa atoa nga mga bata pa nga maghatag og inspiration sa atoa, ganina si lola Amalia nag share sa iyang secreto nganong naabot siya sa 100 years ang iyang ginakaon kamunggay so ang kamunggay mutubo raman gyud na siya, maka-inspire kay wala gyud siyay maintenance kita bata pa naa nata’y gina-inom siya wala gyud (This recognition is important for us to be inspired. Earlier Lola Amalia shared that her secret to reaching 100 years is the malunggay, as we can see malunggay grows everywhere. It is really such an inspiration because she does not even have maintenance, compared to some younger than her who are already taking maintenance),” she said.
The secrets to reaching 100 years old as divulged by the centenarians and their family members include eating greens and vegetables, having no enemies, having a positive outlook in life, and receiving love and support from the family.
Apart from cash incentives, the centenarians will also receive a plaque with their name and picture. The beneficiaries and their family members accepted and received these entitlements with gratitude and cheer. CIO
