SO LONG, LOLA ISKA. Negrense supercentenarian Francisca Montes Susano, with the plaque she received from the National Commission on Senior Citizens during her 124th last Sept. 11. The native of Kabankalan City, considered the oldest living Filipino, died Monday night (Nov. 22, 2021). (Photo courtesy of City of Kabankalan)
BACOLOD CITY – The City of Kabankalan in Negros Occidental led in paying tribute to supercentenarian Francisca Montes Susano, who died at the age of 124 on Monday night.
In a statement of the city government hours after her passing, Mayor Pedro Zayco, Vice Mayor Raul Rivera, and the rest of the city officials expressed their condolences and joined the Susano family in prayers.
“It is with sadness in our hearts when we received the news that our beloved Lola Francisca Susano passed away,” they said.
Susano, a native of the southern Negros city’s Barangay Oringao, has been put in the spotlight in recent years for being the oldest living Filipino, and probably the world’s oldest as well.
Born in 1897, she turned 124 last Sept. 11, and had 14 children, including her now 101-year-old eldest daughter.
On her last birthday, she was visited by Chief Executive Officer Franklin Quijano of the National Commission on Senior Citizens, who gave her a bouquet, a plaque recognition, PHP10,000 cash, and a manager’s check amounting to PHP24,000.
In 2015, Lola Francisca was one of the awardees under the Negros First Centenarian Act.
According to the city government, Susano’s official declaration as the oldest person in the world is currently being validated by the Guinness World Records.
“Lola Iska will always remain as our inspiration and pride,” it added.
Former House of Representatives deputy speaker Mercedes Alvarez, whose jurisdiction in the province’s 6th District includes Kabankalan City, said Susano “brought so much inspiration to many”.
“Her story, her life, will always be remembered. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family,” she said in a Facebook post.
Jonathan Susano, one of her great-grandsons, said in a media interview that Susano did not have any illness at the time of her death.
On social media, some netizens also paid tribute to the life of Susano, saying she had “a life well-lived”.
“She may not have gotten the Guinness World record, but I’m sure she lived her life to the fullest,” a netizen said. (PNA)
