Baclayon, Bohol – Governor Aris Aumentado personally handed over a P100,000.00 cash gift to Desideria Cuering, a 100-year-old woman from barangay Santa Cruz, Baclayon, Bohol, on Saturday, January 23, 2024.
Cuering is one of the beneficiaries of the Bohol Centenarian Ordinance, which grants a P100,000.00 award and cash benefit to Bol-anons who reach the age of 100 years and above. The ordinance also provides a certificate of congratulations from the provincial government and a letter of felicitations from the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Governor Aumentado said that the centenarian gift is a way of honoring and celebrating the lives of the elderly who have contributed to the development of the province. He also said that the gift is part of the Strategic Change and Development Agenda on Health and Social Services, which aims to improve the quality of life of the Boholanos.
The Centenarian Committee, composed of representatives from the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, the Provincial Health Office, the Provincial Planning and Development Office, and the Provincial Legal Office, is responsible for verifying and validating the eligibility of the centenarian applicants.
According to the committee, there are currently 23 centenarians in Bohol, and 11 of them have already received their cash gifts from the provincial government. The committee also said that they are coordinating with the national government to facilitate the release of the additional P100,000.00 cash gift that the centenarians are entitled to under Republic Act No. 10868 or the Centenarians Act of 2016.
Cuering, who was born on January 15, 1924, expressed her gratitude to Governor Aumentado and the provincial government for the generous gift. She said that she will use the money to buy food and medicine for herself and her family. She also shared some of her secrets to longevity, such as eating vegetables, avoiding stress, and praying to God.