Cadiz City’s “super lola”, Visitacion Victorama Contenido celebrated her 109th birthday May 28.
Contenido, or Lola Visitacion to family, friends, and neighbors in Purok Awa, Barangay Zone 6 in Cadiz, was born in Barangay Bulanon, Sagay, on May 28, 1916.
But for 32 years now, her family had settled in Barangay Zone 6, Cadiz.
Lola Visitacion has 12 children – seven from her first marriage, and five from her second husband.
With poverty constantly knocking at their door, she did everything she could to survive and raise her family, the city said in a press release June 22.
She used to be a paltera (traditional/unlicensed midwife) and when she wasn’t attending to births, she was selling vegetables, fish, and seashells.
Despite her age, and almost bedridden, Lola Visitacion still has no maintenance medicines, although she had already lost her hearing.
“I eat everything (and) whatever is available on the table,” she said when asked about her secret to longevity.
Lola Visitacion was honored during the 2025 Recognition and Awarding Ceremony of Octogenarians, Nonagenarians, and Centenarians Feb. 14 at the Cadiz Arena.
Although she failed to attend in person, her children and grandchildren proudly received the award on her behalf.
She was given P100,000 by the city government, through its implementation of Republic Act 10868, or the Centenarian Act of 2016, which grants financial recognition to Filipinos 100 years old and above.
She also received P100,000 from the provincial government of Negros Occidental, as tribute to a life of dignity and service.
Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. was beyond proud of Lola Visitacion. “She is, indeed, a living legacy that poverty is not a hindrance to longevity.”
Her perseverance amid life’s challenges made her a real heroine in the test of times, Escalante said.
“She is, indeed, a Cadizeña: a warrior against life’s odds, a tested and proven survivor of so many ‘disasters’ in life – literally and figuratively,” the mayor added. ||
