My Octogenarian or Older Seniors Pride List

My wife's Aunt- Elizabeth Nieva Santo Domingo and Yong Nieva( Macrine's first cousin)-Photo by Yong Nieva

If you have been reading my blogs, you know I remain mentally active by writing and reading every day since my retirement from the Food and Drug Administration(FDA), Center of New Drugs in 2002. This blog is dedicated to all senior citizens all over the world who are 80 years old or older but are still active both physically and mentally. The list is not in any particular order of importance.

The first senior citizen in this Pride List is Macrine's aunt- Mrs Elizabeth Nieva Santo Domingo. She is 91 years old (see picture above). She keeps active by her daily walk to daily mass to church. She eats healthy meals and had a happy married life without any children but surrounded and loved by nephews and nieces and other relatives.

The second senior citizen in my list is my next door neighbor, Mrs Lina Edison. She is 84 years old, She lives alone, walks every day and work in her garden everyday. She has never smoked in her life, eat primarily vegetables and seafood products. She attributes her good health by daily exercise and not eating too much meat.

The third person in my list and the most known nationally in Philippines and Marinduque politics is Carmencita Ongsiako Reyes. She was born November 9, 1931. She served as an Assemblywoman from 1985 to 1986, Congresswoman of Marinduque from 1978 to 1998 and 2007 to 2010, as well as governor from 1998 to 2007 and 2010 to present.

Reyes won a seat in the Batasang Pambansa in 1984 under the ruling Kilusang Bagong Lipunan Party of President Ferdinand Marcos. She aligned herself with then-Marinduque Governor Aristeo Lecaroz, also of the KBL Party. Reyes was a close ally of the Marcos regime. Her husband, Edmundo M. Reyes, was appointed by President Marcos as the Commissioner on Immigration. Reyes served as an Assemblywoman until the 1986 EDSA Revolution drove Marcos out of power. Edmundo Reyes (now deceased) her husband is my wife's second cousin.

The fourth senior citizen in my list is Imelda Marcos. She is known all over the world as the widow of Ferdinand Marcos. Imelda Marcos was born July 2, 1929. In popular culture, she is often remembered for her collection of more than a thousand pairs of shoes.

When President Marcos' government was accused of being involved in the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr., the people in Manila led the so-called People Power Revolution and forced Marcos out of office in 1986. Corazon Aquino, as the then new elected President, requested that American forces at Clark Air Base have the Marcos family exiled to the United States, and they were sent to Hawaii. After the death of Ferdinand, Imelda and her family were granted permission by Aquino to return to the Philippines. Her return has since allowed her to restore her political dynasty. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 1995 for Leyte, and again in 2010 for Ilocos Norte.

The fifth senior citizen in my list is Dr Jose Gan, Ph.D Joe was born on November 30, 1933 in Pavia, Iloilo. He has a Ph. D.,in Biochemistry, U of Illinois at the Medical Center, Chicago,(1960-1964) and was a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of California in Berkeley

During his elementary and high school years he was active in basketball and soccer and other sports . In the US, He plays tennis two to three times during the week.(mainly single); He also dabbled in martial arts (tae kwon do and ninjutsu) in his early fifties and sixties. He quit these sports about 5 years ago when chronic neck pain and other arthritic pains caught up with him. Today he confines his physical activities to yard work (mowing, edging trimming, etc) and flower and vegetable gardening.

Other names in my list are: Dr. Tino Ibabao, MD (91), and Dr Lilia Ferrer Ibabao, MD ( 84)

Here's a video about The Relevant Octogenarians. Octogenarians are persons from 80 to 89 years old and I belong to this group.



Finally, if you know of senior citizens over 80 years old or over who are still active, please let me know so I can add their names to this list.