City honors another centenarian
City officials recently honored Leoncia Estipular Camacho as another centenarian in the city.
Under Resolution No. 560, series of 2023, local legislators stated that Leoncia was born on June 30, 2023 in Magunggunay, Naguilian, La Union and was able to reach the remarkable age of 100 years.
She is the youngest among the 11 children of Angel G. Estipular and Flora E. Estipular. Due to financial constraints, she was unable to pursue formal education; instead, she diligently worked alongside her parents in a farm, cultivating tobacco and rice crops.
Faith brought her together with the love of her life, Angel Camacho, during a wedding celebration in their hometown. After a year of courtship and dating, they embarked on a life-long journey together and became the proud parents of five beautiful children.
Angel reportedly relocated to Baguio city where he worked as a bowling attendant at the Baguio Country Club (BCC). In 1959, Leoncia and their family joined Angel in the city.
Leoncia proved to be not only a supportive wife and mother but also a resourceful contributor to the family’s finances. She engaged in business, selling products from La Union to the residents and staff of the city’s exclusive club. Through her efforts, he managed to meet their daily expenses and provide support for the education of two of their children.
As described by her children, Leoncia is an exemplary individual, diligent, kind-hearted, and generous. She exudes a sense of calm and has never raised her voice to anyone in her family. Her closeness to her children and her embodiment of goodness serve as a shining example to all.
She has shared her key to a long life, attributing it to righteousness. In her own words, ‘she believes that having no enemies paves the way for success and prosperity.’ Despite her lack of formal education, she has improved her quality of life through wisdom, diligence, cleverness, and hard work. Moreover, she maintains a daily prayer routine.
Presently, her eyesight has significantly declined, and her mobility and hearing have become limited. Nevertheless, she can still happily sing her favorite Ilocano songs and recount her life experiences with clarity. Her motivation to live longer stems from the desire to witness her great grandchildren grow.
The council stipulated that Camacho be awarded the privileges of a centenarian pursuant to Ordinance No. 45, series of 2013 as amended by Ordinance No. 53, series of 2016 and further amended by Ordinance No. 84, series of 2019 as amended by Ordinance No. 10, series of 2022. – Dexter A. See
