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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Age-old wisdom

Calling A Spade
Age-old wisdom
Solita Collas-Monsod

It warms the cockles of my heart to see how two of our most senior citizens are belying, in the most dramatic manner, the conventional belief that growing old is equated to being a burden to society and/or theend of one’s usefulness to it -- people who should just be put out to pasture, or to wait patiently in the"departure lounge" for their flight out of this world.


I refer, of course, to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who will be 88 in less than a week (Feb. 14), and former Justice Secretary/Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Serafin Cuevas, who will be 84 on June 25.

Their sharpness of intellect (brilliance, even) and physical stamina have impressed all those viewing the proceedings, arguably outshining their much younger counterparts.

Understand, Reader, that Enrile and Cuevas have lived much longer than the average life expectancy at birth calculated for Filipino males born between 2010 and 2015 -- which, per the State of the World Population Report 2011, is 66 years -- and even for females, which is calculated to be 73 years. They are, in fact, as of 2011, two out of an estimated 628,436 Filipinos who are 80 years old and over, and who constitute less than 1% (0.65%) of the population.

The 65 years and older population are classified intothree separate subgroups: Those who are from 65 to74 years of age are called the "Young Olds"; those who are 75 to 84 years old are variously classified as "Middle-Old" or just "Old" or "Old-Old"; and those who are 85 years old and over are described as "Oldest-Old." Thus, Enrile is part of the latter group, Cuevas is part of the Old-Old group, though for not much longer. Next year, he will be joining Enrile inthe Oldest-Old category.

Although he is not a participant in the impeachment trial, lawyer Estelito Mendoza has figured in theproceedings, particularly in the last couple of days, because he is the author of the letters that figure inthe impeachment charge involving the FASAP-Philippine Air Lines case, and his name has been mentioned a couple of times during the direct and cross-examination. His "biography" in the Internet does not contain the date of his birth. But since he graduated from the UP College of Law in 1952, it is safe to say that he is also over 80 at this time -- and he is at least as active as both Cuevas and Enrile. So he also does the Old-Old group proud.

And, of course, there is Dave Consunji, who at 90, still goes to office every day, just to check on things, and who still has the final word when it comes tobusiness decisions.

But let us not think that only men remain sharp as tacks even as they move towards and join the Oldest Old category. I happen to belong to a group called the"Walking Group," all females, all over 65, and at least one quarter of whom are 80 years and over (I am not yet one of them -- I fall under the Young-Olds category).

We have an Oldest Old in that group -- Lourdes de Leon, who, and I hope she doesn’t kill me for revealing her age, is 88 years old. Is she retired? Yes, in the sense that she had to retire from teaching atthe International School when she reached 60. What a loss for that institution. But has she stopped teaching? Not at all. She is very much in demand for tutoring, or helping young men and women prepare for theInternational Baccalaureates or coaching them as they apply for entrance to colleges and universities abroad. Her expertise is in English -- literature and grammar. And she is as great in her field as the lawyers mentioned above are in theirs. What is more, she walks with a spring in her step that I find very hard toduplicate.

Then there is Remedios Suntay, who will be 84 next month. Meding is very much in active practice as an anesthesiologist, having helped found the Department of Anesthesiology at the Makati Medical Center. She loves to travel, whether to foreign countries or withinthe Philippines, and will do so at the drop of a hat. No wheelchair for her. She has a tremendous sense of humor, most of which is directed at herself. Meding will not hesitate to pay a house call to any of her friends who need her help.

What distinguishes Lourdes and Meding and the rest of the Walking Group is, I think, their zest for life, and their interest in everything that surrounds them. That’s what keeps them young.

And let me not forget to mention Elena Lim, thematriarch of the Solid Group (who still goes tooffice).

Because the growth rate of the population 65 years and over has been increasing all over the world, thechallenges of an "ageing population" have capturedthe attention of countries everywhere. In China, for example, the over-60 age segment of the population comprises 13.3%, three percentage points higher than it was in 2000 -- and that is raising the concerns thatthe needed resources for their special health needs are not available. In the Philippines, the challenge, if any, presented by such an ageing population would be much less, in terms of share: 5.9% in 2000, and roughly the same in 2012.

But the likes of the people whose names I have mentioned above, are living proof that the ageing should not be treated only as a source of problems, but also a source of opportunities, and benefits to society. May they all become super-centenarians (110 years old and over).

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