Group makes hut safer for 95-yr.-old
FLIES landed on Juana Collantes Pitogo, as the 95-year-old in ragged clothes lay on her new floor outside her 20-yearold house in Barangay Mabini, Cebu City.
Littered near her were a yellow sash with a “2nd Runner-Up” print, empty bottles, plastic bags and cow dung.
But she seemed not to mind her environment. She will stay here until the renovation of her house in this mountain barangay is done.
Her house was repaired by the New Bridge Riders (NBR) of LapuLapu City in coordination with the Cebu City Government-Public Information Office. The group will continue the makeover tomorrow, neighbor Virgin- cita Parra said.
She said she does not mind that her house is undergoing repair.
“Kon mahug ko ato, mamatay ko’g sayo (I would have died early had I fell from that house),” said Pitogo.
She was referring to her damaged bamboo floor, whose slats she used when she ran out of firewood. The floor was detached during the renovation last Thursday morning.
The old floor was about four feet above the ground.
With her new floor, Pitogo said, she can now sleep well, although the deck is hard.
“Sakit akong dughan usahay inigmata nako (My chest hurts when I wake up),” she said.
Rumors circulated in the social networking sites that Pitogo is 123 years old, after the NBR group discovered her and posted her photo online. They campaigned for the woman’s possible inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest living woman.
NBR president Jerby Linao, in an interview with Cebu City-PIO, said his group is composed of 130 motorcycle enthusiasts, who aim to help less-fortunate people.
Pitogo’s senior citizen’s identification card states, though, that she was born on May 26, 1918, making last Sunday her 95th birthday.
Misao Okawa, 115, of Tenma, Osaka, currently holds the record of being the oldest living woman. She was born on March 5, 1898.
Okawa took the title after Koto Okubo, also from Japan, died last Jan.
12 at aged 115 years and 19 days. The oldest person to ever have lived was France’s Jeanne Calment, who lived up to 122 years and 164 days.
“We were drinking coconut juice here when we learned about her. Nakita man namo sa iyang Senior Citizen’s ID nga iyang date of birth kay May 26, 1890, unya 2013 naman ta karon mao na nagtoo mi nga 123 years old na siya (After we saw her ID, we thought she is already 123),” said Linao, 40.
When asked what her wish was, Pitogo said she wanted to have a longer life.
“Di ko ganahan makahasol sa akong mga anak,” she said in a soft voice.