City officials recently honored Rosario Catacutan Quipse as a centenarian of the city.
In a resolution, city legislators stated that Quipse was also a nonagenarian awardee of the city in 2020 pursuant to the approved ordinance related to the grant of benefits to octogenarians and nonagenarians.
She was born on October 18, 1924 in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija and the youngest child of the two children of Pedro and Adnrea Catacutan.
In 1930, the Catacutan couple moved to Baguio City since her father was a dispatcher for Rural Transit, a transportation company, while her mother was a vendor at the city public market then.
Rosario finished her elementary education at the Saint Louis School Center, Inc.
She was married to her late husband Zacarias Quipse through a church wedding ceremony in Pulilan, Bulacan.
The Quipse couple had been blessed with five children, Maria Luz, Melanio, Carlos, Andrea and Godofredo and that the couple was able to establish their residence in East Modernsite, Baguio City which was formerly known as the Working Men’s Village.
Quipse was a guerilla soldier and a Korean War veteran, belonging to the Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea, while she continued selling strawberry jam, fruits, and soft brooms at the city public market which was her mother’s business.
The council noted that all of the Quipse children were able to finish their studies and are now pursuing their chosen careers in the city and in the United States.
In 1964, Rosario reportedly stopped her business for still unknown reasons and in 1995, together with her husband, the couple migrated to Canada to live with their daughter.
However, Rosario did not want to stay for a long time in Canada that is why they came back to the country every three months.
In 2001, she and her husband decided to return to the country to stay for good but in 2017, Zacarias died at the age of 94 due to alleged health complications.
According to her daughter, Maria Luz, Rosario’s secret to long life was her positivity in life and her cautious attention to a healthy lifestyle.
She starts her day by waking up every morning at 4 a.m. and attending mass at the San Vincent Ferrer Church before going to the market. For her diet, she prefers to eat lowland vegetables more than meat.
Quipse will be awarded the appropriate benefits being awarded by the city government pursuant to existing ordinances that were enacted for the said purpose. By Dexter A. See
