124-year-old Filipina awaits recognition as world's oldest living person

A Filipina from Negros Occidental is awaiting recognition as the world's oldest living person at 124 years old.

Lola Francisca Susano, who recently celebrated her birthday, was born in 1897. The world's oldest living person currently on record, Kane Tanaka of Japan, was born in 1903.

According to Senior Citizen Party-list Representative Rodolfo Ordanes, the Guinness World Records Organization already received the documents supporting Lola Francisca's claim to the title.

Ordanes also filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to grant the supercentenarian a P1 million incentive for her achievement.

"Dapat nating ituring na pambansang yaman ang mga gaya ni Lola Francisca Susano. Nasaksihan niya ang mahahalagang  yugto sa kasaysayan ng ating bansa sa nagdaang mahigit isang siglo. Mas matanda pa nga siya kaysa sa deklarasyon ng Kalayaan ng Pilipinas mula sa Espanya," he said in a statement.

["We should consider people like Lola Francisca Susano as a national treasure. She witnessed the important periods in our country's history for over century.  She is even older than the Philippines' declaration of independence from Spain."]

The oldest person who ever lived is Jeanne Calment of France, who was 122 years and 164 days old when she passed away in 1997.

In a "24 Oras" report last year, Lola Francisca's granddaughter said the supercentenarian plays the harmonica every morning to exercise her lungs.

She also told Oscar Oida that Lola Franscica takes care of her health really well by eating healthy and on time, doing basic stretching, and taking honey.

—MGP, GMA News