Cadiz’s Lola Maria: A Century of Quiet Courage

Cadiz City celebrated another “Super Lola” – the newest centenarian.

She’s Lola Maria Lumampao-Magbanua of Purok ILCO, Barangay Caduha-an. She turned 101 years old on January 20. Mayor Salvador “Bading” Escalante, Jr. considers her as the city’s another pride and proof that, in Cadiz, life can be a long-living nature.

Across Cadiz, Lola Maria is part of a wider, sacred constellation of resilience. Because aside from her, there is this Estelita “Lola Tiling” Alimpolos of Barangay Sicaba. She is now 103. Cadiz also holds in memory the late Visitacion Victorama Contenido of Purok Awa, Barangay Zone 6, who just passed away last February at the age of 109.

This, as life, they say, is a lottery of genes and circumstance. And the secrets to longevity?

Well, there are so many – perfect diet, the rigorous exercise, the elusive “stress-free” existence. But for Lola Maria, hers seemed cannot be found in a textbook. Rather, can only be traced through gentle, unconventional rhythm, a century-long dance with fate that defied every expectation.

Born on January 20, 1925, to parents Cayetano Lumampao and Julian Laurente, Lola Maria’s journey began in an era vastly different from our own. She grew up during a time when life in the haciendas was defined by the relentless cycle of the sun and the demands of the sugarcane land. Yet, Lola Maria was never one for the grind – she possessed a spirited, adventurous soul.

As a young woman, she would often travel from the quiet seclusion of her home in the hacienda to the bustle poblacion in Cadiz. There, she would immerse herself in the flickering magic of the old Sampaguita Theater, finding a profound sense of wonder and escape in the stories that played out on the silver screen. “She was treated like a princess by her husband Felizardo Magbanua, Sr.,” per her great-granddaughter and primary caregiver, Kisshia Guen Magbanua.

While many women of her generation were subjected to the grueling manual labor of the fields and the home, Lola Maria was an exemption. She focused her energy on managing the family’s “arendo” (land lease) with a steady, watchful hand. Her relationship with the world was as singular as her character.

A self-proclaimed “sweet tooth,” Lola Maria never shied away from the simple pleasures of cake or ice cream. She had a particular penchant for pairing her meals with carbonated drinks (especially Coke) almost everyday—a habit that defies every modern health manual. Yet, there was a fascinating, almost intuitive discipline to her palate. She demanded that her food, may it be vegetables or meat (chicken or fish only) be prepared with little to no oil. If a dish didn’t meet her rigorous standards, or if the scent of cooking oil was too heavy, she would simply decline to eat. It was a balance of indulgence and self-respect that seems, in retrospect, to have served as her own brand of medicine. But the story of a centenarian is rarely a straight line.

Now, at 101, Lola Maria’s world has quieted significantly. Following an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2023, her physical strength has waned. Her life story is one of profound, bittersweet irony. She outlived her beloved husband and all five of her children (Yolanda, Rudy, Salvador, Daisy and their youngest, Felizardo Jr.). Yet, Lola Maria remains a figure of quiet grace.

She is now under the devoted, round-the-clock care of her great-granddaughter, Kisshia, who watches over her with the same tenderness she once bestowed upon her own family. The history of the city is written in the lives of women who witnessed the transformation of their birth place. Lola Maria’s monumental milestone has been met with formal recognition befitting a life of such endurance.

In accordance with City Odinance No. 24-2023 also known as the “revised consolidated/modified longevity cash award for qualified senior citizens”, where she received a P100,000 cash incentive from the city government of Cadiz in February 2025. Then, every year in the lives of the Cadiz centenarians, there’s another P50,000 reward, said Escalante, citing the same local statute.

Lola Maria also availed another P200,000 cash reward. This included a P100,000 from the provincial government on June 4. And another P100,000 from President Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos, Jr last year, as national recognition under the provisions of the RA11982 or the Expanded Centenarians Act of 2024. Lola Maria, therefore, is now among the city’s legend worthy to be treasured, capped Escalante.*