Do you know that the oldest Filipino is a Bicolana?

She is from Tamboon, Viga, Catanduanes and was born on 21 October 1851. Yes, she experienced the last few decades of Spanish rule on to the American and Japanese periods, and the Marcos Regime. Her name is Doña Petronila T. Briones-Opol who lived to the age of 129 years, 3 months, and 7 days. She died on 7 February 1981.

Doña Petronila was from a well-off family that was why she was able to travel from Bicol to Manila. She died in Pasay City and was buried at the Pasay City Cemetery with memorial ID No. 145126439.

Doña Petronila’s parents were were Doña Bonifacia Tuangco a Chinese Meztiza and Businessman Don Pascual Briones. After moving to Pasay, she married Arnulfo Opol whom she had a child, Maura Opol. Maura eventually got married to a man with a surname of Dolores.

Below is the death certificate of Doña Petronilla.

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