Turning 100 a God’s blessing

Marina Meneses Henson is turning 100 today and as the youngest of her four children, I couldn’t be happier and more blessed. My mother is an incredible person and that isn’t a biased opinion. It’s not often that you see someone celebrating a 100th birthday and it’s even rarer that the celebrant is as lively, self-sufficient, caring and fun-loving as my mother.

What’s amazing about my mother is at her age, she still continues to be productive as an insurance special agent with BPI-MS (Bank of the Philippine Islands-Mitsui Sumitomo). She’s involved in non-life insurance like my father Gregorio who passed away in 1986. My mother took over my father’s insurance business when he died. She was 70 when she began a new career in insurance. In 1995, my mother received the Award of Excellence as a “million producer” from BPI-MS president Fidel Alfonso. A year later, she was cited for meritorious service by BPI-MS president Manuel Bengson. In 2006, she was recognized for 20 years of “dedication as a business partner” by BPI-MS president Takaaki Ueda. She was later honored for 25 years of loyalty by Ueda. It’s possible that no insurance special agent has been cited by three different BPI-MS presidents and it’s also likely that BPI-MS might run out of awards to give to my mother.

My mother’s business associates at BPI-MS will be at her birthday lunch in Gloria-Mari’s Greenhills today. She’s an inspiration not only to those whom she works with but also to those who know of her discipline, professionalism and dedication to duty. My mother still calls up clients to remind them of their premium payments, coordinates with head office in sorting out claims and of course, does marketing to increase her volume. She doesn’t mind giving up her commissions to help those in need and reasons that at the end of the year, she’ll get it back from her profit commission which is volume-based. For my mother, it’s sound business practice to share the sunshine because generosity has a way of bouncing back a hundred fold.

Aside from her business associates, my mother will be joined by relatives, friends and fans in today’s festivities. The program begins with an 11:30 a.m. Mass to be celebrated by Salesian priest Fr. Kit Hernandez whose mother Gloria was a sister of my uncle Tito Tony Henson’s wife Nena Zamora. Then, it will be lunch followed by a short fun program where several individuals will speak. My father’s sister Tita Cely Henson Basa, 93, will be called on to share her long years of “barkada” friendship with my mother and Tita Cely’s two sisters Tita Tessie Henson Villanueva, 89 and Tita Lulu Henson Inocentes, 86. Another speaker will be former Senator, Congressman and Olympic basketball player Freddie Webb who’s as much a fan of my mother as she is of him. In Fastbreak Freddie’s weekend sports talk program, he never fails to greet “Mama Marina.” My mother is a loyal PBA, Barangay Ginebra and Mark Caguioa fan. Another Olympian expected to attend is Tony Genato who is my wife Menchu’s uncle and our wedding sponsor.

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My mother’s long-time dentist Dr. Joseph Makasiray and our close family physicians Dr. Manny and Dr. Regie Canlas will also attend. Her best friend Cora Baro Huang and her children Dorothy, Patty and Michael will come, too. Her relatives are paying tribute in full force, including the Reyes family (Brenda, Mely, Susan and Rene with PBA five-time Coach of the Year Chot and his wife Cherry), the Marcial family (Gerry, Becky, Rachel and WBO superbantamweight champion Nonito Donaire Jr.), the Ataviado family, the Crisol family, the Bartolome family, the Encarnacion family, the Balatbat family and others. Her neighbors will be present along with other long-standing friends. One of my mother’s closest friends Vicencia Yuchengco will be represented by her daughter Vivian. Her other friends include Nena Tenchavez who turned 100 last April and Mila Manalo who’s coming with her husband Ponce.

A special guest will be FEU chair emeritus Dr. Lourdes Montinola who conferred on my mother the Distinguished Tamaraw Award during FEU’s 85th founding anniversary three years ago. My mother was a graduate of the night high school class of 1937 of FEU, then known as the Institute of Accounts, Business and Finance. Dr. Montinola will attend with her son Anton.

On my father’s side, relatives coming to toast my mother include the Henson family, Basa family, Limjap family, Villanueva family and Inocentes family. My first cousins on the Henson side are attending, namely, Popo, Betsy, Ceci, Corina, Lissa, Emil, Marienne, Rene, Jiji and Jinny.

From overseas, my brother Ramon and sisters Vicki and Irene are in town. My brother’s son Greg and my sister Vicki’s children Karen, Stephanie and Christopher also made the trip from the US. Karen, by the way, is an inspirational author and was interviewed by Claudine Trillo on CNN TV yesterday about the Philippine launch of her first book “Heart of Miracles” at the Fully Booked store on Fort Bonifacio in January.

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My mother has four children, seven grandchildren (Greg, Philip and Emma from Ramon; Karen, Stephanie and Christopher from Vicki and Cristina from Menchu and me) and two great-grandchildren (Gregory Jr. and Andrew from Greg). She’s the third of seven children born to Joaquin Meneses and Elvira Ramos in Albay. Her mother’s father Manuel Ramos was a Spaniard who won a lottery in Spain and his prize was a trip by galleon to the Philippines with a land grant in Bicol where he settled and married Canuta Saenz. Her father Joaquin’s parents were Julian Meneses and Simeona Ataviado.

If you ask my mother what is her secret of longevity, she’ll tell you it’s her religiosity and her “poor man’s diet” of fish, vegetables and rice. My mother is deeply religious and a devoted Catholic. Her prayers and novenas are powerful. For her to live to 100, she has to be well-connected with the Man upstairs. My mother also exercises every day. When she wakes up in the morning, she does her routine of calisthenics for 30 minutes before taking her blood pressure reading. She thanks her doctors for taking care of her, Dr. Manny and Regie Canlas, Dr. Didon Veloso, Dr. Ike Campos and Dr. Benjamin Campomanes.

My wife Menchu is like a daughter to my mother and they get along beautifully. Menchu has taken charge of the arrangements for today’s celebration and deserves all the credit for making it happen. We would all be lost without Menchu.

My daughter Cristina once asked my mother what makes her happy. “My children make me happy,” she replied. “They are always there for me even when we’re miles away. Also my grandchildren, now that they are all grown up and have their own lives, that makes me happy. My work also makes me happy, I still make a salary and that, too, makes me happy because I am independent.”

It’s a blessing for my mother to turn 100 today and we’re thankful that God has given her to all of us whose lives she has touched with her example, love and concern. My mother’s life is timeless even as we celebrate her 100th birthday today. She will remain an inspiration to everyone forever. Happy birthday to the best mother in the world to us four children. We love you always.