‘Be honest, faithful and trustworthy’

These are the lessons in life, according to the 91-year-old Dr. Florangel Rosario Braid, President Emeritus of the Metro Manila-based graduate school Asian Institute of Journalism and Communication.

Replying to questions from Grinding Grains on the subject “aging with an attitude,” the former member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission and member of the Board of Trustees of AIJC, says “I never hide my real age; at 91, I am proud I have lived this length of time and still lucid.”

As member of the ConCon, she championed provisions on communication, education, cooperatives, science and technology, NGOs, and human rights policies.

She authored several works, and her publications include books on communication, information technology, continuing education, cooperatives and sustainable development, along with several journals on public broadcasting.

In her retirement years, Rosario-Braid continues to lead an intellectually stimulating life – studies suggest that those judiciously animated are likely to be free of dementia conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

She still writes a regular column for an English language morning broadsheet since 1997, writing her paragraphs in between watching Netflix, and listening to Spotify, admitting that one gets more stress as one gets older.

And she is writing her memoirs, which will go off stone before too long.

The Dagupan City-born academic and scholar retires to bed comparatively late – sometimes at an hour before midnight or later if she had siesta, otherwise she goes to bed at 10 or 10.30 and gets up between 6 and 7 the next morning.

She used to attend Sunday services before the global health emergency coronavirus hit the country in mid March 2020. Today she watches services online on her mobile or laptop.

Rosario-Braid is an archetypal writer, educator, communication consultant, researcher, policy analyst, advocate, and professor.

Her career in the academe reflects her being a senior researcher at the East West Communication Institute, a professor at the University of Hawaii, and a professorial lecturer at the University of the Philippines, De La Salle University, Miriam College, and Silliman University.

In 2019, she was awarded a plaque of recognition by the College of Mass Communication of Silliman University as one of its pioneering journalism professors.

She was recognized for her “excellence and leadership in communication research, education, policy development, peace advocacy, and international cooperation.”

She has a son and two grandchildren, but admits she is close to nieces and nephews here and abroad including their children.

Rosario-Braid drinks only up to seven glasses a day, less than she should, but complements that with a cup of coffee once a day or cups of juices.

She is firm in her conviction that children have a mind of their own, adding “Guide them but don’t be controlling and don’t make decisions for them.”

She waves her philosophy, thusly, “to connect and dialogue with others (since this) is a relationship with others that enables us not only to survive but to have a fruitful life.”

She adds: “Besides self-fulfillment and asserting self-worth, (you must) be a good citizen, and love your country.. .(and) help narrow existing gaps between the center and the marginalized.”

She now spends her retirements years in a two-bedroom condo with a helper, the panoramic view from her window continuing “to remind me of the Lord’s blessings and goodness.”

She admits having maintenance medicines for hypertension, elevated blood sugar, and uric acid which she has been taking most for over 25 years now.

Prior to this, she lived in a home with a large garden where she and her family lived for 43 years.

For more than 15 years she lived abroad—doing graduate studies, teaching, research and consultancies in different countries.

In her younger years, she used to go on a leisurely cruise – about thrice a year—and visited other countries round the world for work and consultancy.