Age is just a number! 65-year-old Mommy Remilie Arboleda is a living proof of that saying!
Mommy Remilie joined her daughter Danielle last year on one of her hiking trips in Batangas.
“Kaya talaga ni mommy ‘yun, dahil on the go din siya. Pumunta kami noon sa Nasugbu trilogy. So, tatlong bundok siya na aakyatin. Si mommy, in fairness po, kinaya niya ‘yung really pagpaakyat. Pero, nag-stop lang siya nung second na bundok Pagbaba, sabi ko, ‘Sige, ma, rest ka na diyan.’ Ako po, tinapos ko lang saglit ‘yung bundok. Then, sinundan ko na siya pa-ano, sinundan ko na sa pababa,” Danielle told The Philippine STAR in an exclusive interview.
Mommy Remilie and Danielle recalled how the once-in-a-lifetime hiking trip happened last May 2025.
It all started when her hiker-daughter mentioned her scheduled trip in Nasugbu, Batangas.
“Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘Uy, umaakyat ka ng bundok? Bakit ‘di mo ako sinasama alam mong [favorite] ko ‘yan.’ Tapos biglang agad-agad. Wala akong practice, wala akong anything, kahit walking lang wala,” Mommy Remilie said.
“Nagtanong ako. Lalo na syempre, mommy ko siya. Ayokong kahit anong mangyari sa kanya. Dapat, she’s very, very safe. ‘Ma, sure ka, kaya mo? Kasi, i-go-go na natin ‘to.’ Pero sabi ng mommy ko, ‘Ako pa ba? Go na d’yan.’ Sabi ko, ‘Sige na ma, ito na, ‘yung sapatos ko, gamitin mo na.’ Ito na ‘yung bag, ito na ‘yung ganyan. Wala talagang preparation,” Danielle added.
Even though she is a senior citizen, Mommy Remilie is confident that her body can handle it.
“Wala namang kaba kasi alam ko talaga. Nakasabay ako sa kanila ang babata nila,” she noted.
Danielle said that she really wanted to be supportive of her mom’s wishes since she recognizes that elderly parents still have their “bucket lists.”
“Kung ano man gawin talaga ng nanay ko ngayon, kunyari gusto niyang mag-skydiving, gusto niyang umakyat ng bundok, ‘Sige ma, go, susuportahan kita, sasamahan kita.’ I think, now na I have a capability to give back to my mom. I would do everything to support my mom and my dad, definitely,” she stressed.
Mommy Remilie was a former OFW. While working abroad, she made sure to take care of her seven children with so much love and attention.
She said she started being active when she worked in the United Kingdom where she joined a walking group.
“Noong unang lakad ko, ilang lakad pa lang, naninikip na ‘yung ano ko, parang takot na takot na ako, gusto ko nang bumalik. Buti na lang ‘yung mga tao na mga kagrupo ko, sabi nila, hinga lang, ganito lang ‘yan, idiretso mo lang. Basta marami sila, may encouragement din sila,” she shared.
At 65, she doesn’t have any maintenance medicines and continues to aim for an active lifestyle.
“Zero. Kahit vitamins, I don’t have vitamins. Zero maintenance. Wala po. Ang maintenance niya, ano, si Lord, good vibes. Mga apo niya. Sobra,” the mother-daughter said.
Danielle added, “It is really our biggest blessing na healthy si mommy. Sobrang-sobrang healthy ni mommy in a way that ngayon, of how she still serves us. Super proud of my mom.”
Mommy Remilie said that her friends and churchmates are always curious about her strong and healthy body. She shared her “secret” in aging fine.
“I stay active lagi. Gusto ko lagi active. Marami po akong ka-church. Mas bata sa akin, pero super inggit na inggit po sila sa akin dahil nga po na ‘yung mga nagagawa ko, eh hindi na nila magawa. Natural ko na ‘yun, eh kailangan ko pa rin ‘yun nga, lumakad, exercise, at tsaka, ‘yung walking, kahit pakonti-konti. Laging masaya lang. Walang mga toxic. Hayaan mo ‘yung mga problema na ‘yan. ‘Di ba? Itapon mo lang ‘yan,” she said.
