Cristina Valera-Jazmines, civic leader, dies at 91

Cristina Madamba Valera, 91, widow of the late Alfonso Jazmines passed away on Jan. 1, 2013.

“Lola Cris,” of the Valera clan in Abra and the Madamba family of Ilocos Norte,  was born and raised in Manila. She was a pharmacist, civic leader, entrepreneur, an environmentalist and a doting grandmother.

As a pharmacist, she was an advocate of local herbal medicine. A civic leader, she pushed for amnesty to political detainees and was an active supporter of Kiwanis International, one of the major organizations that established the Philippine Heart Center. She was also involved in small industries through her ventures in health and wellness, transport, paper distribution and real estate.

An environmentalist, she advocated recycling by promoting asphalt and kraft paper use in businesses as early as the ’70s. As a grandmother, she taught  her grandchildren the essence of frugal living and a healthy lifestyle, fear of the Lord, and a love for vegetables, crafts, and gantsillo (crochet work).

She was mother to Alan, Eileen, Irwin, Melvin, Rene, Ronald, James, and grandmother to 13 grandchildren. Her remains lie at the Loyola Memorial Chapels along Commonwealth Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City. Interment is tentatively set on Sunday at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina City after Mass at 2 p.m.