Vangie Paredes celebrates her 109th birthday. CONTRIBUTED
WASHINGTON – Evangeline “Vangie” Paredes, who served as secretary to President Manuel Quezon during World War II, was honored by Filipino American leaders and local government officials as she celebrated her 109th birthday over the weekend.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser paid tribute to her legacy and decades-long government career, including serving President Quezon, leading diplomat Carlos P. Romulo and the Pentagon.
Vangie Paredes (right) with First Lady Aurora Quezon | CONTRIBUTED
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In a certificate of recognition, Bowser thanked Paredes for always ensuring “a seat at the table for those who often go unheard.”
“I admire your legacy as a fierce matriarch and beautiful woman through and through,” she said. “I join the more than 700,000 residents of Washington DC in greeting you a very happy 109th birthday.”
Fil-Am leader Ben de Guzman presents Vangie Paredes with a certificate officially recognizing her as the oldest living person in Washington, D.C. CONTRIBUTED
Vangie Paredes celebrates her 109th birthday with family and friends, including her 102-year-old sister Edith Fallan (left). CONTRIBUTED
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Paredes – who was born in Brooklyn, New York, on July 26, 1916 – has survived two world wars and seven pandemics, and lived to see 20 US presidencies.
The Fil-Am centenarian has witnessed many technological revolutions – from radio to the internet and artificial intelligence.
Paredes is the daughter of Tomas Rulloda Abellera – who left the Philippines to serve in the US Navy during World War I – and Francisca Estrada, who was born in Asturias, Spain and worked as a translator on Wall Street in New York City.
She married Juanito Paredes in 1941 and they lived on Chesapeake Street in southeast Washington, DC. Juanito was the nephew of Quentin B. Paredes (1884-1973), the Philippine resident commissioner to Washington, DC in 1935.
During World War II, Vangie was President Quezon’s secretary and later served as the public relations officer for the Philippine Embassy.
Paredes, who studied at George Washington University. worked for the Philippine government from 1936 to 1957, then served as a secretary for the Pentagon for 30 years.
After retiring from her secretarial jobs at the Philippine Embassy and the Pentagon, she spent the next four decades volunteering with AARP as an activist and advocate.
A life-long member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Auxiliary, she visited veterans in hospitals and offered her personal assistance to their families.
She played a key role in planning and building the Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center in Washington, DC.
“Volunteer, when you can,” she told well-wishers who attended her 108th birthday celebration last year. “Use your instincts. Do your best and always find ways to help others.”
