70-year old Lola from Benguet reunited with relatives after 50 years of separation

Cordillera - Anita Licwasen received the greatest Christmas gift she had ever wished for in her entire life - to be reunited with her family. She will never forget the joy, happiness and the fulfillment of her longings that she had this holiday season of the year.

Anita Licwasen  was reunited with her family in Bakun, Benguet after 50 long years of being separated with her siblings.

From her story,  she left her hometown  at the age of ten to work as a vegetable seller in Hilltop, Baguio City. At the age of 17, she was recruited to work as a household employee in Casa Espanol in Quezon City, Manila. Her kind employer offered her free housing and allowed her to put up a small sari-sari store near the area. She also worked as a baker for the Francie's Food Industry. She was given the name Evelyn Garcia by her recruiter back then. 

During those long years of working in Manila, lola Anita was able to save some of her earnings but lost them all when she suffered a stroke in 2010. Due to her condition, lola Anita was bedridden and can no longer work. Back then, she only relied from the children of her previous employer and good Samaritans in her neighborhood to provide for her basic needs. 

The plight of Lola Anita caught the attention of the netizens on Social Media when her information was posted by Mr. Eloy David and became viral with almost 890 shares. The post later caught the attention of her relatives in Bakun and also the Bakun-MDRRMC. 

Photo Courtesy || Eloy David

According to Bakun-MDRRMC's post, they immediately contacted Mr. David and arranged a plan to go to Quezon City to bring lola Anita home  to her family in Bakun before Christmas Day. 

"When we arrived at her quarters, she immediately opened her door, her brother immediately introduced himself and communicated our purpose to bring her home. Tears immediately fell down her lonely eyes. We asked her whey only now that she informed her relatives that she is alive, she emotionally answered that she doesn't have the courage to face her relatives because of what she have done. She asked for forgiveness to which his brother immediately replied that she doesn't need to ask for forgiveness because her only mistake was her failure to immediately inform them of her whereabouts. What they missed were the opportunities and time the they could have share together. Her brother instead thanked her of her decision to come home, it's never too late to bond with her relatives,"  Bakun-MDRRMC wrote.

Indeed, it was a joyous Christmas and will be a happy New Year for lola Anita and her family!