Emilio Flores Marquez from Puerto Rico is the world’s oldest living man at an age of 112. - Guinness world records

Emilio Flores Marquez from Puerto Rico has become the world's oldest living man at an age of 112 years and 326 days old, Guinness World Records announced yesterday. Marquez, who was born in Carolina, east of the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan in 1908, was recognized by Guinness and awarded a certificate at his home just a few miles (kilometers) from his birthplace. Asked about his longevity, Marquez-known as "Don Milo" to his friends-said the secret to his advanced years lay in compassion.

"My dad raised me with love and taught me to love everyone. He always told me and my brothers and sisters to do good, to share everything with others. Besides, Christ lives in me," Guinness quoted him as saying. The second oldest child of 11 siblings and his parents' first-born son, Marquez worked on the family's sugarcane farm and received only three years of formal schooling. He wife of 75 years Andrea Pérez De Flores, with whom he had four children, died in 2010.

The previous oldest living man was recognized by Guinness World Records as Romania's Dumitru Comanescu, who died on June 27, 2020, at the age of 111 years 219 days. After Comanescu's death, the record-breaking authority received evidence Marquez had been born three months earlier than the previous record holder. "It's always an honor to celebrate these remarkable human beings, and this year we've processed applications from not one but two contenders for the title of oldest living man," Craig Glenday, Editor-in-Chief at Guinness World Records, said. - AFP