112-year-old Puerto Rican becomes world's oldest living man

Emilio Flores Marquez from Puerto Rico has become the world's oldest living man at 112 years and 326 days, Guinness World Records said 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 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 saying.

The second oldest child of 11 and his parents' first son, Marquez worked on the family's sugarcane farm and received only three years of formal schooling. His wife of 75 years Andrea Perez De Flores, with whom he had four children, died in 2010.

The previous oldest living man was Romania's Dumitru Comnescu, who died on June 27, 2020, at the age of 111 years and 219 days.