SORRY, BUT YOU HAVE NO LOCAL EXPERIENCE! by Aurora Soriano Cudal-Rivera

(Oil Painting in Canvas by Mona Mills, Legends Artist)

Author's Profile
AURORA SORIANO CUDAL-RIVERA
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In her volunteer work as community organizer and advocate for social justice, Aurora Soriano Cudal-Rivera gained recognition as “multi-ethnic bridge builder”, and an inductee to the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2013. Her painted portrait also hangs in the San Diego County Library as the first Filipino chosen as one of the Legends: Living Well, in 2015, an annual recognition of individuals who exemplify “lifestyles that embrace inclusion, spiritual integrity, humanism and healthy living.”   Aurora considers herself as a successful professional in the field of public health education, having worked in this field since she graduated from the University of the Philippines at the age of 18. In a ladder-like promotion from that of a community health educator in one of the remotest town in the Philippines, she reached the top of her career as WHO Health Education Consultant in Geneva, Switzerland and the first woman from Asia to receive a UNESCO Fellowship on “Problems Related to the Use of Drugs”, which granted her a four-month travel to Denmark, Netherlands, France and Switzerland. Her training and experience catapulted her in the international field. However, despite her accomplishments, she remained humble and unaffected by all the recognition and awards she received along the way, E.g. California Legislature Woman of the Year (1999; 2016). University of the Philippines Alumni Association in America’s Distinguished Community Service Ward (2003); Doctor of Humanities (h.c.) from the Pamantasan Ng Lungsod ng Maynila (2003), and so many others. She blended her life of service as a mother of seven children, grandmother of 25 grandchildren, and great grandmother of 6 great grandchildren, and as a wife, first to the late Winlove Abello Cudal and to her second husband, Judge (ret.) Peter de Castro Rivera, Jr., into her life of devotion and commitment to church and society, always making a difference in the lives of others. She came to retire in Chula Vista, California after almost 40 years of trail-blazing service in government and non-government institutions in the Philippines. Now at the age of 84 she is still active as the President of the Congregational Tower Resident’s Association, an independent living facility of two hundred seniors from all walks of life. An optimist, Aurora believes that one is never too old to make a difference in the lives of others.  

SORRY, BUT YOU HAVE NO LOCAL EXPERIENCE!
by Aurora Soriano Cudal-Rivera

The Philippines in My Heart

It was never my dream to become a permanent resident of the United States of America. I had so many embarrassing and negative experiences during my earlier visits to this country as a “woman of color.” My plans after retirement as professor of Public Health Administration and Executive Director of the Center for University Extension Service (CUES) of Pamantasan Ng Lungsod Ng Maynila (University of the City of Manila) was to settle in a scenic town in the heart of Mindanao, in Malaybalay, Bukidnon. That was the hometown of my husband, the late Winlove Abello Cudal. 

But the best laid plans are often disrupted by the priorities of your children. One of my daughters, Aurora Hygeia, who I fondly call “Gia,” became a nurse. The open hiring of foreign nurses to fill the need for nursing personnel in the United States lured her to seek employment in America. A friend who owned a job placement agency, accommodated Gia’s application. She came to America, reconnected with a former boyfriend, got married and soon started her own family.  

Winlove and I attended her wedding. It was a sunny July morning when we landed at the Lindberg Airport in the City of San Diego, California. My husband sighed, “This is a beautiful place. I think I will stay longer. After all I can already retire.” 

San Diego was beautiful and lived up to its reputation as the “Finest City in the United States.” But to stay permanently and become a naturalized citizen of the United States was far from my mind. I had my misgivings about racism, prejudice, and discrimination. I experienced these human injustices first hand. No, I decided to go back home to the Philippines. I had a leisurely life with household help at my beck and call. I told my husband, “You can stay as long as you want. I will come and visit you once in a while.” 

I had a busy life in the Philippines as a mother, career woman, and church lay leader. I was on top of the world, so to speak. I occupied leadership positions in the church and in non-profit organizations aside from my teaching job. Additionally, I did consultancy work with international organizations such as UNESCO, WHO, and the Colombo Plan Bureau. In 1991, I was elected as World Secretary of the World Federation of Methodist Women. I attended meetings in New York, Nashville in Tennessee, and other cities around the United States. It gave me a chance to visit Winlove. But my heart belonged in the Philippines.

While resting in the comforts of my home in Quezon City one evening, my phone rang. It was an international call from Gia. “Mama, can you come and help me take care of my baby?” I could not deny the request from my daughter. She had been generous with financial help. I responded, “Yes, anak. I will come.” 

Life in San Diego

My new life in San Diego was different from the life I lived in the Philippines. I took care of my grandson while my daughter worked the night shift as staff nurse at a nearby hospital. I did household chores usually done by my two maids back home. When I intimated to my husband that I wanted to go home, he was reticent. He drove me around the City of Chula Vista and tried to convince me to stay. We were at the downtown area when I saw the Congregational Tower, a multi-storied independent living building for the elderly. I jokingly pointed my finger to the top floor and said, “Winlove, if you can get an apartment on the top floor of that building, then I will come back.”   

I returned to the Philippines and resumed my busy life. After six months, I received a call from Gia. “Mama, why is Daddy looking for an apartment? I thought you will live with us. The guest room is for you and Daddy. Why don’t you want to stay with us?” I gathered my thoughts as I replied. “Anak, I would like to stay with you, but I would rather live independently. I love you so much that I would not want to interfere in your family life. I would like you to experience the joys and challenges of parenthood without the interference from your parents.”   

When I arrived in San Diego, I found out that the top floor I pointed to would become my “pent-house” for the rest of my life in America. 

I was sixty-five years old with experience and skills in community development and public health education. I believed I could land a job that would suit my qualification and experience. I scanned the pages of the local newspaper for job opportunities. I saw several possibilities in the classified ads. I sent my application to each of them and was called for an interview by three health agencies. I was very confident I could do the job, but after the interview I was told by the recruitment officer, “You are qualified, but we are sorry, you have no local experience.” 

Local experience? If you won’t employ me, how could I have local experience? After hearing the same “You have no local experience” comment from three recruitment officers, I seethed with anger. I told myself, “I will make my own experience.” I had been teaching the principles of community health development to social work students in the Philippines. I had been the first community health educator assigned to a Rural Health Unit. I did pilot demonstration in the province of Cebu as a total stranger. I was the Senior Health Education Adviser of the Philippines’ Department of Health. Why couldn’t I apply my knowledge and make my own experience? 

Coincidentally, the pastor of the Filipino American United Methodist Fellowship of National City received an application form for grant proposals. He showed the form to me and asked, “Do you know how to fill this up?” I smiled and said, “I’ll try.”  

I was good at writing project proposals. I did not only write proposals, I also had experience in reviewing and approving grants proposals. That was my role at the Dangerous Drugs Board where I was the head of the Division of Preventive Education and Community Information.  

A basic principle of community organization was to know your community. I did that by identifying the gatekeepers and leaders. I asked questions about existing civic organizations and available health resources. I befriended two of the pioneer Filipino social workers. One was with the County of San Diego Health and Human Services, while the other was the social worker of the Operation Samahan Health Clinic. They willingly served as my pro bono consultants in the preparation of simple surveys of the needs and problems of Filipino seniors, new immigrants, and low-income families. I conducted the community survey with the help of my husband using our own personal funds.  

I was able to gather sufficient information that revealed the need for an information and referral center where Filipinos can come for help. On this basis, I wrote a proposal to establish a Filipino Tulungan (Help) Center and submitted it to the Commission on Religion and Race of the United Methodist Church based in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, I immersed myself in the study of policies and procedures of government and non-government resource agencies on education, employment, transportation, health and social services. I attended seminars and workshops to acquaint me with all the resources that may be needed by new arrivals from the Philippines, the senior citizens and the low-income families. 

The Filipino Help Center

The proposal to establish the Filipino Tulungan (Help) Center was approved with an initial funding of $15,000. I presented the approved project to the Administrative Board of the First United Methodist Church of National City. I suggested the creation of a Board of Directors to oversee the management and implementation of the project. The new Board appointed me as the Executive Director. Unfortunately, the Board of Trustees did not like the idea of having a Help Center in the church. I was told that there will be an increase in insurance premiums because there will be many poor and needy people coming to the Center for help. 

I was so disappointed by the reaction of the Board of Trustees. I went to one of the schools headed by a Filipino American and explained my predicament. The school principal welcomed the project. I sought the help of my children in organizing the launching ceremony at the Granger Middle School. I invited the Mayor of National City and Filipino community leaders to the brief and simple ceremony. 

I wrote a press release about the Filipino Help Center and submitted it to the Filipino Press. The next issue of the bi-weekly newspaper had for its banner headline, “Filipino Help Center Opens” with my byline, Aurora S. Cudal, Executive Director. I was surprised. I did not know anybody connected with the paper, but there it was, my press release on the front page with the headline in bold letters. I wrote a thank you note to the Editor and Publisher.  

It was around nine o’clock in the evening when my phone rang. I heard a fairly modulated voice introducing himself, “This is Ernie Flores of the Filipino Press. I called to thank you for your letter.” “Oh, Mr. Flores,” I gushed, “but that is just my thank you letter.” Mr. Flores went on to say that it was his first time to receive a written thank you letter. Others thanked him over the phone or when they met him. “But you are different.” He further said, “It was a well-written thank you letter.”  

He ended our telephone conversation with an invitation for me to visit him at his office. I needed the media to disseminate information about the Filipino Help Center, so I went to meet the Editor in Chief of the Filipino Press in person. We had a very pleasant conversation. We ended up with an agreement that I would be a regular contributor to The Filipino Press. My first article about God’s Grace In My Life, a personal testimony, led to succeeding articles on spirituality. Ernie requested me to write a regular column on a new page devoted to spiritual life with me as page editor. 

Leadership positions

My name started to float in the Filipino community as a member of the Council of Philippine American Organizations (COPAO). I volunteered my services and brought the Filipino Help Center into its membership rolls. After two years, I was elected as Chairperson of COPAO, ending my two-year term with the purchase of a building for the 25-year-old organization.
  

One position led to other leadership positions such as President of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of San Diego County (UPAA-SD); President, San Diego Scripps Lions Club; and Region Chair of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations. 

I was re-elected Chairperson of COPAO for a second term. The Bylaws was amended. My title became President, Council of Philippine American Organizations. I thought I had another successful term of office, but much to my dismay, the Treasurer did not want to turn over the financial documents. The succeeding administration discovered disbursement irregularities with me as a suspect in the issuance of checks amounting to $28,000. I saw the checks and I readily identified that my signature was forged. A local newspaper man wrote alleging that I cashed those checks for my own benefit. My self esteem did not waver against the libelous and malicious insinuations of dishonesty. I held on to my faith and believed this matter will come to pass. 

I had supportive friends who did not waver in their trust. I knew the pulse of the Filipino community. I decided to go mainstream and did other things. I became a member of the San Diego Foundation for Change, and got more involved in social justice issues. I initiated the East Meets West fund raising project for the foundation. I did my best to connect the Council of Philippine American Organizations (COPAO) with other programs of the foundation such as the Census 2010 Information Drive and the Civic Engagement Project. The purpose was to increase voter registration and actual voting during the gubernatorial and local elections. I served as the silent conduit of information to encourage COPAO to apply for available grants which led to successful Filipino American participation in these projects. I also became a member of the Board of Directors of the Veterans Museum and Memorial Center in Balboa Park where I helped organize the first celebration of the Liberation of Manila. 

A Harvest of Awards of Recognition

One day I got a letter from the Chair of the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame Committee. It informed me that I was selected as one of five women to be inducted in the Women’s Hall of Fame. I tried to refuse the nomination. I told them there were others more qualified for the award. The Chair assured me that I went through a selection process. There were more than 100 nominees. A panel of judges composed of representatives from the Commission On the Status of Women, Department of Women’s Studies of the San Diego State University and the University of California San Diego, and the Women’s Museum of California met and deliberated on the qualifications and accomplishments of the nominees. I consistently passed the elimination process under the “Multicultural Bridge Builder” category. Hence, I was among the five San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame Inductees in 2013.  

As I stood up to be inducted as the second, and only living, Filipino woman in the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame, memories of the many trials I went through in my journey through life swept over me. But when I spoke to acknowledge the honor, the first thing I did was to mention the name of my husband, Winlove. I told the audience, that I often forgot to publicly acknowledge the role of my husband in all the work that I did as a community volunteer, and perhaps that was the best time to make up for my neglect. The audience laughed and heartily applauded as Winlove waved to the crowd. It was an unusual gesture on my part. I never started a speech with an acknowledgement of my partner in life. When Winlove passed away four months later I realized God worked in mysterious ways. He capped my 58 years of marriage with the realization that behind my success was a loyal and supportive husband. 

The Women’s Hall of Fame acrylic plaque stands alongside other plaques of recognition. Among them are the Women of the Year (1999 and 2016) Award given by the California Legislature in recognition of the outstanding service and dedication to the people of California; the Aurora Cudal Day proclamation signed by San Diego City Mayor Dick Murphy; the Congressional Citizenship and Community Service Awards from Congressman Bob Filner and State Senator Marty Block. There are many other awards from community organizations and service clubs. The most recent was “The Legend” for Living Well, presented by the San Diego County Library in collaboration with the Aging and Independence Services. I am the first Filipino American to be honored with a portrait painted on canvass which now hangs at the lobby of the San Diego County Library Services. 

Yes, there are many Filipinos who triumphed over so many trials as immigrants in the United States. I count myself as one of those who are fortunate enough to share my story.  

“With God, all things are possible.”

STORY PHOTOS

Aurora as a committed alumna of the 

University of the Philippines

As a community advocate of  Filam Vote, a NAFFAA national program

with co-chairs of NAFFAA Region 10, Myrna TF Reyes and Juanito Amor, Jr.

Aurora as event organizer for "Never Surrender" with community leaders

and advocates of Filipino World War II Veterans Recognition and Education Project (FilVetRep) and friends of the legendary war hero, Col. Edwin Ramsey