JUDITH GONZALES: For Dreams May Come

By Li Eron
Ontario-Canada
May 27, 2016



It’s not just about her being a radio personality but her commitments and Advocacy to the communities and people at large. I love to write about people who are strong and fearless because I knew that beneath those powers and strength lie a vulnerable self. Strong people are mostly seasoned by their past. We don’t become powerful without having gone through a lot of many trials and I wanted to know it. Strong willed women, like Judith Gonzales, can create impact and infect others to become one.
Women these days are getting more independent. These are the ones who do not take violence against women sitting down. Those who survived whatever the past has brought them inspired others and perhaps, the world where women are highly marginalized.

I was right. There was so much to share and I have to take notes in case I missed something as she started prowling on her past. She was seated across a small round table amidst the noise of patrons around us. Our eyes locked at times, but here’s a woman with stature revealing her life in front of me. Imagine the trust but I have clarity of the enormous responsibility there is to gently listen. Getting the stories of others is like entering into a certain covenant of trusts that cannot be broken.

She came from Romblon, an island province in the Philippines located along the MIMAROPA region in Luzon. Its capital is the municipality similarly named Romblon. Romblon is the country's leading producer of high-quality marble. Her father was a tuba gatherer with the abundance of coconut plantation at the back of their house. Her mother was a “Hilot” who successfully delivered a conjoined twin. Her mother was a community leader. At a very young age, Judith has shown her intellectual prowess having graduated Valedictorian as she graduated elementary. In high school she was a scholar a provided by a Congressman in Romblon.

JUDITH went home to Romblon with her second child to start a new life. She admitted being stoic even in those years when she frustrated her family for getting pregnant before making it to her chosen career.  She never bent to her parents not until this homecoming with her child.

It’s time to make amends and face the reality of being alone. In order to help her family and sustain her children, Judith engaged on buying cassava and she’ll make ‘suman’ out of it and asked her nieces and nephews to sell it in school.

In remote areas such as Romblon, the people tend to gossip because here was a scholar now doing what illiterates do, living with them and doing the works that are only for less educated. As a scholar and intelligent woman, the expectations of the community were high and here she was, in complete failure to the eyes of their community.
But Judith took those averted eyes every time they saw her as a test of acceptance; that it was okay to make mistakes. That it was okay to be at faults with circumstances. But Judith is born with determination to achieve and be able to get out from the pit. She knows she has to move forward for the sake of her kids.

As time goes by, Judith finally finds a job in Romblon as part– time instructor in Romblon State University teaching Taxation and Economics. Within a few months she became full time. As life became a little smoother for Judith, the father of his sons came back and they rebuild their relationships.

Judith is an enduring character. She is a kind of woman who does not give up on anything including starting anew with the love of her life. Love transcends time and solitude. It does not forget. Their reunion brought Judith back to Manila where she finds work. Judith is good at running business and she helped and contributed a lot to the progress of the company. For three years, she was instrumental in its growth until the company overlooked her importance that she left because how the company was managed already became contrary to her principles.

Judith always finds a way to survive. She became an entrepreneur. She became successful in making it grow but because of lack of available support from the government, it came to a point to abandon it.

In the midst of the many challenges, Judith became pregnant with her fourth child, a girl. They both continued to work hard to give their children a better life. However, it just didn’t work the way they want so Judith decided to go abroad.

She was supposed to apply to Brunei but her husband doesn’t want it. Instead, her husband’s aunt in Canada helped her to come to work as Live– In Caregiver. Leaving her children and their father behind in Romblon, Judith successfully came to Canada in June 12, 2001. This was always the date she won’t forget- Independence Day in the Philippines. 

Distance wreck havocs to any relationship. As she struggled to finish her contract under the Live-In Caregiver Program, and so was the collapse of her marriage. The long wait made and the pang of separation killed a relationship they both work so hard to make it. As a doting mother and wife, Judith tried many times to make their marriage work. But like so many women away from their families, the story of broken marriages is not new. But Judith set an example of forgiveness as she reconciled her friendship with the father of her children and helped him come to Canada. They remained friends and are supporting each other.

Judith has a penchant for leadership and community service. In order to be able to assist women in the community, she founded Filcore Support Group in which she mentored women especially Caregivers like her separated from their families. Judith’s past and similar experience gave her enough strength and heartfelt desire to help them so they can get the assistance they need in times when they needed it.

Judith then widened her scope by producing and hosting her own radio show- Pinoy Dreams at Pinoy Radio station in Toronto. Now she can reach the whole wide world through broadcast media. Her topics are interjected by her advocacy on women’s issues. Anything that concerns foreign workers, immigrants and women, Pinoy Dreams is now a strong platform to empower women and to be able to help one another.

Asked why she chose Pinoy Dreams to name her show and Judith is quick to respond, “Because all of us can dream and make it happen.”  That dreams can come to reality and Judith Gonzales is a living proof. We all are…for dreams may come.