SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA) — What is success? For some, it can mean having the things they have always desired, be it a nice house, an expensive car, the ability to buy everything they want or having the job they have always dreamed of.

It is rare for a person to say that what success means for them is the ability to make a mark on the lives of other people and to be of service to them without asking for anything in return.

However rare, this is exactly the trait that makes Ms. Cornelia “Nel” M. Rillera, Assistant Regional Director of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) Region 1 special, possessing a welcoming attitude and humility that are present in every conversation and encounter with people, regardless of their background or status in life.

Humble beginnings

ARD Nel’s path to success can be traced in the Cordilleran province of Kalinga, with her parents’ agricultural background and hardworking attitude instilling a sense of perseverance in a young Nel to try and make it despite challenges and difficulties. 

“Both of my parents were orphaned at a young age. My mother was taken by missionaries in Baguio [City] and taken care of and studied there before being sent home after World War II broke in the 1940s,” ARD Nel said. 

The war eventually ended ARD Nel’s mother’s hope of education, and they subsequently married. But even in marriage and in taking care of Nel and her siblings, Nel said that her mother would always instill in them the importance of education. 

Against all odds and in the face of the possibility of stopping due to financial constraints, Nel’s desire to heed the hope of her mother to pursue education led her to apply for a government scholarship offered by the then Ministry of Education for indigenous peoples just before her high school graduation. 

“Yun na yung passport ko to study in college in Saint Louis University [SLU],” ARD Nel said after hurdling the examination held in Manila to secure her scholarship grant to continue her education.

Looking back, ARD Nel said that she always saw the pride in her parents when they achieved academic distinctions in school, inspiring her to graduate as a valedictorian in elementary school, a consistent honor student in high school, and eventually, a degree in mass communications from SLU with full scholarship. 

Her drive in the face of adversity is significant, especially as the nation commemorates the 26th anniversary of the enactment of the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) as well as this month’s Indigenous Peoples (IP) month celebration, putting a focus on distinguished IPs such as ARD Nel who has broken through stereotypes to succeed. 

A lifelong career in human resource

Eager to start her professional career, ARD Nel submitted various applications to national government agencies in the newly created Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in the late 1980s, and of all the applications she handed out, one called, and thus began her lifelong career in the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

She eventually got to learn from the best that the CSC offered at the time, career professionals coming from different regions of the country converging in CAR to steer the newly created regional office. 

“Nakita ko yung orientation ng mga taga-CSC, yung kanilang dedication and commitment at sila ang mga naging inspirasyon ko at doon din ako na-develop,” ARD Nel said. 

ARD Nel relished the many opportunities that the CSC offered, conducting training for schools and agencies needing assistance from the CSC and gaining professional skills and capacities she would use later on as she rose from the ranks in the agency.

“Maturog kami ti eskwelahan, agaplag kami lang pagiddaan mi. Kasta karigat iti trabahok idi (We stayed in schools and we slept in makeshift beds. That was how hard my work was before),” ARD Nel said, recalling the sacrifices she had to face to bring CSC services to stakeholders in need.

Throughout all the difficulties, ARD Nel always listened to the advice of her mentors to always have a heart to serve, to always have the commitment and dedication to serve regardless of the circumstance. 

She adds that the CSC’s client-focused orientation made her more attuned to the needs of people and that even when it became difficult, she would always make sure to put the client’s needs first and foremost. 

ARD Nel credits her resilience to her Kalinga roots, saying that her parents' hardworking nature galvanized her resolve and put her on an eventual path of success. 

Career breakthrough in Australia

It was not long before the CSC noticed her brilliance, leading to various opportunities for her, both here and abroad. 

One opportunity she took that eventually led to many breakthroughs was her taking a Masters in Human Resource Management in Australia when she was 52. 

Although she was initially challenged and also questioned about her ability to cope with Australia’s use of digital technologies and the internet for school work, her resilience got her through, eventually leading her to graduate with academic distinction in mid 2010s.

The opportunity also gave her the chance to bring her family to Australia, galvanizing her resolve to finish her master’s degree through her strong mentality and the inspiration she got from her family. 

Australia’s use of digital technologies eventually helped ARD Nel cope well with the Philippines’ shift to online transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually applying her learnings in Australia to her daily routines. 

She has also been an advocate of CSC’s digitalization goals, witnessing firsthand the benefits of such through her experience in Australia. 

Her experience in Australia also opened other opportunities, such as being sponsored by the Australian Embassy for a Women Leadership Conference in Cambodia and as a knowledge sharer on the social inclusion of IPs in 2019, where she got the chance to talk about IPs in Northern Luzon.

Humility in the midst of success

Despite her many professional successes, ARD Nel remains true to herself, not veering away from the convictions that have led her to success and enabled her to stay there for many years. 

“In one of our conversations before on what we wanted to achieve professionally [when I was starting my career in the government], ang sagot ko lang maging Division Chief and I was truly happy and contented with that,” ARD Nel said, underscoring the humility that would gain her respect and admiration among her colleagues. 

Personally, she says that she has been blessed to have a husband and children who understand and continue to understand her work, which enables her to juggle work and personal responsibilities seamlessly. 

“Nagwork ako for 13 years sa training division sa CSC CAR so palagi akong wala sa bahay. Thankful ako sa asawa ko sa pag-intindi at sa pag-alaga sa aming mga anak,” ARD Nel said, underscoring the crucial role that positive family dynamics play in enabling professional success.

When pressed to mention what her greatest success is, ARD Nel immediately mentions her children and the fact that she and her husband were able to raise disciplined and determined children who have all gone on to have successful careers both in government and in the private sector.

Paying it forward

Her success as a result of her parents’ hardships and hard work and her mentors’ role in shaping her mentality has motivated ARD Nel to repay their collective kindness by also helping others to not just get to school but finish their education once they get there. 

“Ang edukasyon and babago sa buhay mo. It is the key to success para sa akin. Kaya marami kaming pinag-aaral at masaya kami lalo na sa mga kamag-anak ko sa Kalinga at ang gaganda na ng buhay nila ngayon,” ARD Nel said. 

Her desire to help others also led ARD Nel and her husband to apply as foster parents for Philippine Military Academy (PMA) students, providing the latter with a home away from home and helping them cope with their emotional needs while studying in the school.

She also makes it a point to still work hard even after more than 34 years of government service to repay the government for the opportunities given to her along the years. 

ARD Nel also urges people, especially the young ones, to value education and concentrate on it so they can reach their professional and personal goals, not to mention the societal effects it will have. 

“Poverty is not a hindrance to education. There are so many opportunities available. We now have free basic, secondary, and tertiary education through our State Universities and Colleges (SUC). We also now have generous private and government organizations offering full term scholarships so students now have all the opportunities to educate themselves,” ARD Nel said in closing. (JCR/AMB/MJTAB/CCMT, PIA La Union)