Salvador "Buddy" Deauna turned 80 in May. After nine years as councilman of Bergenfield, New Jersey, he still could not believe how he ended up in politics.
"When people ask me how I got into politics, I always say it was totally unexpected," he said in an interview with The FilAm. "I have no experience and never imagined myself in public office."
Buddy was raised by simple folks from Paracale, Camarines Norte. His father was a farmer and his mother a small-town homemaker. He said discipline and Faith were deeply ingrained in him and his 15 siblings.
The eldest of eight boys and eight girls, Buddy said life was spartan and full of responsibilities. Being the eldest, he was expected to help his siblings.
In the Philippines, he worked as a collector for the British-run Smith, Bell & Co., and later became a salesman of Land Rovers,
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