Filipino American Leader, Pat Gacoscos, Honored During the Special Dedication Ceremony at the Old Alvarado Park Plaza in Union City

Ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Ms. Pat Gacoscos (seated), Union City Mayor Gary Singh (front row, 5th from the left), Consul General Arnel Talisayon (front row, 3rd from the right) with city officials and members of the Union City Friends of Sister Cities and Filipino American community during the special dedication ceremony at the Old Alvarado Plaza in Union City (San Francisco PCG photo)
Union City, California – On 16 April 2026, the city government of Union City in Alameda County honored Ms. Pat Gacoscos, a Filipino American community leader, during a special dedication ceremony at the Old Alvarado Plaza. A portion of the plaza was officially designated as the Sister Cities International Plaza recognizing the contributions of the Union City Friends of Sister Cities–an organization led by Ms. Gacoscos.
In a ceremony attended by the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco, Ms. Gacoscos, Founder and President of the Union City Friends of Sister Cities was presented with two proclamations by the Union City government recognizing her organization’s contribution for global friendship. She was also commended for her exemplary dedication and commitment in serving the community not only in her capacity as previous elected local government official but more so, for being instrumental to the establishment of the vibrant sister city partnerships in Union City.
The event, organized by the City Government of Union City, was led by Mayor Gary Singh, with Vice Mayor Jaime Patiño, City Manager Joan Malloy, and Councilmembers Jeff Wang and Scott Sakakihara in attendance. Representatives from the offices of Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab, Assemblymember Liz Ortega, and Alameda County Supervisor Elisa Marquez also graced the occasion.
Also present were officers and members of the Union City Friends of Sister Cities, representatives of the Filipino American community, and members of the broader community. Consulate representatives–Consul General Arnel Talisayon, Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil, Vice Consul Glaiza Quarters, and Cultural Officer Anne Maris Estoya–also attended the event.
Consul General Talisayon paid tribute to Ms. Pat Gacoscos for her exemplary dedication and distinguished service as a public servant of Filipino heritage on the Union City Council. He also expressed appreciation for her tireless efforts in promoting Filipino culture and heritage in the Bay Area. He then presented to Ms. Gacoscos the Certificate of Recognition issued by the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington, D.C., signed by Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez, in honor of her outstanding contributions to public service and her steadfast commitment to fostering Filipino cultural ties and sister city relations. Union City currently has nine (9) sister city arrangements in place and a friendship city arrangement. It has sister city arrangements with Baybay City (Leyte) and Pasay City in the Philippines; Chiang Rai in Thailand; Jalandhar in India; Santa Rosalia in Mexico; Liyang in China; Mushin in Lagos Nigeria; Khusab in Pakistan; and a friendship city arrangement with Guro in South Korea.END


Left: Consul General Arnel Talisayon presents to Ms. Pat Gacoscos the Certificate of Recognition signed by Philippine Ambassador to the United States Hon. Jose Manuel Romualdez; Right: Consul General Talisayon, Consul Rowena Pangilinan-Daquipil, and Vice Consul Glaiza Quarteros with Ms. Pat Gacoscos (seated), Founder and President of the Union City Friends of Sister Cities after the dedication ceremony (San Francisco PCG photos)

From Left to Right to Left: Union City Mayor Gary Singh, Councilmember Scott Sakakihara, Union City Vice Mayor Jaime Patiño of District 2, Councilmember Jeff Wang presents to Ms. Gacoscos two (2) City Proclamations recognizing the Union City Friends of Sister Cities for their Contribution to Global Friendship (San Francisco PCG photo)

Consul General Arnel Talisayon (standing 4th from the left) with Councilmember Jeff Wang (2nd from the left) Ms. Pat Dacoscos and members of the Filipino-American community (San Francisco PCG photo)
