SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITY CENTER RENAMED AFTER FIL-AM LEADER ALICE PEÑA BULOS
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, USA – Philippine Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer attended the rededication of the Westborough Recreation Center in South San Francisco City as the Alice Peña Bulos Community Center. The ceremony held on 23 October 2021, two days after Peña Bulos’s fifth death anniversary.
In the event hosted by South San Francisco City Mayor Mark Addiego, Consul General Ferrer honored the contributions and achievements of Peña Bulos, “who devoted her life working for equal opportunities in employment and housing, fighting for the rights of Filipino World War II veterans, and mentoring the future leaders of the Filipino American community.”
“To this day, she inspires us to follow in her footsteps and do whatever we can to uplift the conditions of our kababayans in the Bay Area and beyond, ever persevering to her mantra: ‘To achieve empowerment, we must reach out and empower the community,’” Consul General Ferrer said.
Consul General Ferrer also commended the South San Francisco City Council for its decision to rename the community center, a stone’s throw away from Peña Bulos’s home for almost 40 years, after the late Filipino American community leader, who is regarded as the “Grand Dame of Filipino American Politics.”
“It is an expressed recognition of her work and sacrifices so that the voices of those marginalized and oppressed within the Filipino American community were heard,” the Philippine Consul General said.
In his remarks, Mayor Addiego said that Peña Bulos was “a strong supporter and advocate for the Filipino American community, who spent much of her time promoting public policies and services for Filipino Americans.”
Other government officials present during the rededication ceremony include Daly City Mayor Juslyn Manalo, Daly City Vice Mayor Rod Daus-Magbual, South San Francisco Vice Mayor Mark Nagales, and South San Francisco City Council Member Buenaflor Nicolas—all of whom are Americans of Filipino descent.
In 1987, Peña Bulos was named Woman of the Year by the Pacific Asian Women Bay Area Coalition. In 1988, she was inducted into the San Mateo County Hall of Fame. In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed her to the Federal Council on Aging.
Peña Bulos also served as Chair of the Filipino American Caucus; as Regional Chair of the National Filipino American Women’s Network; as President of the California Health Initiative; as Commissioner for the San Mateo County Commission on the Status of Women; and as Board Member of the Community Initiative on Multiculturalism, and the Northern California Disaster Preparedness Network. END
