Sentro Rizal Launched in San Francisco

Consul General to San Francisco Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. welcomes guest during the Launch of Sentro Rizal on 11 June 2019 at the Social Hall of the Philippine Center in San Francisco. (San Francisco PCG photo)

SAN FRANCISCO 01 August 2019 — The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) inaugurated Sentro Rizal San Francisco with the installation of the Sentro Rizal signage and marker at the Consulate General’s library located at the 6th floor of the Philippine Center on 11 June 2019.

The library shall serve as the home base of the Sentro Rizal San Francisco.

As part of the launch ceremony, acclaimed Philippine soprano duo Nightingales, composed of Rhina Paula Palma Cruz and Bianca Camille Lopez, conducted a workshop for 20 Filipino American students aged six to 12 years old from the Filipino cultural heritage district of South of Market, San Francisco.  

“The NCCA’s support for the establishment of Sentro Rizal, through the participation of the Nightingales in a series of activities, including the Sentro Rizal’s inauguration and the concert and gala dinner in San Francisco, is key in organizing a Philippine Independence celebration befitting the respected profile of the Philippines and Filipinos in the Bay Area,” Consul General Henry S. Bensurto, Jr. said.

To maximize their visit and in celebration of the 121st Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, the Nightingales performed a wide range of repertoire, from Philippine folk songs to opera arias, at the Gala Dinner and Concert on 14 June 2019 at the prestigious Peacock Hall of the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco where 400 guests were in attendance.

The Nightingales also performed during the flag-raising ceremony and reception hosted by San Francisco Mayor London Breed at the San Francisco City Hall on 12 June 2019. 

The launch raised awareness among the Filipino-American community of the existence of the Sentro Rizal in San Francisco, the objectives of said facility, and its role in promoting Post’s Spark*Connect*Empower* movement.

Sentro Rizal San Francisco is established in line with Republic Act 10066 or the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, which aims to promote Philippine culture, arts, and language around the world. END

The Nightingales soprano duo Bianca Lopez and Rhina Paula Palma-Cruz during the workshop for 20 Filipino American students aged six to 12 years old from the Filipino cultural heritage district of South of Market, San Francisco, or SOMA Pilipinas, at the Philippine Center’s Social Hall on 11 June 2019. (San Francisco PCG photo)

For more information, visit https://www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph,  https://www.philippinessanfrancisco.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSF/.