Two Filipinas Named San Francisco Commissioners
Marily Mondejar, president of Filipina Womenās Network (middle) joins SF San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee in raising their hands and voices in support of One Billion Rising. FILE PHOTO
SAN FRANCISCO—Mayor Ed Lee included two Filipinas among the 32 community leaders he recently named to serve as city commissioners.
Marily Mondejar, president of the Filipina Women’s Network, was appointed to the Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure (“CCII”), the successor agency to the recently disbanded San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. Governor Jerry Brown eliminated all redevelopment agencies in California in 2011 as a budget-cutting measure.
Mondejar’s commission oversees land use, development and design approval for major development projects, including Mission Bay, Hunters Point Shipyard/Candlestick Point and Transbay Terminal. The body manages former Redevelopment Agency assets in Yerba Buena Center. These projects are aimed at creating jobs, affordable housing, commercial space, parks and open spaces in Districts 6 and 10.
Mondejar was also in the city’s Redistricting Task Force, which will redraw the boundaries for San Francisco’s 11 supervisors’ districts, to lay the groundwork for the city’s political process for the next decade.
Mondejar has a strong background in public service, having been a member of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women’s Justice & Courage Project, which implements changes in the City’s system-wide response to domestic violence. In 2009 she expanded the campaign to engage the Asian communities and developed coalitions to end violence against women and girls. Last year, she tried the political waters by running for a seat at the Democratic County Central Committee but did not win.
The other Filipina named to a commission is Carmen Colet, chair of the San Francisco Manila Sister City Committee and Commissioner of the Asian Art Museum. Colet was re-appointed to the same position in Asian art museum commission, where she was the first Filipino to be appointed three years ago.
Under Colet’s tenure, Filipino art work and artifacts have seen more exposure than before. Artists such as BenCab, Poklong Anading and Ringo Bonoan were invited to speak and display their artwork. T’boli traditional weavers and their ancient weaving techniques have also graced the Samsung Hall. Target First Free Sunday every October has been designated to honor Filipino Heritage.
Colet hopes to have more Filipino supporters of the arts will help expand the Filipiniana section in the museum.
She is currently chair-emeritus of the San Francisco Filipino American Chamber of Commerce having played a leading role in supporting Filipino entrepreneurs and small business for the past decade. She is vice president of Colet Special Vehicles founded by her engineer husband Ralph Colet.
