Adelina Galang Santos Rodriguez (August 6, 1920 – September 30, 2021), sometimes referred to by her initials ASR, was a Filipino politician and civil leader who served as the first woman

Mayor of Quezon City The mayor of Quezon City () is the head of the executive branch of Quezon City's government. The mayor holds office at the Quezon City Hall. Like all local government heads in the Philippines, the mayor is elected via first past the post, popul ...

from 1976 to 1986. She also distinguished herself in charity work especially her programs for the

Philippine Red Cross The Philippine Red Cross (PRC; ; ) is a non-profit humanitarian organization and a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The PRC was established in 1947, with roots in the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colon ...

. She was married to Isidro Rodriguez, a softball official and former

Governor of Rizal The governor of Rizal is the local chief executive of the Philippine province of Rizal (province), Rizal. List This is the list of governors of Rizal from its inception in 1901. The longest-serving governors are Isidro Rodriguez (politician), I ...

Early life and education

Adelina Galang Santos was born on August 6, 1920 in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

to Eleuterio Cacnio Santos and Virginia Espiritu Galang. She completed her primary education at Assumption Convent at

Herran Herran () is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. Population See also Communes of the Haute-Garonne department The following is a list of the 586 communes in the French department of Haute-Garonne. The ...

and high school education at the College of the Holy Ghost in Manila. She then attended

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (UST; ), officially the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, The Catholic University of the Philippines or colloquially as ''Ustê'' (), is a Private university, private Catholic school, Catholic researc ...

, where she was proclaimed "Miss Education" and completed her Home Economics degree. In the 1960s, Rodriguez was active in the post-war relocation projects of the People's Homesite and Housing Corporation in Quezon City.

Political career

She was appointed by President

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino lawyer, politician, dictator, and Kleptocracy, kleptocrat who served as the tenth president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled the c ...

as mayor of Quezon City, following the resignation of Norberto S. Amoranto. She focused on healthcare (by establishing health centers across the city and promoting family planning and birth control), tourism, and culture. She also established an economic development council to invite more businesses, jobs, investments, and livelihood in the city. It was also during her term when the

Quezon Memorial Shrine The Quezon Memorial Shrine (, ) is a monument and national shrine dedicated to former Commonwealth of the Philippines President Manuel Quezon, located within the grounds of Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. It also houses a museum at its b ...

was inaugurated. She was conferred as the city's Tandang Sora awardee in 2016. After stepping down from office, she served as officer and head of different civic organizations and women's organizations.

Death

Rodriguez died at the age of 101 on September 30, 2021.

References

1920 births 2021 deaths Beauty queen-politicians Mayors of Quezon City University of Santo Tomas alumni Women mayors of places in the Philippines Filipino feminists Filipino women centenarians Tagalog people 20th-century Filipino politicians 20th-century Filipino women politicians {{Philippines-politician-stub