Filipino medical front-liners in the United Kingdom have merited the special attention of the British royalty as the two countries mark 75 years of their diplomatic ties.
In a special message posted through the page of British Ambassador Daniel Pruce, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales said the UK is “fortunate” to have thousands of Filipino nurses and medical professionals helping in their response against the Covid-19 pandemic.
“To these wonderfully selfless people, I wanted to offer my most heartfelt gratitude for the outstanding care and comfort you give to your patients. You have made a truly remarkable contribution to the health and well-being of so many people across the country at such a difficult time,” he said.
Prince Charles noted that the friendship between UK and the Philippines is “stronger than ever at a time when we have faced the unprecedented challenges of the coronavirus.”
For him, he said the ties between the Philippines and UK remain a “profoundly important relationship”.
“Those links have provided the foundation for us to work together towards a better future. We are more fortunate than we perhaps realize to have many thousands of nurses and other healthcare workers from the Philippines working in the UK particularly in the National Health Service,” he said.
Over 200,000 Filipinos live in the UK, many of whom are already British citizens. They work in various sectors including information technology, engineering, aviation, education, health care, and hospitality.
Formal Philippine-UK diplomatic relations were established on July 4, 1946. Since then, the two governments have worked together to foster stronger political, economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties.
The Philippine Embassy in London said UK is also a vital partner in the Mindanao peace process. UK was an active founding member of the International Contact Group that provided advice to both the government of the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front negotiating panels.