29 October 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in London commemorated the 13th Philippine-British Friendship day with a series of activities highlighting the talent and creative contributions of Filipinos to British society.
A free, two-part photography workshop was organized by the Philippine Embassy and the Filipino Camera Club of the UK (Filsnappers) as a run-up to the celebration of the Philippine-British Friendship day, which kicked off on October 21 with a week-long photo exhibit at the Philippine Embassy entitled “Through Brown Eyes: The UK Through the Eyes of the Filipino Photographer”. The photo-exhibit, an exceptional display of Filipino photo-hobbyists’ take on the United Kingdom, was opened by Ambassador Enrique Manalo, and Filsnappers President Mr. Michael Duque. In addition, the adventure-filled children’s book “Timmy: The Adventures of The Alarm Clock Boy” by Filipino-British author Neil Medina was also launched during the celebration.
In his remarks, Ambassador Manalo also congratulated Mr. Duque for being the first recipient of the Jollibee-Coca-Cola Global Pinoy Family Award and lauded his remarkable commitment to serving others, including fellow Filipinos, in the United Kingdom. Mike founded the Philippine Nurses Association in the UK (PNA-UK) and, with the help of his wife, Glenda, developed the Overseas Nursing Program that has benefitted thousands of Filipino nurses and nursing aides in the UK.
Ambassador Manalo also mentioned that the Embassy’s celebration of the Philippine-British Friendship day is but a small testament to the immense and immeasurable talent that Filipino and Filipino-British artists showcase in the UK. They not only illustrate creative capacity but also enhance and enrich the cultural ties that bind our 2 countries and peoples.
Philippine-British Friendship Day has been celebrated since the year 2000, by virtue of Proclamation No. 381, though our diplomatic relations with the UK go further back to 1946. The day was moved from December 7 to October 20 in 2008 to coincide with the inauguration of the new British Embassy in The Fort, and it has since been celebrated on that date. END