Prince Charles hailed Filipino medical front-liners in the United Kingdom as the two nations mark 75 years of diplomatic ties.
In a special message posted through the page of British Ambassador Daniel Pruce, the Prince of Wales said the UK is “fortunate” to have thousands of Filipino nurses and medical professionals helping in their response against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
“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 the two nations is “stronger than ever at a time when we have faced the unprecedented challenges of the coronavirus.”
For him, 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 are living in the UK, many of them already British citizens, and are working in a variety of sectors such as information technology, engineering, aviation, education, health care, and hospitality.
Formal diplomatic relations were established between the Philippines and the UK on July 4, 1946. Since then, the two governments have worked tirelessly to foster stronger political, economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties.
According to the Philippine Embassy in London, UK is also a vital partner in the Mindanao peace process. It 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.
The two nations have also expressed interest to improve cooperation in global and regional matters, particularly in counter-terrorism, interfaith work, climate change, disaster management, and the promotion of human rights and the rule of law. (PNA)
