UK-Philippines Friendship Day bigger than ever this year
IF IT seems that the Philippine-British Friendship Day becomes a bigger celebration each year, it’s because it does. It is a fitting salute to the goodwill the two countries have enjoyed for generations—and will continue to share for many more years to come.
While the series of major events kicks off today, the occasion has gone beyond a day. This year, in fact, there will be activities that would commemorate the event for seven months—until March next year.
“There is a deep affinity between our countries that go way back,” said Asif Ahmad, the British Ambassador to Manila. “And as generations change, it is important to nurture that strong historical and cultural ties every chance we get.”
The seven-month “GREAT campaign” actually started in September with a Rugby World Cup Festival, where the Embassy teamed up with the Philippine Volcanoes, Philippine Rugby Football Union and the NOMADS Sports Club to bring a fun-filled day of sport with friends and family. Activities in the coming months include food festivals, retail exhibitions, business conferences, fashion shows, as well as education fairs.
There will also be activities that focus on Shakespeare’s works; concerts and financial forums. In November, during the worldwide debut of the latest James Bond movie, the embassy will hold special screenings for “Spectre” at select cinemas in the Metro.
“We’re doing all these things because we want our people to get to know each other more. It’s a huge thing that the Filipinos are already very familiar with our culture so we’re not really knocking on closed doors,” Ahmad said. He mentioned J.K. Rowling and One Direction as just a couple of names from the UK that the Filipinos have embraced over the years.
To launch the event is a Bond-themed celebration which offers a three-course meal at the Rizal Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-La. This is where guests get to dress up as their favorite Bond character, along with enjoying British food and drink, fantastic entertainment, and great raffle prizes.
More than just an event that fosters camaraderie and good relations, the campaign brings impressive, concrete benefits. Last year alone, more than 300,000 individuals participated in the festivities.
This year, there are more than 60 British companies that would be joining the GREAT British Festival next February, up significantly from just over 20 in 2014.
Ahmad also mentioned the high rate of approvals for Filipinos applying for a visa (93 percent) to visit their country, thanks in part to a campaign they launched which detailed the five easy ways on how to get one.
As a result, there are now at least 250,000 Filipinos in the UK. In the Philippines, there are some 17,000 British nationals. When it comes to tourist arrivals, some 140,000 individuals from Great Britain visited.
More importantly, there’s a much more visible British footprint in the country today than ever before.
This year, in the first six months alone, British export to the Philippines has already increased by 44 percent. This includes items like fashion apparel, cars, food and beverage.
“Amazing things are happening. British investment in the Philippines has also been more pronounced in industries like banking, insurance, manufacturing, consumer goods, and petroleum. We don’t see any reason for these imports to start tailing off,” he said.
A similar trajectory can also be observed in Filipino companies making their foray into Great Britain. When Ahmad first became ambassador to the country, Philip- pine investment to their country was basically negligible.
Today, it is a different story. Ahmad mentioned investments by Filipino companies like Emperador, which recently bought a whiskey company valued at £430 million; as well as Monde-Nissin, that brought Quorn valued at £550 million.
Ahmad said: “We’ve stepped up our commitment to the Philippines. In the last two years, there have been at least two high-ranking British officials who visited. Princess Anne came back recently. This shows our engagement to foster our good relationship with the Filipino people.”