By Liezel Longboan
Filipinos in the UK have expressed their sadness at the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, 96, who died on Thursday, 8 September at Balmoral Castle. She was the UK’s longest-serving monarch, reigning for 70 years.
Raymond Padilla, Conservative Party councillor for Gloucestershire Council, wrote on his Facebook page:
“I join the millions around the UK and abroad in mourning the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A life very well lived, devoted to the service of the country and the world. May she rest in peace.”
The Filipino Senior Nurse Alliance, a group of Filipino nurses in leadership roles, posted on Twitter: “The heavens poured to mourn a remarkable Queen, A life lived with the utmost integrity, a life of service to others and a life of loyalty. The legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, will stay forever.”
Danna Quinto, managing partner of Deo Volante Solicitors and host of Legal Advice Corner of Pinoy Radio UK, also paid tribute to the Queen on Facebook. She wrote “Rest in peace, our Queen Elizabeth II. Thank you Ma’am for your service to our nation.”
George Bermudez, co-founder of the online community Filipino UK Nurses, wrote: “We say goodbye and farewell to the queen loved by many. You will always be remembered.”
Jose Facultad, associate chief nurse at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, tweeted: “Our steadfast Queen who embodied duty, service, humility and compassion- an end of Elizabethan era. Thank you our dear Majesty for all that you have done.”
Tributes from the Philippines
In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday led Filipinos in paying their respects to the late Queen.
“It is with profound sadness that we receive the news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Balmoral Castle yesterday evening,” he wrote on Facebook.
“She exemplified to the world a true monarch’s great dignity, commitment to duty, and devotion to all those in her realm,” he added.
He said that Filipinos in the Philippines and those working in England “have found ourselves having developed a great sense of affection for her as a Queen, as mother, and as a grandmother.”
President Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Marcos went to the British Embassy on Friday, 9 September, and were the first to sign the condolence book for Her Majesty the Queen.
British Ambassador to the Philippines, Laure Beaufils, tweeted, “She was an extraordinary woman who defined modern Britain at home and abroad. My family & I send our deepest condolences to His Majesty The King and to the @RoyalFamily.”
Top photo credit: The Royal Family website.
