Top Filipino nurses in Britain led by Jennifer Caguioa and Oliver Soriano met King Charles at a reception he hosted in honour of international nurses to mark his 75th birthday at Buckingham Palace on 14 November. Ms Caguioa is an international recruitment and ethnic minorities nurse adviser in the NHS while Mr Soriano is the chief nurse at the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, the first Filipino appointed in an executive nurse director role within the NHS.
The reception was held to recognise and celebrate the contributions of international nurses and midwives in the NHS. Over 400 nurses and midwives representing 150,000 overseas staff attended the event.
Filipino nurses working in England, Wales and Northern Ireland were represented at the event.
The King met refugee nurses as well as members of international nursing and midwifery associations. There are two Filipino nursing associations in the UK: Philippine Nurses Association UK and Filipino Nurses Association UK.
Some of the nurses who attended the event posted photos of themselves on Twitter and Facebook, writing they felt “humbled,” “grateful,” “honoured” and “blessed.” Most of them wore Filipino-inspired formal wear such as the barong tagalog, terno and baro’t saya.
“It was such a humbling experience to be in the same room with my fellow Filipino nursing leaders and colleagues showcasing our contribution in the NHS and Social Care Services,” wrote Mr Soriano on Facebook.
“It has been a privilege to be selected and be in a more private setting to talk to King Charles and introduce our International Nursing and Midwifery Association leaders from India, Nigeria, Kenya and finally Philippines!” posted Ms Caguioa on Facebook.
Jonah Atos, international nurse coordinator at the Western Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland wrote on Twitter, “I felt blessed to join a small audience with His Royal Majesty… at celebration of Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs).”
“My 10 year old self, from a tiny town in the Philippines, is proud of what she became and is becoming. Maraming Salamat, Diolch, Your Majesty The King,” wrote Regina Reyes, clinical research nurse specialist in Newport, Wales.
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