Love wins: Filipino nurse and teacher reunited in London

By Mari-An Santos

Gerald Gonzales and Shin Landicho first met in 2015 through the now-defunct social media group Circle of Friends, of which Gerald was the administrator. 

They nurtured their love over distance: Gerald, 39, was working as a nurse in Metro Manila and Shin, 29, was teaching in Tarlac. Several health emergencies involving various members of their families posed challenges to their relationship. At some points, Gerald confessed to having serious doubts about pursuing it. Aside from the distance and circumstances, there was their 10-year age gap. Gerald had been through some very difficult relationships in the past; this was Shin’s first. 

Shin persisted and the lovers finally met face to face some months after they first met online. Gerald attended Shin’s oath-taking ceremony for professional teachers in Baguio. The setting could not have been more perfect if they had written it for a movie.

Each would each schedule excursions for one to travel and visit the other’s family, with Shin coming with fruits and vegetables to give to Gerald’s parents and Gerald bringing boxes of foreign-brand doughnuts to Shin’s. Eventually, their siblings also got to know each other. 

Gerald had long wanted to move to the UK, where his sister was also working.  After 10 years of working in the Philippines, he finally had the opportunity to apply as a nurse in 2021. After months of processing his documents, Gerald arrived in London in February 2022.  

“I cried myself to sleep every night for one month before he left. But who was I to stop him from pursuing his path–which was also for our mutual benefit?” Shin said.

“Our initial plan was for me to work as an OFW for six years, to be able to save enough money, then I would come back,” Gerald recalled.

But just after Gerald arrived in the UK, he found out that he and Shin could be reunited soon through the dependent visa program.

Shin hesitated for a minute. After all, he had just been promoted to Teacher II rank in the Philippines’ public school system and was building his career. But, he countered himself and chose love.

After six months of being separated, Shin followed Gerald in August 2022. While waiting to board his flight, Shin heard an announcement, the airline representative was calling his name. When he came up to the desk, he was asked if he was willing to be upgraded to business class. Shin was floored and, of course, agreed. “Imagine, it was my first time to go to another country and I was going to fly in business class!”

The couple currently live in London, where Gerald works for the NHS and Shin works in a Japanese restaurant. They plan on getting married next year in the UK. Gerald said that another reason why they chose to come to Britain was because it “was open for (same sex) marriage.”

Gerald and Shin acknowledge that they are blessed because both their nuclear families are very supportive of who they are and their love. According to Gerald: “Our relationship is very unique, in that we have our parents’ love and support, and as professionals, we have stable sources of income. We do not take that for granted.”

They are having a house built in Tarlac and plan to come back to live there after working in the UK for 15 years. They say that despite everything, they still would like to go back to live in the Philippines because of their love for their families.

“After spending time here, we have been able to compare the cultures. For example, it’s so cold here during the holidays, and during winter, it’s lonely because we don’t have the love of our family around us. We appreciate the opportunities that living here affords us, but we prefer our culture in the Philippines of having a close-knit extended family.”  

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