Filipinos get set to celebrate

4:34pm Wednesday 4th June 2008

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Up to a thousand Filipinos are set to come together at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital to celebrate the 110th Philippine Independence Day.

It is the fifth time the city's Filipino community has organised a celebration to mark their homeland's independence.

Ariel Lanada, president of the Filipino Community of Oxfordshire and a senior nurse at the John Radcliffe Hospital's intensive care unit, said: "This is a very big event for us and we are expecting more or less 1,000 people to come. We are joining all Filipinos throughout the world and in the Philippines as well in celebrating independence.

"And at the same time, it is a good opportunity to tell people and educate them about Filipino culture and values."

There are around 3,000 Filipinos in Oxfordshire, many of whom moved here to work as nurses in the NHS following a recruiting campaign in the country's capital, Manila.

Mr Lanada, 36, who has lived in Oxford for six years, said: "This celebration is a good way of getting in to British society in terms of integration and showing the contribution of the Filipino community, particularly within the NHS in Oxford."

The free event, on Saturday, June 14, at the hospital's Tingewick Hall, will start at 10am with a flower parade, featuring people in traditional Filipino dress.

Mass will then be celebrated, led by the Rt Rev William Kenney, auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, followed by a traditional Filipino lunch.

The afternoon features a cultural show and a variety talent show with a Filipino slant, offering everything from music to comedy and traditional dance.

Mr Lanada said a number of British friends and Oxfordshire dignitaries, including Oxford Lord Mayor Susanna Pressel, had been invited to attend.

He said: "This is open to everyone and is really an opportunity for us to better integrate with British people and build up the relationships we already have."