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FILIPINO COMMUNITY OF OXFORDSHIRE
125th PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONS - 1st JULY 2023

Concelebrated Mass, Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, Headington
Parade from JR football field to Tingewick Hall
Cultural Show, Tingewick Hall
CULTURAL SHOW PROGRAMME

Invocation: Pastor Arnold Barrientos, Jesus is Lord Church

National Anthems:  FilCom Oxford Choir

FilCom Oxford Jingle:  OxPin Band

Production Number: FilCom Oxford Officers

Welcome:  Ariel Lanada, Chair, FilCom Oxford

MESSAGES
HE Teodoro Locsin Jr, Philippine Ambassador to the UK
Mrs Moira Darlington, Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
Cllr Lubna Arshad, Lord Mayor of Oxford
Cllr Felix Bloomfield, Chair, Oxford County Council
Mr Tim Shewbridge, Hospital Director, Manor Hospital

PRESENTATIONS
Tropang Novelty
Oxford Filipino Association - Hawiian Dance
Jesus Is Lord Church
Alberto Gabriel Boucher Bonafe II
Saxifrago Band
Annie Arcilla
Lizi and Sally
OxPin Band

Raffle Draw

Closing remarks - Geraldine Yebra, Vice Chair, FilCom Oxford

MASTERS OF CEREMONIES
Mrs Susie Lagrata
Dr Ryann Chel Quismundo

FilCom Oxford Independence Celebrations 2023
VIDEOS
FILCOM OXFORD MAKES THE QUIZBEE PODIUM

Alex and KristineMany congratulations to Alex Seño and Kristine Li (pictured left), who formed the FilCom Oxford Team that participated in the first ever FNA-UK Inter-Organisation Quizbee.  They came a very creditable third in the elimination round held on 17 August 2022.  This was ahead of The OUH team that came sixth, but who also qualified to go forward to the semi-finals.

18 August 2022
FILCOM OXFORD 124th PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE AND SUMMER CELEBRATION 2022
6 August 2022, 4pm to midnight
Jurys Inn Hotel, Godstow Road, OXFORD OX2 8AL

OUR SPONSORS
(click to open full sized image)
HIGHLIGHTS VIDEO
PICTURES FROM THE EVENT (more to follow!)
Alex and MaryFilCom Oxford Celebrates 20th Year
Alex Seňo and Mary Rose Puyaoan

OXFORD UK – Aiming to preserve the spirit of camaraderie and cooperation between its members, the Filipino Community of Oxfordshire held its annual gathering in celebration of its 20th year on August 6, 2022, at the Jury’s Inn Hotel, Oxford, United Kingdom.

The community is led by its Chairman, Mr. Ariel Lanada, a Divisional Lead for Practice Development and Education at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and a newly appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire. The event also celebrated the 124th year of Philippine Independence and welcomed newly arrived Filipino nurses to the area. The event was attended by more than 120 guests from across the county dressed in formal attire or in traditional Barong Tagalog or Filipiniana.

Honoured guests included Ms. Moira Darlington, Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire; Councillor James Fry Lord Mayor of Oxford together with his wife Councillor Susanna Pressel, Chair of Oxfordshire County Council; who all expressed their appreciation and gratitude for the contribution Filipino workers make to the economy and healthcare system of the country, as well as the importance of having such a vibrant and reliable local community. They also welcomed and gave encouragement to the new arrivals.

From the Philippine Embassy based in London, Ms. Rhenita Rodrigues, Chargé d'Affaires and Consul General and Ms. Amuerfina Reyes highlighted the consular services of the embassy and gave their appreciation and encouragement to the attendees. Ms Shiela Mae Aguilar from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office – Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) explained the services offered by the agency. Mr. Emilio Lopue Jr, Vice Consul was also present.

International Recruitment and Ethnic Minorities Nurse Advisor for NHS England, Ms. Jennifer Caguioa, also delivered a message to further inspire and reassure the newly arrived Filipino nurses.
 
A three-course meal was served and enjoyed by the guests. The event was sponsored by some of the top brands with Filipino roots in the UK: Megaworld International, Pooten Forwarding Ltd, Mega Gloryoung International (MGI), MM Catering Services, Elements of Zen and Alrodia Jewellery Ltd.

The evening’s programme consisted of the presentation of the newly arrived Filipino nurses and the distribution of welcome gifts. Live performances from a well-known family band called “The Soulm8s” serenaded the attendees.  A fantastic singer, Ms. Susan Lovejoy, also showcased her singing talent at the event. Guests also had the opportunity to enjoy a disco in between parts of the program.  Everybody was encouraged to join in and were seen dancing the night away. The celebrations ended with the raffle draw, where various gift and monetary prices from generous sponsors were given to the lucky winners.
PROGRAMME FOR THE EVENT
HONOURED GUESTS

  Ms Moira Darlington, Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire
Cllr James Fry, Lord Mayor of Oxford
Cllr Susanna Pressel, Chair Oxfordshire County Council
Ms Rhenita Rodrigues, Chargé d'Affaires & Consul General, Philippine Embassy London
Mr Emilio Lopue Jr, 3rd Secretary & Vice Consul, Philippine Embassy London
Ms Amuerfina Reyes, Labour Attaché, Philippine Overseas Labour Office, Philippine Embassy London
Ms Sheila Mae Aguilar, Welfare Officer, Philippine Overseas Labour Office, Philippine Embassy London
Ms Jennifer Caguioa, International Recruitment and Ethnic Minorities Nurse Advisor, NHS England

 
ENTERTAINMENT

Wonderful enterainment was provided throughout the evening by  SoulM8s

   
ARIEL LANADA DL

FILCOM OXFORD is enormously proud that Chairman, Ariel Lanada, has been appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire.
The appointment has been made by the Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Mrs Marjorie Neasham Glasgow BEM.
The essential role of the Lord-Lieutenant is to represent The Queen in the county.  The Lord-Lieutenant meets and attends any Member of the Royal Family and visiting heads of state.  The Lord-Lieutenant advises The Queen on local matters, carries out a variety of duties, mainly ceremonial connected with the Armed Forces, presents certain medals and awards and is the Chief Magistrate of the county, giving leadership to the justices of the peace.

The Lord-Lieutenant promotes civic and community life in the county, giving encouragement to the voluntary sector and takes an active interest in local industry.

The Lord-Lieutenant appoints the Vice Lord-Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenants. The Deputy Lieutenants assist the Lord-Lieutenant and the Vice Lord-Lieutenant with performing their duties.
FILCOM OXFORD 2nd 2022 BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
9th and 10th July 2022, Oxford Brookes University Centre for Sport
FilCom Oxford Basketball 9 and 10 August 2022
QUEEN'S PLATINUM JUBILEE

Saturday 4 June 2022.   Ariel Lanada, FilCom Oxford Chairman, was honoured to represent the Filipino community in Oxfordshire at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Thanksgiving Service held at Christ Church Cathedral .  The service was proceeded by a short procession from the Town Hall.

With thanks to our friends from the Nepalese Community Oxfordshire for many of the pictures.

9 June 2022
FILCOM OXFORD WELCOMES NEW PINOY RECRUITS

Wednesday 11 May 2022.  Officers of FilCom Oxford welcomed new Filipino recruits to Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Jong and Jan Hernaez, Mel Palencia, Gigi Yebra and Ariel Lanada hosted the 12 newly arrived nurses for an evening meal at the Acropolis Greek Taverna in Headington.  The meal was generously funded by Kabayan Remit and Megaworld International who also attended.
Lio Lamar Lio Lamar, one of the new arrivals, reflects on the event:

Moving to the UK as a first timer Overseas Foreign Worker (OFW), like me, is both exciting and nerve-wracking.

Even though I have travelled to other countries outside the Philippines for leisure, being a worker in a new country is a completely different experience. In addition, the entire process of getting to the UK went too fast for me. It only took less than 5 months from my application to my arrival, and I felt that I didn’t have enough time to prepare mentally and emotionally.

Now I understand what it feels like to be an OFW; the heavy feeling of summarizing your life in just two or three pieces of luggage and making the hard decision which things to bring with you to your new home and which to leave behind.

As I write this, I have only been in the UK for 4 days and I am already in love with my new home, Oxford! The weather is good (arriving in the middle of Spring), my new friends from my group or “cohort” are very fun to be with, and everyone has been very warm and welcoming so far.

But what stood out the most for me in my first few days here in Oxford, was the support that I and my group have received from the Filipino Nurses Association United Kingdom (FNA-UK) and the Filipino Community of Oxfordshire (FilCom Oxford) spearheaded by our beloved Mr. Ariel Lañada, the President and Chairman of FNAUK and FilCom Oxford, respectively.

Yesterday, our group was treated to a Greek feast where we met and were welcomed by other leaders of the organization. As a new OFW, it is very important to receive love and support from fellow Filipinos within the community, and FNA-UK and FilCom Oxford did exactly that for us (and more)! They made us feel that we are not alone in our new journey here in the UK and that our UK RN careers will only get better! They also reminded us of the importance of hard work and determination, but more so, the importance of “bayanihan” (helping other fellow Pinoys).

After the dinner, I went home feeling confident that I had made the right decision in moving to the UK, and Oxford to be exact. I know that I have a strong Filipino community that will support me and that I will never need to struggle on my own. And this is the best feeling a new OFW can ever ask for!

12 May 2022
FILCOM OXFORD BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 2022
Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 January 2022 9am - 6pm
Oxford Brookes University Centre for Sport

Combatting loneliness during COVID19
strict COVID19 precautions were observed

Teams from Bedford, Bicester, Bournemouth, Buckingham, Headington, London, Oxford and Witney

RESULTS

Category 1 - 35 years old and below

Champions - Oxford
2nd Place - Bournemouth
3rd Place - London

MVP - Andrew De Guzman (Oxford)
Highest Scorer - David Nieva (Bedford)

Category 2 - above 35 years old

Champions- Buckingham
2nd Place - Bicester
3rd Place - Witney

MVP - Ian Solis (Buckingham)
Highest Scorer - Wynn Castillo ( Buckingham)

Referees: Romel Medenilla, Derrick Soledad, Cris Lu
SCHEDULE OF GAMES


(Green = age 35 and under, Yellow = over age 35)

12January 2022

FilCom Oxford Christmas Party 2021



21 October 2021

Many congratulations to FilCom Oxford Chairman

Ariel Lanada

on his joint award as
BAME Nurse of the Year
at the National BAME Health and Care Awards 2021

National BAME Health and Care Awards


6 May 2021

Link to FilCom Oxford Facebook Pages
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Company Number: 13203486
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