Philippine-British Friendship Day

I never knew that 20th October was Philippine-British Friendship Day. The British Embassy had a 4 page supplement in the national paper here in the Philippines advocating our similarity as outward-facing islands as well as highlighting British investment and involvement in the Philippines.

I suspect the day is an invention of the British Embassy and I am not quite sure what I should do to celebrate..hug a Filipino?!

According to statistics in 2009 there were more than 100,000 Filipinos in the UK, more than double the amount there had been 10 years earlier, many there to fill vacancies in the NHS (National Health Service). Yet with recession and cut-backs there is perhaps less of a welcome and friendships are perhaps harder to form. See the following article in The Guardian earlier this year Nursing Dream Fades for Filipinos. Being here in Manila there are billboards advertising schools and colleges where you can "Study and Migrate".

London's Burning

This week the riots in the UK made front page news in Nicaragua La Prensa Spanish article on the riots so not only am I here looking at Nicaragua through outsider's eyes but I am starting to see my own country that way and starting to see how other's must be looking at us. Of course it may only be a few hundred or so people who have been looting or burning, but this is England, the world assumes a certain level of decorum, instead the photos look like they are coming out of one of the Middle Eastern countries in crisis. There our media said the protesters were fighting for democracy or were dismayed at the lack of opportunity for young people, there was outrage when the Egyptian government or dictatorship (depending who was writing) shut down Twitter and Blackberry to stop social communication to plan riots and yet it seems that's exactly what happened or was threatened with Blackberry in the UK.

Of course I am not justifying the burning of property and looting, nor equating the motives of the violence with the Arab Spring, although I'm a bit short of comments on my blog so maybe I should encourage the torrent of outraged comments that might produce! But it's a strange sensation to be associated with this country which is being covered for it's lawlessness. I'm used to people's media knowledge of the UK being limited to the royal family or celebrities. It's particularly odd to read the US comments on Yahoo, I'm always left wondering how wise it is to have a medium where people can say such outrageous things anonymously.

I am amused by the comments by Nicaraguan readers posted at the bottom of the London riots article.
Bartolo says: "So when is the NATO bombardment going to begin to defend the innocent civilians?
German's comment is more locally directed at La Prensa's constant criticism of the current Nicaraguan Sandinista government of saying "so now they are going to say these pyromaniacs (in London) are Sandinistas!"

A South African friend had also shared with me an article on a news parody website where the African Union would be meeting to decide if they should send peacekeeping troops in and they would be preparing aid packages for the poor effected families and condom supplies to prevent HIV spread in the disaster situation.

I am sure some people in the UK will be upset I am being so flippant but as an outsider it does look a bit arrogant that the UK government can decide to acknowledge a rebel, non-elected, non-democratic government and only a couple of weeks later have anarchy on our own streets.

And by the way who runs the country whilst all the English politicians are on holiday? Oh how foolish of me it was probably Rupert Murdoch anyway!