President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs David Lammy to Malacañang on Saturday and stressed the unflinching alliance between the two nations.

During their meeting, Marcos told Lammy the Philippines could further boost its people-to-people exchanges with the UK due to their strong relations.

He noted the significant increase in the number of Filipinos living and working in the UK.

“That’s a very clear indication of how strong our relations have become in many, many areas. So, I’m sure your visit will be a symbol of that strengthening relationship,” Marcos said.

He also told Lammy how grateful Filipinos based in the UK were and how the UK had welcomed them.

At present, there are over 200,000 Filipinos working in the UK across various sectors such as IT, aviation, hospitality and service, and healthcare.

Pinoy engineers, tech experts up

In 2001, there was an increase in the number of Filipino engineers and IT experts working in British telecommunication, software, and e-commerce solution firms.

The UK official is in the country to promote the enhanced partnership between the Philippines and the United Kingdom.

Marcos and Lammy discussed issues related to trade and investment, maritime, climate change, and the environment.

Lammy was named Foreign Secretary on 5 July 2024 after Prime Minister Kier Starmer and the Labour Party won the election.

Earlier, Lammy met with his Filipino counterpart, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

The UK’s top diplomat reaffirmed his country’s commitment to a rules-based order.

In return, Manalo expressed his appreciation to Lammy for the UK’s support of “a free, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.”

The Philippines and the UK established formal diplomatic relations on 4 July 1946.