Filipino chicken chain Jollibee to open flagship UK restaurant in London’s Leicester Square

Filipino chicken chain Jollibee is set to open 50 restaurants in the UK in the next six months, making it the latest international fast food chain to lay roots on British soil.  Famous around the world for crispy fried chicken and fast-food classics with a tropical twist, the fast food giant will open its new … Read more

Filipino nurse, 52, dies from Covid in the NHS hospital where she worked for 18 years

Filipino nurse, 52, dies from Covid in the NHS hospital where she worked for 18 years as devastated colleagues pay tribute to ‘wonderful’ and ‘caring’ mother-of-two Estrella Catalan, 52, died on Friday after weeks in the critical care unit of hospital She was a staff nurse at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital since 2002  A … Read more

Nearly one-third of all US nurses who have died of coronavirus are Filipino

The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on all healthcare workers, but perhaps none more so than those in the Filipino community. Almost one-third of all American nurses who have died of COVID-19 since January are Filipino – including men and women who immigrated from the Philippines or were born in the US. This is … Read more

Hipster Filipino restaurant which supplied Matt Hancock’s civil servants is forced to close

A hipster Filipino restaurant which provided almost £50,000 of taxpayer-funded food to Matt Hancock’s civil servants has been driven out of business by the government’s Covid lockdown.  Despite fulfilling ten orders worth thousands each from the Department of Health in the early weeks of the pandemic, Bong Bongs Manila Kanteen in Hackney, east London, was crippled … Read more

Husband of Filipino nurse, 50, who died of coronavirus says ambulance crew refused to take her

‘I begged the paramedic, but they left’: Husband of Filipino nurse, 50, who worked for NHS for 18 years tells how ambulance crew refused to take her to hospital… nine days before she died of coronavirus after he drove her himself Amor Padilla Gatinao was a nurse at St Charles Hospital in west London  Her … Read more

Doctor wants recognition for migrant NHS staff on front lines after deaths of four Filipino workers 

A doctor who lost a friend and fellow healthcare professional to coronavirus has called for the UK to recognise the contribution of migrant workers after the pandemic. This comes after several Filipino NHS workers have died after contracting coronavirus, including Sister Leilani Dayrit.  Salah Hammouche is a former colleague of Ms Dayrit and suggested that … Read more

Nurse Melujean Ballesteros fourth Filipino NHS worker to die of coronavirus

A 60-year-old nurse has become the fourth Filipino NHS worker to die after contracting coronavirus.  Melujean Ballesteros died at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, west London, on Sunday after being admitted on Friday.  The mother-of-two fell ill with flu-like symptoms in mid-March, but only went to hospital after her family convinced her to two days … Read more