“Your great province has so many things to
offer. It is a well situated place for investments and there are lots of job
opportunities,” Ambassador Lillie said during his visit to the province
yesterday.
Accompanied by Her Majesty’s Consul Brendan
Gill and British youths from the Global Exchange Program, the ambassador was
welcomed by the top officials of the province headed by Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado, Vice Gov. Daniel Fernando, Northern Luzon Command Chief Lt.
Gen. Anthony Alcantara and municipal mayors at the Hiyas ng Bulacan Pavillion
here.
Ambassador Lillie said he was invited by Gov.
Alvarado to visit Bulacan and he was very thankful for the opportunity to visit
the historic province. He added that the invitation is one way of strengthening
the ties between the United Kingdom
and the province
of Bulacan .
“In my two and a half years as the British Ambassador, I am deeply
touched by the warm welcome of the Filipino people. Today, we share freedom and
we look forward to increase trade and to a better relationship,”
Lillie said in his brief message at the lunch reception hosted by the
Provincial Government of Bulacan (PGB).
When asked what he can say about Bulacan, the
British envoy said that it’s more fun to be in Bulacan, particularly in the
historic city of Malolos which is known as the
cradle of democracy in Asia .
“Despite thousands of miles between Great Britain and the Philippines , we still have many things
in common—the language we speak and our Christian faith,” the ambassador added.
Meanwhile, Alvarado said during his welcome
speech that the reunion of Bulacan and Britain is much different now
compared to its first meeting 250 years ago.
“The world is different now; we have found it better and to our interest
to explore all the possibilities that will make us former allies and enemies
share a better, safer world. We are grasping each other’s hand, not in the
spirit of animosity, but in the spirit of brotherhood, friendship and
cooperation,” said the governor.
Alvarado added that he hopes that the said
meeting will serve as a recommitment between Great Britain and Bulacan to help
one another in search of common solutions to the common problems and to share
the same dreams.
Further, the top local chief executive said that
there will be talks between the British embassy and the PGB about the youth
exchange program so that young Bulakenyos will be able to go to the United Kingdom
and learn their culture as well as their technologies.
“Actually the organization is the one who
assigned us here and I’m much pleasured that they assigned me here in the Philippines . We
are a group of dedicated youth volunteers who find solutions based on problems
that we see in Bulacan particularly in Hagonoy like health issues (healthy
lifestyle), and family planning,” Tilly Alcayna-Stevens, a member of the Global
Exchange, British youth volunteer said.
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