24 April 2004 - Perturbed by the news of the recent case of two Filipino nurses racially attacked by unidentified parties in Portadown, Northern Ireland, Lord Rogan of the Ulster Unionist Party in UK and Vice-Chairman of the British-Philippine All Party Parliamentary Group, brought before the attention of the British House of Lords the condemnation of race crimes and attempts to intimidate the ethnic minorities of the province.

Lord Rogan particularly mentioned the call of Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert on the UK government to take urgent action to ensure the safety of Filipino nationals and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Commenting on the impassioned presentation of Lord Rogan, Secretary Albert expressed satisfaction on the quick response of the Vice-Chairman. “I am glad my strong statements condemning the incident found its mark. Also, I give due respect to Lord Rogan for the welcome support”, she declared.

Speaking before the House of Lords, Lord Rogan expressed his disappointment and embarrassment of the incident. He stated: “When did we become content to see Northern Ireland viewed as a cruel and uninviting place for ethnic minorities to live? What happened to our world-renowned friendliness, our caring nature and our generosity of spirit?”

Lord Rogan after his speech expressed to the Philippine Embassy  representative, Mr. Ed Maranan that his office was willing to take other measures to help ensure that such incidents might be averted in the future and that it is ready to lend assistance to any aggrieved member of the Filipino community in Northern Ireland. END