Float promotes PHL sights and sounds at London parade

The Philippines brought color to London with its first participation at the 2011 Lord Mayor's Show held over the weekend in the British capital. A Philippine float created by the Filipino community promoted the sights and sounds of the Philippines to the people of the United Kingdom.

"It was with great pride that the Philippines, for the first time ever, joined the Lord Mayor's Show and put on a wonderful display of Filipino culture and creativity for the entire world to see," Ambassador Enrique Manalo said. The Lord Mayor's Show is a 785-year old tradition celebrating the assumption of office of the new Lord Mayor of London. It features hundreds of floats and thousands of participants, and runs over three miles long. The parade passes through some of London's oldest and most famous landmarks such as St. Paul's Cathedral, the Royal Courts of Justice and the River Thames embankment. The Philippine float, entitled "Colors of the Philippines," was conceived by Filipino-British designer Rodrigo Enriquez, who also designed one of the commemorative coins for the London 2012 Olympics. "The beautiful Philippine display at the Lord Mayor's Show truly exhibited how warm and welcoming our country can be. We certainly look forward to having more of our British friends over so that they can see and experience for themselves all that our country has to offer," Manalo said. Deputy Chief of Mission Reynaldo Catapang and other officials greeted the crowd from aboard the float. Lively performances by the Lahing Kayumanggi dance troupe, the Doce Pares Philippine martial arts school, the youth organization Philippine Generations and sectoral representatives of Filipinos in the UK surrounded the float throughout the parade. Over 500,000 spectators lined the route of the parade, which was broadcast by the British Broadcasting Co. and seen on television by some two million viewers. BBC's live coverage of this year's show prominently featured the Philippine float as well as an interview with Filipina-British television actresses Rebecca Grant and Reneé Montemayor. The Lord Mayor of London serves as an ambassador for all financial and professional services based in the city. New Lord Mayor David Wootton recognizes the vigor and potential of the Philippine economy, and is planning a visit to Manila together with a British business delegation next year. — LBG, GMA News