Filipina nurse awarded British Empire Medal for ‘outstanding work’ during COVID-19 pandemic

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipina nurse in the United Kingdom has been awarded a British Empire Medal in recognition of her outstanding work amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Charito Romano, a staff nurse at the Arbrook House Care Home in the UK, was among those included in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year’s honors list.

British Ambassador to the Philippines Daniel Pruce congratulated to Romano for receiving the award.

“Many congratulations to Staff Nurse Charito Romano, from the [Philippines], awarded a British Empire Medal in the #NewYearsHonours for her outstanding work at Arbrook House Care Home in the UK during the #Covid19 pandemic,” Pruce said on Twitter.

Many congratulations to Staff Nurse Charito Romano, from the 🇵🇭, awarded a British Empire Medal in the #NewYearsHonours for her outstanding work at Arbrook House Care Home in the UK during the #Covid19 pandemic. #Honours2021 pic.twitter.com/hA7yAXFPWT

— Daniel Pruce 🇬🇧 (@DanielPruce) January 2, 2021

Last October, a British Empire Medal was awarded to Filipina nurse Minnie Klepacz for her “tireless work to support her colleagues and community” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Klepacz works as a matron for ophthalmology and leads the hospital’s Black Asian Minority Ethnic Network at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Filipino nurses in the UK have been lauded as “unsung heroes” in the country’s fight against COVID-19.

Recently, the Department of Labor and Employment said 26 more Filipino nurses in the UK have contracted COVID-19 as a new variant of the virus was reported there.

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