Pinoys in UK set up Shrine of Love for overseas Filipinos who died of COVID-19

A group of Pinoys working in the United Kingdom has set up a “Shrine of Love” to honor overseas Filipinos (OFs) who died of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in foreign land.

“This shrine was set up to honor our loved ones who have lost their lives in the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos live in the UK and thousands are employed in frontline health services and care work,” explained Susan Cueva, a trustee of the Kanlungan Filipino Consortium.

“Many others, including undocumented workers, have jobs in domestic work, cleaning, hotels and other private sector services. The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc in our community in the UK,” she added in the interview via Messenger in April 30.

So through the “Shrine of Love,” the Kanlungan Filpino Consortium will be able to commemorate “all those who have lost their lives” during the International Workers' Memorial Day in April 28.

“Members of the Filipino community are invited to contact us (info@kanlungan.org.uk) if they would like their loved ones to be included in the shrine. They can also check our website (https://www.kanlungan.org.uk/) for the updated list.”

The “Shrine of Love” was formed when the the Kanlungan Filipino Consortium started to notice “so many Filipinos bereaved and affected.”

“It’s our Filipino way of honoring them. We feel that it is important to give them a shrine where we and the general public can honor them. The lockdown prevents anyone from attending the funeral services for them.”

“There are one or two families who asked not to publicize their real names so we just gave them a different name in the shrine. So there is no compromising many relatives. In fact the relatives thank us for remembering their loved ones."

As of May 3, there were already 182,260 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom and 28,131 deaths. The number of those who recovered was not available. —LBG, GMA News