The British Embassy in Manila, British Council Philippines, and the British Chamber of Commerce Philippines (BCCP), with People’s Television Network as its media partner, successfully concluded the Great British Festival 2026 held at the BGC Amphitheater from 31 January to 1 February 2026.
The festival is organized in collaboration with the following participating companies: PruLife UK, VFS, HSBC, BPI, Shell, Union Jack Tavern, David’s Salon, MINI (Autohub Group), Lotus (Autohub Group), Triumph (Autohub Group), Jaguar / JLR, Cargo Fish, Robinsons Marketplace, Yummy Organics Food Products, Nutrigen, Don Revy Philippines, Mamas & Papas, Sainsbury’s, Exceed, CTC Group Philippines, Pina Beauty + Pamme, Chevening, AUG, AECC, StudyIn, and IDP.
This celebration commemorates the 80th year of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Philippines, highlighting the deep economic and cultural ties shared between the two countries.
BCCP Executive Vice Chairperson Chris Nelson said in a statement, “We always look forward to hosting events like this together with the British Embassy and the British Council. This only shows how the UK-Philippine relations continue to grow—marking its 80th year, in all areas including trade, education, culture, and the arts.
From the Chamber’s perspective, this only shows that the business community remains vibrant and we are optimistic that it will continue to increase in the coming years.”
The UK-Philippine trade relations remain at an upward trend at £3.0 billion in the four quarters to the end of Q2 2025 and according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) International Trade Group Undersecretary Allan Gepty LLM, the UK ranks as the 23rd largest trading partner of the Philippines with top exports of semiconductors, digital ICs, high-value electronics, and fishery products.
Additionally, market opportunities will further increase through the Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) which establishes sectoral working groups in agriculture, renewable energy, infrastructure, and economic development.
Meanwhile, the Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) also aims to offer Philippine companies export opportunities to the UK at a lowered tariff rate, marking a value of $2 billion untapped export market, according to the DTI.
The British Chamber also continues to support the Philippines’ interest in joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) to which the UK is a member, as well as the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship to reinforce regional cooperation and economic development. (PR)
