From 2017 until the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we were honoured to partner with the British Embassy in Manila, focusing on the care of British Nationals, and when possible other prisoners, who were held within Philippine places of detention. And as the pandemic is now easing, we have been able to celebrate a resurrection of this partnership…

On 31st May our Filipino arm, Integridad: Heart for Detainees, was honoured to welcome the British Consul Mr. Neill James and his colleague Mam Jaimie Sarmiento to Integritas House Olongapo (IHO).

Mr. James presented us with a most generous gift of specialist medical equipment, which was funded by a British government grant. This amazing equipment will particularly aid our telemedicine consultations with detainees. It will also enable us to give even better care to detainees generally. We are extremely grateful for this gift and we look forwards to putting it to good use in the near future, for the benefit of Philippine detainees of all nationalities.

Following the presentation of the equipment, our Operations Manager Mam Loy Napalan gave Mr. James and Mam Sarmiento a tour of our new clinic within IHO; all being well, we anticipate that it will open formally in mid-July. She also explained to them how we adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic - for example, by switching largely to telemedicine clinics.

Mention must also be made of the Philippine National Police. Mr. James’ visit to Olongapo, which was part of his regular commitment to visit prisons and other detention facilities within the Philippines, would not have been possible without appropriate security measures. So we were grateful to the officers and their canine helpers who performed a sweep of our premises before the visit.