Nurse becomes first Filipino to be elected deputy mayor in U.K.

A nurse who became the first Filipino to win elective office in the United Kingdom has again made history with his election as deputy mayor of a town near London, the Philippine Embassy announced today.

In a statement, Ambassador to London Antonio Manuel Lagdameo congratulated Councillor Danilo Favor following his election as Deputy Town Mayor of East Grinstead in Sussex, about 43 kilometers south of London.

Ambassador Lagdameo said Deputy Mayor Favor, who was elected by members of the East Grinstead Town Council, will assist Town Mayor Rex Whittaker during Council meetings and in raising funds for various community charities.

Favor, a member of the Conservative Party, became the first Filipino to hold elective office in the United Kingdom after he was elected Councilor of East Grinstead in 2011. He was re-elected to a second term in 2015.

Favor is a recipient of the Presidential Banaag Award for outstanding Filipino individuals and organizations overseas who have advanced the cause and promoted the interests of overseas Filipino communities.

An ophthalmic nurse practitioner at the Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Favor has lived in East Grinstead for 15 years. He graduated in the Philippines with a degree in nursing and continued his ophthalmology nurse specialist studies at King’s College in London.

Favor is the Chairman and Founder of Extra Care Team, a health and wellness initiative run by volunteers that provides free health screening check-ups for members of various community groups, and president of Bicol United, the umbrella organization of various Bicolano communities in the United Kingdom.

Favor received a Community Service Award in 2014 from Mid-Sussex District Council for his active involvement in numerous community organizations in and around the town.

This article originally appeared on: https://businessmirror.com.ph/nurse-becomes-first-filipino-to-be-elected-vice-mayor-in-u-k/