Over 100 Filipino community leaders gather in Westminster for Tinig UK's first Sandigan summit

More than 100 leaders from over 30 Filipino organisations across the UK met on 10 October at The Abbey Centre in Westminster for Sandigan 2026, Tinig UK's community leaders' summit marking its sixth anniversary.

More than 100 community leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals and creatives from over 30 organisations across the UK came together on 10 October for Sandigan 2026: UK Filipino Community Leaders' Summit, Tinig UK reported. The day-long gathering at The Abbey Centre in Westminster marked Tinig UK's sixth anniversary and focused on networking, collaboration and learning aimed at strengthening Filipino leadership and influence in the UK.

The summit's name anchors on the Tagalog word for "pillar" or "stronghold", according to Tinig UK's programme preview, which described it as a space for Filipino community leaders and advocates to connect and collaborate.

From visibility to influence

Opening the summit, Tinig UK founder Liezel Longboan encouraged participants to think beyond representation and consider how Filipino organisations can work more strategically together.

"Visibility is only the beginning. The next step is influence."

In a message of support, Philippine Ambassador to the UK Teodoro "Teddy" Locsin Jr commended Tinig UK for helping make the community's voices "heard in schools, councils, workplaces, and British media where decisions about our lives are made." He told the audience: "I want us to be known for something more: how kindly we treat one another within our own community, as if they were family and close friends."

An intergenerational panel featuring Unison Nursing Officer Louie Horne BEM, former councillor Raymond Padilla, artist Christopher Reyes and business owner Christie Brown drew on their leadership experiences in an audience-led discussion on building stronger connections across the Filipino community sector. Tinig UK's preview said Horne was the first international nurse to be appointed as the National Nursing Officer for Unison, and that Brown is the owner and director of Etcheteras, an importer and wholesale distributor of Filipino products to the UK.

Practical workshops

In the afternoon, attendees took part in workshops designed to equip them with practical skills:

• From Belonging to Leadership: A Trauma-Informed Approach to Supporting Our Filipino Communities, led by Oliver Soriano of Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
• How to Apply to The National Lottery Community Fund, with National Lottery Community Funding Officers Gigi Yacoub and Jaymie-Lee Tapsell
• How to Raise Funds: Challenges and Good Practices, with London Catalyst director Rosario Guimba-Stewart
• Intentional Capacity: From Burnout to Community Care, facilitated by Chi Sandford and Norwyn Crame of the Kanlungan Migrant Centre

Performers Danica Fronda and Mikko Fulgencio shared a spoken word piece and a musical set, and Tinig UK's first volunteer, second-generation Filipino Briton Naomi Edge, spoke about how writing for the organisation's website since the pandemic had deepened her pride in her Filipino heritage.

Closing the event, Dr Cristina Juan, Head of the Philippine Studies Programme at SOAS, urged participants to think beyond cultural celebrations and community festivals and to engage with questions of accountability, transparency and leadership if the Filipino community in the UK is to grow stronger and more influential.

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