UK Nobel Peace Prize winner arrives today

MANILA, Philippines - Nobel Peace Prize winner David Trimble will arrive today for a five-day visit to share his experience on the Northern Ireland peace agreement with those involved in the Mindanao peace process, the British embassy said yesterday.

Trimble was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 1998 along with John Hume for their successful efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Northern Ireland.

His visit is one of a series of activities involving the UK and the British embassy as part of the UK’s role as a member of the International Contact Group that supports the Mindanao peace process. During his visit, Trimble will meet Vice President Jejomar Binay at the Coconut Palace, Secretary Teresita Deles of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), members of the Senate and Congress, as well as civil society groups.

Trimble, a member of the British House of Lords, was the First Minister of Northern Ireland from 1998 to 2002, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party between 1995 and 2005, and a member of Parliament for Upper Bann from 1990 to 2005. – Pia Lee-Brago, Rudy Santos