one thing i find is that people from the provinces are more approachable, when I hear the visayan dialect spoken, I can easily start conversing with them. it's not only in the UK, I also noticed this in America where there's a much larger population of pinoys.
btw, i am pinoy and i have experienced what trends5squared has gone through and it's definitely not pleasant. i just tell me, myself and I that it's their loss.