THE Kingdom of the Netherlands is a small country in Europe, but packs the economic, technological and cultural wallop representative of the entire continent.
It leads the world in agriculture, technology, human resources, and most everything that others could only envy—or perhaps aspire for. On the cultural front, the Netherlands has produced eminent painters such as the likes of Van Gogh, Vermeer, Bruegel and Van Buren, among others.
Yet, Ambassador Saskia de Lang says her nation of 17 million people (slightly larger than Quezon City’s 13 million), spreads the gospel of progressive developments far and wide. She said they have the largest port and gateway in Europe—Rotterdam—where a distribution system allows the Dutch to deliver goods to the rest of Europe.
(Editor’s note: For March, ENVOYS&EXPATS will present three female ambassadors in celebration of Women’s Month, with de Lang opening the trifecta of features.)
The envoy elaborated that their iconic windmills are not simply a picture-perfect representation of her country, but to manage a perennial occurrence: “We live in the delta at the end of the [River] Rhine, with parts of the country lying below sea level. So we have to pump water out all the time, as we have done so from centuries ago.”
She noted that the first institutions in her country were those geared toward that purpose, “because the [surrounding] water imposed on us to work together, and not fight nature. And it’s not enough for just one person, or just one piece of land to [prevent flooding]. We have to do it on a scale of an entire region.”
According to the envoy, maintaining the water situation in her country, with some parts occasionally submerged in water, has absolutely defined our character: that of being resilient. But at the same time, managing water also meant delimiting some parts of our country. We don’t just build everywhere, (as our country adheres to zoning.)
The ambassador explained that some parts were designed for nature and would remain that way, while others are developed for economic uses.
Working with PHL
THIS mindset, however, is not exclusively for the Netherlands’s own benefit, as their embassy in Manila actively promotes a sustainability mindset. In the Philippines, d e Lang elaborated that her government imparts knowledge and technologies “for sustainable development: living with nature, building with nature, protecting your country with [the help of] nature—not going against [it, but working with it.]”
By adopting centuries of learning, she approvingly agrees that “[using] that kind of solution, is less costly in the end, easier to maintain, [and uses less] materials or construction stuff.”
This same mindset enables the Netherlands, together with its surrounding “low countries,” to develop coastal areas for protection. The Dutch emissary expounded: “We try to use the current of the sea to move sand along the coast in specific ways. We try to direct it, and to build a natural protection for the coast. This is the kind of knowledge we like to share.”
Locally, de Lang volunteered that her country has developed the Butuan coastal-protection program that is now being finalized. “In the Philippines, many islands are situated at a very low level, vulnerable to natural phenomena such as typhoons and tsunamis. We think that our knowledge is useful in protecting your country.”
The Dutch envoy added that while serving her tour of duty, she would visit places that the Netherlands is actively engaged in, discussing pertinent matters with the Philippine Reclamation Authority. “We’re also working with the National Economic and Development Authority, who consulted the PRA on the Manila Bay reclamation master plan.”
“Such will address [management issues on waste, water and sewage.] It will also tackle subjects, like the informal settlements in the area. It will focus on the management of marine environment in the bay, and the future of the fishing sector.”
“It’s a vast array of subjects that will be addressed,” de Lang commented on the prospects of such huge developments for Metro Manila, now a bustling metropolis of some 15 million to 20 million inhabitants.
The ambassador could not resist pointing out that this massive undertaking might take decades to see completion. “It is an [extremely] important joint effort, where we will bring-in our experts on this kind of situation.”
Sowing superb seeds
AFTER the United States, the European country is the world’s largest exporter of agricultural goods, which account for nearly one-fifth of Dutch commodity items sold overseas.
The ambassador, likewise, mentioned that the family of Simon Groot, founder of East-West Seed, helped her country develop its strong agricultural origins, which he now shares with the world, including the Philippines. A vegetable breeder, Groot is a recipient of the 2019 World Food Prize Laureate—the Nobel Prize in agriculture:
“[Groot is] a sixth-generation seed producer. His professional practice has been a long tradition in the Netherlands. He first came to the Philippines in 1982 and developed seeds which can adapt to the local climate and in a way, resilient [to] moisture, bugs and plant diseases.”
She goes on to say that Groot started his company in the Philippines (in cooperation with the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam and Filipino seed trader Benito Domingo, according to the company web site). His influence soon spread to Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam) India, Tanzania, Guatemala, “providing high-quality seeds, so farmers could increase their productivity and income.”
The Philippines and the rest of Asia owe their hybrid vegetable varieties to Groot. He developed Jade Star, a hybrid ampalaya (bitter gourd); pumpkins; tomatoes; and several other leafy vegetables like kangkong (swamp cabbage). Yet, for all their widespread presence in the Netherlands, their many names have probably contributed to the ordinary Filipinos mistaking their products as coming from other places on the planet.
Holland and the Netherlands
THE Pinoys are not alone in this confusion. A ditty explains it all: “Welcome to the great nation of Holland: Where the tulips grow, the windmills turn, the breakfast is chocolatey, the people industrious, and the sea tries to drown it all.”
As explained, “There is no country called Holland, with reference to ‘North and South Holland.’ The official name of the country is the ‘Kingdom of the Netherlands.’ People who live in the Hollands are called ‘Hollanders,’ but all citizens of the Netherlands are also called ‘Dutch’— as is their language. Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, is located in the province of North Holland; while The Hague, the seat of the Dutch government and parliament, is in South Holland.”
De Lang cleared the misconception: “The Netherlands is the country. Amsterdam is the official capital; The Hague, administrative capital; and Rotterdam, the economic heart of the country.”
Amsterdam is also home to the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and the house where Jewish diarist Anne Frank hid during World War II. Painters Rembrandt and Vermeer in the 17th century dominated the “Golden Age” of art.
Meanwhile, “Rotterdam is really the heart of our economy,” she proudly declared. The Netherlands’s second-largest city after Amsterdam is also known as the home of Erasmus University, its riverside setting, lively cultural life, maritime heritage and modern architecture.
Seafaring with Filipinos
DESPITE their geographical distance, the Dutch diplomat said the Philippines and the Netherlands’s bilateral links “are very multifaceted, covering the areas of government-to-government, business-to-business and people-to-people relations.”
“Our two countries have very strong ties. We work very strongly together, and interdependent, because Filipino seafarers sail in our ships [as crew members],” she shared with ENVOYS&EXPATS.
The Netherlands’s current demand for seafarers is huge that it continues a naval tradition that dates back to the 17th century, when it competed head-on with Spain and Portugal—the largest maritime powers of the world.
De Lang volunteered that the high demand for Filipino seafarers served as impetus to establish a state college-maritime school, the Palompon Institute of Technology. Being supported by the Dutch Shippers Association, it is mandated to provide higher vocational, professional and technical instruction, as well as training in trade and industrial education, including other vocational courses in maritime and professional degrees, including engineering.
She confirmed, “The Philippines is one of the very few countries in the world we have annual maritime consultations. We have a lot in common in that specific sector.”
Corporation mindset
WHILE it is often said that there’s a Filipino seaman in every commercial ship that sails the seven seas, it is also a fact the Netherlands is the Philippines’s largest investor from Europe.
The Netherlands’s top envoy to the Philippines beamed with pride that products originating from her country have found a captured, loyal market in the archipelago: “[They may not realize it, but brands, such as] Alaska, Royal Dutch Shell, Unilever, Philips and many others have their headquarters in the Netherlands. European Union companies have also decided to establish their main office in our country for taxation purposes.”
Queried as to what she attributes the superb achievements and competitive advantages of the Netherlands to, she opined: “There’s something integrated in our way of thinking and doing. When [our] companies go abroad, they compete with each other. But sometimes, they also need to work together to present themselves abroad [by creating a coalition.]. That way, they’ll be stronger.”
She cited as an example their offshore sector, “where you have different parts of technologies that were developed in Rotterdam. Sometimes, companies compete, but [the rest of the time], they work together on bigger projects. Not one company can finalize on its own, so this ‘mindset of corporation’ creates the strength of our competitiveness.”
Trade and tourism
AMONG the Netherlands’s top exports are machinery, mineral fuels and oil, machinery, various equipment, optical items, technical and medical apparatus, vehicles, plastic articles, organic chemicals, iron and steel, among others.
We arrived at a point in our conversation to be updated on the Netherlands being big on ideas and achievements: “We’re among the highest in the world [and] in Europe, a very comfortable place to be,” De Lang illustrated. “But that also means if you are in the Netherlands, it is relatively more expensive living there.”
Visitors to Amsterdam swear that wine is cheaper than water there, which goes for about P300 per liter (the equivalent size in Manila costs just about P25). A glass of wine, however, could be had for as little as €3 (about P180).
The Netherlands was visited by 19 million tourists last year, and while the European country is a popular destination for millions of tourists, the ambassador opines that it has become necessary to bring them out of the most popular cities and see other important destinations.
For Filipinos planning to fly in, her advice is that “they should also consider visiting other sites outside of Amsterdam, where the canals and museums are, like Leiden.”
Image credits: Jimbo Albano