THE HAGUE—Ambassador to the Netherlands J. Eduardo Malaya made a courtesy call on June 10 to Ron Ton, director of the Clingendael Institute—one of the world’s leading think-tanks and diplomatic academies.
Both had a lively exchange of views on Philippine-Netherlands relations, and tackled recent developments in their respective regions.
Malaya also conveyed appreciation to Ton for Clingendael’s support to the capacity-building of the Department of Foreign Affairs officers and staff who benefited from the short-course training sessions conducted by the institute. They covered topics on the Law of the Sea, diplomatic advocacy, as well as a specialized course for diplomats from Asean member-states and the Asean Secretariat.
The Philippine envoy took the occasion to donate books to Clingendael. They included Philippine Treaties in Force 2020, which he co-authored with Crystal Gale Dampil-Mandigma; Stewards of the Nation: Aguinaldo to Duterte and their Inaugural Visions, which he wrote with Undersecretary Jonathan E. Malaya; Women in Diplomacy; and The Remarkable Ambassadors in the Philippine Foreign Service edited by former secretary of foreign affairs Delia Domingo-Albert.
In time for the Philippine hero’s 160th birth anniversary, the diplomat also handed out copies of José Rizal’s novels: Noli Me Tangere (Raak me niet aan!) and El Filibusterismo (De revolutie), which were translated in Dutch by Gerard Arp.
Clingendael, or the Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael, is a leading independent think-tank and academy on international affairs based in The Hague. It undertakes research, training and public discourse on a wide range of issues—including security and terrorism and rule of law, sustainable development, and diplomatic skills such as negotiation techniques, economic diplomacy, conflict management and crisis control.