THE HAGUE—The Philippine Embassy in The Hague launched on July 7 the book Philippines-Netherlands Connections @70: Reconstructing History and Forging Ahead—a transcription of presentations delivered at the webinar held on November 9 to 10, 2021 which commemorated the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties spanning both nations.
“The book provides a valuable survey of the key aspects of the bilateral relations: from the policy and political to the economic and business, as well as cultural and historical underpinnings,” Ambassador to the Netherlands J. Eduardo Malaya wrote in his foreword.
The embassy organized the webinar, in partnership with the Embassy of the Netherlands in the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), and the Philippine Foreign Service Institute.
The first chapter, “PH-Netherlands/EU Relations: Forging Ahead,” contains remarks by former secretary of foreign affairs Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. on foreign policy priorities of the Philippines vis-à-vis the Netherlands, particularly on reenergizing relations through new areas of cooperation, as well as the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NL MFA) Secretary General Paul Huijts’ message on the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, and the latter’s effect on the future of both countries’ ties.
It also features the papers presented by key officials of both governments, private organizations and members of the academe who are experts in the fields of political, economic, business and agricultural cooperation; namely, Director Karin Mossenlechner (NL MFA Department of Asia and Oceania); Prof. Alvin Ang (ADMU); Mitchel Smolders (Dutch Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines executive director); Albert Bos (consul general a.h., Rotterdam); Mary Ann Sayoc (Philippine Seed Industry Association); and Richard van der Maden (Agriterra).
The second chapter, “Reconstructing Historical Ties,” focuses on the significant role of history in the relations, particularly on people-to-people interaction which began 400 years ago. It presents the papers of noted scholars, namely historian Prof. Ambeth Ocampo, Prof. Ruurdje Laarhoven who is a Dutch expert on Southeast Asian History, and Gerard Arp who translated into Dutch Rizal’s novels Noli Me Tangere (“Raak Me Niet Aan”) and El Filibusterismo (“De Revolutie: Een Filipijnse Roman”).
“As diplomats in the Philippines and in the Netherlands, we are jointly [creating] tangible conditions by which our companies and our people can strive in the wide variety of sectors that underpin our relations,” wrote the Netherlands’ Ambassador Saskia De Lang. “It’s a very noble endeavor, and it takes two to tango. It’s only by joining forces that we can succeed, as demonstrated by the 70 years that are behind us.”
The book, according to the embassy in the Hague, is a useful reference for diplomatic and government officials, the business, agriculture and other sectors, and all others who are interested in the dynamic relations between the two countries.
It is the twin resource to last year’s publication: Crossroads: A Compendium of Agreements between the Philippines and The Netherlands, 1951 to 2021. An electronic copy can be downloaded via https://bit.ly/3Ox3XJD.
Image credits: The Hague PE