The chancery building in The Hague’s historic Archipelbuurt district, the home to the Philippine Embassy since 1968, has regained its original elegance after undergoing a year-long major renovation.
Built by Architect JH van Sluijters in an eclectic architectural style in 1871-1872, the building consists of three storeys, a basement and a sizable courtyard, and is classified as a nationally-protected monument.
The renovation project was undertaken in late 2021 to early 2022, following the guidelines of The Hague’s heritage building office Monumentzorg Den Haag. It preserved the building’s numerous heritage elements which included a front facade made of brick with a high panel door with stained glass windows, and a main entrance featuring rich neo-Louis XVI style carvings and brass knobs. Above the door abuts a balcony with wrought iron railing between balusters. On the first and second storeys, there are casement windows with stained glass skylights. The interior of the building, especially the ground floor, is rich in eclectic styling such as ornamental ceiling mouldings and cornices, marble fireplaces, wooden wainscoting, and decorative radiator grilles.
The renovation involved a major re-layout of the ground floor and the basement. The ground floor now features a large reception hall, which has a 60-person sitting capacity. It is an ideal venue for meetings and conferences as well as for trade, tourism and art exhibits and cultural performances. The basement now houses the consular section which has direct access to the street and a larger consular reception and staff working areas, making consular operations and services more efficient and client-friendly.
The basement floors were sealed to prevent water seepage, and new plumbing and drainage systems were put in place. Moreover, the layers of zinc, wood and bitumen of the roofing were replaced, monumental insulation glasses were fitted on the windows, and a new HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system was installed to make the building safe, comfortable and energy efficient. The building now has a brand new elevator which facilitates mobility within the building’s three floors.
The renovation project was overseen by Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya, with Consul Marianne Bringas as project officer.
The renovated building chancery was inaugurated on 7 June 2022 in ceremonies led by Bishop Johannes Hendriks of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam, with Director Dominique Kuhling, Chief of Protocol of The Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Irene Flotman, Chief Operating Officer of the contractor CBRE, and Ambassador Malaya. The Philippine Government purchased the building on 14 October 1968 through the efforts of Ambassador Delfin R. Garcia.
On 19 July 2022, the Embassy dedicated a sitting room at the ground floor of the Chancery in honor of Cesar C. Bengzon, the Filipino Judge who served in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from 1967 to 1976. The guest of honor of the dedication ceremony was ICJ Vice President Kirill Gevorgian, three other ICJ judges and other dignitaries in attendance. Also honored during the ceremony were two other Filipino jurists who made significant contributions to international law – Justice Florentino Feliciano, founding Member and then President of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization; and Raul C. Pangalangan, Judge of the International Criminal Court.
