(Photo by Jeroen van der Meyde)

(The Hague, 12 December 2013). New Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands Jaime Victor B. Ledda thanked His Majesty King Willem-Alexander for the “saamhorigheid” shown by the people of the Netherlands for the Filipino people in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

Ambassador Ledda conveyed the message following the presentation of his credentials as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Philippines to the King’s Court on 4 December 2013 at the Paleis Noordeinde in The Hague.

Drawing parallels between “saamhorigheid” and the Filipino spirit of “bayanihan”, Ambassador Ledda said that he was extremely touched by the solidarity shown by the Dutch government and people for those affected by the typhoon.

He thanked the King for the many acts of empathy and volunteerism of the Dutch people that went into the Giro 555 initiative to help those affected.

He said that the people of the Netherlands will be encouraged by the many positive stories that are already coming out of the affected areas as those affected start the process of rebuilding their lives.

He expressed the hope that the people of the Netherlands will continue to link arms with the Filipino people in the process of rebuilding.

Ambassador Ledda and the King also exchanged views on the general state of bilateral relations.  Both noted the strong economic cooperation, maritime cooperation, tourism exchanges, and people-to-people links between the two countries.

The Ambassador expressed the hope that both countries could further cooperation in the fields of water management, environment, education and social enterpreneurship.

The Ambassador also thanked the King for the hospitality of the Netherlands for Filipinos engaged in a wide range of occupations in the country.  He noted that the Filipino community in the Netherlands contribute positively to Dutch society.