Netherlands National Day @ The Pen

MANILA, Philippines - The Netherlands National Day was this year the backdrop for the celebrations of the Investiture of King Willem-Alexander, the eldest son of Queen Beatrix. The Queen’s representative, Netherlands Ambassador Ton Boon von Ochssée and his spouse Martine, hosted a reception at the Peninsula Hotel. The reception was attended by 450 guests from government, business and diplomatic and consular corps as well as Dutch citizens residing or visiting the Philippines. The reception’s highlight was the live broadcast of the investiture. The ambassador stated that bilateral relations between the two countries have been strong, friendly and marked by close cooperation in sectors such as agriculture and maritime. For 2012, the Netherlands was the largest foreign investor in the country.

The Netherlands and the Philippines work closely together in providing employment overseas while combating human trafficking. Solutions are shared by the in order to control floods, design plans for integrated water management, develop innovative technologies for production methods in agriculture.