Golden memories of a Royal visit

MANILA, Philippines - There were also visits to UP Diliman for the King’s investiture and to the Centro Escolar University for the Queen’s conferment. There was a wreath laying at the Rizal Monument a visit to the national hero’s birthplace in Calamba, Laguna.

King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit in turn hosted a dinner for President and Mrs. Macapagal at the Philamlife Building and a private dinner at the Thai embassy to meet with Thai residents living in the country.

During their stay, much cordiality and affection were exchanged, initiated by King Bhumibol whose thoughtful words of praise and remarks about Thai-Philippine history and ongoing were well received.

On arrival at the Manila International Airport the King would address the curious crowd who have not seen royalty by saying:

“The Queen and I have come to this beautiful country...bearing with us the friendship and high regard of our people for the Filipino people.

We are overwhelmed by the warmth of this welcome… and we can even feel that we are not in a foreign land. For it has been said that Filipinos and the Thais look more alike than any other peoples in Asia, and they may have been brothers once upon a time.”

At the state dinner that evening, King Bhumibol prepared a speech recalling the history of the two countries, citing trade relations between the countries since the 14th century, alluding to the significant number of Sawankalok pottery unearth in the Philippines. The King added that in the middle of the 17th century, the king of Ayutthaya sent a gift of two elephants to Manila.

The next day, visiting the UP College of Architecture in Los Baños, he informed the student body how Thai students had enrolled in Philippine colleges since the first decade of the 20th century, describing in glowing terms the “kindness and understanding in their efforts towards their pursuit of higher education.” These students, he said, have learned so much that they are “now in key positions in the government…and have contributed towards our self-sufficiency in agricultural production.” The research studies at Los Baños, the King emphasized, made them “able to grow more and better rice.”

Today, Thailand has the fifth largest amount of land under rice cultivation in the world and is the second largest exporter of rice.  Ironically, the Philippines is currently the world’s fourth-biggest importer of rice.

King Bhumibol was born on Dec. 5, 1927 and his name means “Strength of the Land, Incomparable Power.” He ascended the throne on June 9, 1946 and is the longest reigning monarch in Thai history. 

He was schooled in Bangkok and Switzerland and finished his education in law and political science. On trips to Paris, he first met Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara, daughter of the Thai ambassador to France. The couple would marry on April 28, 1950, one week before the King’s coronation.

King Bhumibol is highly respected and revered, much of this is due to the various projects he has undertaken in the areas of agriculture, environment, health, occupational promotion, water resources, communications and public welfare. He is creditedthe “self sufficiency” program which has changed the country’s once export-oriented economy.

Queen Sirikit has been involved in many philanthropic projects and she is credited with reviving a dying silk weaving industry.

On state visits to the United States and Europe, the Queen prepared, with a team of designers including Pierre Balmain, stylized Thai dresses using handwoven silk in brocade, patterned and embroidered. Her ensemble would be a hit and these dress styles were copied and worn by Thai women, thus reviving the industry. The Support Foundation, initiated by the Queen in 1976, would continue to cultivate folk arts and craft which in turn preserves the country’s silk making heritage. 

At every speaking engagement while in the Philippines, King Bhumibol would endear himself to the Filipino people by emphasizing our similarity. In the farewell dinner hosted by the King and Queen for President and Mrs. Macapagal he would say: “Although our own visit has been too short, we have come to realize the similarities between the character and physical features of our two peoples. The countryside reminds us of my country.  Even the weather makes us feel at home.”

Filipinos who have visited Thailand recently return with very happy vacation memories. Since 2006, when 198,000 Filipinos visited Thailand, Filipino visitors have steadily increased and last year 289,000 Filipinos visited Thailand. More than half were repeat visitors.

Filipinos rank the 20th group of country visitors among all in the world. With stories of reasonably priced shopping, delicious dining and delightful vacation spots, Filipino visitors will continue to increase in the following years.

In 2013, there were a total of 41,000 Thai visitors to the Philippines. There are opportunities to increase this number and hopefully, our Departmet of Tourism is set to the task. We can learn from what our fellow Filipinos love about Thailand: A safe travel network, reasonably priced accommodations and dining, abundant cultural and heritage attractions, and clean cities.

It is appropriate to remember this wonderful event 50 years ago; the two countries have been strong allies and have mutually benefitted through trade, tourism and cultural exchanges.

The arrival of their Majesties on that auspicious day set the tone for our two peoples to sustain a deep and abiding relationship.

The author is executive director of the Ortigas Foundation which houses 18,000 books on the Philippines and the region. Starting July 10, there will be a small exhibit to commemorate the visit at the mezzanine floor of the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati.