Our man in Brussels
Published Jun 17, 2018 00:05 am
|
Updated Jun 17, 2018 00:05 am
By Deedee M. Siytangco
DIPLOMACY Amb. Eddie de Vega presented his credentals to King Philippe II.
June is a beautiful month—of brides, fathers, freedom, and independence... and memories of our National Hero José P. Rizal whose birthday falls on June 19. The rains have come, too, but let’s count the rains as blessings on all of us. Sometimes, though, we have the unwanted floods, thanks to clogged esteros and drainages. Let’s be more environmentally aware!
Here is bright, positive news, from a young ambassador who is a gem in the DFA, highly knowledgeable about his work, well-steeped in diplomacy, world culture, a nationalist, linguist, and so down-to-earth!
His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium received a Philippine ambassador for the first time when Ambassador Eduardo José A. de Vega presented his credentials in a stately ceremony at the Royal Palace of Brussels last May 23.
King Philippe, 58, ascended to the Belgian throne on July 21, 2013, upon the abdication of his father, King Albert II. His official title as the Belgian monarch is His Majesty, the King of the Belgians. In a private audience conducted in English and French, following the presentation of credentials, the King fondly recalled his visit to the Philippines in 1996. Crown Prince at that time, he led a 100-strong Belgian Economic Mission and oversaw the signing of two key agreements. He also visited the Smokey Mountain Development and Reclamation Project in Tondo to explore the possibility of financing the project’s second phase. King Philippe was pleased to note that Belgian companies remain active in the Philippines and have contributed to the economic development of the country.
According to Amb. Eddie, the eldest son of my good friend and Bulong Pulungan colleague Chuchi de Vega, the King also asked about the situation in Marawi, and gave his wishes for the people of Marawi as they recover from the conflict.
The King of the Belgians also knew of our national hero, Dr. José P, Rizal. To highlight the historical connections between the Philippines and Belgium, Amb. Eddie wore the sash of a Knight Grand Officer of Rizal (KGOR) from the Order of the Knights of Rizal. The Belgian Monarch and the Philippine envoy also honored the accomplishments of the Philippine national hero in Belgium, which included the publication of his novel El Filibusterismo in the Belgian city of Ghent in 1891. Happy coincidence, 1891 was also the same year that Belgian engineers completed construction of the San Sebastian Church in Manila, the same church in which Amb. Eddie was married to Theresa Dizon, also a career officer in the DFA.
De Vega has been in government for over 25 years. He has served in Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Tel Aviv, Washington D.C., New York, and Barcelona. His most recent posting prior to his arrival in Belgium was as Philippine ambassador to Mexico. On a personal note, I met him there last year and he was a much loved and admired ambassador. Not only did he speak and write in Spanish and in eight other languages, he knew the history of Mexico and its culture by heart, as well as other countries surrounding Mexico. He is really amazing! As the new ambassador based in Brussels, he will also present his credentials to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and to the European Union.
The Philippines and the Kingdom of Belgium established diplomatic relations on July 4, 1946. It being Rizal Day on June 19, let me share tidbits on Rizal from history books researched by Amb. Eddie. They make for romantic reflections. It seems the national hero arrived in Ghent on 1890 and had a romantic fling with a Belgian girl named Suzanne Jacoby. She really loved Rizal and would write him, begging for his return to visit her.
According to the online magazine Our Happy School: “Suzanne shed tears when Rizal left Belgium toward the beginning of August, 1890. He was said to have made Suzanne’s sculpture which he unexplainably gave to his friend Valentin Ventura. Leaving Brussels, Rizal left the young Suzanne a box of chocolates. Two months later, she wrote him a letter, saying: ‘After your departure, I did not take the chocolate. The box is still intact as on the day of your parting. Don’t delay too long writing us because I wear out the soles of my shoes for running to the mailbox to see if there is a letter from you. There will never be any home in which you are so loved as in that in Brussels, so, you little bad boy, hurry up and come back…”
In another letter, “she mentioned Rizal’s previous letter to her, suggesting that the Filipino in Madrid probably replied to her at least once.” We can glean that the affection was (already) one-sided: “Where are you now? Do you think of me once in a while? I am reminded of our tender conversations, reading your letter, although it is cold and indifferent. Here in your letter I have something which makes up for your absence. How pleased I would be to follow you, to travel with you who are always in my thoughts. You wish me all kinds of luck, but forget that in the absence of a beloved one a tender heart cannot feel happy. A thousand things serve to distract your mind, my friend; but in my case, I am sad, lonely, always alone with my thoughts—nothing, absolutely nothing, relieves my sorrow. Are you coming back? That’s what I want and desire most ardently—you cannot refuse me. I do not despair and I limit myself to murmuring against time, which runs so fast when it carries us toward a separation but goes so slowly when it’s bringing us together again. I feel very unhappy thinking that perhaps I might never see you again.”
Rizal returned to Brussels by the middle of April 1891, but his return was not specifically for Suzanne. He was busy finishing the manuscript of El Fili for publication. On July 5, 1891, he left Brussels again, never to come back.
It was also this year that Belgian engineers began assembling some 50 tons of steel from their country to build the San Sebastian Church in Sampaloc, Manila, which still stands majestically, although badly in need of paint and repairs. My only daughter Sandee married Andrew Masigan in the historic church, with then President Fidel V. Ramos and former President Cory Aquino as sponsors.
Another link between Belgium and the Philippines, Amb. Eddie notes, was how general Antonio Luna took his military training (military science and tactics) under the Belgian general Gérard Leman in the 1880s. The great Belgian general was also responsible for the military training of the future King Albert I.
The ambassador added that it was Belgium that financed the Light Rail Transit Line 1, the first elevated transit system in Southeast Asia. It was rehabilitated through a loan signed during the then Crown Prince of Belgium’s visit.
Congratulations Amb. Eddie de Vega! We know we have the best man in Brussels!
DIPLOMACY Amb. Eddie de Vega presented his credentals to King Philippe II.
June is a beautiful month—of brides, fathers, freedom, and independence... and memories of our National Hero José P. Rizal whose birthday falls on June 19. The rains have come, too, but let’s count the rains as blessings on all of us. Sometimes, though, we have the unwanted floods, thanks to clogged esteros and drainages. Let’s be more environmentally aware!
Here is bright, positive news, from a young ambassador who is a gem in the DFA, highly knowledgeable about his work, well-steeped in diplomacy, world culture, a nationalist, linguist, and so down-to-earth!
His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium received a Philippine ambassador for the first time when Ambassador Eduardo José A. de Vega presented his credentials in a stately ceremony at the Royal Palace of Brussels last May 23.
King Philippe, 58, ascended to the Belgian throne on July 21, 2013, upon the abdication of his father, King Albert II. His official title as the Belgian monarch is His Majesty, the King of the Belgians. In a private audience conducted in English and French, following the presentation of credentials, the King fondly recalled his visit to the Philippines in 1996. Crown Prince at that time, he led a 100-strong Belgian Economic Mission and oversaw the signing of two key agreements. He also visited the Smokey Mountain Development and Reclamation Project in Tondo to explore the possibility of financing the project’s second phase. King Philippe was pleased to note that Belgian companies remain active in the Philippines and have contributed to the economic development of the country.
According to Amb. Eddie, the eldest son of my good friend and Bulong Pulungan colleague Chuchi de Vega, the King also asked about the situation in Marawi, and gave his wishes for the people of Marawi as they recover from the conflict.
The King of the Belgians also knew of our national hero, Dr. José P, Rizal. To highlight the historical connections between the Philippines and Belgium, Amb. Eddie wore the sash of a Knight Grand Officer of Rizal (KGOR) from the Order of the Knights of Rizal. The Belgian Monarch and the Philippine envoy also honored the accomplishments of the Philippine national hero in Belgium, which included the publication of his novel El Filibusterismo in the Belgian city of Ghent in 1891. Happy coincidence, 1891 was also the same year that Belgian engineers completed construction of the San Sebastian Church in Manila, the same church in which Amb. Eddie was married to Theresa Dizon, also a career officer in the DFA.
De Vega has been in government for over 25 years. He has served in Philippine Foreign Service Posts in Tel Aviv, Washington D.C., New York, and Barcelona. His most recent posting prior to his arrival in Belgium was as Philippine ambassador to Mexico. On a personal note, I met him there last year and he was a much loved and admired ambassador. Not only did he speak and write in Spanish and in eight other languages, he knew the history of Mexico and its culture by heart, as well as other countries surrounding Mexico. He is really amazing! As the new ambassador based in Brussels, he will also present his credentials to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and to the European Union.
The Philippines and the Kingdom of Belgium established diplomatic relations on July 4, 1946. It being Rizal Day on June 19, let me share tidbits on Rizal from history books researched by Amb. Eddie. They make for romantic reflections. It seems the national hero arrived in Ghent on 1890 and had a romantic fling with a Belgian girl named Suzanne Jacoby. She really loved Rizal and would write him, begging for his return to visit her.
According to the online magazine Our Happy School: “Suzanne shed tears when Rizal left Belgium toward the beginning of August, 1890. He was said to have made Suzanne’s sculpture which he unexplainably gave to his friend Valentin Ventura. Leaving Brussels, Rizal left the young Suzanne a box of chocolates. Two months later, she wrote him a letter, saying: ‘After your departure, I did not take the chocolate. The box is still intact as on the day of your parting. Don’t delay too long writing us because I wear out the soles of my shoes for running to the mailbox to see if there is a letter from you. There will never be any home in which you are so loved as in that in Brussels, so, you little bad boy, hurry up and come back…”
In another letter, “she mentioned Rizal’s previous letter to her, suggesting that the Filipino in Madrid probably replied to her at least once.” We can glean that the affection was (already) one-sided: “Where are you now? Do you think of me once in a while? I am reminded of our tender conversations, reading your letter, although it is cold and indifferent. Here in your letter I have something which makes up for your absence. How pleased I would be to follow you, to travel with you who are always in my thoughts. You wish me all kinds of luck, but forget that in the absence of a beloved one a tender heart cannot feel happy. A thousand things serve to distract your mind, my friend; but in my case, I am sad, lonely, always alone with my thoughts—nothing, absolutely nothing, relieves my sorrow. Are you coming back? That’s what I want and desire most ardently—you cannot refuse me. I do not despair and I limit myself to murmuring against time, which runs so fast when it carries us toward a separation but goes so slowly when it’s bringing us together again. I feel very unhappy thinking that perhaps I might never see you again.”
Rizal returned to Brussels by the middle of April 1891, but his return was not specifically for Suzanne. He was busy finishing the manuscript of El Fili for publication. On July 5, 1891, he left Brussels again, never to come back.
It was also this year that Belgian engineers began assembling some 50 tons of steel from their country to build the San Sebastian Church in Sampaloc, Manila, which still stands majestically, although badly in need of paint and repairs. My only daughter Sandee married Andrew Masigan in the historic church, with then President Fidel V. Ramos and former President Cory Aquino as sponsors.
Another link between Belgium and the Philippines, Amb. Eddie notes, was how general Antonio Luna took his military training (military science and tactics) under the Belgian general Gérard Leman in the 1880s. The great Belgian general was also responsible for the military training of the future King Albert I.
The ambassador added that it was Belgium that financed the Light Rail Transit Line 1, the first elevated transit system in Southeast Asia. It was rehabilitated through a loan signed during the then Crown Prince of Belgium’s visit.
Congratulations Amb. Eddie de Vega! We know we have the best man in Brussels!