No other event in the Filipino community of The Netherlands can aptly be tagged as THE event of the year…more than The Philippine Independence Day Picnic.

THE picnic that began in 1988 became the community’s biggest annual reunion and showcase of Philippine culture, and for 20 years until 2008, organized by THE COALITION.

Philippine Independence Day Celebration: The Beginning and How it all started
1960s – Mid-80s

During the late 60s, the practice, following protocol, was to give only a reception for members of the diplomatic corps in celebration of Philippine Independence Day, with Ambassador Eduardo Quintero, then Philippine’s envoy to the Netherlands. Filipinos and Dutch friends and businessmen were invited by the ambassador to his home on that occasion. It was a small Community then, comprising mostly of scholars, around five Filipinas married to Dutch and a small group of nurses.