Message of Senator Loren Legarda during the Handover Ceremony for the Philippines’ participation as Guest of Honour Country in the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025

Honored guests, esteemed colleagues, partners from the global literary community,
Today is a momentous occasion for the entire Philippines. We are humbled to accept, on behalf of our country, the prestigious role of becoming the next Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2025.
First, allow me to congratulate Italy. Your theme, “Roots in the future,” captured the essence of your nation’s rich cultural heritage while connecting it to contemporary global narratives. The stories you presented remind us of the timelessness of literature, of how it continues to bind us.

It is a gift to be able to add to this global conversation here in Frankfurt, where literature and the arts shape our shared future.

Receiving this Guest of Honour scroll is more than symbolic—it represents our stories, transcending borders through the universal language of literature. Frankfurt, as a global literary stage, offers the Philippines an opportunity to bring forth our own narrative—of creativity, resilience, and collective hope.

Our theme for 2025, “The imagination peoples the air,” inspired by our national hero, Jose Rizal, will guide our storytelling. Just as Rizal envisioned an enlightened nation, we now stand ready to share our identity through the stories of our land, our people, and our humanity.

As a side note, Jose Rizal himself travelled across Italy, visiting significant landmarks like the Capitolio, the Palatinum, and the Forum Romanum. He once picked a flower from the Palace of Septimius Severus and sent it to Ferdinand Johann Franz Blumentritt. Blumentritt was one of Rizal’s closest confidants and both shared a passion for the study of languages. He was also believed to have translated Rizal’s Noli Me Tángere into German.

Additionally, Rizal wrote to his father and fondly recounted his days spent in Rome, Milan, Venice, and Florence, expressing the sense of connection he felt. Along the railway, he met an Italian priest whom he regarded as his “Father Confessor,” feeling as if he had met an old friend. This brief journey reflected Rizal’s profound connection to the world around him, much like the stories we highlight today transcend borders and forge meaningful connections.

Just like Rizal, the Philippines is a nation of storytellers, where the oral traditions of our ancestors seamlessly blend with the written works of our contemporary authors. Our writers, artists, and publishers have long carried the torch of creativity, and at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair, we will shine the light on our diverse literary heritage—one that is deeply rooted in our history yet boldly speaks to our present and future.

This includes our indigenous peoples voices, as well as the stories of our 7641 islands–narratives that are personal and yet relevant. Our story of survival, of resistance—a call for empathy and understanding in an increasingly fragmented world.

We will also celebrate the stories of our diaspora. With over 155,000 Filipinos living in Italy alone, our migrants weave their narratives of perseverance and transformation into the cultural fabric of their adopted homes. Their stories will find their place at the Philippine Pavilion in 2025, a testament to the strength of our people across borders.

To the global publishing community, we extend our gratitude for welcoming us into this fold, and for offering us this prestigious platform to exchange our stories. Many thanks to the Frankfurter Buchmesse for the support. We look forward to a year filled with dynamic conversations, new collaborations, and the forging of lasting relationships that celebrate the vitality of language and the enduring power of books.

Let us all continue to be advocates, supporters, and enthusiastic participants in the vibrant world of literature and its capacity to build bridges across cultures. Let us continue to tell stories that matter and keep the flame of creativity alive.

Thank you for this extraordinary honor. The Philippines is ready to take flight on the wings of imagination, and we invite you all to join us on this literary journey in 2025.

Maraming salamat po.