Senator Loren Legarda paid tribute to the enduring cultural connection between the Philippines and Germany, as she reflected on the Philippines’ journey to becoming Guest of Honour at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair—the world’s largest and most prestigious book fair.
“When the Philippines made its modest return to the Frankfurter Buchmesse in 2015 after a 15-year absence, I dared to ask, ‘Why not the Philippines as Guest of Honour?’ I took this as a personal mission,” Legarda said during the closing program of the five-day German media visit to the Philippines on May 20.
Legarda, who spearheaded the effort, shared that the road to 2025 began in 2017, endured through the pandemic, and culminated in the official invitation in 2023.
A former journalist, Legarda also shared her media roots. “Like many of you, I began my career in media as a young journalist reporting on the realities of everyday Filipinos. That pursuit of truth deepened into a commitment to action when I was elected senator at the age of 38. Today, as the longest-serving female senator in our history, I continue to dedicate myself to the noble work of uplifting Filipino lives,” she said.
She has since championed laws supporting cultural preservation, such as the National Cultural Heritage Act and the Cultural Mapping Law. She also highlighted international efforts through Sentro Rizal and the Philippine Studies Program, which promote Filipino culture globally.
Legarda also emphasized the historical bond between the two countries, pointing to Dr. Jose Rizal’s time in Germany, where he published Noli Me Tangere in Berlin in 1887. She recounted visiting the Ullmer vicarage in Wilhelmsfeld, where Rizal completed the novel, and shared plans to preserve the site as a permanent cultural exchange hub.
Looking ahead to 2025, Legarda hoped that the stories shared by Filipinos would leave a lasting impression on the visiting German delegation.
“As you traveled across our islands these past days, I hope you have felt the force of imagination around you, flowing through our stories, etched in our landscapes, and alive in the spirited conversations that welcomed you,” she said.
She closed her remarks by reminiscing about her childhood home in Malabon, built by a German ethnologist.
“Every time I return, I am reminded that I come from a lineage of storytellers, thinkers, and nation-builders. And somehow, through a house built by a German and filled with Filipino voices, our histories—yours and ours—intertwine,” Legarda said.