Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 19 October 2025 –The Philippines successfully concluded its year as Guest of Honour at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair (Frankfurter Buchmesse), held from 15 to 19 October 2025 at the Messe Frankfurt, with the Opening Ceremony on 14 October 2025.
Under the theme “The imagination peoples the air,” the Philippine participation marked an important milestone in the international promotion of Philippine literature and culture, highlighting the country’s creativity, depth, and growing engagement with the global literary community.
At the Opening Ceremony, Senator Loren Legarda, Head of Delegation and visionary of the Philippine Frankfurt Book Fair Philippines Guest of Honour project, delivered the keynote address alongside German officials Karin Schmidt-Friderichs, Juergen Boos, Mike Josef, Armin Schwarz, and Dr. Wolfram Weimer. Senator Legarda underscored the power of storytelling in shaping nations and inspiring change, recalling how Dr. José Rizal, “who sparked the liberation of [the Philippine] people from three centuries of colonisation, was not a warrior with a sword but a writer with a pen who made imagination his sharpest weapon.”
The Philippine Guest of Honour Pavilion—by Stanley Ruiz and curated by Patrick Flores—and the accompanying programme brought together over 100 Filipino authors, artists, and creatives. Highlights included performances by National Living Treasure Rosie Sula with her traditional T’boli chanting, the Philippine Madrigal Singers, talks by National Artists, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa, journalists Howie Severino and Patricia Evangelista.
Across five days, the Frankfurt Book Fair welcomed 238,000 visitors from 131 countries, reaffirming its position as the world’s foremost publishing and literary platform. The Philippines’ presence drew strong interest, with Maria Ressa’s talks on digital disinformation among the most attended and covered sessions of the Fair.
The country’s Guest of Honour year concluded on 19 October 2025 with the Handover Ceremony to Czechia, Guest of Honour for 2026. In her closing remarks, Karina Bolasco, Head of the Philippine Literary Program, expressed gratitude to the Fair’s organizers and partners, affirming that the Philippine delegation “carried the creativity, courage, and resilience of Filipino storytellers across oceans and borders.”
The Guest of Honour participation, led by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), with the support of the Office of Senator Loren Legarda and the Department of Foreign Affairs, stands as a proud testament to the power of Filipino imagination and the global resonance of Philippine literature and culture. END