DAVAO CITY – The National Book Development Board (NBDB)-Philippines announced during the three-day Philippine Book Festival here that the country will be a guest of honor in the 77th Frankfurter Buchmesse from October 15 to 19, 2025.
Frankfurt Book Fair director Juergen Boos and representatives from the NBDB sealed a guest of honor agreement with Vice President Sara Duterte during the Philippine Book Festival opening ceremony at SMX Convention Center here on Friday, August 18.
Boos said this would be the second time the Frankfurt Book Fair welcomes a guest country from Southeast Asia to Frankfurt. He added that Indonesia was the first country invited to be their guest in 2015.
“I’m very much looking forward to the Philippines’ guest of honor presentation soon,” Boos said, adding that the guest of honor initiative’s focus extends beyond showcasing the particular area’s literature and culture.
Boos said this opportunity also strives to enrich communication and connections within the global publishing realm for the visiting nation, as they believe that despite being the 13th largest country globally, boasting over 110 million population, Philippine literature must be introduced to Europe.
“Philippine literature is currently still rather unknown territory. As the country steps into its role as guest of honor, we will learn a lot about the importance of storytelling and today’s cultural scene for Philippine civil society,” Boos said.
With an incredible 183 languages spoken in 7,641 islands, the Frankfurt Book Fair director said the Philippines’ diverse influences are one of the aspects they look forward to seeing in Frankfurt in 2025.
Sen. Loren Legarda said it is about time that the international community read and appreciate the stories told in the Philippines and recognize that Filipino stories are worth reading and that they are complex and informed by colonial and post-colonial imagination.
“The road to being the guest of honor was years in the making. Through the years, together with the NBDB Philippines, we worked to push for this dream. Our guest of honor year in 2025 will serve as a culmination of all our efforts,” Legarda said.
NBDB Chairman Dante Francis Ang II said the board is confident that the opportunity to be the guest of honor was offered by Frankfurter Buchmesse because the country is prepared and fully equipped to achieve even more remarkable accomplishments.
“If the trajectory of the Philippines’ presence in the fair is any indication, it is time the stories of our archipelago of over 7,000 islands be placed under the limelight in the international arena,” Ang said.
NBDB Executive Director Charisse Aquino-Tugade said that the country's rapidly expanding book publishing sector has consistently increased its earnings in the last five years. She added that in 2025, they will undoubtedly narrate the tale of the Filipino people.
“This narrative will encompass our diverse elements: Our cultural myths, the patriotic writings of Jose Rizal, the compassionate climate-related narratives in our modern fiction, the colonial origins of capitalism, and the humanity of our growing diasporic populations,” Tugade said.
Frankfurter Buchmesse has hosted guest of honor presentations since 1976. They initially took place every two years and alternated with thematic focuses. The Philippines will be represented with a stand (Hall 5.1 B66) in year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse.