Soft power, the way to go

Senator Loren Legarda underscored the value of soft power in advancing Philippine foreign policy through cultural diplomacy and climate action.

In a recent address to the diplomatic corps, government agencies, cultural organizations and academic institutions at the Foreign Policy Address series hosted by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Legarda said soft power, when wielded with purpose and intention, allows citizens to stand as Filipinos, lead by example and offer the world a model for resilience, sustainability and harmony.

The legislator has pioneered initiatives to promote Filipino culture on the global stage, including the establishment of an international network of cultural centers (Sentro Rizal) through the National Cultural Heritage Act of 2009, the Cultural Mapping Law of 2023, the adoption of the Philippine Studies Program in over 20 universities worldwide since 2016, and the return of the Philippines to the prestigious Venice Biennale in 2015 after a 51-year absence.

She was also instrumental in securing Philippine participation as a Guest of Honour at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair.

She is determined to get Philippine ownership of the protestant vicarage in Wilhelmsfeld, Germany, where Dr. Jose Rizal penned the final chapters of Noli Me Tangere.

Legarda is actively engaging in dialogues to bring home Rizal’s Philippine textile collection and indigenous artifacts currently housed at the Berlin Ethnological Museum.

“These efforts are far more than mere events or standalone initiatives; they are platforms that share the fortitude of our heritage, revealing a spectrum of connections that transform division into understanding, insight and empathy — once again, our soft power at work.”

Legarda viewed the Philippines’ climate crisis vulnerability as an opportunity to lead in global climate action.

For instance, the 2015 Manila Call to Action on Climate Change paved the way for the Paris Agreement. This year, the Philippines also hosted the Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, and stood before the International Court of Justice to assert that the climate crisis is not merely an environmental issue but a profound threat to human rights, peace and security.

She also continues to advocate for the Senate’s concurrence in the ratification of the High Seas Treaty.

Legarda persisted in her advocacy to institutionalize cultural diplomacy as the fourth pillar of Philippine foreign policy “not as an accessory, but as its living pulse.”

She called on Filipinos to hold firm the country’s climate leadership and embrace the role on the global stage not as passive observers but as active catalysts for meaningful change.