Senator Loren Legarda emphasized the power of culture and history in shaping the modern Filipino identity at the relaunch of the National Archives of the Philippines’ (NAP) archival exhibition, “Manila: Nexus of Empire,” which explores Manila’s significant role as the heart of Spanish influence in Asia from the 16th to the 19th century.

“When the Spanish arrived, they did not discover Manila, they encountered it: a city already vibrant with commerce, diplomacy, and cultural exchange,” Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Culture and the Arts, asserted. “But here lies the paradox: even under domination, Manila shaped the empire as much as the empire sought to shape Manila.”

The exhibition delves into Manila’s role in the global Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade, which linked Asia, the Americas and Europe. Through a collection of artifacts, maps, artworks and historical narratives, it examines Manila’s development as a global trade hub, the center of colonial administration, and a multicultural metropolis.

“To be Filipino is not to be defined by a single story. Manila, in all its contradictions, teaches us that our identity is not merely the sum of what colonization imposed or what revolution reclaimed. We are born from the collision of cultures, languages, faiths and histories; and in this convergence lies our greatest strength,” Legarda said.

Legarda, a four-term senator and leading advocate for culture and the arts, has championed initiatives safeguarding the nation’s historical and cultural heritage. Her support for NAP has been instrumental in restoring the iconic Intendencia Building, enhancing archival facilities nationwide, and integrating modern learning management systems to ensure that Philippine history remains accessible and relevant to future generations.

“Memory is fragile, and history can be rewritten or distorted. But through exhibitions like this, we transform remembrance into resistance: against forgetting, against indifference, against the seductive simplicity of one-dimensional narratives that flatten the richness of who we are,” Legarda said.

“Manila: Nexus of Empire” invites visitors to see Manila as more than just a colonial city and gain a deeper understanding of how empires operated globally and of the city’s enduring impact on world history. The exhibit may be viewed at the Maceda Building of the Philippine Normal University on Taft Avenue corner Ayala Boulevard, Ermita, Manila.

“As you walk through these galleries, do not simply observe. Question. Reflect. Engage. These exhibits are not meant to make us comfortable, but accountable — to the past that fought for freedoms we hold today, to the present where inequality still lingers, and to the future that will judge us by the truths we are willing to confront and the power we claim in becoming more,” Legarda stressed.