The Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI) held its annual National Congress and General Assembly on November 23–26, 2025, at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City. With the theme PLAI BRIDGES: Borderless. Research-based. Innovative. Developmental. Global. Equitable. Sustainable. The event was attended by licensed librarians, library workers, and information professionals from across the Philippines and abroad.
The event opened with welcoming messages from the national officers, followed by the Day 1 plenary sessions. Hon. Lourdes T. David of the Professional Regulatory Board for Librarians discussed the ongoing revisions to RA 9246 (The Philippine Librarianship Act of 2003), and encouraged librarians to participate actively in both local and international professional activities. Mr. Jester Delos Santos, an anchor from TV5, tackled the Research-based theme, emphasizing fact-checking, information verification, and responsible online sharing. For the Innovative component, Dr. Lee Chu Keong of Nanyang Technological University in Singapore shared insights on emerging technologies and the evolving skill sets needed by today’s librarians.
Day 2 was dedicated to parallel sessions, where delegates presented and explored various research works aligned with the BRIDGES theme, promoting collaboration and enriching professional discussions.
The Day 3 plenary sessions continued with another set of distinguished speakers. Taytay, Rizal Councilor Hon. John Tobit Cruz inspired participants with a message on Developmental leadership, illustrating how small beginnings, patience, and ambition can lead to meaningful collaborations. Dr. Danilo M. Baylen of the University of West Georgia discussed strategies for building global partnerships by first recognizing one’s strengths and capacities. Addressing Equitable access, Mr. Daniel Lorenzo Z. Mariano of the National Book Development Board highlighted the declining literacy rate in the Philippines and emphasized the shared responsibility to uphold every Filipino’s right to read. Concluding the plenaries, Dr. Ramir B. Uytico, DepEd Regional Director in the Negros Island Region, focused on Sustainable efforts, describing literacy challenges as a “silent epidemic” and advocating for stronger reading and writing cultures.
The congress also included several key activities such as the election of new PLAI national officers, a special oath-taking ceremony for the new licensed librarians, a fellowship night for the delegates, and an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding awardees in the field. Despite the disruptions caused by Tropical Storm Verbena, the event remained fruitful and meaningful. It concluded with the announcement that the next PLAI National Congress will be held in NCR, reaffirming the commitment of information professionals to build a stronger, more inclusive, and future-ready library community.