Mr Gleford Lagcao Jr at the French Residence

On 18 March 2028, the Embassy of France to the Philippines and Micronesia hosted a reception at the Residence of France in Makati to celebrate the Francophonie Month. The event gathered teachers and partners engaged in promoting the French language and strengthening cultural ties between the Philippines and France.

With the French Ambassadrice to the Philippines and Micronesia H.E. Marie Fontanel

The French Ambassador to the Philippines, H.E. Marie Fontanel, highlighted the importance of the Francophonie as a global community. According to the report of the Observatoire de la langue française of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), French is now spoken by 396 million people worldwide, ranking as the fourth most widely spoken language. French is also the second most widely learned foreign language, with over 170 million learners globally.

Mme Fontanel also expressed her sincere appreciation to key partners, including the Department of Education (DepEd), the Association des Professeurs de Français, Lycée Français de Manille - LFM, and the Alliance française de Manille, for their support in advancing French language education in the country and for expanding the support in other areas of cooperation.

With the Representatives of the French Embassy, University of the Philippines - Diliman,
and Association des Professeurs de Français aux Philippines

The event also served as an opportunity to honor French language teachers, as well as teachers of non-linguistic subjects taught in French.

Mr Lagcao, during an interview, shared his motivation for becoming a French language
teacher and shared his favorite French word

Assistant Professor and French Language Teacher, Mr Gleford Lagcao, Jr, represented Xavier University at the event.