Nelson Morales

Kat Borlongan (L) with French President Emmanuel Macron (R). Handout

Article (news)

Zen Hernandez

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775469032022kat borlongan macron 1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Kat Borlongan (L) with French President Emmanuel Macron (R). Handout"/>Kat Borlongan (L) with French President Emmanuel Macron (R). Handout</div>A Filipina leader in Europe’s tech and innovation space has been conferred one of France’s highest honors, marking what Philippine officials call a historic first.Kat Borlongan was recently named a recipient of the French National Order of Merit, a distinction awarded by the French government to individuals who have rendered outstanding service.“This is the second highest award in France. The highest is the Legion of Honor na reserved for French citizens,” said Philippine Ambassador to France and Monaco, Eduardo de Vega. “Mga recipients niyan include, among French, Charles Aznavour the famous singer, si Jacques Cousteau yung diver. And then some heads of state, including dating King Juan Carlos of Spain, the Queen of Norway.”“As far as we know, she&#x27;s the first Filipino to get this award,” de Vega added.For Borlongan, the recognition was deeply personal.“Well, I cried. A lot of people were crying…I think it was mostly because of the journey towards that,” she said, recalling the ceremony.Borlongan left the Philippines at 19 amid personal challenges, including bullying, and eventually found her way to France after meeting French students during an internship at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU).“I didn&#x27;t know that the French government gave you subsidies also to cover your housing. And I didn&#x27;t know that you could work 7 hours a week. So feeling ko kahit hindi ako payagan ng parents ko kaya ko naman if I could work and do all of those things,” Borlongan said. “So they were the ones who encouraged me. And then so I applied and it all worked out.”Arriving in France without speaking the language and with limited resources, Borlongan faced years of hardship and self-doubt.“My first day of school, I didn&#x27;t understand anything. Pumunta ako sa banyo I was just crying lang talaga sa cubicle,” she said. “Going home was not an option for me. For me, it was like, I have to make this work.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775469126642kat borlongan macron 2.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Kat Borlongan (L) with French President Emmanuel Macron (R). Handout"/>Kat Borlongan (L) with French President Emmanuel Macron (R). Handout</div>She pushed through, eventually earning a scholarship, completing her Political Science degree at Sorbonne University in Paris, becoming Director of Reporters Without Borders in Canada at just 23, and finishing her master’s degree in Communication Research at McGill University.“Now looking back, now that I&#x27;m 20 years older, I think it was just, I just wanted to make a life for myself that was really mine,” she said. “There&#x27;s a part of it where I think I really wanted to prove to myself na kaya ko.”Borlongan later co-founded an open data startup that was eventually acquired by Capgemini before being tapped to lead France’s flagship startup initiative.“I was scouted by the cabinet director of the minister for digital… they were looking for the new director of this thing called the French Tech Mission,” she said. “I got appointed. I wasn&#x27;t even French then. I didn&#x27;t have a French citizenship yet.”During her 4-year tenure, Borlongan played a key role in accelerating the growth of France’s tech sector. She helped lay the ecosystem’s modern foundations and rolled out flagship programs, including the French Tech Communities network, which expanded to more than 120 hubs, the French Tech Visa which remains among the most open globally, and initiatives such as French Tech Tremplin, which promotes opportunities for underrepresented entrepreneurs.“Over the last 10 years, France has become the startup capital of Europe… it happened in a very, very short period of time,” she said.She later served on the board of the European Innovation Council and now works as its ambassador, helping steer Europe’s deep tech strategy.During the awarding ceremony at France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Borlongan made a deliberate choice to highlight her roots.“It’s the first time that I was on stage…and I was really like 100 percent claiming my Filipino identity and roots,” she said.For Ambassador de Vega, her recognition underscores the global potential of Filipinos.“So, here she is showing the French what the Filipino can do,” he said.He noted that while many Filipinos in France work as caregivers, more are emerging in professional fields such as science, engineering, and technology.“And she’s one of them… that shows na kinikilala tayo,” he added.Borlongan also used her recognition to advocate for a more nuanced understanding of migration.“I decided to make my knighting a platform about immigration,” she said, pointing to growing anti-immigrant sentiment in many parts of the world.“I was able to do it because people believed in me, because people helped me…I don&#x27;t think the takeaway of this whole journey is, wow, ang galing ni Kat. She&#x27;s so smart. She studied. The truth is that when I left for France, it wouldn&#x27;t have been possible if I didn&#x27;t have that help,” she said.“If you look at the work that I did in French Tech, inside government, there&#x27;s very little that I did myself. It was mostly being able to bring people together…I think my understanding of leadership is really ability to get people who care about something similar to move in that direction, in a way that actually gets things done,” she added.“The thing I wanted to defend was the France that welcomed me, the France that made my story possible, the France that welcomes immigrants here to build something new.”<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1775481159247knight.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/>For her mother, Dolly Borlongan, the honor was both overwhelming and deeply emotional.</div>“I felt overwhelmed and then thankful to God… she has been through quite a journey to get where she is now,” she said.“She did everything on her own,” she added, recalling how her daughter left home at a young age. “She’s very bull headed, she’s very determined, she’s very resilient… what she wants she works at.”The French government recognized Borlongan for her contributions to innovation and public policy, particularly in advancing France’s startup ecosystem. For Philippine officials, her achievement carries broader significance.“Kayo ang tunay na ambassadors dito,” de Vega said of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).Borlongan’s story, he said, reflects the evolving image of Filipinos worldwide, not just as workers abroad, but as leaders shaping global industries.“Kayo ang sumusunod lang sa mga yapak, sa mga footsteps ng ating mga dakilang bayani. Tignan mo sila Rizal, OFW din yan. Si Rizal nag-doctor sa Hong Kong…Dito rin nag-aral ng Advanced Studies in Ophthalmology si Rizal. Si Juan Luna ang recognized painter dito at iba-iba pang mga bantog na Pilipino. So ang mga Filipino rito kasi are well-respected,” de Vega added.Borlongan expressed hope that the Philippines can draw lessons from France’s approach to innovation.“We had a strategy…Most countries don&#x27;t think of it as important. But France under President Macron, it was always a priority,” she said. “It was considered as, and still is, considered as part of the national strategy for two reasons. One is for economic development in terms of wealth creation. The second is also, at least for Europe, we think about it a lot, is for sovereignty. The idea that we can&#x27;t just depend on the US and on China to develop all of these technologies.”She noted that innovation plays a key role in economic growth.“In general, healthy ecosystems need a percentage of their national revenue coming from innovation…In France, that percentage is 12 percent. And if you look at countries like Sweden, it&#x27;s more like 30 percent,” she said.Borlongan said the Philippines already has strong fundamentals.“The Philippines has so many things going for it, when you have, of course, the market, you have such fast social media, just in general, the technology adoption rate in the Philippines is much higher than it is in France….The population is really young. You have English speakers and you have a lot of really bright and really creative people,” she said.Borlongan has also contributed to efforts in the Philippines, particularly in disaster response and innovation.During Typhoon Yolanda, she worked with the Office of the President on an open data volunteer campaign aimed at developing technical solutions for rescue, recovery, and reconstruction. She also conducted trainings for local government units on the use of open data in disaster response, and has since engaged with the Philippine startup community through talks and knowledge-sharing.“Can I do more? Yeah, for sure,” she added.

A Filipina leader in Europe’s tech and innovation space has been conferred one of France’s highest honors, marking what Philippine officials call a historic first.

A Filipina leader in Europe’s tech and innovation space has been conferred one of France’s highest honors, marking what Philippine officials call a historic first.

Filipina tech leader knighted with Order of Merit in France

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Filipina tech leader knighted with Order of Merit in France

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 06, 2026 05:55 PM PHT

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Updated April 06, 2026 09:12 PM PHT

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Order of Merit

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