The Intramuros Administration and the Friends of Intramuros organized last 21 June 2017 a lecture on the history of Intramuros at the Marble Hall of the Bureau of the Treasury’s Ayuntamiento de Manila, with the celebrated scholar and former IA Action Officer Dr. Jaime Laya as guest speaker.

The first of a series of lectures, the talk on Intramuros was well attended by the community, and in his discussion, the speaker narrated the history of the Walled City through old maps and photographs. As Dr. Laya pointed out significant events in the history of Intramuros that started during pre-Spanish period, the audience were guided through a proper understanding of how the original Maynila came to be – from a wooden palisade of Rajah Soliman to the walled city that it is today. The comprehensive lecture has helped the community gain more knowledge on the relevance of Intramuros’ history and heritage, which is one of the intentions of the Friends of Intramuros.

With the support of the Intramuros Administration, the Friends of Intramuros, whose objective is to promote the preservation of cultural and historical image of the Walled City, chose no less than a lecture by Dr. Laya himself to inform the public of its advocacy through a series of lectures that is free and open to the public. Aside from being the founding ​Action Officer of the Intramuros Administration​ (​1979-1986​)​, Jaime Laya​ was also the founding Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management​ (1975-1981), Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines (1981-1984), Minister for Education, Culture, and Sports (1984-1986), and Chairman of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (1996-2001).

Past and present administrators (L-R): Jaime C. Laya (Apr 1979 to Apr 1986), Guiller B. Asido (Mar 2017 to Present), and Jose A. Capistrano, Jr. (Aug 1989 – Apr 1990; Aug 2010 to Aug 2013).