Intramuros Learning Sessions episode no. 66 – Mi Amada Ciudad Murada: The Literary Landscape of Intramuros
Overview
Writers draw inspiration from the places they visit or inhabit. In the case of Nick Joaquin, for instance, his love for Intramuros produced a canon of literary works that feature the Walled City as a subject or a setting. Other writers have also written about Manila from the Spanish Colonial Period up to the present, and these works reflect how the physical and sociocultural landscape of the district transformed over time. As we explore the stories written about our Noble and Ever Loyal City, we will discover how fiction can tell the history of a place—its ups and downs and ever changing fortunes—in surprisingly engaging and perhaps more endearing ways.
- Guest Speaker: Jeffrey Yap
- Moderator: Rancho Arcilla
About the Guest Speaker: Jeffrey Yap
Jeffrey P. Yap is a Supervising Historic Sites Development Officer of the Intramuros Administration. He took up BA Philosophy at San Beda University and M.A. English Studies, major in Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines, Diliman. He has published essays, short stories, and papers with life in Manila as a central theme. He has taught Philippine Literature in English at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran and more recently at Assumption College San Lorenzo where he gives an online lecture on media and literary arts.
About the Moderator: Rancho Arcilla
John Paul Escandor Arcilla, known professionally as Rancho Arcilla, is the author of the Intramuros Register of Styles (2021). He served as Chairperson of the Intramuros Technical Committee on Architectural Standards (TCAS) from June 2022 to May 2024. As TCAS Chairperson, Arcilla oversaw the review of all development, including new constructions, in the Walled City.
Arcilla was also the first Archivist of the Intramuros Administration. With a mandate from Atty. Guiller Asido, Administrator of Intramuros from 2017 to 2022, Arcilla established the Administration’s Archives and Central Records Section, serving as its first Section Head from July 2019 to June 2024.
He has an MA in Philippine Studies from UP Diliman and a BA in Asian Studies from the University of Santo Tomas. Arcilla specializes on colonial architecture.
In 2021, Arcilla was instrumental in the development of the Revised 2021 Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Presidential Decree No. 1616, the main framework and legal instrument in the management of Intramuros District. The architectural provisions of the IRR and the Intramuros Register of Styles (2021) is based on his MA thesis Walls within Walls: The Architecture of Intramuros (2021).
About the Intramuros Learning Sessions
The Intramuros Learning Sessions (ILS) is the educational lecture series of the Intramuros Administration (IA). The IA is an attached national government agency under the Department of Tourism.
Topics are interdisciplinary and cover themes related to Intramuros and Manila studies, Philippine studies, as well as cultural heritage studies. Pursuant to IA’s charter, the ILS aims to contribute to the strengthening of the Filipino’s national identity and sense of belonging and pride.
For inquiries contact us at [email protected]
| See Previous ILS Episode Impacts of the Designation of Baguio as a UNESCO Creative City | See Next ILS Episode Civil Society & Local Collaboration: The Crucial Driven Force of Chiang Mai Creative City |
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