The Walled City of Intramuros formally adopted the 2021 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Presidential Decree No. (PD) 1616, which has been published at the Official Gazette of the Philippines in its Vol. 118 No. 3. issue on 17 January 2022.
This is the first amendment to the IRR since its first adoption in 1981, and is a product of four years of hard work, research, and consultation. First set into motion in 2018, the revised IRR puts premium on the following considerations: (1) the spirit, essence, intent and mandate of PD 1616 which granted Intramuros the title “Monument to the Hispanic Period of Philippine History;” (2) the 2019 Conservation Management Plan; and (3) the vision of the Intramuros Administration (IA) for Intramuros as “a model urban site of national historical and cultural heritage, sustaining people and life systems within, and contributing to national cultural and socio-economic progress.”
Innovations include: (1) provisions for the greater protection and promotion of Intramuros’ special character and identity, including provisions for the strengthening of architectural guidelines to ensure greater historical appropriateness; (2) measures to ensure inclusivity for all stakeholders in Intramuros, including the elderly, persons with disability, and other persons with special needs, as well as revisions in land use regulations to ensure greater sensitivity to the economic conditions of IA stakeholders; (3) measures for the preservation of the historic grid of Intramuros as well as for the protection and promotion of its important cultural properties; (4) adaptations to ensure disaster risk resiliency and environmental sustainability; (5) administrative updates to reflect current procedures in government; and (6) provisions to ensure greater conformity with the intent, spirit, and essence of PD 1616, as well as to mitigate against abuse and circumvention in the old 1981 IRR, including subjectivity in the interpretations of architectural guidelines.