Intramuros Learning Sessions episode no. 80 – Protecting Intramuros: 2021 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of PD No. 1616

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Overview:

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.

GO HERE FOR A COPY OF THE FULL TEXT OF THE 2021 REVISED IRR

About the Speaker

Rancho Arcilla

John Paul Escandor Arcilla, known professionally as Rancho Arcilla, is the author of the Intramuros Register of Styles (2021). He is the Chairperson of the Intramuros Technical Committee on Architectural Standards (TCAS). As TCAS Chairperson, Arcilla oversees the review of all development, including new constructions, in the Walled City. He is also a PhD student at the Tri-College of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman. 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. The architectural provisions of the Revised 2021 Implementing Rules and Regulations of Presidential Decree No. 1616, the main framework and legal instrument in the management of Intramuros District, is based on his MA thesis Walls within Walls the Architecture of Intramuros (2021).

About the Moderator

Christian Emmanuel Catahan is a researcher. He is currently the Intramuros Administration’s in-house researcher and archivist, as well as Coordinator for the IA Esperanza B. Gatbonton Center for Intramuros Studies. He has a BA in History with a cognate in Anthropology (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Currently, he is taking his MA in Archaeology at the same university. He is a lifetime member of the Philippine Historical Association.

Protecting Intramuros

This is Part 4 of the Intramuros Learning Session’s Protecting Intramuros Miniseries.

In 1979 the Intramuros Administration was established by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1616. Protecting Intramuros is a series of episodes under the Intramuros Learning Sessions discussing how the Intramuros Administration fulfills its mandate of managing the orderly restoration and development of the Walled City.

Part 1 / ILS no. 47

Urban and Architectural Regulations in the Walled City
Rancho Arcilla and Vhincent Cañares
Part 2 / ILS no. 53

Current Conservation Projects in the Walled City
Ramil Tibayan
Part 3 / ILS no. 56

Intramuros as a Creative Urban Heritage District
Sheena Botiwey
Part 4 / ILS no. 80

Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of PD No. 1616
Rancho Arcilla

About the Intramuros Learning Sessions

The Intramuros Learning Sessions (ILS) is the educational webinar 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
Coast Artillery: An Overview on the Harbor Defenses of Manila Bay (1898-1945)
See Next ILS Episode
Mary’s Challenges: Responses, Approaches, and Historiography

Check out our previous ILS episodes here

For more information contact the Center for Intramuros Studies via [email protected]
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