This series under the Intramuros Learning Sessions explores and deconstructs narratives around our heroes during the Second World War.
 | Part 1 / ILS no. 15 Escoda, Abad Santos, and Lim Desiree Benipayo |
 | Part 2 / ILS no. 21 The Heroines Desiree Benipayo |
 | Part 3 / ILS no. 28 Sifting Through The Myths of General Douglas MacArthur Desiree Benipayo, Ricardo Jose, Jamez Zobel |
About the Speakers
Desiree Ann Cua Benipayo is a writer and film producer. She is currently the Vice President for Research and Education at the Philippine World War II Memorial Foundation, and the Secretary at the Memorare Manila 1945. Ms. Benipayo is author of Honor: The Legacy of Jose Abad Santos, which was recently awarded Best Book of Nonfiction Prose in English in the 2019 National Book Awards. Ms. Benipayo, together with her husband, also produced a film documentary adaptation of her book, which received an “A” rating by the Philippine Cinema Evaluation Board.
Prof. Dr. Ricardo Jose is a Professor of History at the University of the Philippines-Diliman. He has a BA and an MA in History from the University of the Philippines, and a Ph.D. in History from the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. He authored The Philippine Army, 1935-1942 and Volume 7 of Kasaysayan. His accolades include: Outstanding Young Scientist Award in the field of social sciences, 1997; Gawad Chancellor Para sa Natatanging Guro, 2011; Batobalani Many Faces of a Teacher Award, 2018; and Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino in Teaching, 2019.
James Zobel is an archivist based in Virginia. He is currently the Director and Archivist of the MacArthur Memorial Library and Museum. He has a BA and an MA in History from the Old Dominion University. As a scholar on World War II history, he is authory of Victory at All Cost, MacArthur and the Korean War, and MacArthur: The Supreme Commander at War in the Pacific.
About the Host: 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 more information contact the Center for Intramuros Studies via [email protected]
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