The Intramuros Administration (IA) is an agency of the Department of Tourism of the Philippines that is mandated to orderly restore, administer, and develop the historic walled area of Intramuros that is situated within the modern City of Manila as well as to insure that the 16th- to 19th-century Philippine-Spanish architecture remains the general architectural style of the walled area.[3]
It operates autonomously from the municipal government,[citation needed] although the mayor of Manila is a member of its board. It was established on April 10, 1979, as under the now-defunct Ministry of Human Settlements by virtue of Presidential Decree 1616 issued by President Ferdinand Marcos.[4] Executive Order No. 120 reorganized the Ministry of Tourism which became the Department of Tourism (DOT) on January 30, 1987. The order also designated the IA as an attached agency of the DOT.[3]
On October 30, 2015, the Association of UNESCO World Heritage Cities of Spain awarded the IA the Heritage Prize 2015 for its efforts in preserving Spanish colonial architecture in Intramuros.[6] IA, however, was flagged by the Commission on Audit for its delayed implementation of an ₱18 million branding campaign that was awarded way back in 2017. ₱450,000 has been used so far. None of the project components: events and special projects, branding materials, online campaign, walking tour brochures and maps, and other printed media, were completed at all.[7]
Intramuros in Manila is the only locality in the Philippines where, for cultural reasons, the use, height, scale, and aesthetics of all new constructions and development are pre-determined and strictly regulated under the force of a national law. The Register of Styles, as an integral part of Presidential Decree No. 1616, is the main legal document prescribing and guiding the implementation of pre-war architectural colonial styles in Intramuros.[9][10]
The Register of Styles is the first document to detail the historical styles of Intramuros. It was authored by Rancho Arcilla, who was then the Archivist of the Intramural Administration, and under the initiative of Guiller Asido, the former Administrator of Intramuros.[9] Being an integral part of Presidential Decree No. 1616, the Register of Styles is the only architectural stylebook in the Philippines with the force and potency of a national law.
By form, the urban landscape of Intramuros mostly lacked setbacks, with buildings that were mostly terraced (rowhouses). Courtyards or backyards were exceptionally well adapted to the climate. By style Intramuros was described as both vernacular and cosmopolitan. While its Church and State buildings were European in orientation, albeit adapted and localized, most of the buildings enclaved within its walls embraced tropical vernacular constructions as exemplified by the Bahay na bato. Churches, fortifications, and palaces fashioned in European styles, though few, became icons and objects of popular imagination. In contrast, the vernacular Bahay na Bato, which was adopted in majority of buildings, prevailed in terms of number of constructions.[10]
The Register of Styles prescribes the Bahay na bato as the default style for new constructions in Intramuros. It explicitly recognized the Bahay na Bato as the dominant architectural typology of Intramuros during the Spanish colonial era until the destruction of the Walled City in 1945 during the Second World War. Pursuant to the Intramuros Register of Styles, new constructions in Intramuros that do not follow the Bahay na Bato typology may only be allowed only in specific locations where a Non-Bahay na Bato structure (e.g. a Neoclassical building) was known to exist. Otherwise, new constructions are required to follow the Bahay na Bato type.[10]
