DID YOU KNOW that the construction of the Palacio del Gobernador Condominium triggered the creation of the Intramuros Administration?
By Rancho Arcilla
18 April 2020
The Palacio del Gobernador condominium was constructed from 1976 to 1978. Alarmed at how the building would “spoil” Intramuros and “overpower” the Cathedral, then Minister for Budget Jaime Laya sent a memorandum in 1978 to then President Ferdinand Marcos to air his concerns. President Marcos, while initially ordering the construction stopped, eventually yielded to Landbank of the Philippines (LBP) President Basilio Estanislao who pointed out that the construction was already in the third floor. Construction continued, but as a compromise, President Marcos ordered Minister Laya to draft a decree that would guide the future development of Intramuros. The decree was drafted by Minister Laya, with the help of Esperanza Gatbonton, Felix Imperial, Jr., and Carlos da Sliva. President Marcos signed the draft decree “unchanged” and the document was numbered PD no. 1616. With this decree, the Intramuros Administration (IA) was born.
IA’s first office was at the Puerta Isabel II (hence the design of its first logo), but it soon moved to a floor at the Palacio del Gobernador Condominium. When confronted with this irony, Jaime Laya stated: “It is said that Guy de Maupassant hated the Eiffel Tower but always had lunch there. When asked why, he answered that it was the only place in Paris where you can’t see it.”
Reference: Laya, Jaime (2017). The Noble and Ever Loyal City. In Panlilio, Erlinda (Ed), The Manila We Know (p.29-30). Anvil Publishing, Inc.
Texts and Illustrations by Rancho Arcilla
All rights reserved by the author.
18 April 2020 (updated 31 May 2020; 03.33)
Renacimiento Manila 
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