Intramuros, citadel of an empire (1)

My appreciation of arts and culture began when I was assigned by the Commission on Audit as the first resident auditor of the Intramuros Administration, or IA, then headed by Dr. Jaime C. Laya. It was our distinct honor and privilege to have worked with Dr. Laya, who was highly admired for his honesty and integrity. His presence in the workplace brought trust, grace and efficiency.

He was the chief implementor of the mandates to restore and develop Intramuros as a monument to the Hispanic period of Philippine history, to restore its general appearance to conform to the Spanish architecture of the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, and to sponsor, conduct or otherwise assist and support festivals and cultural activities.

Knowing the functions of the agency under audit helped me to review intelligently the economy and effectiveness of the utilization of government resources in the implementation of the mandates to restore the walls of Intramuros, the authenticity of the works it was acquiring, and the cost-effectiveness of the acquisitions.

The continuing process of examining things of the past and imbibing into my consciousness bits of knowledge about the makings, the ages, and colors of the porcelain antiques of the Ming and Sung dynasties, the religious relics, the artifacts, the paintings of Luna, Hidalgo, Amorsolo and Castañeda, the archaeological findings, of the rare and ancient books, of the music of various ages and classes of our indigenous peoples, of the architectural and sculptural designs displayed by our own artists in this particular form of discipline — in totality constituted a singular quality of distinction that was uniquely beautiful and globally interesting to behold.

The whole process of assimilation enabled me to equip myself with the necessary tools to create my own forms of art out of the stored knowledge that is both teachable and writable for the education and pleasure of man and the Greater Glory of God.

President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos founded the Intramuros Administration on 10 April 1979, not only to restore the walls of the oldest city of Intramuros but to perpetuate the memory of the citadel of the only Catholic Empire in Asia.

Intramuros was primarily a fortress. How it was built and how it withstood the battle during the Japanese occupation in the Second World War is a fascinating story.

The decision of the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War to make their last stand in Intramuros against the Allied Forces in the Philippines was a tribute to the formidability of the old walled city as the strongest fortification built by Spain in Asia.

The Japanese Army had a worthy commander, Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi, a graduate of the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy in 1915.

In 1937, he was promoted to captain and given command of the battleship Kirishima on 20 April 1942.

On 15 November 1942, his forces engaged the US Navy in the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal where his battleship Kirishima was sunk but not after it had sunk two US battleships and eight cruisers — a major one-sided triumph for the Japanese Imperial Naval Command which promoted Iwabuchi to Rear Admiral.

He was given command of the 11th fleet, in charge of the Japanese defense of Guadalcanal against the United States. General Yamashita later gave him a direct order to withdraw and report to him and not to proceed to Manila. He refused, citing his shame over having lost his Kirishima. He believed he could redeem that loss by holding his position in Intramuros to the death.

Before the start of hostilities, Rear Admiral Sanji Iwabuchi addressed his men:

"We are very glad and grateful for the opportunity to serve our country in this epic battle. Now with what strength remains, we will daringly engage the enemy. Banzai to the Emperor! We are determined to fight to the last man."

(To be continued)