THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE PHILIPPINES

The task of guaranteeing that documents and records are preserved and accessible
to the public lies with the National Archives of the Philippines. Its main responsibility
is to preserve the primary sources of information on Philippine history, the basic
components of cultural heritage and collective memory. These documentary sources
are the embodiment of community identities as well as testaments to shared national
experiences.

The Intendencia Building Future home of the National Archives of the Philippines

The National Archives of the Philippines is the home of about 60 million documents
from the centuries of Spanish rule in the Philippines, the American and Japanese
occupations, as well as the years of the Republic. It is also the final repository for the
voluminous notarized documents of the country.

The Treaty of Paris (December 10, 1898) established the Office of Archives (formerly
Spanish Division of Archives) under the Americans. The Treaty urged the turn-over
of documents from Spain and the Philippines. Philippine Commission Act No. 273
(October 21, 1901) established the Bureau of Archives under the Department of
Public Instructions (now Department of Education)

On May 21, 2007, by means of RA 9470 – the first archival legislation after more
than a century – the National Archives of the Philippines came into existence. The
new law strengthened the government’s recordkeeping systems and administration
programs for archival materials.

Today, in implementing its mandate, the Archives utilizes a two pronged approach
where effective records management goes hand-in-hand with the development of a
sense of pride in one’s heritage. To achieve its goals, the Archives interacts with
other government agencies and the private sector to set up projects which will
illustrate how heritage resources can be used for enhancing community life. Archival
materials can be utilized for tourism information, creative product design and
heritage education modules that revitalize the youth’s sense of identity and
membership in a dynamic, multifaceted nation.