Fort Santiago served as the the military headquarters of the Spanish, British, American and Japanese regimes. During World war II, it was a dreaded place where hundreds of men and women were jailed, tortured and executed by the Japanese military police.

After surviving a number of earthquakes, typhoons, fires, and wars through the centuries, Intramuros took the deathblow when the Americans liberated the Philippines from the Japanese in 1945. Artillery shells reduced the walls and buildings to ashes. Thousand died during the eighty-day siege. When it was over, Intramuros was a died city. In 1946, the U.S. recognized Philippine Independence but the city didn't spring back to life, until on April 1979, Presidential Decree 1616 created the Intramuros Administration to undertake the restoration and development as monument to the Hispanic period of Philippine History.

Today, efforts to preserved the Walled City and revive its illustrious past are stronger than ever. The present generations of Filipinos has come to realize its historical value. As in the days of our forefathers, Intramuros is a priceless treasure to be shared with the world.