Geographical history The site where the PLM campus in
Intramuros is situated used to be occupied by the
Colegio de Manila (also known as
Colegio Seminario de San Ignacio,
Colegio Máximo de San Ignacio, and, later,
Universidad de San Ignacio; the first royal and pontifical university in the Philippines and in Asia), which was the first school in the Philippines. (
Note: This is not the PLM of today). Aside from Colegio de Manila, there were other structures that were built on the site, such as Iglesia Santa Ana, the first stone church in the Philippines. Upon expulsion of the
Jesuits from the
Spanish Philippines, the buildings were transformed into military headquarters called
Cuartel del Rey (also known as
Cuartel de España), In World War II, General
Douglas MacArthur held a command post here, but the entire area was later destroyed by the ongoing military conflict. In the early 1960s, the site was rehabilitated by the city government, and a building was constructed at General Luna Street to house the students of Manila High School. However, on April 24, 1965, President
Diosdado Macapagal issued Proclamation No. 392-A, giving the proposed city university the lot being occupied by Manila High School. On February 26, 1967, the new complex along Victoria Street was inaugurated, and the students of Manila High School were transferred there.
Establishment PLM was conceived during the administration of
Manila Mayor Arsenio H. Lacson, when he approved Ordinance No. 4202 on January 13, 1960, which appropriated
PhP 1 million for the construction of the university. After Lacson died of a heart attack, he was succeeded by Vice Mayor
Antonio Villegas, who continued with his plan. and an institute for extramural studies were formed. Reyes aggressively expanded the PLM curriculum to include professional studies in arts and sciences, engineering, architecture, nursing, criminology, and government.
21st century Growth and expansion and Manila Mayor
Lito Atienza during the renewal of the memorandum of understanding, cooperation, and exchange programs between the City College of San Francisco and PLM in 2006 At the turn of the 21st century, PLM admitted students from outside Manila on paying schemes for the first time. Many changes were made, and the university continued with its affiliations and consortium agreements with various educational institutions in the world. Additional funds were made available for the university's physical development; many new facilities were built at the main campus, From 2001 to 2003, the PLM Board of Regents expanded the PLM curriculum to include professional studies in tourism, hotel and travel industry management, and physical education and recreational sports; supported the separation of the Department of Architecture from the College of Engineering and Technology; separated the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and the College of Public and Business Administration into new colleges: the College of Mass Communication, the College of Science, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Accountancy and Economics, and the College of Management and Entrepreneurship; and merged the departments of social work, education, and psychology into the College of Human Development. In 2001, Mayor
Lito Atienza authorized the opening of
three district colleges under the city government's university system. At about the same time, the
integrated learning center for toddlers commenced through the initiative of the Center for University Extension Services (CUES). A year later, the PLM Open University increased its off-campus and distance learning programs to more qualified individuals throughout the country. It installed a general education curriculum and visiting professors agreement with its sister schools in Saudi Arabia and Thailand to allow
overseas Filipinos to pursue their college education.
Campaign for Student Regency In 2001, the Supreme Student Council (SSC), the university's student governing body, led the campaign for student representation at the
PLM Board of Regents and made the PLM community cognisant of the issue. On January 15, 2002,
Senator Francis Pangilinan filed
Senate Bill No. 1967, or an act amending certain provisions of Republic Act No. 4196, which sought student representation on the Board of Regents.
English Proficiency Program In July 2004, Mayor Lito Atienza spearheaded the development and implementation of the English Proficiency Program in all schools being funded by the city government. A committee on the use of English was formed a week after the directive was passed, headed by PLM President
Benjamin Tayabas. A few weeks later, the English as a Second Language (ESL) Center was established at PLM Initially, the city's campaign was derided by some critics and groups PLM continued refurbishing its facilities, including the repair of the school gymnasium and the creation of a faculty lounge and a health and wellness center. In 2007, the President Ramon Magsaysay Entrepreneurial Center, and the University Activity Center were built through grants from the
Philippine Congress. About two years later, two buildings, namely, Gusaling Intramuros (Intramuros Hall) and Bahay Maynila (Executive Building), were added. During the same period, PLM allocated
PhP 2-3 million for the establishment of a restaurant near Baluarte de San Diego Gardens, operated by the College of Tourism, Hotel and Travel Industry Management. upgrading the wage and non-wage benefits of employees, and for the wireless engineering laboratory and operation GSM base station within the campus. It also collaborated with
Microsoft for the activation of the official PLM
Live@edu email address and online learning tools for its stakeholders.
Expansion plans , PLM President
Adel Tamano, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, and some members of the university administrative team The PLM Administration conveyed its plan of building a city
university system that would embrace all districts of Manila, as well as transform the main campus in Intramuros into a center for graduate studies and research, and include a science and technology institute and a polytechnic school in extension campuses. Likewise, they also expressed hope that the city government shall regain jurisdiction over Intramuros from the national government, because it is proven to be vital for the proposed expansion plans for PLM. ==Institution==