Jaime C. Laya

Jaime del Carmen Laya, better known as Jimmy Laya (born January 8, 1939) is a Filipino banker, accountant, and cultural administrator who served as the first Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (as Minister of Budget) of the Republic of the Philippines, serving from 1978 to 1981. He was also the 5th governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines from 1981 to 1984 and later served as the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports from 1984 until 1986. His terms in civil service, covered two significant points in Philippine history, the election that made former President Ferdinand Marcos have his third term and the assassination of the late Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. that stimulated the People Power Revolution of 1986.

In between his political appointments to key government departments during the Marcos dictatorship, Laya also served as the first Action Officer of the Intramuros Administration. Later on, his work in cultural administration continued upon his appointment as Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) from 1996 until 2001. Since 2022, he presently serves as the Chairman of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

He also served as the Dean of the College of Business Administration, now the Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business, of the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Personal life and education
Born to Juan Cabreros Laya, noted author and Silvina del Carmen, an educator who were the founders of the Philippine publishing house, Kayumanggi Press. In 1957, Laya graduated magna cum laude with a degree in business administration from the University of the Philippines Diliman. Later, he took up a master's degree in industrial management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He did his graduate studies in finance at the Stanford Graduate School of Business of Stanford University from which he graduated with a doctoral degree in 1965. He was married to Alicia Laya, who later died during the 1990 earthquake in Baguio.

Career
Laya started off teaching accounting, economics, and management courses at UP after his graduation in 1957. At the age of 18, he placed eighth in the 1957 CPA examination. Laya served numerous positions in different government agencies. He rose to the rank of professor of accounting and director of graduate studies at the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Business Administration (present-day the Cesar E.A. Virata School of Business) and subsequently became its dean from 1968 to 1975, succeeding Cesar E.A. Virata who later served as Prime Minister during the Marcos dictatorship.

Government service
In 1978, President Ferdinand Marcos appointed Laya to serve as the first Minister of Budget and Management handling the portfolios of distribution of the general appropriations of the government.

Laya was later appointed as the 5th Governor of the Central Bank of the Philippines from 1981 to 1984 and was the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports from 1984 to 1986. Whilst helming as Governor of the Central Bank from 1981 until 1984, Laya initiated the purchase of important works of Philippine art and significant pieces of pre-Hispanic ancestral gold in the Philippines. These works are part of the permanent collection of the Museo ng Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

Laya was also the president of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Council from 1985 to 1986 and chairman of the Ad Hoc Working Group on International Standards of Accounting and Reporting of the United Nations Center on Transnational Corporations from 1980 to 1983. He also chaired the Philippine Delegations to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the Southeast Asian Central Banks Association, and the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO).

Private sector
Following his retirement from public office in 1986, Laya proceeded to found the accounting firm, J.C. Laya and Co., Ltd., subsequently renamed Laya, Mananghaya and Co. (now known as KPMG Philippines), where he acted as chairman until his retirement in 2004. In 2003, he assumed the roles of chairman and president of the Association of Certified Public Accountants in Public Practice (ACPAPP) and, in 2004, of ACAPP Foundation, Inc.

He was previously the chairman of the publicly listed Philtrust Bank, CIBI Information, Inc., Dual Tech Foundation, Inc and Don Norberto Ty Foundation. Laya serves as Director for Victorias Milling Company, Inc., Philippine AXA Life Insurance Company, Manila Polo Club and GMA Network, Inc., the Philippine Ratings Services Corporation, the Philippines-Mexico Business Council, and the Philippines-Spain Business Council.

Action Officer of the Intramuros Administration (1979–1986)
In 1979, President Ferdinand Marcos appointed Laya to be the first Action Officer of the Intramuros Administration (IA), a government agency tasked with orderly restoring, administering, and developing the historic walled area of Intramuros, including the fortifications of the Baluarte de San Diego and the Gates of Intramuros. During his tenure, he led the acquisition of various ecclesiastical and decorative arts collections for the IA, forming the basis of the present collections at the Museo de Intramuros and Casa Manila. Furthermore, as the Action Officer, he spearheaded the publication of numerous monographs on the history of Intramuros and Philippine arts and culture.

Chairman of the National Commission of Culture and Arts (1996–2001)
In 1996, President Fidel Ramos appointed Laya to helm as the Chairman of the National Commission of Culture and Arts (NCCA), where he initiated projects and programs in the promotion of Philippine arts both domestically and overseas.

Trustee of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (2010–2022)
In 2010, President Benigno Aquino III appointed Laya as one of the board of trustees of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It was during his term as trustee that CCP held the controversial Kulo exhibition with the installation art piece titled Poleteismo by Philippine contemporary artist Mideo Cruz, which was largely criticized by the largely Roman Catholic Philippine population. Laya, along with the rest of the CCP Board, faced criminal complaints before the Ombudsman. The complaints were dismissed for lack of merit in 2013.

Chairman of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (2022–present)
In 2022, President Bongbong Marcos appointed Laya to be the Chairman of the Cultural Center of the Philippines with the primary task of overseeing the renovation of the Tanghalang Pambansa, with plans to reopen the building by 2025. Consequently, Laya is one of two former officials from the previous martial law period to join the Marcos Jr. administration, the other being Juan Ponce Enrile.

Wala Lang column
Laya has authored numerous books and other publications comprising compilations of his various essays and writings on Philippine history, arts, and culture. The majority of his published works have centered on Intramuros, where he collaborated with Esperanza Gatbonton on Intramuros of Memory released in 1983 and subsequently reissued in 2011. He has also delved into the realm of Philippine architecture, co-authoring Philippine Heritage Homes: A Guidebook in 2014 with antiquarian Sonny Tinio and architect Maria Cristina Turalba. Presently, Laya contributes a column titled Wala Lang to the Manila Bulletin, dedicated to his reflections on Philippine art, culture, and politics.

He also serves as a trustee for De La Salle University Manila, St. Paul University Manila, the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, the Yuchengco Museum, the Heart Foundation of the Philippines, Inc., the Fundacion Santiago, ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc., Dañgal ng Bulacan Foundation, Cofradia de la Immaculada Concepcion and Escuela Taller de Filipinas Foundation, Inc. where he served as chairman of the board of trustees.