The Treaty of Paris (December 10, 1898) established the Office of Archives (formerly Spanish Division of Archives) under the American authority which stipulated the relinquishment or cession of documents from Spanish to American authorities and provided for the preservation of documents whether they may be in Spain or in the Philippines.
On October 21, 1901, the Philippine Commission Act No. 273 established the Bureau of Archives under the Department of Public Instructions (now Department of Education).
The Bureau of Archives was reduced into a division on November 1, 1915 by the Reorganization Act No. 1407.
February 4, 1916; the Commonwealth Act No. 2572 integrated the Division of Archives with Philippine Library and Museum.
The Bureau of Records Management (BRM) for coordinated management of official documents, was created on February 14, 1956 through the Reorganization Plan No. 8-A.
March 14, 1958; the Executive Order No. 290 provided for the organization of the Bureau of Records Management under the Department of General Services with the Division of Archives as one of its divisions.
On September 24, 1972; the Presidential Decree No. 1 reorganized the Executive Branch and renamed the BRM to Records Management and Archives Office (RMAO). The RMAO was re-classified as a cultural agency attached to the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) by the Executive Order No. 285 on July 25, 1987.
On March 15, 1999, Executive Order No. 80 transferred RMAO to the Office of the President attached to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) for program and policy coordination.
