Professional Documents
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History of Muntinlupa
History of Muntinlupa
The name “Muntinlupa” came from at least three versions. First, its association
with thethin topsoil in the area. Second, residents, purportedly replying to a
question by Spaniards i n t h e 1 6 th c e n t u r y w h a t i s t h e n a m e o f t h e i r
p l a c e w e r e , s a i d “Monte sa Lupa”– a p p a r e n t l y m i s t a k i n g t h e
question for what card game they were playing. Third,
t h e topographical nature of the area, where the term
Monte or mountain was expanded toMuntinlupa or mountain land.
Some documents suggest that the first and third versions of Muntinlupa
and Monte sa Lupa
respectively eventually became Muntinlupa either through
m i s s p e l l i n g o r mispronounciation. But no record to date a firmly
establish which of the of the threeversions is historically correct.Muntinlupa is
an old term, which refers to a barangay (which means a smaller branch of acity or
a municipality; often reffered to as a county) now known as the
Población
. As early as 1800, the Catholic priest Father Joaquin de Zuñiga chronicled it as
la población que sigue se llama Muntinlupa.
Brief History
The city of Muntinlupa unfortunately has just little documents to support its authentic
history. Despite this, stories through the word of mouth has provided some interesting tales
about the city name’s origin. Below is a writing directly from the Muntinlupa’s
profile provided by the Philippines Department of Tourism to showcase the city’s history and
some of its important milestones:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….
History
The name “Muntinlupa” came from at least three versions. First, its association with the thin
topsoil in the area. Second, residents, purportedly replying to a question by Spaniards in the
16th century what the name of their place was, said“Monte sa Lupa” apparently mistaking
the question for what card game they were playing. Third, the topographical nature of the
area, where the term
Monte or mountain was expanded to Muntinlupa or mountain land.
Some documents suggest that the first and third versions of Muntinlupa and Monte sa Lupa
respectively eventually became Muntinlupa either through misspelling or mispronunciation.
But no record to date can firmly establish which of the three versions is historically correct.
Muntinlupa is an old term, which refers to a village now known as the Poblacion. As early as
1800, the Catholic priest Father Joaquin de Zuñiga chronicled it as la poblacion que sigue se
llama
Historical Milestones
DATE MILESTONE
1601
Some 80 years after the discovery of the islands for King Philip II of Spain by Portuguese
navigator Ferdinand Magellan, Muntinlupa starts being under the religious supervision of the
Augustinians. The religious education of the residents was under the convent of the
Guadalupe Sanctuary until one Quijano Bustamante bought from the residents the land of
Muntinlupa.
1869
The then Civil Government approves the project of forming a town out of the barrios of
Muntinlupa.
1901
By Act 1008 of the Philippine Commission, the municipality of Muntinlupa is included within
the boundary of Laguna province and is placed under Biňan Town.
March 22, 1905
Act 1308 of Philippine Commission, following a petition presented to the Governor General
for the separation of Muntinlupa to Rizal province, grants the request of residents of
Muntinlupa which becomes a part of Taguig from which later it was eventually separated.
The government grants the petition of residents for an independent status of their
municipality under Executive Order 108 signed by Governor General Francis Burton Harrison.
January 1, 1918
Governor General Harrison’s Executive Order 108 takes effect. Vidal Joaquin, a native of
Alabang, served as the first appointed mayor in 1918 while the first elected mayor was
Melencio Espeleta.
November 7, 1975
Muntinlupa became a part of Metropolitan Manila by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824
issued by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Under the Loresca and Argana administration,
education was given priority. Elementary public schools in the different barangays were
established.
December 6, 1988
March 1, 1994
During the Bunye Administration, Muntinlupa signed a sisterhood pact with Gunma, Japan.
The covenant called the “Muntinlupa-Gunma Sisterhood Pact” that will establish bilateral
relations between the two municipalities.
February 16, 1995
House Bill No. 14401 converting the Municipality of Muntinlupa into a highly urbanized city
was approved by the House of Representatives. Muntinlupa formally became a charter city
when President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act 7926 proclaiming Muntinlupa as a city.
Atty. Ignacio R. Bunye became the first representative of Muntinlupa City in Congress.
March 1, 1995
Muntinlupa becomes the 65th city in the Philippines as signed into law by President Fidel V.
Ramos, its conversion into a highly urbanized city by virtue of Republic Act No. 7926.
February 26, 1996
Resolution No. 96-256 was passed, declaring the first day of the Month of March and every
year thereafter as “Muntinlupa-Gunma Friendship Day”, by the city council.
Atty. Jaime R. Fresnedi takes his oath of office as the new mayor of the City of Muntinlupa
after winning in the May elections.
Another milestone in international relations has been achieved with another sister-city
agreement with Staffanstorp, Sweden.
March 1, 2001
An act declaring the First Day of March of every year as a Special Working Holiday in the City
of Muntinlupa to be known as “The Muntinlupa City Charter Day” by virtue of Senate Bill No.
2165.
Muntinlupa City receives the ISO 9002 Certification from Reyland Nepomuceno of TUV
Products. The city is the first Local Government Unit (LGU) in the country to become ISO
9002 compliant.
Liuzhou, the “Dragon City of China”, becomes the third sister city of Muntinlupa. The letter
of intent between the two cities was signed at the city hall led by Liuzhou’s Director of
Foreign Affairs Li Xu Xiang and the Honorable Mayor Jaime R. Fresnedi. The formal twinning
agreement was inked by the two major cities last November 3-7, 2004 when Mayor Fresnedi
and his delegates went to Liuzhou, China to formally finalize the pact. Cultural exchanges,
technology transfer and trade interactions will boost the city’s local economy, which is
greatly affected in this time of financial crisis in the country.
MUNTINLUPA: TUNGO SA
UNANG SIGLO NG LAKAS,
TALINO, AT BUHAY
MAYOR JAIME R. FRESNEDI / 19 DECEMBER 2016
Taong 1917 nang nilagdaan ni Gobernador Heneral Francis Burton Harrison ang Executive
Order 108 na nagsasaad na ang Muntinlupa ay isa nang ganap na bayan. At ngayong gabi ay nasa
ika-siyamnapu’t-siyam na anibersaryo na tayo mula ng nasabing pagkakatatag.
Nais kong magbalik-tanaw sa mayamang kasaysayan ng ating Lungsod:
* 1901 nang maging bahagi ng Bayan ng Morong ang Muntinlupa.
* 1903 naman nang maging bahagi tayo ng lalawigan ng Laguna sa bayan ng Biñan sa
pamamagitan ng Philippine Commission Act of 1008.
* 1905 nang ibinalik ang Muntinlupa sa lalawigan ng Rizal ngunit napailalim ito sa Taguig
kasama ang Pateros sa pamamagitan ng Kautusan Bilang 1308.
* At tulad nga ng aking nabanggit, noong Disyembre 19, 1917, naging ganap na bayan ang
Muntinlupa.
* Mula noon hanggang 1960’s – Agrikultura ang pangunahing hanapbuhay sa ating Bayan.
Hanggang sa unti-unting nagbago patungong industriyal sa pagsisimula ng pagpasok ng
NAPOCOR.
* 1970’s – Sa pagbubukas ng South Superhighway, nagsimulang magtayo ng mga industrial
establishments sa Muntinlupa, gaya ng Zuellig Pharma, Firestone, Lirag, Nescafe, Pacwood, Tai-
Ping, Solid Mills, at iba pa. Sa mga taon ding ito na-develop ang ilang subdibisyon gaya ng JPA
sa Tunasan and Alabang Hills sa Cupang.
* 1980’s- Nagsimulang lumipat palabas ng Muntinlupa ang ilang mga industriya at umusbong
ang iba’t ibang commercial establishments. Namayagpag din ang development ng iba pang
subdivisions katulad ng Ayala-Alabang.
* 1986 – Matagumpay na pinigilan ng ating mga mamamayan ang pagpasok ng mga sundalo
mula Timog Luzon upang maging karagdagang pwersa ng hukbong sandatahan noong People
Power o ESDA I Revolution. Matapos ito, hinirang ni Pangulong Cory Aquino bilang Officer-in
Charge ng Muntinlupa si Atty. Toting Bunye. Ang inyong lingkod naman ay nahirang bilang
Municipal Attorney at OIC-Vice Mayor noong taong iyon.
* 1990’s – Itinayo ang Filinvest Corporate City sa dati’y Alabang Stock Farm, na ‘di naglaon ay
naging isa sa mga pangunahing business districts sa bansa.
* Marso 1, 1995 – Nilagdaan ni Dating Pangulong Fidel V. Ramos ang “REPUBLIC ACT 7926 o
MUNTINLUPA CITY CHARTER”, upang tayo’y maging ganap na lungsod.
* Taong 2000 at mga sumunod na taon – mas lumago ang mga service-oriented firms sa Lungsod
tulad ng hotels, condominiums, retail establishments, at business process outsourcing companies
o BPO. Ilan sa mga ating nasaksihan ay ang pagtatayo ng mga gusali ng Insular Life, Festival
Mall, Convergys, Flour Daniel at iba pang multinational corporations.
Hindi tayo magsasawang magpasalamat sa mga dating naging pinuno ng Muntinlupa, sampu ng
kanilang pamilya. Salamat sa mahalagang papel na kanilang ginampanan sa ating kasaysayan.
Gayundin sa mga kasalukuyang lider, gaya nina Congressman Ruffy Biazon, Vice Mayor Celso
Dioko, at mga konsehal para sa kanilang hindi matatawarang dedikasyon nang paglilingkod sa
mga Muntinlupeno.
Naging mabilis ang takbo ng mga taon at ngayon ay halos ika-isandaang taong anibersaryo na ng
ating Lungsod.
Isang karangalan sa akin na maging lingkod-bayan ng Muntinlupa sa mga nakalipas na dekada
bilang inyong Punonglungsod at maging bahagi ng kasaysayan nito. Isang karangalan sa akin na
magampanan ang kredo na paglingkuran ang Muntinlupa ng aking buong lakas, talino, at buhay.
Kasabay ng mga hamon na hinaharap, nagbago rin ang kalidad ng ating pagseserbisyo. Mas
inilapit natin ang mga tanggapan sa ating mga mamamayan sa pamamagitan ng ating mga
satellite offices, katuwang ang national government agencies, gaya ng – Registry of Deeds, NSO,
NBI, SEC, LTO, DFA, at iba pa. Batid niyo rin na binigyangimportansiya at pinatatag natin ang
ating mga infrastructure projects.
Napakahalaga ng unang siglo kaya ating itinatag ang Muntinlupa Centennial Commission na
kumakatawan sa iba’t ibang sektor sa ating Lungsod. Kasama rito ang lahat ng tanggapan ng
Pamahalaang Lungsod, ang ating Sangguniang Panlungsod, maging si Dating Mayor Toting
Bunye, mga kinatawan ng national government agencies, Muntinlupa Artists Society, mga
barangay, miyembro ng pribadong sektor, at iba pang mga organisasyon.
Isa sa ating mga pasisinayaan bilang bahagi ng ating pagdiriwang ay ang Muntinlupa Museum
kung saan itatampok ang mayamang kasaysayan ng ating Lungsod. Kung mayroon po kayong
anumang bagay o kagamitan na maaaring ibahagi sa ating Museo, mangyaring makipag-ugnayan
lamang po kayo sa amin.
Dagdag dito, ang araw na ito ay araw rin ng pasasalamat. Mapalad tayo dahil inabot ng ating
henerasyon ang kaganapang ito. Katulad nito, natatandaan ko rin na noong Hunyo 12, 1998,
ipinagdiwang ng ating bansa ang unang sentenaryo ng ating kasarinlan mula sa mga Kastila. This
is the reason why we have to seize this moment and take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
celebrate and rejoice.
Higit sa lahat, ang ating pasasalamat sa ating Panginoong na nagbibigay-katuparan sa lahat ng
ating adhikain. Ang Panginoong nating Siyang nagbibigay ng ating lakas, talino, at buhay. Ang
sabi sa Psalm 100:5, “For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his
faithfulness to all generations”. Bilang Kanyang lingkod, sikapin nating mamuhay ng naaayon sa
Kanyang katuwiran. Isang buhay na kalugud-lugod sa mata ng ating Lumikha.
Ang gabing ito ay hudyat ng pagsisimula ng isang taong pagdiriwang. Tunghayan po ninyo ang
“logo” ng ating “1st Centennial Celebration”.
Tungo sa matagumpay na ika-isangdaang taon ng Muntinlupa at sa mga susunod pa! Yakapin
natin ang pagkakaisa. Maraming salamat at magandang gabi sa ating lahat
Muntinlupa City
The City of Muntinlupa (Filipino: Lungsod ng Muntinlupa) is the southernmost city in Philippine
National Capital Region. It is bordered on the north by Taguig City; to the northwest by Parañaque
City; by Las Piñas City to the west; to the southwest by the municipality of Bacoor, Cavite; by the
municipality of San Pedro, Laguna; and by Laguna de Bay to the east, the largest lake in the country. It
is classified as a Highly Urbanized City[1] with a population of more than 400,000[2] and is given the
nickname "Emerald City of the Philippines" by the tourism establishment.[citation needed] Muntinlupa
was once notoriously known as the location of the national insular penitentiary, the New Bilibid Prison,
where the country's most dangerous criminals were incarcerated. Consequently, Muntinlupa or "Munti"
became synonymouswith the national penitentiary although it has largely shaken-off this negative
image to become one of the most progressive cities in the country.
Muntinlupa is also home to some of the best commercial establishments in the metropolis and is the
location of Ayala Alabang Village, one of the country's biggest and most expensive residential
communities, where many of the wealthy and famous live.
Barangay Alabang, part of the second district of Muntinlupa, has undergone tremendous growth mainly
due to a development boom in the late 1990s. The development of two large scale commercial real
estate projects namely; the Filinvest Corporate City and Ayala Land's Madrigal Business Park, changed
the landscape of Muntinlupa City from what was once vast fields of cow pasture in the late 1980s, into
a supercity that houses new residential, business, industrial and commercial establishments. It was a
transformation reminiscent of Makati City's development boom some 30 years prior.
Some of the country's premier shopping centers, including the Alabang Town Center and the Festival
Supermall, the towering Insular Life Towers, the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, and the Northgate
Business District, which specializes in hosting information and technology industries, are important
places of interest and landmarks of the city. Nightlife is still relatively staid compared to those of its
neighbors, and younger residents often flock to other cities in Metro Manila,
particularly Makati, Taguig, or Manila, during the weekend to enjoy the night out.
This city has recently acquired the status "Most Competitive City" and the "Most Improved City" in the
Philippines.[citation needed]
The history of the name “Muntinlupa” comes from at least three stories.
Second, residents, purportedly replying to a question by Spaniards in the 16th century what the
name of their place was, said “Monte sa Lupa”—apparently mistaking the question for what
card game they were playing.
Third, the topographical nature of the area, where the term Monte or mountain was expanded
to Muntinlupa or mountain land.
Some documents suggest that the first and third versions of Muntinlupa and Monte sa Lupa respectively
eventually became Muntinlupa either through misspelling or mispronunciation. But no record to date
can firmly establish which of the three versions is historically correct.
Muntinlupa is an old term that refers to a barangay hence called as Munting Lupa (which means a
smaller branch of a city or a municipality, often referred to a county) now known as the Población. As
early as 1800, the Catholic priest Father Joaquín de Zúñiga chronicled it as La poblacion que sigue se
llama Muntinlupa and Muntinglupa was used as the Tagalog term for the city during the American era.
Historical Landmarks
The Bureau of Corrections Administration Building - This is a prison facade that houses the
offices of the prison administration. The maximum security compound, consisting of 12
buildings called brigades are located at the western side of the facade. The structures were
built in 1941, but it is the area of the medium security compound that is being shown in movies
and in television. The maximum security compount was never shown in TV or in movies, except
for the Office of the Director and the front view of the Maximum Security Compound.
Jamboree Lake - This is the smallest natural lake in the country, a favorite hang-out spot for
nature lovers, as well as ordinary passers-by looking for a cool respite from the tropical heat.
The lake has been in existence since time immemorial.
Memorial Hill - This is a small hill in the NBP reservation compound that cradles a World War II
Vintage Japanese canon. The hill is likewise the burial place of Eriberto Misa the famous
Prison`s Director from 1937 to 1949.
The Japanese Garden Cemetery - The cemetery is a burial place of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita,
the Japanese general who became famous during the Japanese occupation of the country.
Government
Muntinlupa City is governed primarily by the city mayor, the vice-mayor and the city councilors. The
mayor acts as the chief executive of the city while the city councilors acts as its legislative body. The
vice-mayor, besides taking on mayoral responsibilities in case of a temporary vacancy, acts as the
presiding officer of the city legislature. The legislative body is composed of 16 regular members (8 per
district) and representatives from the barangay and the youth council.[4]
The Bureau of Corrections has its headquarters in the New Bilibid Prison Reservation in Muntinlupa
City.[5]
Mayors of Muntinlupa
Muntinlupa City is composed of a lone congressional district, and two legislative districts which are
further subdivided into nine Barangay. Legislative District One contains four Barangays in the southern
half of the city, while legislative District Two occupies the five Barangays in the northern portion of the
city.
While Barangays are the administrative divisions of the city, and are legally part of the addresses of
establishments and homes, many residents indicate their subdivision (village) instead of their Barangay.
Listed below are the Barangays in each district and known subdivisions.
District 1 Barangays
Bayanan
Poblacion
Putatan
Tunasan
District 2 Barangays
Sucat
Buli
Cupang
Alabang
Ayala Alabang
Subdivisions
Agro Homes
Brittany Bay
Expressview Villas
Freewill Subdivision
Gruenville Subdivision
Hillsborough Alabang
JPA Subdivision
Kalipayan Homes
Lakeshore Village
Lakeview Homes
Liberty Homes
Lodora Village
Mid-Land 1 & 11
Pacific Village
Parkhomes Subdivision
Pleasant Village
Posadas Village
Rizal Village
Southsuperville
Summitville Subdivision
Teacher's Village
Uding's Compound
Iglesia ng Dios Kay Kristo Hesus, Haligi at Saligan ng Katotohanan ( Lokal ng Alabang )
Jesus the Living Water Christian Church (Sto. Nino Village, Tunasan)
Jesus the Lord of the Harvest and Victory Church (Montillano St., Alabang)
Muntinlupa Church of Christ 33 A.D. (Phase 2 Abeto St. Katarungan Village, Poblacion
Muntinlupa)
Old Line Primitive Baptist Church (0918 5923786 Festival Supermall, Alabang)
Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal National Shrine Parish (Posadas Village, Sucat)
The True Vine Church Global Outreach Ministry (DLA 1 Bldg. National Road, Putatan )
Victory Christian Fellowship - Muntinlupa (La Rychean Bldg. Tunasan near SM)
World Mission Society Church of God (House Church, lead by Ms. Cloe, Mr. Justin, and Ms.
Ester)- Block 11 Lot 13 Bolivar Street Villa Carolina 1, Tunasan, Muntinlupa City
Education
La Czarina School
Servite School
Spring Christian School
Special Education
Advertisements
Noong Pebrero 16, 1995, ang House Bill No. 14404 na nagsasalin sa
Municipality of Muntinlupa sa isang highly urbanized city ay inaprubahan
ng House of Representatives. Noong Marso 1, 1995, naging ika-65 lungsod
ng Pilipinas ang Muntinlupa sa bisa ng Republic Act No. 7926.