Muntinlupa Sports Complex

Muntinlupa, officially the City of Muntinlupa ( fil, Lungsod ng Muntinlupa), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 543,445 people.

It is classified as a highly urbanized city, it is bordered on the north by Taguig; to the northwest by Parañaque; by Las Piñas to the west; to the southwest by Bacoor; by San Pedro and Laguna de Bay to the east, the largest lake in the country. It is given the nickname "Emerald City" by the tourism establishment and also known as the "Gateway to Calabarzon" as it is the southernmost city of the National Capital Region.

Muntinlupa is known as the location of the national insular penitentiary, the New Bilibid Prison, where the country's most dangerous criminals are incarcerated, as well as 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.

Etymology

There are three plausible origins of the name of the city: First, is 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''. Based on the 1987 Philippine constitution, it is spelled as Muntinglupa, instead of Muntinlupa.

History

Early history

* 1601: Some 88 years after the arrival of Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan in the Visayas islands, the original lands constituting Muntinlupa could be deduced to have been friar lands administered by the Augustinians, then sold and assigned to the Sanctuary of Guadalupe.
* 1869: The lands were transferred to the state and large individual landholders. In an effort by the Spanish Government to bring under closer administrative control the people living in the contiguous sitios, as well as those in Alabang, Tunasan, Sucat, and Cupang, the municipality was created upon the recommendation of Don Eduardo de Canizares.
* August 6, 1898: The town supported the Philippine Revolution against the Spaniards and formally joined the revolutionary government headed by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo.

20th century

* June 1, 1901: The Philippine Commission promulgated Rizal Province on June 11, 1901, through Act No. 137. Muntinlupa becomes part of the new province after being a part of the defunct province of Manila.
* October 12, 1903: Muntinlupa, alongside Taguig, were merged with Pateros by virtue of Act No. 942.
* November 25, 1903: Muntinlupa was incorporated under Act No. 1008 and included within the boundary of the province of La Laguna under the municipality of Biñan. Muntinlupa residents protested this Executive Act, and through their town head, Marcelo Fresnedi, filed a formal petition to the Governor for the return of the municipality to the province of Rizal.
* March 22, 1905: Act No. 1308 paved the way for Muntinlupa's return to Rizal province to become a part of Taguig, along with Pateros. However, it was eventually separated from Taguig due to its physical distance.
* January 1, 1918: Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison's Executive Order 108 dated December 19, 1917, which grants the petition of residents for an independent status of their municipality, takes effect. Vidal Joaquin, a native of Alabang, served as the first appointed mayor in 1918-1919 followed by Primo Ticman, native of Poblacion 1919-1922 while the first elected mayor was Melencio Espeleta (1922-1924).
* January 22, 1941: The historic New Bilibid Prison, the national penitentiary, was established in the hills of Muntinlupa.
* November 7, 1975: Muntinlupa was transferred from the Province of Rizal to the newly formed Metropolitan Manila by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824 issued by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
* June 13, 1986: Following the EDSA Revolution in February that year, President Corazón C. Aquino appoints Ignacio R. Bunye, Officer-In-Charge of Muntinlupa as part of a nationwide revamp of local government units. In the ratification of the 1987 Constitution, Muntinlupa together with Las Piñas formed one political district.
* December 6, 1988: President Corazon C. Aquino by Proclamation 351 declares December 19 as "Municipality of Muntinlupa Day".
* February 16, 1995: House Bill No. 14401 converting the Municipality of Muntinlupa into a highly urbanized city was approved by the House of Representatives.
* March 1, 1995: Muntinlupa became 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. Per Section 62 of R.A. 7926 Muntinlupa and Las Piñas were to constitute separate congressional districts, with each district electing its separate representative in the 1998 elections. This separation was additionally confirmed in the city charter of Las Piñas (R.A. 8251) which was approved by plebiscite on March 26, 1997.
* June 30, 1998: Former mayor Ignacio Bunye assumed office as the first congressman representing the city.

21st century

* March 1, 2001: Republic Act No. 9191 declaring the 1st day of March of every year as a Special Non-working Holiday in the City of Muntinlupa to be known as "The Muntinlupa City Charter Day" by virtue of Senate Bill No. 2165.
* August 3, 2007: The city hall of Muntinlupa was completely damaged and later abandoned due to a fire. The fire started from a slum area behind the city hall. Almost all files, important documents and other references of Muntinlupa were burned.

Geography

Topography

It is bordered on the north by Taguig; to the northwest by Parañaque; by Las Piñas to the west; to the southwest by the city of Bacoor in Cavite; by the city of San Pedro, Laguna; and by Laguna de Bay to the east, the largest lake in the country.

Muntinlupa's terrain is relatively flat to sloping towards the east along the lake. Gentle rolling hills occupy the western part of the city, with elevation increasing up to and above towards its southwest portion.

While majority of the land area in the city is highly urbanized, the NBP Reservation in barangay Poblacion is relatively free of urbanization but there are ongoing discussions to move the national penitentiary to Nueva Ecija.

Cityscape

Alabang is the business district of the city where the tallest structures in the city are located. It used to be the location of Alabang Stock Farm. Land reclamation is also done along the Laguna Lake for further developments in the city. During the dry season, the water level in the lake subsides, exposing the soil that is then used for farming.

Climate

The dry season rungs through the months of November to April, while the wet season starts in May and lasts to November. The wet season reaches its peak in the month of August. Maximum rainfall in Muntinlupa usually occurs from the month of June to September. The average annual of rainfall is with a peak of in July and a low in April. The highest temperature occurs during the month of April and May (34 degrees Celsius) while the lowest occurs during the months of January & February (24 degrees Celsius).

Natural hazards

The west segment of the Marikina Valley Fault System, the ''West Valley Fault (WVF)'' cuts through parts of Muntinlupa and moves in a predominantly dextral strike-slip motion. The West Valley Fault is capable of producing large scale earthquakes on its active phases with a magnitude of 7 or higher.

Districts and barangays

Muntinlupa is composed of a lone congressional district, and two legislative districts which are politically subdivided into nine barangays. The 1st legislative district includes barangays Bayanan, Putatan, Poblacion and Tunasan in the southern half of the city, while the 2nd legislative district are barangays Alabang, Buli, Ayala Alabang, Cupang and Sucat in the northern portion of the city.

Other zip codes include Muntinlupa Central Post Office 1770, Ayala Alabang Village 1780, Pleasant Village 1777, Susana Heights 1774, and Filinvest City 1781.

Etymology of barangays

The barangays of the city is named after the botanical characteristics, topographical features, and historical events that had been observed in the area when it was named. Tunasan from the plant tunas. Putatan got its name from a tree called putat. Cupang is likewise named after the cupang tree. Buli is named after the buri palm. Alabang is named after the river that passes through the barangay. Ayala Alabang was created by Batas Pambansa Bilang 219 and was originally a part of Barangay Alabang. Sucat got its name from the vernacular word "sukat" which means “measurement” since during the Spanish era was always measured.

Subdivisions

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.

Demographics

Demonym

People from Muntinlupa are referred to as Muntinlupeño as an adaptation from the standard Spanish suffix - (eñ/n)o.

Language

The native language of Muntinlupa is Tagalog, but the majority of the residents can understand and speak English.

Religion

People in Muntinlupa are mainly Roman Catholic. Catholic churches in Muntinlupa fall under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Parañaque, with about 11 parishes within Muntinlupa.

Other religions in Muntinlupa include various Protestant denominations, Iglesia ni Cristo, Members Church of God International, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam.

Economy

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 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.

The Muntinlupa "Business One-Stop-Shop" is recognized in the 2014 World Cities Summit in Singapore in its effectiveness in reducing the number of steps in acquiring a Business Permit.

Industry

Northgate Cyberzone is the information technology park within Filinvest Corporate City in Alabang. The , PEZA registered IT zone is designed, mastered-planned and built around the needs of technology-based companies engaged in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO), education, learning and firm, software design and multimedia, call centers, e-commerce, banking and financial services, as well as other IT support businesses and the like. It is home to Capital One Philippines Support Services Corp., Convergys Philippines Corp, HSBC Electronic Data Processing (Philippines), Inc., Genpact, Verizon Business and many more.

Kawasaki Motors Philippines Corporation is in charge of production and distribution of Kawasaki Motors in the Philippines. KMPC, having been in the country for over 40 years, is hailed today as one of the top manufacturers in the Philippine motorcycle industry. Amkor Technology is a semiconductor product packaging and test services provider that established its first Philippine plant in Cupang. Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines has a plant located in Tunasan. Zuellig Pharma is also within the city.

Commerce

Shopping centers in Muntinlupa include Alabang Town Center and Ayala Malls South Park, both owned by Ayala Malls, Festival Alabang owned and operated by Filinvest Development Corporation, Starmall Alabang (formerly known as Metropolis Star Alabang), SM Center Muntinlupa owned by SM Prime Holdings, and Commercenter Alabang.

There are multiple car dealerships located in Muntinlupa and most of them are along the Alabang–Zapote Road in Alabang. Ford Motors Alabang has a five-floor facility covering a floor area of nearly including a 2-floor, 23-vehicle showroom and a 4-floor, and an 80-bay service center. Toyota Alabang also constructed a facility with a showroom, parts warehouse, office & service facilities in a lot. Audi Alabang, Chevrolet Alabang, Chrysler Alabang, Mitsubishi Motors

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