Muntinlupa

History

"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.

Early history

20th century

21st century

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; 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 60 meters and above towards its southwest portion.

Tectonic Activity

Marikina Valley Fault System' the west segment, known as the West Valley Fault (WVF) is one of the two major fault segments of the Valley Fault System which runs through the cities of Marikina, Pasig and Muntinlupa and moves in a dominantly dextral strike-slip motion. The West Fault is capable of producing large scale earthquakes on its active phases with a magnitude of 7 or higher.

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 2,014.8 millimeters with a peak of 420.0 millimeters in July and a low 26.9 millimeters 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 & Friday (24 degrees Celsius)

The Philippines, due to its geographical location, is one of the Asian countries often affected by typhoons. It is located within the so-called “typhoon belt”. Generally, typhoon season starts from June and ends in November. However, the rest of the months are not entirely free of the typhoons since they are unpredictable in nature and might enter the country anytime of the year.

Cityscape

Alabang is the business district of the city where the tallest structures of the city be 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 waterlevel in lake subsides exposing the soil that is then used for farming.

Local 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 act 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.

The Bureau of Corrections has its headquarters in the New Bilibid Prison Reservation in Muntinlupa City.

"Most Business Friendly City" on 2001, 2002 & 2006 as awarded by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Muntinlupa is the first city in the Philippines to ban the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam for packaging. The City Government encourages to "Bring your own Bag" or "BYOB" when shopping to reduce the use of plastic bags that would otherwise clog the waterways.

ISO Certification on Quality Management System or ISO 9001:2000 has initially been acquired on 2004 and is valid for 3 years. Muntinlupa City has re-acquired its ISO Certification on QMS in April 2015, ISO 9001:2008, together with Ospital ng Muntinlupa and Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa as certified by BRS Rim of the World Operations, California.

City Seal

Designed by Manuel Amorsolo, son of a national artist Fernando Amorsolo, the City Seal features the Philippine Eagle, the biggest, the strongest and the highest flying bird of the Philippine Republic, a bird that symbolizes our dream, one day, to make Muntinlupa the Premiere Emerald City of the 21st Century.

List of former mayors

Municipal Mayors:

City Mayors:

Districts and barangays

Muntinlupa City is composed of a lone congressional district, and two legislative districts which are further subdivided into nine barangays. Legislative District One includes barangays Bayanan, Putatan, Poblacion and Tunasan in the southern half of the city, while legislative District Two 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, and Susana Heights 1774.

Etymology of barangays

Putatan got its name from a tree called putat. When the Spaniards colonized the Philippines, those who came to this particular place which has yet no name during the 18th century found out that many trees abound which looked like the Santol tree but whose leaves are much bigger with flowers blooming like rounded bunches of threads in rosy color to become chain of fruits in a seemingly small vine branches. The fruits, which are known to be poisonous, resembled the American guava. Now, the Spaniards wanted to know the name of this place and had to ask the residents who likewise answered them, putat, and thinking the Spaniards were asking for the name of the trees around the area.

Tunasan may have originated from the plant tunas a prickly pear which grow in Tunasan. It may also had originated from the story of Chinese Merchands being robbed by rebels. When asked for the place where they were robbed, they answered that they were robbed by "tulisan" which means rebels.

Sucat got its name from the vernacular word "sukat" which means “measurement”. It has been known that this community prior to the establishment of the name during the Spanish era was always measured. During the regime, the Posadas family was in power because of the then Mayor of Manila – Juan Posadas, who have a close relation with the Spanish Government Officials. Juan Posadas was able to acquire all the land he wished to measure in the entire community due to his connections with the government.

Buli is said to also be named after the buri palm that is abundant in the area.

Cupang is likewise named after a plant

Alabang is named after the river that passes through the barangay.

Ayala Alabang was created by Batas Pambansa Bilang 219 on March 25, 1982. It was originally a part of Barangay Alabang. It was separated from Barangay Alabang and "constituted into a distinct and independent barangay" named Barangay New Alabang by Batas Pambansa Bilang 219 which was passed and approved on March 25, 1982. The name was changed to Barangay Ayala Alabang in November 2003, after the public hearing conducted by the City Government of Muntinlupa for this purpose.

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. Listed below are the Barangays in each district and known subdivisions.

Demonym

People on from Muntinlupa are referred to as Muntinlupeño as an adaptations 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 Christian, primarily Roman Catholic

Catholic churches in Muntinlupa are under the control of the Diocese of Parañaque. Main Catholic churches include Our Lady of the Abandoned Parish in Poblacion and Saint Peregrine Laziosi Parish in Tunasan. There are about 11 parishes within Muntinlupa. There are about 11 parishes in Muntinlupa, namely:

Denominations other than Catholic churches on Muntinlupa includes Protestant denominations, Iglesia Ni Cristo, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Iglesia ni Cristo mostly has at least one church ("Lokal") on each barangay.

A minority of Muslims exist in Alabang.

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 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.

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 18.7 hectare, 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. Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines has a plant located at Tunasan, Muntinlupa City. Zuellig Pharma is located in Muntinlupa City

Commerce

Shopping Centers in Muntinlupa include Alabang Town Center and Ayala Malls South Park owned by Ayala Malls popular for the people for the citizens of Southern Manila, Festival Supermall owned and operated by Filinvest Development Corporationit has an area of 20 hectares, Starmall Alabang (formerly known as Metropolis Star Alabang), and SM Center Muntinlupa owned by SM Prime Holdings.

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 13,000 square meters 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 5,000 square meter lot. Audi Alabang, Chevrolet Alabang, Chrysler Alabang, Mitsubishi Motors Alabang, Nissan and Suzuki Alabang are also located within the area, most of which are along the Alabang - Zapote Road. Still in Alabang-Zapote Road but located in barangay Ayala Alabang are Hyundai Alabang, Isuzu Alabang and Honda Alabang.

Electricity

The sole distributor of electricity in Metro Manila is the Manila Electric Company, also known as Meralco.

The de-commissioned Sucat Thermal Power Plant is located at Sucat, Muntinlupa City.

Water and sewage

Water is provided Maynilad Water Services also known as Maynilad is a water and waste water services provider of cities and municipalities of the National Capital Region that forms the West Zone and some parts of Cavite. It is one of the two concessionaires that provide water to Metro Manila in the Philippines, the other one is Manila Water which serves the East Zone.

Communication

Majority of the land-line connection is provided by phone carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company. Mobile telecommunication services are mostly provided by Globe Telecom, Smart Communications & Sun Cellular.

Transportation

Muntinlupa can be accessed through private vehicles, buses, jeepneys, taxis and tricycles. Electric vehicles by both private and public sectors operate within the borders of the city.

Public utility vehicles

Buses have a stations in Starmall Alabang which have routes passing through EDSA to Quezon City, Navotas or Valenzuela. Provincial buses are found in South Station Alabang which have routes to Batangas City, Lucena, Quezon, and even to Bicol Region. Buses also pass through the Alabang viaduct from EDSA to Pacita Station.

Jeepneys have stations in Starmall Alabang which have routes to General Mariano Alvarez, Calamba and Pasay going through Metro Manila Skyway, Alabang-Zapote Road, or National Road (Maharlika Highway).

Tricycles and pedicabs serve the interior of barangays and residential areas.

"360 Eco-loop" is Filinvest City’s fully integrated electric-powered public transport system operated by Filinvest as the main mode of transportation around the 244-hectare Filinvest City, Muntinlupa. "electric-Jeepney Ride for Free" is launched by the City Government of Muntinlupa on March 30, 2015 it is composed of an initial fleet of 10 e-jeepneys produced in the Philippines.

Rail

Philippine National Railways has 3 stations in the city. The following stations are Sucat, Alabang, and Muntinlupa (Brgy. Poblacion) Stations. There used to be a 4th and 5th stations in Brgy. Tunasan and Brgy. Buli, however both were discontinued to be used and demolished in 2009. Alabang station is the terminus of the Metro Commuter services so only the Provincial Commuter services that goes to Calamba City that stops in the Muntinlupa station which is currently 2 Northbound trips in the morning and 2 Southbound trips in the evening. Service southward to Alabang has resumed, but limited to Mamatid station in Mamatid, Cabuyao, Laguna.

Roads

Muntinlupa is served by expressways, national highways, and arterial roads, usually crowded.

National highways serving the city includes Maharlika Highway, which parallels the South Luzon Expressway and functions as the city's main artery and Alabang-Zapote Road, formerly known as "Real Street". Daang Hari Road, opened in 2003, lies on the boundary with Las Piñas near Ayala Alabang, Katarungan Village, and New Bilibid Prisons.

Expressways passing through Muntinlupa includes South Luzon Expressway, a part of the Pan-Philippine Highway(AH26) Luzon route, Metro Manila Skyway, an elevated expressway running above the South Luzon Expressway from Makati to Muntinlupa, and the Muntinlupa–Cavite Expressway, 4 km (2.5 mi) long access-controlled toll expressway opened on August 2015. A proposed expressway, Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike, is being planned to run along Laguna de Bay from Taguig in Metro Manila to Calamba and Los Baños in Laguna.

Arterial roads serve as the main route from the national roads to the barangays and its residential and commercial areas. Few examples of those roads include Commerce Avenue between Alabang and Ayala Alabang, Corporate Avenue in Filinvest City, Alabang, E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue in Poblacion, E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue in Tunasan, San Guillermo Street in Putatan, and Manuel L. Quezon Avenue from Alabang to Sucat and to the Taguig city boundary. The arterial roads are usually narrow, crowded with tricycles, pedestrians, and parked vehicles, and has few or no sidewalks, while a few, like Commerce Avenue, are wide divided roads having traffic lights and sidewalks.

Education

Muntinlupa City has 89 Child Development Centers, 20 Public Elementary Schools, 8 Public High Schools, 1 Public Tertiary School, 1 Public Vocational/Technical School, 88 Private Schools, 10 Private Tertiary Schools and 9 Private Vocational/Technical School. The "Iskolar ng Bayan" program has been able to give financial assistance to 3,567 students with an allocated budget of thirteen million pesos. The city search for the Ten Muntinlupa Outstanding Students (MOST) is conducted annually to give recognition and honor to talented and academically excellent students in all public and private high schools of Muntinlupa.

Public secondary schools

Public tertiary school

Technical and vocational training

Alternative learning system

Health

Muntinlupa City has 18 Health Centers, 1 Public Hospital, 8 Private Hospitals. The City uses Online Rapid Enrollment or ORE that is equivalent to automatic registration on PhilHealth. The Ospital ng Muntinlupa serves more than 600 patients daily. Discounts ranging from 25 to 75 percent may be availed depending on the financial capability the patient. The Food and Drug Administration, tasked to ensure the health and safety of food and drugs, has its headquarters located at Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

Public hospitals and health centers

Private hospitals

Research

Libraries

Muntinlupa City Public Library is located at 2/F Contessa Bldg., Poblacion Muntinlupa City.

Sports and recreation

Muntinlupa City has 10 swimming pools, 14 Billiard Halls, 11 Tennis Courts, 8 Resorts, 7 Country Clubs, 9 Dance/Fitness/Slimming Centers, 41 Open Basketball Courts, 59 Covered Basketball Cours and 11 Parks & Playgrounds. The Muntinlupa Sports Complex is used for a variety of activities such as concerts, conferences, reunions and graduations, the sports complex has 3,500 seating capacity and has two separate multipurpose rooms. Located on a reclaimed area in Barangay Tunasan, it has an open area which local residents enjoy their morning exercise and leisure time.

Notable people