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
Muntinlupa becomes a district of Morong, Rizal.
November 25, 1903
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.
December 19, 1917
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.
June 13, 1986
President Corazon C. Aquino appoints Atty. Ignacio R. Bunye, Officer-In-Charge of Muntinlupa as part of a nationwide revamp of local government units following the EDSA Revolution in February that year. He takes his oath of office six days later. He served the local government for three consecutive terms. Together with Vice Mayor Atty. Jaime R. Fresnedi, the administration undertook various projects that converted the municipality into a very progressive town in the far south. In the ratification of the 1986 Constitution, Muntinlupa together with Las Piñas formed one political district. Muntinlupa was divided into two districts. District I included Barangays Tunasan, Poblacion, Putatan and Bayanan while Distric II consisted of Barangays Alabang, Cupang, Buli, Sucat and New Alabang.
December 6, 1988
President Corazon C. Aquino by Proclamation 351 declares the 19th of December as "Municipality of Muntinlupa Day".
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.
June 29, 1998
Atty. Jaime R. Fresnedi takes his oath of office as the new mayor of the City of Muntinlupa after winning in the May elections.
October 17, 2000
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.
September 27, 2004
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.
LOCATION
Muntinlupa City is the southernmost city in Metro Manila. 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 nicknamed the "Emerald City of the Philippines". According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 379,310.
Muntinlupa City was once notoriously known as the home of the maximum security National Bilibid Prison, where the country's most dangerous criminals were incarcerated. Nowadays, it has largely shaken-off this negative image to become one of the most progressive cities in the country.
Muntinlupa is 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 residential communities, where many of the wealthy and famous live. Among the village's well-known residents include former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos, actor Aga Muhlach and his wife, actress/host Charlene Gonzalez, and the Prince of Brunei.
Developments
The town of Alabang, part of the first district of Muntinlupa City, has undergone tremendous growth in the last decade. Because of two large scale commercial real estate development projects namely; the "Filinvest Corporate City (FCC)" by Filinvest Development Corporation (FDC), and Ayala Land, Inc.'s "Madrigal Business Center District (MCBD)", both of which changed the landscape of Muntinlupa City -- from what was once vast fields of cow pature in the late 1980s, into a supercity that houses new residential, business, industrial and commercial establishments. Examples of these are: one of the country's premier shopping centers, Alabang Town Center, the Festival Supermall (One of Asia's biggest mall), the towering Insular Life Buildings, the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, the Northgate Business District, that specializes in hosting information and technology industries. Nightlife is still relatively staid compared to those of its neighbors, and younger residents often flock to other cities in Metro Manila, particularly Makati, Quezon City, and Manila, during the weekend to enjoy the night out.
Many companies from other crowded cities are planning to, or already have moved their base of operations into Muntinlupa City, in a transformation reminicsent of Makati's development boom 30 years ago.
This city has recently accquired the status "Most Competitive City" and the "Most Improved City" in the Philippines.
Districts and Barangays
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 plus some notable subdivisions (villages).
Muntinlupa City - Residential Haven
What was once known as a sleepy, agricultural community and the town that simply hosted the national penitentiary has blossomed into a full-fledged city.
Today, the City of Muntinlupa has become a premiere residential, commercial and recreational area south of the nation's capital, effectively serving as the bridge that connects the bustling metropolis with the equally progressive towns in the CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) area.
Geography
Muntinlupa is located at the southwestern part of Metropolitan Manila, bounded on the north by Taguig, on the northwest by Parañaque, on the west by Las Piñas, on the southwest by the province of Laguna, and on the east by Laguna de Bay.
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