On this day in 1995, Muntinlupa became the 65th city of the Philippines by virtue of Republic Act 7926. It is a special nonworking holiday for the city marked by various activities, including street dancing, job fairs, medical missions, flea market and the traditional Parade of Festivals.
At 24, Muntinlupa City is one of the youngest cities in the Philippines. But it has already become one of the frontrunners in its class in terms of competitiveness and quality of life for its residents.
Formerly a sleepy farming and fishing community up to 1980s, Muntinlupa City began its gradual, yet steady, rise to urbanization later in the decade. On March 1, 1995, President Fidel V. Ramos signed into law Muntinlupa’s city charter, which converted Muntinlupa City from a municipality to a highly urbanized city.
In recent years Muntinlupa City was adjudged the Most Business-Friendly City in the Philippines by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among the Top 3 Most Competitive Highly Urbanized Cities in Government Efficiency by the National Competitive Council; and Most Child-Friendly City in the National Capital Region by the Regional Council for the Welfare of Children.
Other significant awards received include the Most Innovative LGU, Best in Program Effectiveness, Most Improved Nutrition Program Management, +Jose Rizal Award for Blood-Letting Program and Best in Health Emergency Management in Metro Manila.
Muntinlupa City is bounded on the north by Taguig City, on the northwest by Paranaque City, on the west by Las Piñas City, on the southwest by the province of Laguna and on the east by Laguna de Bay. The city was the first urban center in the country to ban the use of plastic bags and styrofoam/styropor with the passing of City Ordnance 10-109 that took effect on January 18, 2011.
Muntinlupa City has been under the helm of soft-spoken lawyer Jaime R. Frenesdi from 1998-2007 and again from 2013 to the present. A businessman-civic leader before he joined politics—he still is an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Muntinlupa, Rizal—Fresnedi traces his roots to Marcelo Fresnedi. Marcelo was one of the moving spirits behind the move in the 1900s to declare Muntinlupa City a separate municipality from Taguig City. This came to fruition in December 19, 1917.
Touted to be the “Education Mayor”, Fresnedi has given primary importance to education. Starting on June 2017, the city has provided financial assistance to all primary and secondary public-school students.
The recent opening of Colegio de Muntinlupa offered courses on civil engineering, mechanical engineering, electronics engineering, electrical engineering and computer engineering.
Other ongoing projects in the city include the additional building for the Ospital ng Muntinlupa via a P70-million grant from the national government, through Rep. Rufino Rozzano Biazon of the Lone District of Muntilupa City.
The women’s resource center has started to operate, which serves as a center for livelihood skills training, and product and business development for micro-enterprises. Loan size for viable small businesses under the Jaime R. Frenesdi program has also been increased up to a maximum of P150,000 per borrower.
The citywide CCTV system to deter wrongdoers is expected to be on full stream this year, while each barangay have received a donation of an ambulance and a fire truck from the city government.
Aside from ongoing socialized housing projects, the city government has commenced the centennial employee housing project
Further fine-tuning of the single-window transaction, the MBOSS has been pursued toward making Muntinlupa City the “City of One-Stop Shops”.
The city government has also reported on an impressive list of infrastructure projects completed in the past two years. Completed in 2017 were the Plaza Central, Poblacion; fire station at Susana Heights, Tunasan; multipurpose covered courts at Santo Nino Village at Victoria Homes, Tunasan; day-care center at Bayanan Baywalk; additional classrooms for Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa; and multipurpose building at Cupang.
While completed in 2018 were Colegio de Muntinlupa in Sucat (Phase 2); Muntinlupa City Museum in Laguerta, Tunasan; Phase 2 of CCTV installation project for the whole city; DRRM command center at the Resiliency Building, Tunasan; new building for Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa; MCTI-Tesda women’s resource center at Putatan; men and women’s center and site development at Putatan; Laguerta Health Center at Tunasan; and multipurpose community center at Ayala-Alabang.
Today, on its 24th cityhood, Muntinlupa City will have a soft opening of its Museo ng Muntinlupeño, with the city mayor hoping that this flagship project will serve as an effective vehicle for instilling among residents a proper appreciation of Muntinlupa City’s past.
“[Few] people know how important a role Muntinlupa [City]has played throughout history, starting from the fledgling First Republic to the restoration of democracy. The once sleepy town was an early line of defense of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo from the pursuing Spanish forces, as well as the American invaders who followed afterward. It was a bulwark against the Japanese imperialists and a stepping stone toward the liberation at [the] war’s end. Muntinlupa [City] reprised this role decades later, holding the line against armed forces loyal to a dictator desperately holding on to power,” the city mayor stressed. Congratulations, Muntinlupa City!