Muntinlupa City is the southern-most constituent city of the conurbation of Metro Manila, the National Capital Region of the Philippines. The city is delimited by Taguig City to the north, Parañaque City to the northwest, Las Piñas City to the west, the municipality of Bacoor, in Cavite to the southwest, and to the east by the municipality of San Pedro in Laguna and the largest lake in the Philippines– Laguna de Bay.
The city’s name has several tales of its origin. The most widely accepted is that the name is associated with the thin top soil of the area. The second most widely accepted story is that its name was derived from the topography of the land, where the Spanish term for mountain, “monte”, is expanded by attaching the Tagalog word for land, “lupa”. Thus, the name Muntinlupa may be translated to “mountain land”.
The city used to have a notorious reputation as the home of the high security National Bureau of Prison Reservation, or the New Bilibid Prison. The inmates gave it the nickname “Munti” because of its location. The high security penal complex houses some of the country’s most dangerous and notorious criminals. Due to the tremendous growth that it had undergone in the last decade, particularly the construction of the Filinvest Corporate City and the Madrigal Business Park, Muntinlupa is slowly shaking off this reputation. It is quickly being changed into a supercity prime for new residential areas, commerce, and industries. All these new developments are apt for its new status as the “Most Competitive City” and the “Most Improved City” in the Philippines.
Residential Places in Muntinlupa
Muntinlupa has several gated communities where most middle and upper class families choose to live. These are the Agro Homes , Alabang Hills Village, Alabang 400 Village, Brittany Bay, Camella Homes I, II, II-E, II-D, III, & IV, Camella Townhomes I, Country Homes Subdivision, Don Juan Bayview Subdivision, Freewill Subdivision, Freedom Hills Subdivision, Highway Homes Subdivision, Intercity Homes Subdivision, JPA Subdivision, Kalipayan Homes, Katarungan Village I& II, Lakeshore Village, Lakeview Homes, Liberty Homes, Lodora Village, Mutual Homes Alabang, Pacific Malayan Village, Pacific Village, Parkhomes Subdivision, Pleasant Village, Posadas Village, San Jose Village, Soldiers Hills Village, South Greenheights Village, Southsuperville, Sto. Niño Village, Summitville Subdivision, Susana Heights subdivision, Teachers Village, Tiosejo Village, Treelane Park Subdivision, Victoria Homes Subdivision, Villa Carolina I & II, U.P. Side Subdivision, Hillsborough Alabang, and the Ayala Alabang Village. Most of these gated communities have guarded gates that provide limited access, clubhouses, and a full range of amenities and utilities.
The most prestigious and affluent of these gated communities is the Ayala Alabang Village. This large exclusive village is home to many well-to-do families, celebrities, and political figures. Among its famous residents are the former president Fidel V. Ramos, the Prince of Brunei, actor Aga Mulach and his wife actress Charlene Gonzales, and Simone Snoeijenbos and her brother Mateo Snoeijenbos of Nokia.
Hospitals and Universities of Muntinlupa
Muntinlupa is home to one of Metro manila’s newest and most prominent hospital—the Asian Hospital and medical Center (AIMC). It is an affluent private tertiary care hospital located along Civic Drive at the Filinvest Corporate City in Alabang. Its multi-level hospital and office buildings measures 17,258 m2, and has a bed capacity of 253 beds. The hospital is known to be equipped with the latest modern medical facilities with physicians trained in the latest medical technologies and procedures. It also features a five-star luxury hotel standard of accommodations with its lobby and private rooms mimicking the ambiance and amenities of hotel suites. In addition to providing general care, the AIMC also have specialties in surgery and its sub-specialties such as cosmetic and emergency surgeries, dermatology, internal medicine, neurology, ophthalmology, pediatrics, dentistry, and rehabilitation.
Other hospitals and clinics in Muntinlupa are listed below:
Muntinlupa Hospitals and Clinics
Name Address Telephone
Alabang Medical Center Alabang-Zapote Road 807-8189/850-8719
Alabang Medical Clinic 297 Montillano Street, Alabang 842-1639/842-0684
Babaran-Echavez Medical and Psychiatric Clinic 1125 Amparo Street, Poblacion 861-3066
Beato Cauilan Hospital Villa Carolina, National Highway 861-7741 to 45/
861-5284 to 85
Hillside General Hospital Alabang 842-3958
KMI Specialists Hospital 36 National Highway -
MPI-Medical Center Muntinlupa 38 National Highway, Pututan 861-1687/862-0162 to 63
Muntinlupa Doctor’s Clinic 1 National Highway, Pututan 842-2718/842-3028
Ospital ng Muntinlupa Filinvest Civic Drive, Filinvest Corporate City,
Alabang 771-0127 San Roque Medical Clinic 249 T. Montillano Street, Alabang 842-2950/842-2870
Muntinlupa has several colleges and technical schools in its vicinity. These are the technical and computer schools of Asian College of Science and Technology on the 2nd floor of the Nav’s Building along the National Highway, International Electronics and Technology Institute College on Molina Street in Bayanan, Informatics College – Northgate Campus, Imus Computer College , and Christ the King Technical School ,.
Other colleges in the city are the Criminal Justice College on Jusmin Street at the Lodora Village in Tunasan, St. Bernadette College at the Odingos Compound in Alabang, St. Francis of Assisi in Ayala, Alabang, St. Benedict College at the Alabang Hills Village, Muntinlupa Institute of Technology at the Joa Merray Compound in the Bruger Subdivision, and Muntinlupa Polytechnic college at the NBP Reservation in Poblacion.
Commercial Places in Muntinlupa
There are four large shopping malls located in the city. The most upscale of these is the Alabang Town Center (ATC) that sits on Alabang-Zapote Road. A sister of the equally affluent Ayala Center in Makati, ATC’s design and architecture veers away from the usual large and cold structures of most modern shopping malls. Sporting a Spanish-inspired design, it features breezy open halls lined with palm trees where shoppers can leisurely stroll along. Housed within it are shops and boutiques that carry signature items, as well as local and international brands, music stores, book shops, and several cafés and restaurants.
The Festival Super mall that stands at the corner of Corporate Avenue and Civic Drive at the Filinvest Corporate City, in Alabang, the SM Supercenter located along the National Highway in Barangay Tunasan, and the Metropolis Mall which stands along the South Super Highway in Alabang are all large retail centers that cater mostly to the middle and lower income brackets. Each houses numerous shops, frequently of local brands, department stores, supermarkets, cinemas, entertainment centers, foodcourts, as well as prominent fastfood outlets.
Night Spots
The nightlife scene in Muntinlupa is not quite as grand and enormous as the ones found in Makati, Manila, or Quezon City. However, there are still some notable nightspots in the city where one can find a suitable place to unwind and relax with family and friends. Two of the most prominent nightspots in the city are at the Festival Supermall in the Filinvest Corporate City and at the Alabang Town Center. Both venues have scores of restaurants, bars, and cafes as one would find in the nightlife districts of other cities.
Some notable restaurants found at the festival Supermall are Filipino restaurants Aplaya, Max’s, Cafe Appasionato, and Molokai Grill; Japanese restaurants Fukuyaand, Teriyaki, and Shin Ramen Tei; Chinese restaurants Super Bowl of and Westlake Dimsum China ; Thai restaurant Siam Taste; Italian restaurants Don Henrico’s and Four Corners Ristorante; international restaurants Atthena, Dematisse, and Sugarhouse; and prominent American burger joints, such as Carl’s Jr., Brothers Burger, Wendy’s , and McDonald’s.
Most bars and nightclubs are found around the Filinvest Corporate City, such as the 20/20 Bar at the Bellevue Hotel at the Northgate Cyberzone, Cafe Breton and Lanai Red at the Westgate, and the Vivere Skyline atop the Vivere Suites Hotel at the Northgate.
Notable restaurants at the Alabang Town Center include the Filipino restaurants Kamayan, Nandau, Recipes, and Via Mare; Chinese restaurants Cantonese and Fu Lin Garden; Vietnamese restaurant Saigon ; Japanese restaurants Saisaki, Tempura Japanese Grill , and Sakura Restaurant & Sushi Bar
; American restaurants Tony Roma’s, Magoo’s Pizza, Shakey’s , Outback Steakhouse, and The Red Crab; Italian restaurant Cibo ; and international restaurants Almon Marina and Cafe Mediterranean.
Whereas the San Mig Pub and Restaurant, In Vino Veritas, and Tequila Joe’s are some of the bars and pubs found at the center. Several coffeehouses are also found at the Alabang Town Center, such as Starbucks, Figaro, The Coffee Experience, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
Service Establishments of Muntinlupa
The electricity in Muntinlupa is supplied by the Manila Electric Company or MERALCO. The company, formerly known as the Manila Electric Rail and Light Company, is the sole electric power distributor of 22 cities and 89 municipalities, including the Metro and Mega Manila areas. Applications for service and bill payments may be done at its branch located on Prime Street at the Madrigal Business Park in Alabang, while the MERALCO Extension Office at the Metropolis in Alabang only accepts bill payments.
The Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) is the largest telecommunication products and service provider in the city. It offers traditional fixed telephone and internet access via dial-up and DSL connection. There are no PLDT business offices located in Muntinlupa. There are however, business offices found in the city’s surrounding areas where applications for service and bill payments can be made. One is located in san Pedro at the San Pedro Exchange, and another one in Las Piñas at the SM Southmall.
The three major cellular network providers in the Philippines, which are the Globe Telecom, Smart Communications of PLDT, and sun Cellular of Digitel Communications, all have network coverage in the area. All three offer prepaid and postpaied subscriptions, and other competitive features such as WAP, 3G, mobile banking, and mobile TV.
The Muntinlupa Police Station is the Philippine National Police Southern district’s fifth station. Under it are several sub-stations scattered all over the city that functions as community police and precincts. Below is a table detailing their locations and contact information:
Muntinlupa Police
Police /PCP*Station Address Telephone
Muntinlupa Muntinlupa City Hall Quadrangle 862-2611
862-2721
PCP 1 National Highway, Tunasan 861-7922
PCP 2 Alabang Viaduct 842-2433
PCP 3 Meralco Road, Sucat 772-1800
PCP 4 Soldiers Hill, Putatan 842-4440
*PCP-Police Community Precinct
Embassies in Muntinlupa
There are no consular offices or offices located in Muntinlupa. The bulk of these diplomatic missions have their offices located in Manila and Makati City.
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