Muntinlupa wants 19 Dec. declared as foundation holiday

Muntinlupa City Mayor Rufino Biazon and the city council have passed a resolution asking Congress to change the date of the city’s non-working day celebrating its founding.

Muntinlupa Resolution 2024-446 asked Congress, through Muntinlupa Rep. Jaime Fresnedi, “to file a bill amending Republic Act 9191” that would transfer the city’s holiday, celebrating the Muntinlupa Foundation Day, from 1 March to 19 December every year.

Muntinlupa was declared a highly-urbanized city on 1 March 1995 when then- President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act 7926, entitled “An Act Converting the Municipality of Muntinlupa into a Highly Urbanized City to be known as the City of Muntinlupa.”

The law also conferred on the heretofore town the title “Charter of the City of Muntinlupa.”

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also signed Republic Act 9191 on 21 Feb. 2003, to affirm “the first day of March of every year as a special non-working day in the City of Muntinlupa.”

That being said, Muntinlupa also observes December 19 as its foundation day as it was on 19 December 1917 when Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison signed Executive Order 108 that made Muntinlupa a municipality.

“Republic Act 7926 declared 1 March 1995, its Charter Day, and can be considered its ‘economic independence,’ aside from its ‘political independence’ earlier gained on 19 December 1917,” the resolution stated.

On 4 October 2017, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea signed Proclamation No. 327 that declared 19 December 2017 as a special non-working day in Muntinlupa to mark its centennial year as an independent local government unit.

Muntinlupa argued that “based on research, the Metro Manila Cities Of Quezon, Manila, Makati, Pasay, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela, Pasig, Taguig, Marikina, Caloocan and San Juan commemorate their Foundation Day as a special non-working holiday and not their Charter Day.”