Mayor Ruffy Biazon and the City Council signed a resolution asking Congress to change the date of the local non-working day in the city.
Muntinlupa Resolution 2024-446 is asking Congress, through Muntinlupa Rep. Jaime Fresnedi, “to file a bill amending Republic Act No. 9191 by transferring the declaration of the ‘special non-working holiday’ from March 1 every year to December 19 every year to be known as Muntinlupa Foundation Day.”
Mayor Ruffy Biazon (Muntinlupa PIO)
Muntinlupa Rep. Jaime Fresnedi (Muntinlupa PIO)
March 1 is a non-working day in Muntinlupa as the city celebrates its cityhood anniversary.
Muntinlupa became a highly-urbanized city on March 1, 1995 when President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act 7926 or “an act converting the Municipality of Muntinlupa into a highly urbanized city to be known as the City of Muntinlupa,” also known as the “Charter of the City of Muntinlupa.”
March 1 became a non-working day in Muntinlupa when then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9191, approved on Feb. 21, 2003, declaring “the First Day of March of every year as a Special Non-Working Day in the City of Muntinlupa to be known as the Muntinlupa City Charter Day."
Mayor Ruffy Biazon during the 29th Muntinlupa Cityhood anniversary on March 1 (top) and 106th Muntinlupa foundation day on Dec. 19 last year (Muntinlupa PIO)
However, Muntinlupa also celebrates December 19 of every year as its foundation day. It was on Dec. 19, 1917 when Governor-General Francis Burton Harrison signed Executive Order No. 108 that made Muntinlupa a municipality.
“Republic Act No. 7926 declared March 1, 1995, its Charter Day, and can be considered its ‘economic independence,’ aside from its ‘political independence’ earlier gained on December 19, 1917,” according to the resolution.
On Oct. 4, 2017, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea signed Proclamation No. 327 that declared Dec. 19, 2017 as a special non-working day in Muntinlupa to mark its centennial year as an independent local government unit.
The resolution 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.”