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Metro Manila

Mandaluyong Cityhood Anniversary

Mandaluyong Cityhood Anniversary, as the name suggests, commemorates the transformation of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines to a city by virtue of Republic Act No. 7675 every February 9. Furthermore, it is a twin celebration as it commemorates the liberation of the city in 1945. The date is a special working holiday in the city through Republic Act No. 8814 that was signed by President Joseph Estrada on August 21, 2000.

History of Mandaluyong City

According to tradition, Mandaluyong was the place where two star-crossed lovers lived their happy ever after. A woman named Manda was in love with a man called Luyong who was not favored by her family. Despite the odds, Luyong won Manda’s hand in marriage after emerging victorious in a local tilt. Other explanations suggest that its name may have been derived from a tree or from the word madaluyong which refers to its rolling hills that seem to resemble flowing waters.

Mandaluyong was part of the Kingdom of Namayan. The kingdom consisted a vast area covering several cities of present-day Metro Manila. When the Spaniards came, Mandaluyong belonged to Sta. Ana de Sapa, a village of the historical province of Tondo. It separated from the latter in 1841 and at that time it was called San Felipe Neri after its patron saint.

After the Philippine Revolution and during the American colonization, it saw several successive reorganizations. It was made into an independent town. However, through Act No. 942 issued on October 12, 1903, it was annexed to San Juan del Monte (and became the latter’s capital) that was then part of the province of Rizal.

On March 27, 1907, the status of San Felipe Neri was reverted when it became a municipality once again by separating from San Juan del Monte by virtue of Act No. 1625. The law was filed from House Bill No. 3836 that was proposed by Pedro Magsalin. Starting that time, it was called the town of Mandaluyong.

During the Second World War, its people endured so much sorrow from the wanton destruction of properties and loss of lives at the hands of the Japanese imperial army. Towards the end of the war, Filipino guerillas called Hunters ROTC embarked on a series of attacks against the Japanese soldiers. The liberation forces made up of the combined US Sixth Army and the guerillas made their way into Mandaluyong, retook two airfields, and liberated the town on February 9, 1945. This is the date that the city pays tribute as liberation day every year.

In post-war years, the town grew and flourished. By 1975, it became a part of the Metropolitan Manila by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 824 that was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos on November 7, 1975.

Mandaluyong became a highly urbanized city through Republic Act 7675 approved by President Fidel V. Ramos on February 9, 1994.

Lavandero Festival

In the past, the founding day of Mandaluyong City was celebrated in an annual event called Lavandero Festival. Its name comes from the word lavandero which means a man who does laundry. It was held by the city government as a way to recall Filipino men as hired hands in washing laundry by the banks of brooks and streams in Mandaluyong during colonial era.

The fest was part nostalgia that relived an ancient livelihood, traveling back in time when its river system was flowing with clear waters and when doing laundry was done not by machines but by hands. It also remembered a particular period in history when doing laundry could be a man’s way of earning a living, unlike in the present when it is most oftentimes regarded as something that belongs exclusively within the domain of women.

In those times, men performed such task out of practicality. They could take on more loads. They were also seen to be suited to the sort of washing prevalent in that era. Men stood in shallow waters and naked from the waist up. They held one end of the clothes by their hands, pulled back over the shoulder, and swung them down on flat, smooth stones called buhay na bato (living rock). They also used palo-palo (wooden paddle) that they strike against clothes laid on a stone.

The more skilled laundry-men were known with how clean and white the laundry would turn out and the wrinkles formed in the clothes from the process. Women, on other hand, were in charge of ironing and folding.

Clients who hired the men were religious authorities and owners of properties rented out to young people attending schools.

How to reach Mandaluyong City

Travel time from From Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Mandaluyong City is about an hour or so covering a total distance of about twelve kilometers.

References

Mandaluyong Cityhood Anniversary Summary

NameMandaluyong Cityhood Anniversary
CelebrationCityhood, History, World War II
Contact(02) 534 1662
CountryPhilippines
DateFebruary 9
DurationWeek-long
Emailpio@mandaluyong.gov.ph
Established1994
Facebookweb.facebook.com
Historical eventWorld War II liberation and cityhood of Mandaluyong
LocationMandaluyong City, Metro Manila
OrganizerCity Government of Mandaluyong
Simultaneous eventLiberation of Mandaluyong in World War II
Twittermobile.twitter.com
Websitewww.mandaluyong.gov.ph