When the Philippines Area Presidency entered Alabang in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, they were greeted with tall buildings in this blossoming business district amid lush landscapes and tree-lined pathways. Despite the modern cityscape, Alabang has maintained a serene ambiance—a fitting place for worship, reverence, and a temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
With only a handful of members attending following general community quarantine (GCQ) rules, the small but sacred groundbreaking service was held on June 4, 2020, so that construction could proceed when Metro Manila falls under a modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) classification.
Elder Evan Schmutz, Philippines Area President, warmly greeted the attendees. “We recognize that we are a small gathering because of the conditions that are still present in the Philippines and elsewhere in the world that limit our ability to gather in larger groups and so we’re spaced from one another in what we refer to as social distancing,” he said.
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| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
“The Lord is mindful of all His children. In 1982, 21 years after the Church was organized in the Philippines, the Manila Temple groundbreaking was held. The Cebu Temple groundbreaking followed in 2007 which was 25 years later. The Urdaneta Temple groundbreaking which was held last year was 12 years after Cebu. And the Alabang groundbreaking today was held one and a half years after Urdaneta’s,” highlighted Elder Taniela Wakolo, a counselor in the Area Presidency.
“The decrease in the number of years in each of the four temple groundbreaking dates and the increase in the number of temples announced are clear evidence that the Lord is hastening His work in the Philippines,” he added.
Elder Schmutz expressed, “This is a beautiful place that the Lord has chosen. Through revelation and guidance, it has been found and is now being dedicated to the building of a temple.”
In a ceremonial dedicatory prayer, Elder Schmutz stated that under the authority of President Russell M. Nelson and the First Presidency and in the name of Jesus Christ, “we dedicate this chosen ground for the construction of the Alabang Philippines Temple as a house of holiness, a house to be built in thy son’s name wherein the important work of salvation may be done.”
Currently, the Church operates 168temples worldwide. The Alabang Philippines Temple will be the fourth in the Philippines and the third temple in the world which is in the same metropolitan area as another operating temple.
The temple exterior will be constructed from granite stone cladding. The interior finish will be of the finest material and workmanship: woodwork, granite, and decorative painting. The two-story temple will be approximately 10,610 square meters (2.6 acres) with one tall spire at the façade.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the Church’s meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Each temple is considered a “house of the Lord” where Christ's teachings are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism, and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and strengthen their commitment to serve Jesus Christ and those around them.