Famous Festivals in Muntinlupa

Bulaklakan Festival

Bulaklakan Festival is always celebrated on 1st day of January Bulaklakan Festival is something that is enjoyed by the locals of Muntinlupa that ushers in the coming of the more growing and bountiful year for them as they are labeled as one of the most progressive city in the country.The word 'Bulaklakan' originated from the native town of Bulacan. The rural people of the area would all gather and a various amount of impromptu and unscripted festive dances that would be performed as a form of relaxation.The colorful Bulaklakan festival literally means parade of flowers. This festival usually has a street dancing and grand parades participated by students from different Muntinlupa schools. They are wearing colorful costumes which resemble different varieties of flowers. This public spectacle causes the city of Muntinlupa to be filled with massive and enormous colorful array of flowers. This flamboyant festival adds vibrancy and happiness to New Year’s Day for all the locals of Muntinlupa. People can witness Bulaklakan Festival at the city of Muntinlupa, a part of the National Capital Region that is located in the Southern side of the Philippines next to Taguig City. Muntinlupa was disreputably known to be location of the national insular penitentiary, the New Bilibid Prison but is also the location of the country's most luxurious and biggest residential communities and villages such as the Ayala Alabang Village. Many festivals in the Philippines are derived from the influence of colonization of the Spanish. Some festivals are done in honor of their patron saint while others are in honor of the bountiful harvest or of the place it self. Bulaklakan Festival is something that is enjoyed by the locals of Muntinlupa that ushers in the coming of the more growing and bountiful year for them as they are labeled as one of the most progressive city in the country. There may be no direct information as to when it started or how it had began, but the reason for its celebration is very evident that everybody are excited for this day taking advantage of the day to promote their city to future investors and businesses ventures.

Aliwan Festival

Aliwan Festival comes from the word aliw, which means entertainment. It is organized by Manila Broadcasting Company, Cultural Center of the Philippines, City Government of Manila, and City Government of Pasay. The very first festival was held in 2003. It was created by Manila Broadcasting Chairman Fred J. Elizalde to allow the staging of festivals in the country in the national capital and engage audiences of the company’s various media holdings.

Over the years, it has become a gathering of the best and most popular festivals in the Philippine archipelago. Participating contingents are given the opportunity to proudly showcase the festivals from their locality, bolster their image in the national stage, become ambassadors of their respective province, city, or town, and grab prizes for their winning performances and entries.

Delegates go through rounds of elimination starting from the local festivals from which they are selected or have won. Each contingent is made of a hundred dance performers, and dozens of staff, props people, and artists of various musical instruments. Rehearsals leading to Aliwan Festivals can be rigorous in the hope of increasing their chances in grabbing the most coveted prizes. Local governments are also involved to make sure their delegates are in top form for the ultimate events in Metro Manila.

In 2020, 2021, and 2022, the live activities of the yearly festival were cancelled because of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Aliwan Fiesta Digital Queen was launched beginning in 2020.

Banhayan Festival

Bantayan Festival was first launched in 1998. It was initiated as a preparation for the tri-centenary (three hundred years) of the founding of the town in March 2003. Its name comes from the word bantayan, which means lookout or a watch tower that was utilized to spy approaching enemies from afar and provide early warnting to people to seek refuge and/or prepare for defense. It celebrates the historic engagement during Spanish colonization involving the ancestors of the townsfolk against Moro invaders infesting the surrounding seas and launching destructive assaults against its people.

While it is quite easy to assume that the Moro raids were of religious nature pitting Muslims against Christians, experts state that this is an oversimplification. Islamic sultanates in the southern Philippines intensified their attacks particularly in the 17th and 18th century when it was becoming clear that the Spaniards imperiled their economic, political, and social position. Muslim leadership and elite cornered trading routes coming from the north as well as the movement of merchandise from the archipelago towards foreign lands. And the Spaniards established their presence in the archipelago in a way that posed a threat to Islamic influence that reached Visayas and as far as Luzon.

Perhaps the most compelling reason was the thriving market for slaves in the Dutch East Indies and the demand for slavery in Islamic societies. Before the Spanish conquest, natives lived in scattered areas in the islands. Christian missionaries organized the pueblos, that is the town center, and they coaxed the natives to live near the church and seat of government powers for better administration and easier way to exert control. They were also forbidden to carry arms by the Spanish colonizers. Thus these settlements were an easy prey to Moro attack from the sea and looted, their people killed or kidnapped to become slaves. The viciousness of the assaults were such that towns became empty of people or abandoned.

Like other coastal communities in Luzon, Visayas, and northern Mindanao, the town of Guimbal put up a defense system consisting of watchtowers. In the beginning they were made of wood, and they were built with stone over time. They are erected in strategic spots in the coastline in Guimbal: Pescadores, Generosa, Rizal-Tuguisan, and Nanga. These are also called balwarte, which is derived from the Spanish word that means stronghold.

From the top of the watchtowers, people patrolled and tracked any threats coming from the seas. When enemies were spotted, patrolmen would begin to beat the guimba, a percussive instrument made from hollowed tree trunk, animal skin, and maguey vines. Other neighboring balwarte in the network would also begin drum-beating to create an alarm to urge people to escape to safer grounds, evacuate the vulnerable members of the populace, or call to arms in preparation for defense. Hence, the town is named after the guimba. Another instrument that was used was budyong, which was built from horn of a bull.