Alabang Philippines Temple Wiki

Details

The Alabang Philippines Temple is a Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under construction in Alabang, Muntinlupa, Philippines.

The Alabang Philippines Temple will be a two-story building clad in granite with a tall, tapering spire over the façade. The interior will be finished using the finest materials and workmanship in woodwork, granite, and decorative painting. Plans also call for the construction of a patron housing facility behind the temple.

History

In 1961, Gordon B. Hinckley and a small gathering of members at the Manila American Cemetery marked the beginning of the LDS Church in the Philippines.^[1]“First Presidency Announces Groundbreaking Date for 4th Temple in PH”, Church News, 24 January 2020. Retrieved on 5 April 2020. With more than 800,000 members in the country, the Philippines has the fourth-largest membership in the world after the United States, Mexico and Brazil.^[2]“First Presidency Announces Groundbreaking Date for 4th Temple in PH”, Church News, 24 January 2020. Retrieved on 5 April 2020.

Announcement

High weekend attendance at the Manila Philippines Temple, which serves over 100 stakes and districts, has created long waits for patrons wishing to participate in ordinance work. The Alabang Philippines Temple will better accommodate temple-attending Saints and provide a closer option for those living on the south side of Metro Manila.

The Alabang Philippines Temple was announced in the 33rd anniversary year of the Manila Philippines Temple.

Temple Rendering

Temple Site

Two days after the announcement was made of a temple to be constructed in the greater Manila area, the official Church Newsroom Facebook page for the Philippines stated that the temple would be constructed on the southern side of the Manila metropolitan area in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. The specific site was later revealed as a 2.6 acre property in Filinvest City.

Groundbreaking Ceremony

A groundbreaking was originally scheduled for May 2, 2020, under the direction of D. Todd Christofferson.^[4]Means, Sean P. “Groundbreaking for LDS Church’s Layton Temple is set for May 30”, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 January 2020. Retrieved on 5 April 2020. However, the groundbreaking was delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.^[5]Stack, Peggy Fletcher. “All Latter-day Saint temples to close due to coronavirus”, The Salt Lake Tribune, 26 March 2020. Retrieved on 4 April 2020. The groundbreaking occurred on June 4, 2020, with the area president, Evan A. Schmutz, presiding. The groundbreaking for this temple marks the first time in the church’s history that two temples are under construction at the same time in the Philippines.

“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,” said Elder Schmutz at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Alabang Philippines Temple. The small but sacred service was scaled down to a handful of members to comply with General Community Quarantine (GCQ) rules in place in Metro Manila. In his site dedicatory prayer, Elder Schmutz stated, “[W]e 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.” The Area Presidency was directed to conduct the ceremony in coordination with government leaders one month after it had been originally scheduled due to COVID-19 restrictions.^[6]The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints News Release, “Small-Scale Groundbreaking Held for Alabang Philippines Temple,” 13 Jun. 2020.

Elder Schmutz and was accompanied by his wife, Cindy; first counselor, Elder Taniela B. Wakolo, and his wife, Anita; and second counselor, Elder Steven R. Bangerter, and his wife, Susan.

Construction

Dedication

Dedication Order

The Alabang Philippines Temple will be the fourth temple built in the Philippines and the third built in Luzon, following the Manila Philippines Temple (1984) and the Urdaneta Philippines Temple (under construction).

Three more temples were announced in 2018 and 2019, which are the Davao (for which a groundbreaking was also held in 2020),[ref“Ground Broken for Davao Philippines Temple .” Newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org, 14 Nov. 2020.[/ref] the Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod temples. No information on groundbreakings have been communicated for the latter two temples.^[7]“First Presidency Announces Groundbreaking Date for 4th Temple in PH”, Church News, 24 January 2020. Retrieved on 5 April 2020.

Description

Location

The Alabang Philippines Temple will be the second temple built outside the United States in the same metropolitan area as another operating temple, the Manila Philippines Temple (1984), making the Greater Manila Area the second metropolitan area outside the United States with more than one temple, following the Lima metropolitan area in Peru.

The Alabang and Manila temples are 13 miles apart.^[8]Taylor, Scott. “How far apart are these Mormon temples?”, Deseret News, 19 October 2017. Retrieved on 28 March 2020.

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