Mandaluyong Liberation and Cityhood Day in the Philippines Date in the current year: February 9, 2024

Mandaluyong is one of the 16 highly urbanized cities making up the National Capital Region of the Philippines (Metro Manila), alongside the City of Manila, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela.

The history of Mandaluyong can be traced back to the arrival of Spanish conquistadors. What is now a city with a population of more than 400,000 people used to be a barrio (neighborhood) of Santa Ana de Sapa in Tondo Province (now the Province of Manila). The Spaniards named it San Felipe Neri in honor of Saint Philip Neri, the patron saint of Rome.

San Felipe Neri was separated from Santa Ana de Sapa in 1841 and established its own parish in 1863. Administered by the congregation of Dulcísimo Nombre de Jesús (“Sweet Name of Jesus”), the town had a church, a convent, and a school.

During the American colonial era, San Felipe Neri underwent several reorganizations. In 1901, it became part of Rizal Province and was raised to a first-class municipality. Two years later, it was merged with the municipality of San Juan del Monte. In 1904, San Felipe Neri became the capital of Rizal for several months. In 1907, San Juan was separated from San Felipe Neri, regaining its status as an independent municipality.

San Felipe Neri was given its current name, Mandaluyong, in 1931. There are several possible explanations of the name. One of the most popular ones links it to a legend about two star-crossed lovers named Manda and Luyong. Luyong was a warrior who fell in love with a chieftain’s daughter. The chieftain didn’t like Lyuong and refused to give the couple his blessing, but Luyong earned Manda’s hand in marriage by winning a series of traditional contests.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, Mandaluyong was incorporated into the City of Greater Manila. The Allies liberated Mandalyong from occupation on February 9, 1945. During the decades that followed, the municipality underwent significant development and was formally incorporated into newly established Metro Manila in 1975. From 1984 to 1995, Mandaluyong and San Juan had one representative in the Congress.

On February 9, 1994, 49 years after its liberation from Japanese occupation, Mandaluyong was officially converted from a municipality to a highly urbanized city with its own congressman. Today, Mandaluyong is one of the most important business and financial centers in Metro Manila that is home to the headquarters of the Asian Development Bank, BDO Unibank (Banco de Oro), and San Miguel Corporation.

February 9 was officially designated as Mandaluyong Liberation and Cityhood Day, also known as Mandaluyong Cityhood Anniversary, in August 2000. It is a locally celebrated observance, which means it is not observed outside of Mandaluyong.