Urdaneta Philippines Temple
On 2 October 2010, at the 180th general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Thomas S. Monson announced the construction of a new temple in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, Philippines.
More than 780,000 Latter-day Saints live in the Philippines, spread throughout 1,218 congregations in this country of more than 107 million people. There are ninety-nine stakes and districts in the area. Urdaneta is located approximately 100 miles north of Manila on the island of Luzon. Luzon is the largest and most populated island in the Philippines. Latter-day Saints in the area are currently served by the Manila Philippines Temple.
The Church has re-aligned missions around the world to better facilitate missionary work. In September 2010, the ground was broken for the new mission home and office. In June 2011, the Philippines Baguio Mission was relocated to Urdaneta City, which offers a more central and accessible location for the members and missionaries of the [[Mission|mission]. The new mission home and office are located next to the recently remodeled Urdaneta Philippines Stake Center.
With the addition of the Urdaneta temple, there will be three temples in the Philippines. The third is the Cebu Philippines Temple. Other cities with currently operating or announced temples are Cebu City, Manila (one constructed, one announced), Cagayan de Oro, and Davao, which was announced in the October 2018 general conference.
Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles created the 100th stake in the Philippines—the Mandaluyong Philippines Stake, on 10 September 2017. He said, "This is a special place. Do not underestimate who you are. The most important part of the Philippines is the people."
During a Facebook Live event in March, Elder Ronald A. Rasband said, "This is just the beginning. The Philippines is going to be a source of huge strength for the future of this Church."
When Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited the Philippines in June, he said the growth of the Church in the Philippines is reflective of the character of the people. He said, "They are very spiritual by nature."
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Senior Church leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined with community and interfaith leaders in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, Philippines, on Wednesday, 16 January 2019, to break ground for the Urdaneta Philippines Temple. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided at the ceremony. He was joined by Elder Evan A. Schmutz, Elder Michael John U. Teh and Elder Taniela B. Wakolo of the Philippines Area Presidency. Attendance for the ceremony was by invitation only, with the general public invited to view the proceedings on Facebook Live.
The temple site is located in Barangay Nancayasan, Urdaneta City, fronting MacArthur Highway.
Open house and dedication dates will be announced after the temple is built.
