Alabang Philippines Temple
During the Sunday morning session of the 187th annual general conference, on 2 April 2017, Thomas S. Monson, then-President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, announced that a second temple would be constructed in the greater Manila, Philippines, area. A couple of 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 in Alabang, a barangay (or district) of Muntinlupa—a city located on the south side of Metro Manila.
The Alabang Philippines Temple will be the fourth temple built in the Philippines. The temple will be the second temple built outside of the United States in the same metropolitan area as another operating temple. The Alabang Philippines Temple was announced in the 33rd anniversary year of the country's first temple, the Manila Philippines Temple, which was dedicated in 1984. A second temple, the Cebu City Philippines Temple was dedicated in 2010, and a third temple, the Urdaneta Philippines Temple, is in the planning stages for construction.
There are nearly 750,000 Latter-day Saints in the Philippines. 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 official rendering of the Alabang Philippines Temple was released to the public on 12 February 2020.
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Groundbreaking Ceremony Postponed
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Alabang Philippines Temple has been postponed due to restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally scheduled for Saturday, 2 May 2020, with Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding. The groundbreaking is now anticipated to occur the first week of June. The site was cleared late last year in preparation for construction. Attendance at the temple site will be by invitation only. However, the service will be broadcast to stake centers within the temple district.
