Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Groundbreaking Ceremony

"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 Evan Schmutz, Philippines Area President, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Alabang Philippines Temple held on Thursday, June 4, 2020. 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.¹

Temple Design

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.

Temple Rendering

The official rendering of the Alabang Philippines Temple was released to the public on February 12, 2020.

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.

Temple Announcement

On April 2, 2017, during the Sunday Morning Session of the 187th Annual General Conference, President Thomas S. Monson announced that a second temple would be constructed in the greater Manila, Philippines, area—the fourth temple to be built in the country. The country's first temple, the Manila Philippines Temple, was dedicated in 1984. A second temple was dedicated in 2010 as the Cebu City Philippines Temple. 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.²

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.

Temple Facts

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).

The Alabang Philippines Temple will be the second temple built outside of 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 of the United States with more than one temple, following the Lima metropolitan area in Peru.

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

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Alabang Philippines Temple was originally scheduled for Saturday, May 2, 2020 with Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presiding. Due to local restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines Area Presidency was assigned to preside over the ceremony a month later.