"There is no place like home." Such statement deals not only with your house as a structure but theoretically also refers to the place where you came from. Luckily i was born in the City of Mandaluyong dubbed as the "Tiger City" in the metropolis. Today, we celebrate the 66th Liberation Day and 17th Year of Cityhood of Mandaluyong. I remember when i was in highschool, February 9 is the most busiest day for all schools except for Christmas and Foundation day. Why?! because, we always join the yearly civic parada which commenced at Gen. Kalentong St. up to Maysilo Circle. And at the end of the parada, a concert of famous bands will follow... Festivities is in the air every time we celebrate this momentous day.
Though i am a true Mandaleno, i only started to learn the history of Mandaluyong when I am completing my requirements for the merit badge Citizenship in the Community... Allow me to share some of them, the following is the etymology of Mandaluyong as published in Wikipedia:
There are different stories on the origin of the name “Mandaluyong”. One tells of the early days when the place abound with a kind of tree called luyong from which beautiful canes and home furniture were made. Another claimed that the Spaniards named the place Mandaluyong based on the report of what a navigator named Acapulco saw that the rolling hills were frequently lashed at by daluyong (“big waves from the sea”). This seems to give credence to traditional stories before the coming of the Spaniards that giant waves from the sea lashed at the adjoining hills of the vast lowland, referred to as “Salpukan ng Alon”. Father Felix dela Huerta, a Franciscan Historian, observed that the rolling topography of this land resembled giant waves of the sea. Hence, natives replying to the question of strangers as to what the place was called, used to answer Madaluyong, later hispanized by Spanish writers into Mandaluyong by affixing the consonant “n” to the first syllable.
Romantic residents, however, peddled the story of a Maharlika named Luyong who fell in love with Manda, the lovely daughter of a barangay chieftain. The chieftain had no personal liking for Luyong and forbade his daughter’s marriage to him. Luyong overcame the objection of Manda’s father by winning a series of tribal contests which was the custom at the time. The couple settled thereafter in a place which was later called “Mandaluyong” literally named after “Manda” and “Luyong”.
The first story focused on the geographical features of the city, which is very obvious up to now especially in Hagdang Bato Itaas where the Monument of the three heroes (i dont know who) is situated. The second is like any other love stories that parents are the hindrance of the affairs... Well, whatever etymology Mandaluyong has, the name is so perfect for me. Manda represents hope, change and development for me, while luyong characterizes the continuous flow of success and excellence in the city like a great waves that no one can stop.
Mandaluyong is very small. In fact, i can travel into the whole city in just 2 hours... you can walk safely and all the people are smiling... Mandaluyong has a total land area of 1,124.97 hectares. This constitutes 1.77 % of the 636 sq. km. total land area of Metro Manila which is composed of 15 cities and 2 municipalities. The city is composed of 27 barangays, divided into two (2) political districts. The largest is Brgy. Wack-Wack, which comprises a little over one-fourth (294.48 has.) of the city’s total land area. Next is Brgy. Addition Hills, which comprises almost fifteen percent (162 has.), followed by Brgys. Plainview and Highway Hills at about ten percent each, or 115.92 and 105.12 has. respectively.
As of Census Year 2000, Mandaluyong City has a total population of 278,474, accounting for about 2.8% of the total population of the National Capital Region which is 9,932,560. With an average household size of 4.6, it has a household population of 275,110 which may also be considered as the nighttime population of the city.
In the absence of published information and studies concerning daytime population in the city, there is a suggestion that having acquired a full level of urbanization, Mandaluyong City follows the trend in Makati City by which daytime population is three (3) to four (4) times its nighttime population. Thus, on the conservative side, daytime population for Mandaluyong City is estimated as (3) (275,110) or 825,318.
Almost everyone in Mandaluyong is Filipino of various ethnic origins. Even so, the languages generally spoken in the households are Tagalog (96.47%), Bicol (0.40%), Bisaya (0.30%), Ilonggo (0.40%), and Ilocano (0.60%).
About ninety-one percent (91%) of the residents belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and the remaining nine percent (9%) are distributed among religious denominations like the Iglesia ni Kristo (2%), Evangelicals (1.6%), other Protestants (0.42%), Jehovah’s Witness (0.42%), Aglipayan (0.66%) and others (1.7%).
The typical family of Mandaluyong has an average of 4.61 numbers. Of the 59,682 households, 18.82% are headed by women and 81.18% are headed by men. Majority of these households totaling 86.78% are headed by men and women in their prime productive ages between 20 years and 60 years old, while 12-67% have household heads in the elderly age group of 60 years and above. A little over 0.54% of the number of households are headed by the young population 20 years old and below.
A combination of married and widowed individuals accounts for 48.02% of the household population while family members who remain single total 43.46% with female members slightly more than male members at 51.02% and 48.98%, respectively. Others who opted for other forms of family union account for 8.52%. These include individuals that are either divorced, separated, common-law spouses, and those whose marital status are unascertained. (source: www.mandaluyong.gov.ph)
I can blatantly say that the City is governed properly by the City officials headed by Mayor Benhur Abalos and Cong. Boyet Gonzales. I know that they care so much about the welfare of the City. Though sometimes they were victims of bad publicity, i firmly believe in their desire to put Mandaluyong at the helm.
Sulong Mandaluyong!
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