Santo Niño de Muntinlupa - the King of Muntinlupa City

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Santo Niño de Muntinlupa
In the highly urbanized city of Muntinlupa, located in the south of Metro Manila, where it is known for its infamous prison and a dwelling place of the elite in Alabang Hills, one might immediately dismiss that its not much of a religious hotspot for pilgrims due to these circumstances.

However, as a matter of fact, for every Muntinlupeño, Fridays are the most important for it was on this day that they will go on a weekly Panata to two renowned Shrines in the area - the nearby Shrine of the Señor Santo Sepulcro of Landayan in San Pedro, Laguna and the Visita of the Santo Niño de Muntinlupa in Baranggay Santo Niño in Poblacion, Muntinlupa City.

The miraculous image of the Santo Niño de Muntinlupa is one of the most cherished and the most popular in the Southern part of Muntinlupa City for many miracles were reported through the help of this peculiar image of the Child Jesus that they consider him as the King of the City.

The image

Close up of the Santo Niño de
Muntinlupa
The image of the Santo Niño de Muntinlupa is a wooden image of the Child Jesus standing in a peaña.  The iconography of the image shares the typical depiction of the Santo Niño in the country - the Child standing and facing the beholder, his right hand posed in a gesture of blessing and his left hand holding a globus cruciger, a symbol of his stature as the King and Ruler. The image has a set of  jewels from crowns, necklaces and other precious heirlooms that are given by the devotees in gratitude to the miraculous Santo Niño of Muntinlupa.

The carving of the image is notably interesting for the Child Jesus is presented with chubby cheeks and chubby hands which somehow added to the appeal of the Niño to his devotees.

A distinct feature of the image is the pillow that is attached to the base of the image. The pillow in the image serves as the pahalikan to the image where the devotees will kiss the pillow as an act of reverence to the Christ Child.

The unusual beginnings

One of the earliest photographs of Santo Niño
de Muntinlupa
History is silent who carved the image or where the image came from. However, the residents of Muntinlupa recalled that the devotion to the Santo Niño de Muntinlupa dates back in 1862 when a certain couple brought with them the image of the Holy Child to a man named Joaquin Arciaga and asked Ingkong Joaquin to keep the image in exchange of bundles of palay. Ingkong Joaquin likened the image so much that he accepted the offer and gave the couple what they wished.

Since that providential day, the image was under the care of Arciaga family. the people soon learned about the event and people started to flock the Arciaga household to venerate the image for miracles were already reported through the help of the Holy Child. The family later built a chapel made of bamboo and kamagong to satisfy the needs of the faithful who wanted to visit the Chapel of the Santo Nino de Muntinlupa. Years later, the present chapel was built with the help of the families who take care of the image and thru the donations given by the devotees.

The Miracles

Details of the face of Sto. Niño de
Muntinlupa
Upon the enshrinement of the miraculous image of the Child Jesus, numerous miracles were reported and it attracted more devotees through the years.

The Niño is popularly known for helping the people of Muntinlupa in their livelihoods. In the early days, fishermen borrowed the image of the Santo Niño to accompany them with their fishing activities in Laguna Lake and whenever they bring the image with them, the fishermen will catch tons of fish. The farmers in turn gets a good harvest whenever they visit his chapel before harvesting. These farmers and fishermen later requested for novenas to be held every February - in commemoration of the image's unusual arrival - and a solemn procession to take place in honor and thanksgiving to the now acclaimed Patron of the City of Muntinlupa.

During the Second World War, the Japanese soldiers arrived in Muntinlipa and they used the back area of the Chapel as an arsenal to keep all of their firearms, weapons and bombs. Despite the grim situation, the Muntinlupeños continued their devotion to the Santo Niño de Muntinlupa and he continued to protect and guide his people in the midst of danger.  When the American soldiers came to liberate the city, the Japanese already left the Chapel area yet the American soldiers saw the Japanese arsenal at the back area of the Chapel and destroyed it. Miraculously, the chapel of the Santo Niño was miraculously spared and not a single explosive damaged the chapel.

The Santo Niño de Muntinlupa is also believed to visit in dreams to his devotees and some individuals who never heard of him. This was the case of a group of pilgrims from General Santos City in Mindanao who accompanied a person afflicted with cancer where the patient claimed that the Niño of Muntinlupa visited the person in a dream and told the patient to go on a pilgrimage to his chapel and promised a cure to his ailment and almost immediately, the patient was completely cured and the group returned to the chapel to give thanks.
Close up details of Santo Niño de Muntinlupa

The theft of the image

With the popularity of the image, there were scrupulous individuals who selfishly wanted to have the miraculous image for themselves and this took place sometime in the 1970's where the image was stolen by a rich family in San Pedro, Laguna. Days later, the people learned the whereabouts of the image that the caretaker went immediately to San Pedro, Laguna and found the image. However, he found two images of the Santo Niño who looked exactly alike and the family won't surrender the image to the Chapel that it reached to the courts.

Hearings for the theft of the image took place until one day, the Niño appeared to the Chapel custodian in a dream and asked him to bring him back to his rightful place, his beloved chapel. The custodian hesitated for there were two images of the Child who looked exactly alike. The Holy Child apparently replied: "Kapag pumunta ka sa hearing, ang unang dapuan ng bangaw sa mukha ay ako iyon." (If you go to the hearing, if a fly will land on the face of one of the images, that is me.) Strange as it sound, it actually happened when everyone in the court room saw a huge bangaw entered the court room and landed on the face of the original image. The custodian relayed his dream and the case was resolved and the image returned to his rightful throne.

The Chapel of Santo Niño de Muntinlupa
The Chapel of the King

The Chapel of the Santo Niño de Muntinlupa was constructed first as simple hut where the devotees can exercise their pious acts in honor of the Santo Niño yet it was later destroyed by typhoons.

A stronger chapel was later built in 1965 through the help of Jose and Alfredo Cabuay, the benefactors of the Niño together with Reverend Father Antolin Espeleta, then Mayor of Muntinlupa, Atty. Maximino Argana and the rest of the community of Poblacion and its devotees within and outside Muntinlupa City as a fitting edifice and temple of the beloved King of Muntinlupa City in gratitude of the miracles that their beloved King wrought to every Muntilupeño.

 The Devotion

The devotion to the Child Jesus of Muntinlupa City continues to be strong and very popular to every Muntinlupeño and his devotees outside Muntinlupa as devotees continue to flock his Chapel everyday, especially on Fridays, the day dedicated to Our Lord Jesus Christ, alongside the famous Señor Santo Sepulcro of Landayan, San Pedro, Laguna, more popularly known as "Lolo Uweng" which is located a few kilometers away from Muntinlupa City.

It is accustomed that pilgrims should bring candies to the Niño whenever they visit him for it is said that the Niño is very fond of candies and sometimes, one can smell the scent of candy to his face and smiles. The tradition of candy giving became known and also some of the candies are given to the needy as well.

Dinagsa Festival
The feast day of the Sto. Niño de Muntinlupa is celebrated every Sunday before Ash Wednesday and a Festival known as "Dinagsa" Festival is celebrated in his honor. For the Dinagsa Festival, there were street dancing and musical bands all over the area to give the festive mood for his Fiesta in the morning and a Solemn procession took place in the evening. During the evening procession, some chosen households will prepare a special platform in front of their houses for it is also a tradition that a Luwa or a poem will be delivered by one of the members of the family in honor of the Santo Niño and the Blessed Virgin.

The enduring devotion to the Christ Child of Muntinlupa only shows that despite changes that the city faced from a simple farmland to a booming commercial center in Metro Manila, the people retained their pious traditions and remained steadfast to their faith to show their gratefulness to God for the blessings that he bestowed to his people.

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