Alabang

Alabang is a barangay in Muntinlupa, Philippines. At one time the area was a farming district, and has since grown from a village to a major commercial center, which includes the Filinvest City and Madrigal Business Park, and a transportation hub. It has an area of 8.064 sqkm. A large portion of Ayala Alabang came from Barangay Alabang. It is formerly the location of the Alabang Stock Farm.

Etymology


According to the translation of the stories of previous generations to the elderly people who are still living in Alabang, the word Alabang comes from two words: Alibangban (after the tree Alibangbang) and Abangan (Filipino for wait).

During the Spanish period, they say that many Alibangbang trees were planted in Alabang, and since people were still rare at that time, the area of the trees was wide, fat and its branches would fall off, which also rises approximately 20 ft. Its leaves were about the size of a palm, and they appear to be twins that spread out during the day and gather spontaneously at night. Its leaves and fruits are also roasted because of its acidity. Also at night, it is crowded with fireflies. Using their torch light on the buttocks, they prey on the insects that land on the tree.

Currently, there are no Alibangbang trees to be found in Alabang.

Filinvest City
Barangay Alabang, part of the second district of Muntinlupa, has undergone tremendous growth mainly due to a development boom in the late 1990s. The development of high-end large scale commercial real estate projects; the Filinvest City, changed the landscape of the Alabang where it was once vast fields of cow pasture until the late 1980s, into a district that houses new residential, business, industrial and commercial establishments.

Some of the country's premier business district, Filinvest City's Spectrum Business District, The Northgate Cyberzone which specializes in hosting information and technology industries, the towering Insular Life Towers, the Asian Star Building home to Fluor Corporation and other big companies, As SCA Hygiene Philippines, Henkel Philippines, Other Satellite Offices As ECOLAB, Maynilad Water, Filinvest Development Corporation, RDB Talents & Events Management Inc (BEATalent Development & Marketing Inc), My Fame & Fortune Talent Agency Inc, Verizon Wireless, Convergys Philippines, Genpact Philippines, Integra Philippines, HSBC Data Processing Service, E Telecare, Firstsource Solutions Limited, The Hershey Company Philippines, Petit Monde Apparel Corp, Unilever Philippines, Filinvest Alabang Inc, &, Shell Philippines B.V. the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, FEU Alabang, the phase of the Hotel Buildings Crimson Suites, Acacia Hotel, and The Bellevue Manila Hotel, with the future development of The Peninsula Hotels in Filinvest City, designed by B+H Architecture.

Shopping centers
Festival Alabang is a large shopping mall owned and operated by Filinvest Development Corporation located at Filinvest City in Barangay Alabang, Muntinlupa. The mall opened in the middle of May 1998, and it became Filinvest's flagship project, setting the standard for shopping centers in the south of Metro Manila. The whole Festival Alabang complex has an area of over 30 ha, the biggest mall in south Metro Manila (tied with Ayala Malls Manila Bay).

Festival Alabang is the biggest of all five current malls in city. It is also adjacent to some of the largest malls south of Metro Manila, namely Alabang Town Center, SM Southmall, and other malls like Starmall Alabang (formerly Metropolis Star Alabang), Liana's Alabang, and Ayala Malls South Park.

Starmall Alabang, or formerly known as Metropolis Star Alabang is the first community shopping mall in this city and it is owned by Starmalls, Inc. It has features and anchors like: All Day Supermarket, All Home, Finds A Discount Store, Cinemas, and among others.

There are also the South Station, Fastbyte at Northgate, Westgate Center, Commerce Center, South Supermarket The Filinvest Tent Commercial Block, and Alabang Public Market.

Car Dealerships
There are multiple car dealerships located in Muntinlupa and most of them are along the Alabang–Zapote Road in Alabang. Ford Motors Alabang has a five-floor facility covering a floor area of nearly 13,000 sqm. The Ford dealership boasts a 2-floor, 23-vehicle showroom and a 4-floor, 80-bay service center. Toyota Alabang also constructed a facility with a showroom, parts warehouse, office & service facilities in a 5,000 sqm lot adjacent to the Ford Dealership. Audi Westgate Alabang, Chevrolet Alabang, Chrysler Alabang, Mitsubishi Motors Alabang, Nissan and Suzuki Alabang are also located within the area, most of which are along the Alabang–Zapote Road.