Embedded Files
Everything you need to know about Valenzuela's History
Early History
Early History
Valenzuela, Obando, and Novaliches (now in Quezon City) were all part of Bulacan during the Spanish era. Four haciendas (Malinta, Tala, Piedad, and Maysilo), tiny political villages, and a Spanish garrison were among the areas currently covered by Valenzuela. Polo was the name given to these locations. The Tullahan River passed through the region on the south, and streams of the Ro Grande de Pampanga ran through various regions.
Spanish Period
Spanish Period
Sitio Polo was effectively separated from Catanghalan on November 7, 1621, on the feast day of the town's new patron, St. Didacus of Alcalá, known locally as San Diego de Alcalá, thanks to the efforts of Franciscan friar Juan Taranco and Don Juan Monsód. Monsód was the first cabeza de barangay of Polo, and Taranco oversaw the parish from a modest tavern that would later become the San Diego de Alcalá church. Governor-General Alonso Fajardo de Entenza announced the separation in a proclamation letter dated November 12, 1623. The date of November 12 is later chosen as the city's founding date.
The building of a parochial church dedicated to St. Didacus of Alcalá began in 1627, under the direction of Fr. Juan Tibay and José Valencia. In 1632, the first church construction was finished. However, during the Chinese insurrection of 1635, its bell was looted. Chinese merchants lived in Barrio Pariancillo, which was located at the back of the church during the time. The church was renovated and remodeled in 1852 under the supervision of Fr. Vicente. Later, the church was renamed after another patron, Nuestra Seora de la Inmaculada Concepción.
On June 3, 1865, a severe earthquake damaged the belfry of the San Diego de Alcalá Church, followed by an epidemic that killed thousands of people. On the orders of Governor-General Francisco Jose de Obando y Solis, Marquis of Brindisi, a new pueblo was cut out of the northwestern portion of Polo on May 14, 1753. The new town was given the name Obando in honor of the governor general, and it became part of the province of Bulacan.
In 1762-1764 British occupation of Manila and surrounding suburbs the colonial government led by Simón de Anda y Salazar fled to Bacolor, Pampanga through Polo. The British followed Anda, and at one point stayed in sitio Mabolo while waiting for orders from the British civil Governor Dawsonne Drake. They explored the nearby communities of Malanday, Wakas, Dalandanan, Pasolo, Rincon and Malinta. The terrified local population fled and sought refuge in the forests of Viente Reales, where many of them died of malaria. The British then proceed to Malolos, Bulacan where they were ambushed by the stationed Spanish soldiers. After the chase, the local population of Polo returned to their homes on May 12, 1763, after days of reconstruction. The day May 12 was commemorated as the feast of St. Roch, locally known as San Roque, as another patron saint and as a memorial to those who died in the Seven Years' War.
In 1854, General Manuel Pavía y Lacy, Marquis de Novaliches, was named Governor-General of the Philippine Islands. He arrived in Manila with the task of establishing a penal colony where prisoners would be granted lands they would develop in exchange for their release. The colony was given the name Hacienda Tala since the once heavily forested area became identical to one where a star (“tala”) had fallen after clearing. This hacienda grew into a larger community that eventually merged with the haciendas of Malinta and Piedad in forming the independent town of Novaliches on January 26, 1856. A new road from Polo to Novaliches opened and traversed the barrios of Mabolo, Pasolo, Rincon, Malinta, Masisan, Paso de Blas, Canumay and Bagbaguin.
In 1869, Filipino physician and patriot Pío Valenzuela was born in Polo. He would be later known as one of the key leaders of the Katipunan, which he joined in 1892 at the age of 23. His admission to the society led to the more recruits from Polo, including Ulpiano Fernández, Gregorio Flamenco, Crispiniano Agustines, and Faustino Duque. When Valenzuela was the chief editor, Fernández held a special role in the Katipunan as a printer of the Ang Kalayaan, the organization's official newspaper.
The now-defunct Manila-Dagupan Railway opened in 1892 and traversed the barrios of Marulas, Caruhatan, Malinta, Dalandanan and Malanday, with the station being in Dalandanan.
A constituted branch of the Katipunan was established in Polo on February 1, 1896. The town joined other revolutionaries when the Philippine Revolution broke out on August 1896, while Valenzuela availed the amnesty offered by Spanish authorities few weeks later. One of the notable battles in Polo occurred in sitios Bitik and Pasong Balite in Pugad Baboy, where the locals won under the command of General Tiburcio de León y Gregorio. During the revolution, the Spanish massacred many residents, most of them in Malinta. Suspected revolutionaries were hanged and tortured to death. Many were forced to admit guilt or shout innocent names; others were shot without trial.
American Period
American Period
When the United States bought the Philippines from Spain as part of the Spanish–American War peace pact, they imposed a military administration on the islands. On September 6, 1899, they nominated Po Valenzuela as the first municipal president (presidente municipal) to rein in the area's assertive leaders. In February 1901, he resigned to become the commander of the military division, and a new commander was chosen. The government thereafter named Rufino Valenzuela, a relative of Po, as the town's second president and first elected municipal president.
When the Philippine–American War broke out in early 1899, the Americans were sent to Malolos, Bulacan, to apprehend Emilio Aguinaldo. Polo was one of Aguinaldo's withdrew towns, and as a result, it suffered tremendous casualties in the early phases of the war. After an unsuccessful combat with American soldiers in Caloocan, General Antonio Luna camped in Polo on February 22, 1899. On March 26, 1899, a deadly skirmish took place at the Malinta neighborhood chapel. After initially succeeding in defending Malinta and killing Col. Harry Egbert, the Filipino forces were forced to retreat due to the arrival of American reinforcements.
Along Calle Real in Polo, Bulacan, and Malabon, Rizal, a stone arch was built in 1910. McArthur Highway was built in 1928 and became the new entrance. The town, which was previously primarily agrarian, gradually became more industrialized. Businesses quickly set up factories, with the most well-known being the Japanese-owned Balintawak Beer Brewery, which started in 1938.
Japanese Occupation
Japanese Occupation
During WWII, when the Japanese invaded Polo, they were met with absolutely no resistance. There were, however, far too many killings. Makapili and spies infiltrated the area, causing havoc among the quiet residents. The Balintawak Beer Brewery was discovered to be a front for manufacturing ammunition for the Japanese army. The rapid arrival of the Japanese added to the atmosphere of fear. During WWII, the historic church of San Diego de Alcalá was used as a torture facility.
On December 10, 1944, the dread reigned supreme. When the Japanese slaughtered over a hundred males in both Polo and Obando, it was a day of mourning. Cries could be heard from the municipal building beginning at 1:00 a.m. and continuing until the sun set, when males were tortured to death. Mayor Feliciano Ponciano, along with other municipal leaders, killed in the same manner.
When the town was liberated, the incoming armed troops of joint Filipino and American regiments used flamethrowers to partially burn it down. They bombed and shelled large houses in the town, including San Diego's more than 300-year-old church.
The Japanese destroyed the ancient old bridge that connected the town's northern and southern districts, thereby dividing Polo into two halves. The northern section was immediately liberated by a combined Filipino-American force, while the southern part, which included the municipal capital poblacion, remained under Japanese control. On February 11, 1945, the Japanese surrendered the town when the Allied forces were able to cross the river and take it.
San Miguel Beer purchased the Balintawak Beer Brewery in 1947. Only the belfry and the entrance arch remained of the Spanish church, which was never rebuilt. A new church was constructed perpendicular to the previous one's remains.
Modern History
Modern History
President Carlos P. Garcia signed Executive Order No. 401 on July 21, 1960, dividing Polo into two parts: Polo and Valenzuela. Wawang Pulo, Poblacion, Palasan, Arkong Bato, Pariancillo Villa, Balangkas, Mabolo, Coloong, Malanday, Bisig, Tagalag, Rincon, Pasolo, Punturin, Bignay, Viente Reales, and Dalandanan made up Polo's northern barangays. Karuhatan, Marulas, Malinta, Ugong, Mapulang Lupa, Canumay, Maysan, Parada, Paso de Blas, Bagbaguin, and Torres Bugallón, on the other hand, encompassed the southern barangays of Karuhatan, Marulas, Malinta, Ugong, Mapulang Lupa, Canumay, Maysan, Parada, Paso de Blas (now Gen. T. de Leon). Until a permanent town hall was established near the intersection of MacArthur Highway and the old Polo-Novaliches Road, a makeshift town hall was built in front of today's SM Valenzuela.
After the divide became damaging to each town's economic progress, Bulacan Second District Representative to the Fifth Congress Rogaciano Mercado and Senator Francisco Soc Rodrigo presented a bill to reunite the two towns. President Diosdado Macapagal signed Executive Order No. 46 on September 11, 1963, reuniting Valenzuela and Polo and renaming the resulting town Valenzuela.
Mayor Ignacio Santiago Sr. purchased land in Karuhatan in 1967 for the construction of the new municipal hall. The controversy over whether the municipal hall should be in Karuhatan, Malinta, or Maysan was caused by misinterpretation of property surveys and tax appropriation difficulties. To address the problem, Santiago established a new barrio called Poblacion II, which was named after the previous Poblacion barangay.
Valenzuela was transferred from the province of Bulacan to Metro Manila on November 7, 1975. The governor of Metro Manila at the time was First Lady Imelda Marcos. As a result, Valenzuela is the only section of the contemporary National Capital Region that was never part of either the Spanish colonial-era Manila or the Rizal province.
Cityhood
Cityhood
Local governments gained autonomy after the Local Government Code was passed in 1991, allowing them to evolve into self-sufficient communities. President Fidel V. Ramos signed Republic Act No. 8526 on February 14, 1998, transforming Valenzuela into a highly urbanized chartered city. The law also stipulated that the newly formed city be divided into two parliamentary districts. Valenzuela became the 12th city in Metro Manila and the 83rd in the Philippines when the law was ratified on December 30, 1998.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared July 11 to be Valenzuela Day every year in 2002, which was an official holiday in the city commemorating Po Valenzuela's birth day. The city's charter day was moved from January 14 to February 14 in 2008. On February 14 and November 14, Valenzuela City commemorates Valenzuela Day and Valenzuela Foundation Day. 12 in each case
A fire broke out in the Kentex Manufacturing factory in barangay Ugong on May 13, 2015, killing 74 persons. Due to significant misconduct and carelessness of duty during the incident, the Ombudsman ordered Mayor Rex Gatchalian and other city officials to be fired in 2016. This has been termed the country's third worst fire event.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse