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Founding
Founding of فالنزويلا
- 1623 – 1960
- Southeast Asia
Founding
Fetching the article from Wikipedia…
Valenzuela (, Tagalog pronunciation: [balen'swela]; Latin American Spanish pronunciation: [balenˈswela] ⓘ, Spanish pronunciation: [balenˈθwela] ⓘ), officially the City of Valenzuela (Filipino: Lungsod ng Valenzuela), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. As of the 2024 census, Valenzuela has 725,173 residents, making it one of the most densely populated cities in the Philippines.
Valenzuela ranks as the 7th-most populous city in the National Capital Region and is the 11th-most populous city in the Philippines. Located approximately 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) north of Manila, it is categorized as a highly urbanized, first-class city under the Republic Acts No. 7160 and 8526, which are based on categories of income classification and population. It is located on the island of Luzon, and is landlocked. The city is bordered to the north by the province of Bulacan; to the east by Caloocan and Quezon City; and to the southwest by Malabon. It also shares a boundary with Malabon along the Tullahan River. The city covers a land area of 45.75 km2 (17.66 sq mi) and has a predominantly Tagalog population.
Valenzuela began as the town of Polo, established in 1623 following its separation from Meycauayan, Bulacan. The 1899 Battle of Malinta, during the Philippine–American War, was fought in Polo. In 1960, President Carlos P. Garcia ordered the split of Polo's southern barangays to form another town named Valenzuela, after Pío Valenzuela, a physician and member of the Katipunan, a secret society that fought against the colonial government of Spain. However, in 1963, the split was revoked by President Diosdado Macapagal after political disagreements, and the merged town retained the name Valenzuela. In 1975, Valenzuela was moved from the province of Bulacan to Metro Manila, became the only area in the modern National Capital Region that was neither part of Spanish-era Manila, American-era Rizal province, nor the wartime City of Greater Manila and the modern borders of Valenzuela were established pursuant to its city charter when it became a highly urbanized city on December 30, 1998.
The name Valenzuela is the surname of Pío Valenzuela y Alejandrino. He was a member of the Katipunan Triumvirate, which started the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial authorities in 1896. He also served as the provisional chairman for the Katipunan. In Spanish, Valenzuela is a diminutive form of Valencia, meaning "little Valencia".
Before 1960, Valenzuela was formerly known as Polo, where Pío Valenzuela was born. The name Polo was derived from the Tagalog term pulô, which means "island" or "islet", although the area was not an island itself. The town of Polo was entirely surrounded by the rivers, thus creating an impression of being an island.
During the Spanish era, present-day Valenzuela, Obando, and Novaliches (now in Quezon City) were parts of Bulacan. The areas now covered by Valenzuela included four haciendas (Malinta, Tala, Piedad, and Maysilo), small political settlements and a Spanish garrison. Collectively, these areas were known as Polo. The region was bounded by the Tullahan River to the south and streams branching from the Río Grande de Pampanga in some areas.
When Manila became an archdiocese in 1595, regular friars who had already established permanent churches in Meycauayan decided that the sitio of Polo should be separated from the town and have its own church to cater to its increasing spiritual needs. Through successive efforts of Franciscan friar Juan Taranco and Don Juan Monsód, the towns of Polo and Catanghalan (now part of Obando) were successfully separated from Meycauayan on November 7, 1621, at the feast day of the town's new patron, St. Didacus of Alcalá, known locally as San Diego de Alcalá. The first cabeza de barangay of Polo was Monsód, while Taranco led the parish in a small tavern, which would become the present-day San Diego de Alcalá church. The separation was then confirmed by Governor-General Alonso Fajardo de Entenza through a proclamation letter on November 12, 1623. Later, the date of November 12 was adopted as the foundation day of the city, as recommended by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 2012. This was due to uncertainty about the exact date of creation of the town.
The construction of a parochial church dedicated to St. Didacus of Alcalá began in 1627, under the supervision of José Valencia and Juan Tibay. The first church structure was completed in 1632, but its bell was looted during the Chinese uprising of 1635. At that time, Chinese merchants resided mainly in Barrio Pariancillo, which was located behind the church. In 1852, the church was repaired and remodeled under the direction of Fr. Vicente. The church was later re-dedicated to another patron, to the Nuestra Señora de la Inmaculada Concepción. A convent was also built, followed by a common house (casa tribunal) that had a rectangular prison cell and a schoolhouse made of stone. On June 3, 1865, a strong earthquake destroyed the belfry of the San Diego de Alcalá Church, followed by an epidemic that killed thousands of people.
On May 14, 1753, Governor-General Francisco Jose de Obando y Solis, Marquis of Brindisi, ordered that a new pueblo be carved out of the north-western area of Polo. The new town was named Obando, in honor of the governor-general, and was incorporated into Bulacan.
In 1762-1764, during the British occupation of Manila and its surrounding suburbs, the colonial government, led by Simón de Anda y Salazar, fled to Bacolor, Pampanga via Polo. The British pursued Anda, and at one point, they stayed in sitio Mabolo while awaiting orders from the British civil Governor, Dawsonne Drake. The British explored the nearby communities of Malanday, Wakas, Dalandanan, Pasolo, Rincon and Malinta. The local population, scared of the British, fled and sought refuge in the forests of Viente Reales, where many of them succumbed to malaria. They then proceeded 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.
The 1818 Spanish census recorded the area having 3,160 native families and 11 Spanish-Filipino families. In 1854, General Manuel Pavía y Lacy, Marquis de Novaliches, was appointed Governor-General of the Philippine Islands. Upon his arrival in Manila, he was tasked with establishing a penal colony in which prisoners would be granted land to cultivate in exchange for the prospect of eventual release. This settlement became known as Hacienda Tala, derived from the Tagalog word tala (star), reflecting local folklore about the landscape's appearance following deforestation. This hacienda grew into a larger community that eventually merged with the haciendas of Malinta and Piedad to form the independent town of Novaliches on January 26, 1856. A new road from Polo to Novaliches opened, traversing 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 later be 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 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 in August 1896, while Valenzuela availed the amnesty offered by Spanish authorities a few weeks later. Filipino forces under General Tiburcio de León y Gregorio achieved a tactical victory in an engagement at Bitik and Pasong Balite (Pugad Baboy), temporarily repelling American forces, though American reinforcements subsequently forced Filipino withdrawal. 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.
The Americans imposed a military government when they acquired the Philippine Islands from Spain as part of the peace treaty of the Spanish–American War. They appointed Pío Valenzuela as the first municipal president of Polo on September 6, 1899, to suppress aggressive leadership in the area. He resigned in February 1901 to become the head of the military division, and an election was held. Later that year, the government proclaimed Rufino Valenzuela, a relative of Pío, as the second president and first elected municipal president of the town.
When the Philippine–American War broke out in early 1899, the Americans were directed to capture Emilio Aguinaldo, who was escaping to Malolos, Bulacan. Polo was one of the towns where Aguinaldo retreated; thus, it received heavy casualties in the first stages of the war. On February 22, 1899, General Antonio Luna camped at Polo after an unsuccessful engagement with the American forces in Caloocan. A bloody battle on March 26, 1899, happened near the barrio chapel of Malinta. The Filipino forces had to retreat with the arrival of American reinforcements after being initially successful in defending Malinta and killing Colonel Harry Egbert.
On October 8, 1903, the adjacent town of Obando merged with Polo by virtue of Act No. 932. It was later separated from Polo, effective August 10, 1907, by virtue of Act No. 1588 dated January 25, 1907.
In 1910, a stone arch was built at its municipal boundary with Malabon, Rizal, along Calle Real (modern-day Marcelo H. Del Pilar Street). In 1928, Manila North Road (Highway 3) opened and became the new gateway. The once-agricultural town slowly shifted to an industrial one. Businesses soon put up factories, the most famous of which is the Japanese venture Balintawak Beer Brewery that opened in 1938.
The entrance of the Japanese into Polo during the Second World War was met with almost no resistance. However, there were still many murders committed. The place became a centre of Makapili and spies. It was found that the Balintawak Beer Brewery became a front for manufacturing ammunition for the Japanese forces. The old church of San Diego de Alcalá was used by the Japanese forces as a torture chamber.
On December 10, 1944, Japanese forces massacred more than a hundred men in both towns. From about 1:00am until dawn, cries could be heard from the municipal building where men were being tortured to death. Mayor Feliciano Ponciano was killed along with other municipal officials.
During the 1945 liberation campaign, Allied forces (Filipino and American) conducted bombing and artillery bombardment operations against Japanese positions in Valenzuela. These operations resulted in significant civilian damage, including harm to the 17th-century San Diego de Alcalá Church, which was subsequently damaged by shellfire.
During World War II, retreating Japanese forces destroyed the bridge connecting the northern and southern sections of Polo to slow the Allied advance. The northern section was subsequently liberated by Filipino guerrillas and American forces, while the southern section - including the poblacion, the town's administrative and commercial center - remained under Japanese occupation. On February 11, 1945, the joint Filipino-American force crossed the river and the Japanese abandoned the town, completing its liberation.
In 1947, the Balintawak Beer Brewery was acquired by San Miguel Brewery. The Spanish church was never rebuilt, and only the belfry and the entrance arch remained. A new church was built perpendicular to the ruins of the old one.
On July 21, 1960, President Carlos P. Garcia signed Executive Order No. 401, which divided Polo into two: Polo and Valenzuela. Polo comprised the northern barangays of Wawang Pulo, Población, Palasan, Arkong Bato, Pariancillo Villa, Balangkas, Mabolo, Coloong, Malanday, Bisig, Tagalag, Rincon, Pasolo, Punturin, Bignay, Viente Reales, and Dalandanan. Valenzuela, on the other hand, comprised the southern barangays of Karuhatan, Marulas, Malinta, Ugong, Mapulang Lupa, Canumay, Maysan, Parada, Paso de Blas, Bagbaguin and Torres Bugallón (now Gen. T. de Leon). A provisional town hall was built across today's SM City Valenzuela, until a permanent town hall was built near the intersection of MacArthur Highway and the old Polo-Novaliches Road.
The division soon proved to be detrimental to economic growth in each town, so Bulacan Second district Representative to the Fifth Congress, Rogaciano Mercado, and Senator Francisco Soc Rodrigo filed a bill that sought the reunification of the two towns. On September 11, 1963, President Diosdado Macapagal signed Executive Order No. 46, which reunified Valenzuela and Polo, adopting Valenzuela as the name of the resulting town.
In 1967, Mayor Ignacio Santiago Sr. purchased lots in Karuhatan in which the new municipal hall would be built. Misinterpretation of property surveys and tax appropriation issues sparked the debate on which barangay the municipal hall belonged to: Karuhatan, Malinta, or Maysan. To resolve the issue, Santiago ordered the creation of a new barangay, which was called Poblacion II, a reference to the old Poblacion barangay.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Valenzuela, Metro Manila”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.