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Pío Alejandrino Valenzuela | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 10th Governor of Bulacan | |
| In office 1921–1925 | |
| Preceded by | Juan Carlos |
| Succeeded by | Restituto Castro |
| Provincial Executive ofBulacan | |
| In office 1919–1922 | |
| President of Military Division of Polo Municipality | |
| In office 1902–1919 | |
| Municipal President of Polo | |
| In office 1899–1901 | |
| Preceded by | Rufino Valenzuela Cabeza de barangay (Spanish period) |
| Succeeded by | Nemencio Santiago |
| Physician General of theKatipunan Supreme Council | |
| In office 1895–1898 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Pío Valenzuela y Alejandrino (1869-07-11)11 July 1869 |
| Died | 6 April 1956(1956-04-06) (aged 86) |
| Party | Nacionalista |
| Spouse | Marciana Castro |
| Children | Mercedes Valenzuela-Los Baños Amadeo Castro Valenzuela Diego Castro Valenzuela Rosa Valenzuela-Tecson Abelardo Castro Valenzuela Arturo Castro Valenzuela Alicia Valenzuela-Lozada |
| Profession | Physician |
Pío Valenzuela y Alejandrino (July 11, 1869 – April 6, 1956) was aFilipinophysician and revolutionary leader. At the age of 22, he joined the society ofKatipunan, a movement which sought the independence of the Philippines fromSpanish colonial rule and started thePhilippine Revolution. Together withAndrés Bonifacio andEmilio Jacinto, they formed the secret chamber of the society calledCamara Reina or Kamara Negra. He took charge of the publication ofAng Kalayaan, Katipunan's official publication.[1][2] He was the one who tried to convince the exiledJosé Rizal to join the revolutionary movement.[3]
When the Katipunan was discovered, he fled to Balintawak (now part ofQuezon City) on August 20, 1896, but he later availed of an amnesty that the Spanish colonial government offered, and he surrendered on September 1, 1896. He was deported toSpain where he was tried and imprisoned inMadrid. He was later transferred toMálaga, and then to a Spanish outpost inAfrica. He was incarcerated for about two years.
He returned to the Philippines in April 1899 and resumed his medical practice.[1] He was immediately arrested by the Americans in fear of inciting insurrection. While still in prison, Valenzuela was elected the municipal president in his hometown Polo which forced the Americans to release him. From 1919 to 1925, he served as the governor of the province ofBulacan.[4]
Pío Valenzuela was born inPolo,Bulacan (present-day city of Valenzuela,Metro Manila), to Francisco Valenzuela and Lorenza Alejandrino, who both came from wealthy families.[5] Pío was the third eldest sibling of the Valenzuela family: Agustina (born in 1861), Severo (born in 1865) and Tomás (born in 1871). His father came from a prominent family ofgobernadorcillos of Polo.[6][7]
After he was tutored at home, he was brought toManila to study atColegio de San Juan de Letran. In 1888, he enrolled at theUniversity of Santo Tomas and finished hisLicenciado en Medicina in 1895. He practiced his profession in Manila and Bulacan.
In July 1892, when he was a medical student and the Katipunan was barely a week old, he joined this secret organization. He became a close friend of its founder,Andrés Bonifacio, and was godfather to the first child of Bonifacio andGregoria de Jesús. After their house burned down, Bonifacio and his family lived with Valenzuela.
Valenzuela was elected fiscal of the secret society in December 1895. He was inducted together with the other elected officials at Bonifacio's home on New Year's Day in 1896. He used thenom de guerre"Dimas Ayaran" (untouchable) in the movement.
Shortly after his induction, Valenzuela moved toSan Nicolas district inManila so he could supervise the publication of the secret society's official organ, where he also wrote articles using thenom de plume "Madlang-Away" (bellicose). Valenzuela claimed in his memoirs that he was supposed to be the editor of the publication butEmilio Jacinto would eventually be the one to supervise its printing.
Valenzuela said he was the one who suggested the nameKalayaan (Freedom) for the publication. To mislead the Spanish authorities, he also suggested that they place the name ofMarcelo H. del Pilar as editor andYokohama, Japan as the place of publication.
Kalayaan's first number, dated January 18, 1896, came out in March 1896 and consisted of a thousand copies, which were distributed to Katipunan members all over the country. However, the publication only came out with one more issue because the Katipunan had already been uncovered by the Spanish authorities. He considered the publication of Kalayaan as the most important accomplishment of thesecret chamber of the Katipunan, which he claimed consisted of himself, Bonifacio and Jacinto, and he leaves.
In a meeting of the secret chamber in July 1896, they decided to assassinate the SpanishAugustinian friar who uncovered the Katipunan to the authorities, but they failed to accomplish the mission. Valenzuela also claimed that after the discovery of the Katipunan, he and Bonifacio distributed letters implicating wealthy Filipinos, who refused to extend financial assistance to the Katipunan.
He was a member of the committee that was tasked to smuggle arms for the Katipunan from Japan. He was also with Bonifacio, Jacinto andProcopio Bonifacio when they organized the Katipunan council in Cavite.
At the secret general meeting called by Bonifacio on the night of May 1, 1896, at Barrio Ugong inPasig,Manila province, Valenzuela presented to the body a proposal to solicit contributions to buy arms and munitions from Japan. The proposal was approved on condition that it first be approved byJosé Rizal, who was in exile inDapitan inMindanao.
Valenzuela was tasked to discuss the matter with Rizal, and he left for Dapitan on June 15, 1896. However, Rizal told him that the revolution should not be started until sufficient arms had been secured and the support of the wealthy Filipinos had been won over.
When the Katipunan was discovered, he fled to Balintawak on August 20, 1896, but he later availed of an amnesty that the Spanish colonial government offered, and he surrendered on September 1, 1896.
He was deported to Spain where he was tried and imprisoned inMadrid. He was later transferred toMálaga,Barcelona and then to a Spanish outpost in Africa. He was incarcerated for about two years.
He returned to the Philippines in April 1899. In Manila, he was denounced to the American Military authorities as a radical propagandist and once more imprisoned up to September of the same year.
To suppress aggressive leadership upon his release, he was made municipal president of Polo. From 1902 to 1919, he served as president of the military division of his district. In 1917, he became a District Health Officer. From 1919 to 1925, he served the people of Bulacan for two terms as provincial executive. As governor, he was uncompromising against graft and corruption in the government.[8]
After he retired from politics, he wrote his memoirs on the revolutionary days. He also practiced his medical profession, but only for philanthropic purposes. He was married to Marciana Castro by whom he had seven children. Early in the morning of April 6, 1956, he died in his hometown, and was buried at the local cemetery.
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Valenzuela was portrayed in various films which featured or centered on the Revolution. He was portrayed by the following actors in these films:
He was also portrayed by the following actors in the theater productionNom de Plume: Madlang Away[13] of theValenzuela City Center for the Performing Arts:
Directed by Andre Tiangco, Music by Arnel de Pano and Jose Jeffrey Camañag, withRoeder Camañag as the Artistic Director.
Valenzuela's old hometown of Polo was renamed toValenzuela in 1960. Other places named after Pío Valenzuela, aside from places named after the cityValenzuela are:
The Dr. Pio Valenzuela Scholarship Program was enacted by the municipal government of Valenzuela in 1995 to grant educational assistance its deserving citizens.[14]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New office | Municipal President of Polo 1899–1901 | Succeeded by Nemencio D. Santiago |
| Preceded by Juan Carlos | Governor of Bulacan 1921–1925 | Succeeded by Restituto J. Castro |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
