Valenzuela City

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Valenzuela City
Lungsod ng Valenzuela
—  City  —

Seal
Nickname(s): The Vibrant City
Map of Metro Manila showing the location of Valenzuela

Valenzuela City

Map of the Philippines showing the location of Valenzuela
Coordinates: 120°58′1″E / 14.68278°N 120.96694°E / 14.68278; 120.96694Coordinates: 120°58′1″E / 14.68278°N 120.96694°E / 14.68278; 120.96694
Country Philippines
Region National Capital Region
District 1st and 2nd districts of Valenzuela City
Barangays 32
Incorporated (barrio) 16th century
Incorporated (town) 1632
Incorporated (city) February 14, 1998[1]
Government
 - Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian (NPC)
 - Vice-Mayor Eric M. Martinez (Lakas-Kampi-CMD)
Area
 - Total 44.59 km² (17.2 sq mi)
Population (2007)
 - Total 568,928
 - Density 12,759.1/km² (33,045.9/sq mi)
Time zone PST (UTC+8)
ZIP code 1440 (Valenzuela City Post Office), others: see below
Area code 02
Website www.valenzuela.gov.ph

The City of Valenzuela (Filipino: Lungsod ng Valenzuela) is a highly-urbanized, first-class city [2] and one of cities in the Philippines that constitutes Metro Manila. The city has 568,928 residents as of August 2007 and is primarily an industrial and residential suburb of Manila.[3] The North Luzon Expressway passes through the city and out of Metro Manila into the province of Bulacan.

Valenzuela has a land area of 44.59 km² divided into several domain: residential, industrial and cultural. It is bordered by Meycauayan City, Quezon City and northern Caloocan City to the east; by Obando in Bulacan to the west; by Malabon City, southern Caloocan City and Tullahan River to the south.

Since becoming a city in 1998, Valenzuela’s economy has flourished and its population has swelled significantly.[4]

Etymology

Valenzuela, in Spanish language, is a diminutive form of Valencia, Spain. Valenzuela means little Valencia.[5] The name Valenzuela is also the surname of Pío Valenzuela, a Filipino physician and patriot who was among the leaders of the Katipunan. It may be remembered that Valenzuela was one of the triumvirate of the Katipunan that started the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial authorities.[6]

Originally, Valenzuela was called Polo. The name Polo was derived from the Tagalog term pulô meaning island, though the area was not an entirely island for itself. The original town of Polo was blessed by the rivers from the north and Tullahan River on the south, one of the branching rivulets of the Pasig river system of Metro Manila. Hence, the enclosed land was thought to be an island, so the early town men regarded the place as Pulo which later evolved into Polo done by hispanicization of the word.

Today, the term Polo only applies to the barangay of Polo, the bithplace of Dr. Pio Valenzuela himself, which is found in the city's first congressional district.

History

During its long history, the city played an important role in the development of northern Metro Manila. Before its cityhood on 1998, the city was divided economically into a Spanish friar hacienda, small political settlement and a Spanish garrison before the Philippine Independence in 1898. Valenzuela City was once part of the Bulacan province. In 19th century, its huge land area was subdivided into Polo, Novaliches, Obando, and others merged into the province of Morong. Later on in the American period, the city became part of Bulacan and colonial government commissioned the construction of Marcelo H. del Pilar Expressway. The expressway later became North Luzon Expressway during Marcos's era.

The liberation of the Philippines from Japanese rule on 1946 resulted in the division of Valenzuela into two towns.

On 1960, President Diosdado Macapagal signed a bill creating the municipality of Valenzuela independent from Bulacan. However, on 1963, the bill was reverted, making the northern Polo under Bulacan again, while the southern Valenzuela town became an independent municipality. The creation of Metro Manila Commission and National Capital Region during Marcos' administration led to unification of Polo and Valenzuela into a municipality of Valenzuela in 1975. Valenzuela finally attained cityhood status on February 14, 1998.

Spanish colonization

The history of Valenzuela is incomplete unless the history of its mother province, Bulacan, is included. For hundreds of years, present-day Valenzuela, Obando and Novaliches (now in Quezon City) were parts of Bulacan. Therefore, the history of Bulacan before 1623 was also the history of Valenzuela.

Province of Bulacan

When Spanish conquistadores reached Luzon island and established a settlement in Manila,[7] they found Bulacan as a strong united community ruled by the Rajah and his princes. Until today, the etymology of Bulacan is unclear, although many historians believe that the word bulacan came from any of the following: