[ARTICLE] PIO VALENZUELA: A SOLDIER FOR LIBERTY
PIO VALENZUELA: A SOLDIER FOR LIBERTY
BY: Carl Joseph C. Morelos
In July 11, 1869, Francisco Valenzuela and Lorenza Alejandrino gave birth to a man who became Dr. Pio Valenzuela. A well renowned for acting as a go-between for two heroes in an ill-fated plan that could have resulted in the greatest Philippine tandem ever.
Dr. Pio Valenzuela, the fourth child of Francisco Valenzuela and Lorenzana Alejandrino, was born in Polo, Bulacan. His parents were prosperous members of the local aristocracy. Don Pio had demonstrated such a great interest in medicine since boyhood that the entire Valenzuela family assumed he would grow up to be a successful doctor.
Valenzuela, who was in his fourth year of medical school, learned about the Katipunan from a housemate, Luciano de Guzman, a young student from Angat, Bulacan. He quickly became a member of the secret society. Dr. Valenzuela, who had been Bonifacio and Jacinto's constant companion since the day he joined the Katipunan, possessed an intimate knowledge of the Katipunan and its earlier exploits. Valenzuela gained a rare insight into both leaders' personalities as a result of their lengthy friendship.
The country was on the verge of an inevitable revolution for independence in the first half of 1896. Rizal's clout and influence were known to Bonifacio, and he needed the writer's help and guidance. Rizal was needed by the Supremo to help them with their nationwide campaign. Rizal was needed by the Supremo to help them with their nationwide campaign. Bonifacio agreed that Valenzuela should approach Rizal with their offer, assuming that Rizal would be sympathetic to Valenzuela because they worked in the same field.
In the opening fight with the enemy, Dr. Valenzuela fought with Bonifacio and Jacinto 48 hours after the Katipuneros resolved to revolt in a secret conference held in barrio Pugad Lawin, Caloocan, on Aug. 22, 1896. The battle, which took place in Caloocan's barrio Pasong Tamo, was brief and bloody. “In the face of our tenacious fight, the Guardia Civiles retreated,” .
The movement quickly spread to nearby provinces. As Bonifacio's personal envoy, Dr. Valenzuela was frequently sent on risky missions. When he returned to Manila from Binan after a secret mission, the Spanish authorities caught up with him after a long period of surveillance. Ramon Blanco, the Governor-General, sentenced him to life in prison. Dr. Valenzuela, who had been imprisoned in Fort Santiago, was deported to Spain and imprisoned in a penitentiary in Barcelona. During his "prison" in Barcelona, he assisted Luna's Swiss friends in getting him out of jail by testifying that Luna was not a Katipunan member. However, Dr. Valenzuela's time in prison did not come to an end when they were arrested by US army authorities upon their arrival in Manila. They were held captive in a residence in Intramuros, not far from San Juan de Letran. They remained there until early 1899, when they were finally released. When Dr. Valenzula entered postwar politics, his prison pallor was still extremely visible in his features. He went on to become the first mayor of Polo and then governor of the province of Bulacan.
Another initiative that Valenzuela took on was the Katipunan publication, Kalayaan, which he started with Emilio Jacinto in 1894. The Katipunan had to be resourceful because they didn't have much cash or support from wealthy supporters. They utilized stolen typefaces from Diario de Manila, a Spanish-language newspaper, to create the paper. Filipino employees of the paper, who were also members of Katipunan, would sneak out these materials during the lunch break and siestas of their Spanish bosses.
Aside from being a Katipunan veteran, history will remember Don Pio as a dashing, cloak-and-dagger character who carried out a number of risky missions for Bonifacio and the Katipunan. His secret conversation with Dr. Jose Rizal in exile in Dapitan, Mindanao, and the discussion he undertook with Japanese representatives over the projected purchase of three boatloads of guns from Japan by the Filipino revolutionists stand out among his high exploits.
After the revolution, Dr. Valenzuela was asked twice by pals to run for governor of Bulacan, but he declined both times. He agreed for the third time. The Bulacan governorship election of 1919 had its share of corrupt practices. He struggled for two years, and the Supreme Court finally declared him governor. He served the remaining year of that term, was re-elected to office in 1922, and retired at the end of his term in 1925. Then, Dr. Valenzuela got married and had 10 children, seven of whom are still alive.
In his old age, he retired from politics, and wrote his memoirs which some historians criticized for its inconsistency. At the age of86, he died on April6, 1956. Polo was renamed Valenzuela in1963, and it was incorporated as a city in 1998.
Reference:
l https://piovalenzuela150.blogspot.com/2019/01/article-valenzuelas-greatest-hour-his.html
l https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/06/29/opinion/columnists/in-fairness-to-pio-valenzuela/576480/
l https://piovalenzuela150.blogspot.com/2019/01/article-pio-valenzuela-last-of-great.html
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