Pío Valenzuela

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Pío Valenzuela (July 11, 1869-April 6, 1956) was a Filipino physician and patriot who was among the leaders of the Katipunan that started the Philippine Revolution against Spain. Valenzuela City in northern Metro Manila was named after him.

He wrote his memoirs of the Philippine Revolution in the 1920s, but historians have since been wary of his autobiography because of some inconsistencies in his version of events, particularly about his meeting with Jose Rizal in Dapitan in 1896.

1 Early years
2 The revolutionary life
3 Under the Americans
4 References

[edit] Early years

Valenzuela was born in Polo, Bulacan to Francisco Valenzuela and Lorenza Alejandrino, who both came from wealthy families. He studied at Colegio de San Juan de Letran and at the University of Santo Tomas where he finished his licentiate in medicine in 1895.

He was still a medical student when he joined the Katipunan secret society that was founded by Andres Bonifacio on July 7, 1892. He became a close friend of Bonifacio and would eventually become the godfather of Bonifacio's child by Gregoria de Jesus.

[edit] The revolutionary life

He was elected fiscal of the secret society in December 1895. He was inducted together with the other elected officials at Bonifacioís home on New Yearís Day in 1896.

Shortly after his induction, Valenzuela moved to San Nicolas district in Manila so he could supervise the publication of the secret society's official organ. Valenzuela claimed in his memoirs that he was supposed to be the editor of the publication but Emilio Jacinto would eventually be the one to supervise its printing.

Valenzuela said he was the one who suggested the name Kalayaan (Freedom) for the publication. To mislead the Spanish authorities, he also suggested that they place the name of Marcelo H. del Pilar as editor and Yokohama, 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 was 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 the secret chamber of the Katipunan, which he claimed consisted of himself, Bonifacio and Jacinto.

In a meeting of the secret chamber in July 1896, they decided to assassinate the Spanish Ausgustine friar who uncovered the Katipunan to the authrities, 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 and Procopio 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 in Pasig, 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 by Jose Rizal, who was in exile in Dapitan in Mindanao.

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 in Madrid. He was later transferred to Málaga, Barcelona and then to a Spanish outpost in Africa. He was incarcerated for about two years.

[edit] Under the Americans

Upon his return to the Philippines in April 1899, he was again imprisoned by the Americans, who had just taken over the Philippines after the Spanish-American War. He was detained until September of that year.

Later, he Americans appointed him municipal president of his hometown of Polo and he served in that capacity from 1902 to 1919. He then served as governor of Bulacan from 1919 to 1925.

He wrote his memoirs after retiring from politics, or thirty years after the fact. He died in his hometown in the morning of April 6, 1956. He was married to Marciano Castry by whom he had seven children.