Born in the town proper of the municipality of Polo in Bulacan province in 1869, Dr. Pio Valenzuela was a doctor and a revolutionary, having joined the Katipunan movement of Andres Bonifacio and becoming one of its top people. More famously, he was the one who Bonifacio assigned to meet with Dr. Jose Rizal on June 15, 1896 during the latter’s exile in Dapitan to seek his view on launching a revolution. Accounts vary but it seems the consensus was that Rizal himself was not opposed to a revolution per se but he advised the Katipunan not to launch the revolution prematurely until they were able to secure the needed arms and support from the wealthy Filipinos.
When the revolution broke out in August that year, Dr. Valenzuela was imprisoned by the Spaniards and exiled for about two years. Upon his return home in 1899, the new American colonial masters imprisoned him for a while but was eventually released and appointed as the mayor of Polo, the first to serve as mayor of the town during the American colonial period. He would also serve as the governor of Bulacan from 1921-1925.
Around this period of his life as a public official, he built a stately house in Pariancillo Villa, which received numerous guests, especially distinguished ones back in the day. Unfortunately, the old house was burnt down by the Japanese during World War II. And while Dr. Valenzuela had the house rebuilt in the old site, it was more modest-looking and no longer bore the grandeur of the prewar house.
Worse, the area of old Valenzuela has been susceptible to flooding over the years. As such, many structures in the area were raised to higher levels above the old ground for safety but for a long while, the postwar Pio Valenzuela house was left in its low-lying state so it was inundated by flooding, not to mention having been virtually abandoned for decades after the doctor’s death.
Pio Valenzuela died in 1956 and in 1960, a new town was to be carved out of Polo’s southern portion and was to be named Valenzuela in his honor. However, the division proved to be economically detrimental for both Polo and Valenzuela towns so in 1963, the two towns were reunited but this time bearing the name of Valenzuela.
In 2019, plans were made not for the restoration of the house to serve as a lasting tribute to the man who has served the city that now bears his name. As such, it would not be the old postwar house that is going to restored. Rather, the plan was to rebuild the grandiose prewar house. As no documentation exists of what the old prewar Pio Valenzuela house looked like or how it was laid out, it was up to Architect Gerard Lico and his team, alongside the descendants of Dr. Valenzuela to somewhat recreate the character of the old house while adapting to the present environment and the potential changes ahead.
The result was the Museo ni Dr. Pio Valenzuela which was opened to the public in 2023.
The museum consists of 3 sections: the exhibition hall which showcases the life of Dr. Pio Valenzuela and a multipurpose hall for talks and lectures located on the 1st level and the recreation of the Valenzuela living space on the upper level which displays various furnitures and objects owned by Dr. Valenzuela and his family over the years.
The area surrounding the museum has been given life as well to complement the developments. As a result, the museum grounds serve as a mini-park where visitors and nearby residents can relax amidst the greenery.
The rebirth of the old Dr. Pio Valenzuela house into a landmark worthy of the legacy of the man is not just a story of giving a person worthy of their dues but also of a city that is reviving its past not just for the sake of it but making an earnest effort in introducing its rich history to present and future generations to appreciate and protect for generations to come.
Acknowledgements as well to the Valenzuela City Government, Wikipedia, BluPrint, Philippine News Agency and Facebook
