City Mayor Sherwin T. Gatchalian led all Valenzuelanos in celebrating the courage and bravery of its local hero and the City’s namesake, Dr. Pio Valenzuela on the occasion of his 142^nd Birth Anniversary.

The City Government of Valenzuela, thru the City Cultural Affairs and Tourism Office, continues the tradition of conduct a wreath-laying ceremony in his honor before the Triumvirate Monument located at the City Government Complex

This year’s commemoration, Dr. Pio’s great grandson, Pasig City Lone Representative, Cong. Roman T. Romulo, led the rest of the Valenzuela clan during the wreath laying ceremonies.  He shared some of the memorable childhood moments in Valenzuela City when he spent times with his late grandmother, attending masses and celebrating fiestas.  The center of his message to the crowd of hundred Valenzuelanos was when he mentioned how the Cities of Pasig and Valenzuela are inter-related since the time of the Spanish rule.  “Si Dr. Pio Valenzuela ang kumimbinsi sa aming lokal na bayaning si Valentin Cruz upang umanib sa Katipunan, na siyang naging daan sa pakikibahagi ng Pasig sa rebolusyon. (Dr. Pio Valenzuela was the one who persuaded our local hero, Valentin Cruz to join the Katipunan, which became the turning point for Pasig to become involved in the revolution.)”, he said.

Dr. Pio Valenzuela was one of the Kataas-taasang Tatlo (Triumvirate) of the Katipunan, along with Supremo Andres Bonifacio and Secretary General Emilio Jacinto.  They were the members of the Camara Negra (Black Chamber), a secret chamber of the Katipunan which passed judgment over members who violated the secrets of the society.  They were the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the Supreme Council.  Dr. Pio was also the first editor of the society’s organ “Ang Kalayaan.”

Part of this year’s celebration is the awarding of the 2011 Gawad Dr. Pio Valenzuela which were won by Mr. Fernando C. Lumacad, Sr. of Barangay Dalandanan, for excellence in Sports, and Mr. Eduardo A. Capule of Barangay Parada, for Excellence in Science and Technology.

The Valenzuela City Center for the Performing Arts (VCCPA) also premiered its new offering, “Ang Kinang ni Kahlim,” a sung-through musical featuring children which tells the story of Kahlim, one of the angels sent by God to color the world during the time of the Creation when the world was still black and white.  Bearing the color black, he was persuaded by the other angels to believe that he has no purpose.  In the end, everyone realizes that they need Kahlim to provide contrast and make their hues more vibrant.

The group also performed excerpts from “Nome-de-plume: Madlang Away,” a historical musical based on the life of Dr. Pio Valenzuela which they staged in 2006.

The celebration was further highlighted by the turn over of eight (8) units of fire trucks worth PhP 15,075,000 to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) – Valenzuela City in an effort to boost its fire fighting capabilities.

In his message to his fellow-Valenzuelanos, Mayor WIN urged everyone to emulate Dr. Pio Valenzuela, saying everyone can be a hero in his own little way.  “Sa pagpapanatili ng disiplina sa ating mga sarili, kaakibat ang walang maliw na pagpupunyagi, ang kaunlaran ay abot-kamay lamang. (By instilling self-discipline coupled with persistence and perseverance, progress would not be far from our reach,” he said.

-Zyan Caiña (2011-07-11)