A narrative of Valenzuela's history would not be complete without an overview of the Philippine Revolution against Spain, because the man whom the city is named after was one of the key players in the uprising. It was, in fact, this man's significant role in the revolution that made him the fitting choice to be the town's namesake.

Pio Valenzuela was born to parents Francisco Valenzuela, a Polo kapitan mayor, and Lorenza Alejandrino. After years under his parents' tutelage, Valenzuela enrolled at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran for his basic education and eventually entered the A La Real Universidad de Santo Tomás de Aquino (University of Sto. Tomas), where he became a Licenciado en Medicina in 1895.

While Valenzuela would go on to become a full-fledged and successful physician, fate had already presented him with a parallel, yet starkly different path to take. In 1892, in only his sophomore year at the UST College of Medicine, Valenzuela joined a secret organization that aimed to put an end to Spanish rule. This covert group eventually transformed into the most significant revolutionary movement in Philippine colonial history: the Katipunan.

A life made revolutionary

Valenzuela played an ever-increasing role in the Katipunan’s operations, being part of the organization’s triumvirate or the dreaded Camara Negra (Black Chamber), together with founder and Supremo Andres Bonifacio and strategist Emilio Jacinto, and serving as the group’s physician-general. This triumvirate, along with the Supremo’s brother Procopio Bonifacio, formed the central Katipunan Council, which decided on strategy and policy for the revolutionary group.

Dr. Valenzuela edited the Katipunan publication Kalayaan, whose maiden issue was published in January 1896. The Kalayaan would only see one more published issue however, after Spanish authorities uncovered the Katipunan’s existence.

Taking up arms

Valenzuela became famous and controversial when he was tasked by the Katipunan to smuggle arms from Japan. During a general meeting on May 1, 1896 in Pasig, Valenzuela proposed to solicit contributions for the cause. The Katipunan approved Valenzuela's proposal, on the condition that Jose Rizal, the foremost figure in the reform movement, endorse their revolt against Spain.

A fateful meeting

With his orders, Valenzuela departed for Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, on board the ship Venus with two other companions to visit the exiled reformist on June 15, 1896. In his memoir, Valenzuela said Rizal told him that no revolution against Spain should commence not until the support of wealthy Filipinos is secured and sufficient arms were acquired.

Upon his return to Manila, many Katipuneros sought Valenzuela for Rizal's reply. As the results of his "secret mission" had become more talked about, the risk of alerting Spanish authorities ran greater and greater. Because of this, Bonifacio advised Valenzuela to stay off the streets and go into hiding. He moved from house to house, continuing to practice his profession under assumed names and disguises.

The Katipunan unmasked

A day after the Spaniards confirmed the existence of the Katipunan on August 19, 1896 and rounded up and imprisoned Filipinos they suspected as members of the revolutionary movement, Valenzuela fled to Balintawak. Because of the Spanish clampdown, Bonifacio declared armed revolution against Spain on August 29, 1896 in the Cry of Pugadlawin in Caloocan.

This led to a series of attacks in Manila, including those in Mandaluyong, Marikina, Makati, Pandacan, Pateros, Sampaloc, Santa Ana, and Taguig, with Bonifacio personally leading the charge in San Juan del Monte. However, due to the lack of arms and local support from influential Filipinos, these battles were lost by the end of August—just as Rizal had feared.

Valenzuela availed an offer of amnesty from the Spanish government and surrendered on September 1, 1896. He was exiled in Spain, where he was tried and imprisoned. For the next two years, Valenzuela found himself detained in several prisons: in Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona, and at a Spanish outpost in Africa.

The revolution falls

While Valenzuela was incarcerated, Bonifacio's revolution endured for another nine months. Their noble cause was dealt a severe blow, when Jose Rizal was executed on December 30, 1896 in Bagumbayan, Manila, for his alleged ties to the revolutionary forces.

The already waning strength of the Katipunan was further dampened by infighting between the Filipino leaders themselves, with Bonifacio becoming one of the casualties. The Supremo of the Katipunan was executed on May 10, 1897 after refusing to recognize the revolutionary government of Emilio Aguinaldo, whom he accused of conspiring with the Spanish authorities to end the revolution.

Aguinaldo entered into a truce with the Spanish to end the revolution and place his government in exile in Hong Kong, in exchange for general amnesty and monetary indemnity.

A new regime, a new path

Aguinaldo pursued his cause while in exile. On May 1898, when American naval troops defeated the Spanish armada in the Battle of Manila Bay, US Admiral George Dewey brought Aguinaldo back to Manila and re-energized his cause to establish a Philippine republic. But the Americans did not recognize Aguinaldo's government and in turn colonized the Philippines.