Valenzuela City
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Valenzuela City is one of the cities and municipalities that comprise Metro Manila in the Philippines. The city has approximately 500,000 residents and is primarily an industrial and residential suburb of Manila. The North Luzon Expressway passes through the city and out of Metro Manila into the province of Bulacan.
Valenzuela City has a land area of approximately 45 square kilometers. It is bordered by Quezon City and northern Caloocan City to the east, by Malabon City and southern Caloocan City to the south, by Obando in Bulacan to the west, and Meycauayan, also in Bulacan, to the north.
Since becoming a city in 1998, the city's economy has flourished and its population has swelled significantly.
Districts and barangays
Valenzuela is composed of 32 barangays which are grouped into two congressional districts, and two legislative districts. Legislative District 1 contains 23 barangays in the northern half of the city, while legislative District 2 occupies the 9 barangays in the southern portion of the city.
District 1
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District 2
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Transportation
Two major highways traverse Valenzuela City - the MacArthur Highway and the North Luzon Expressway The proximity of the North Luzon Expressway to the city center makes Valenzuela a northern gateway to Metro Manila and a choice location for business and industry.
History
Valenzuela City was originally known as Polo, and established as an independent town in 1623. Polo was an idyllic center of agriculture and fishery carved from the town of Meycauayan, Bulacan. The town acquired its independence through the efforts of Father Juan Taranco and Don Juan Monsod.
The chapel of San Diego de Alcala, and its now famous belfry, was completed in 1632 and became the town's center that stood witness to several battles during the Spanish, American and Japanese occupations.
On July 21, 1960, President Diosdado Macapagal signed Executive Order No. 401, which led to the creation of the Municipality of Valenzuela, named after its most renowned hero, Dr. Pio Valenzuela.
Because of the rapid growth of the Greater Manila Area in terms of population, as well as social and economic requirements in the early seventies, and the municipality's proximity to the area, Presidential Decree Number 824 was issued on November 7, 1975, creating the Metropolitan Manila Commission and separating the Municipality of Valenzuela from the Province of Bulacan.
As part of the Greater Manila Area, The social and political upheavals of the seventies and early eighties did not dampen the pulsating economy of the municipality. It was, in fact, a golden age in the history and culture of Valenzuela when businesses and industries in the municipality grew rapidly.
In 1986, a new socio-political order swept the country. The four days of the EDSA People Power Revolution were marked by an outpouring of love, anger, hysteria and courage by a people fighting for change and renewal. The restoration of democracy in the country also brought about a paradigm shift in national and local government relations.
The passage of the Local Government Code in 1991 unlocked and marshalled the repressed energies of local communities. The Local Government Code provides genuine and meaningful autonomy to enable local governments to attain their fullest development as self-reliant communities. It was during this time that Valenzuela began charting its own destiny and moved the local economy in the direction it chose.
On February 14, 1998, then President Fidel Ramos signed Republic Act No. 8526, converting the Municipality of Valenzuela into a highly urbanized city, making Valenzuela the 12th city in Metro Manila and the 83rd in the Philippines.
External links
| Cities and Municipalities of Metro Manila | |
| Cities: | Caloocan | Las Piñas | Makati | Malabon | Mandaluyong | Manila | Marikina | Muntinlupa | Parañaque | Pasay | Pasig | Quezon City | Taguig | Valenzuela |
| Municipalities: | Navotas | Pateros | San Juan |
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