Etymology
Valenzuela, in Spanish is a diminutive form of Valencia, Spain which means "little Valencia". The name Valenzuela is also the surname of Pío Valenzuela, a Tagalog physician who was among the leaders of the Katipunan. He was one of the triumvirate of the Katipunan that started the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial authorities and was the former provisional chairman for the Katipunan.
Originally, Valenzuela was called Polo. The name Polo was derived from the Tagalog term pulô meaning island, though the area was not an entirely island for itself. The original town of Polo was blessed by the rivers from the north and Tullahan River on the south. Hence, the enclosed land was thought to be an island, so the early townsmen regarded the place as Pulô which later evolved into Polo done by hispanicization of the word.
Today, the term Polo only applies to the barangay of Polo, the birthplace of Dr. Pio Valenzuela himself, which is found in the city's first congressional district.
Read more about this topic: Valenzuela, Philippines
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