Valencia
Component city
City of Valencia
From top left clockwise: Hotel Valencia, Tamay Lang Arcade, NVM Mall, Plaza Rizal, Lake Apo and Valencia City Hall
Flag Seal
Nickname:  City of Golden Harvest
Map of Bukidnon with Valencia highlighted
OpenStreetMap
Valencia Location within the Philippines
Coordinates: 7°54′15″N 125°05′34″E / 7.9042°N 125.0928°E / 7.9042; 125.0928
Country	Philippines
Region	Northern Mindanao
Province	Bukidnon
District	4th district
Founded	October 11, 1959
Cityhood	January 12, 2001
Barangays	31 (see Barangays)
Government  [1]
• Type	Sangguniang Panlungsod
• Mayor	Azucena P. Huervas
• Vice Mayor	Teodoro Roteo T. Pepito
• Representative	Laarni L. Roque
• City Council	Members Laarni L. Roque Alfredo P. Laviña Rodrigo A. Rosal Teodoro Roteo T. Pepito Oliver Owen L. Garcia Glenn P. Peduche Cleofe A. Mabao Helen T. Bernal John Lee B. Quillo Eduardo D. Chan
• Electorate	126,812 voters (2022)
Area [2]
• Total	587.29 km2 (226.75 sq mi)
Elevation	634 m (2,080 ft)
Highest elevation	2,229 m (7,313 ft)
Lowest elevation	233 m (764 ft)
Population  (2020 census)[3]
• Total	216,546
• Density	370/km2 (950/sq mi)
• Households	52,184
Demonym	Valencianos
Economy
• Income class	2nd city income class
• Poverty incidence	24.87 % (2021)[4]
• Revenue	₱ 1,515 million (2020)
• Assets	₱ 2,386 million (2020)
• Expenditure	₱ 1,411 million (2020)
• Liabilities	₱ 1,352 million (2020)
Service provider
• Electricity	First Bukidnon Electric Cooperative (FIBECO)
Time zone	UTC+8 (PST)
ZIP code	8709
PSGC	101321000
IDD : area code	+63 (0)88
Website	cityofvalencia.gov.ph

Valencia, officially the City of Valencia (Cebuano: Dakbayan sa Valencia; Filipino: Lungsod ng Valencia), is a 1st class component city in the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 216,546 people.^[3]

Valencia attained its city status after the ratification of Republic Act No. 8985 on January 12, 2001.^[5][6] The city is the most populous among all cities and municipalities, and the 6th largest in terms of area in the province of Bukidnon. It is also the most populous inland/landlocked city in Mindanao. It is the third largest city in Northern Mindanao in terms of population, after Cagayan de Oro and Iligan respectively. The city serves as the center of trade and commerce in the province of Bukidnon.

History

Origins

The territory that now comprises the city of Valencia is combined from thirteen barangays of Malaybalay.

The earliest inhabitants in the area, presently comprising part of the Poblacion, were Bukidnon natives who founded a settlement along the banks of Pulangi River and the confluence of the Dumanggas River. The pioneers were led by Darwin Dumanggas Manangkila together with the families of the Binalhays, Laugas, Dongogans, Gua-ans, Lanayans, and the Arenzos. The first site of the settlement was a sitio named "Panglibatuhan" because the area was thickly forested by tree species called by the natives as "Malibato trees".

In 1911, a one-room barrio school was opened, and its first teacher was the late Leon Galorport. The school site is approximately the present location of the Poblacion Barangay High School. Galorport, who came from his hometown, Valencia, Bohol named the school "Valencia School". When the sitio became a barrio of Malaybalay, the residents agreed to name it "Valencia". Finally, when the southern portion of Malaybalay was separated as a new municipality, the petitioners agreed to name the municipality as "Valencia". However, the use of the name "Valencia" is already seen in Spanish documents in 1893 or even earlier which places it under the jurisdiction of Linabo or Sevilla (now Mailag) in the Province of Misamis.^[7][8]

The rich natural resources found in the territory eventually attracted Christian settlers from the highly populated coastal areas of Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon islands.

Political birth

Teodoro Pepito led a petition by residents to convert barrio Valencia into a full-fledged municipality. The petition was forwarded to the Provincial Board of the Bukidnon province for consideration. The Provincial Board passed a resolution approving the creation of the Municipality of Valencia, which it forwarded to the Office of the President of the Philippines.

By virtue of the provisions of Executive Order No. 360, the municipality of Valencia was formally born on October 11, 1959. The barrios of Bagontaas, Cawayanon, Guinoyuran, Laligan, Lilingayon, Lumbayao, Lurugan, Maapag, Mailag, San Isidro, Sugod, Tongantongan, and Valencia, together with their respective sittios, were separated from then the Municipality of Malaybalay to form the Municipality of Valencia.^[9] Later, some sitios of the original barrios became regular barangays, resulting to the present 31 barangays of Valencia City.

On August 10, 1960, Teodoro N. Pepito and Ernesto Garcia were appointed by President Carlos P. Garcia as mayor and vice-mayor of the municipality, respectively. On May 19, 1961, Pepito's and Garcia's appointments were extended by President Garcia. Upon the election of President Diosdado Macapagal in November 1961, President Garcia's appointees were recalled; President Macapagal appointed Lucilo Alkuino as the new ad interim mayor and Solomon Gao-ay as the new ad interim vice-mayor. These appointments were extended by Macapagal on June 6, 1962, and lasted until the first general elections were held in 1963. Thus, between 1962 and 1963, two sets of municipal officials have served the municipality of Valencia—albeit one set was acting in a de facto capacity. The controversy between the two different appointments was brought to court and later, eventually reached the Supreme Court. In a decision dated May 31, 1965, two years after the first general election was held, the said high court declared, in a quo warranto petition, that Pepito's and Garcia's tenure after Macapagal's appointment were not legally recognized.^[10]

During the regular local election in November 1963, Pepito won and became the first elected mayor, with Ernesto Garcia as the vice mayor. Mayor Pepito was re-elected in 1967 and again in 1971. However, before his term expired in 1975, martial law was declared by President Ferdinand Marcos in 1972 and elections for local officials were suspended. Mayor Pepito continued to hold office as mayor until 1978, when he retired from government service. The vice mayor, Absalon Catarata, succeeded as municipal mayor until 1979, when President Ferdinand Marcos appointed Santiago Dablio as acting mayor of Valencia.

In 1980 local elections, Absalon Catarata was elected municipal mayor, with Romulo Makalood as vice mayor together with all the councilors in the opposition ticket. In February 1986, the People Power Revolution in Manila took place and Corazon Aquino became the President of the Republic.

During the campaign for the approval of the new constitution, the municipal government under the leadership of Absalon Catarata wholeheartedly supported it. In January 1988, Catarata was re-elected as mayor and his running mate, Berthobal Ancheta was elected as vice mayor together with seven councilors under his party. Months later, he was elected president of the Bukidnon Mayors League and similarly as president of the Mayor's League of Region X.

On the evening of April 21, 1988, Absalon Catarata was fatally shot by an unknown assassin in front of his residence while waiting for his service vehicle which would have fetched him to an evening program at the town plaza. After his death, Vice Mayor Berthobal Ancheta became the municipal mayor, and Afrodisia Catarata, the wife of then Mayor, was appointed member of the Sangguniang Bayan. In the synchronized elections of 1990, Mayor Berthobal Ancheta was re-elected while Afrodisia Catarata was elected as vice mayor up to June 2001.

Cityhood

By virtue of Republic No. Act 8985, the Municipality of Valencia was converted into a component city known as the City of Valencia on act converting the municipality of Valencia on January 12, 2001.^[5][6] In 2001 elections, Jose Galario Jr., former Chief of Police of the city was elected as City Mayor;^[11] while the son of then Mayor, Absalon Catarata and former Vice Mayor Afrodisia Catarata was also elected as the city's vice mayor in the person of Leandro Jose Catarata. During the 2004 local elections, both the incumbent mayor and vice mayor run for the position of city mayor. Jose Galario Jr. emerged as the winning candidate together with Benjamin Verano as vice mayor.

In the 2007 elections, incumbent Mayor Jose Galario Jr. lost to his rival, Leandro Jose Catarata for city mayor. Benjamin Verano was re-elected as vice mayor of the city. In the 2010 general elections, incumbent Leandro Jose Catarata was reelected for a second term; while Benjamin Verano Sr., Catarata's running mate, won the vice mayoralty position of the City of Valencia. However early in 2010, Verano died at office and was replaced by Azucena Huervas, the president of Valencia's Association of Barangay Captains.

On June 9, 2014, Vice Mayor Azucena Huervas assumed the mayorship of the city after the conviction of Mayor Galario for violating the Anti-graft and Corrupt practices Act (RA 3019) in relation to his order transferring Ruth P. Piano from Budget Office to a non-existing office of City Liaison Officer.^[11]

On the May 9, 2016 elections, Mayor Azucena P. Huervas was elected by the people of Valencia against her rivals, Amie G. Galario, Renato Centillas, and Leandro Jose H. Catarata. She was also re-elected in the 2019 elections along with her runningmate Dr. Policarpo P. Murillo IV as Vice-Mayor.

Geography

Valencia City is located in the central part of the Province of Bukidnon. It is bounded on the north by the municipality of Lantapan and Malaybalay City; on the east by the municipality of San Fernando; on the west and southwest by the municipalities of Pangantucan and Talakag; and on the south by the municipalities of Maramag and Quezon.

From its core, which is the Poblacion, the city is 27 kilometers from the provincial capital of Malaybalay City and 118 kilometers from the regional center of Cagayan de Oro. The means of transportation is by bus and private vehicles and covers approximately two to three hours ride.

The relative distance of the barangay from the city proper varies: four barangays are more or less 5 kilometers away, 20 barangays are 6 to 15 kilometers away, while the remaining seven barangays considered as the most interior, are situated 16 kilometers or more from the city proper.

There are no seaports in the city because the place is landlocked. The nearest airports and seaports are in Cagayan de Oro and Davao City.

Topography

The city's topography is characterized as flat to undulating hills with extensive plateaus and mountainous areas and cliffs on both eastern and western portions bounding the municipality of San Fernando on the east and the municipality of Talakag on the west. Its highest point is Mount Kalatungan in the Kalatungan Mountain Range rising above 1,000 meters and above 50 percent slopes. These cover 25.72 percent of the total city area and major portions of Barangay of Lourdes, Guinoyuran and Lilingayon.^[12]

Elevation

The city's average elevation is 300 meters above sea level. Elevation above 1,000 meters has a bigger area coverage with 28.93 percent of the total city area or 18,262.79 hectares, while elevation below 300 meters covers only 7.0 percent of total city area or 4,419.78 hectares. Elevation ranges from 300 to 500 meters cover an area of 27,591.10 hectares or 43.70 percent of the total city area. Five hundred to 1,000 meter elevation covers an area of 18,262.79 hectares or 28.93 percent of total city area.^[12]

Slope

The area distribution of slope of the city are categorized into: level to gently sloping having a slope range of 0-3 percent covering an area of 6,962.53 hectares or 11.02 percent of the total city area; gently sloping to undulating having a slope range of 3-8 percent covering an area of 18,914.79 hectares or 29.96 percent of total city area; undulating to rolling having a slope range of 8-18 percent covering an area of 3,646.33 hectares or 5.78 percent of the total city area; rolling to hilly having a slope range of 18-30 percent with an area coverage of 11,306.28 hectares or 17.92 percent of the total city area; steep hills to mountainous having a slope of 30-50 percent with area coverage of 6,062.53 hectares or 9.60 percent of the total City area and; cliff-like streamline having a slope range of 50 percent above covering an area of 16,233.54 hectares or 25.72 percent of the total area.^[12]

Geology and soil type

Valencia City is underlain by three distinct geologic formations. Volcanic rocks believed to be of pliocene-quaternary age underlie the areas west of Pulangi River. The areas east of the broad plains in Valencia City are underlain by stratified sequence of clastic sedimentary rocks and limestone. Alluvial deposits are unconsolidated detrital materials transformed from higher landforms.^[12]

The city generally has clay soil with Adtuyon clay covering 27.89 percent of the total city area suitable for annual cultivated crops and pastures. These are found in all parts of Colonia, Mailag, Bagontaas, Barobo and San Carlos. Maapag clay ranked second with 26.86 percent and covers the whole of San Isidro, Sinayawan, Mabuhay, and Catumbalon and large portions of Vintar, Tongantongan, Maapag and Batangan. Irrigated rice is suitable in these areas. Macolod clay ranked third with 17.51 percent and are generally suited for forest plantation of exotic species. Kidapawan clay loam and undifferentiated mountains soil followed and occupy a combined area of 17.70 percent located within Lilingayon. These areas are also suitable for production forest of native species. Other soil types are San Manuel clay loam (5.31%), La Castellana clay (3.41%), Adtuyon clay stony phase (0.83%), and Mailag clay loam. These types of soil are suitable for annual cultivated crops except for the cliffs along Pulangi River within Poblacion and Lumbo which are not suitable for any land use.^[12]

Climate

Barangays

Valencia City is politically subdivided into 31 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks while some have sitios. Lilingayon is the largest with an area of 131.42 square kilometers while Colonia is the smallest at 4.95 square kilometers.