FREE NOVALICHES MOVEMENT

Free Novaliches Movement

Novaliches was a municipality of Rizal province located in the Luzon Island of The Philippines. Now, Novaliches lost its identity... its no longer a municipality, nor a city, or even a barangay (the smallest unit of government in the Philippines)... Novaliches lost its history... Let Save Novaliches! Lets FREE Novaliches!

 

It so sad that people living in the community of Novaliches do not care much of their community's history. Its hard for me to address Novaliches, whether its a barangay, municipality, or probably Novaliches is just a place- JUST A PLACE far north of Metro Manila, a traffic infested place, a place for relocation for squatters, etc... but for some of you who do not know or never been to Novaliches, this place played a colorful part in our history. Novalians (people born and/or living in Novaliches) like me should be proud of Novaliches and should start reviewing the history of their hometown. This is why WE established the " FREE NOVALICHES MOVEMENT"... If you're wondering why we should FREE NOVALICHES? Please read the article by Severino Samonte entitled

"NOVALICHES:MUTE WITNESS TO HISTORY"...


MANILA -- In the northernmost periphery of the present-day Metro Manila, there are two former adjacent towns which have suffered, and continue to suffer, almost the same fate -- that of being relegated to the dustbin of history.

These are the history-laden Novaliches, a former Rizal province town now divided between Quezon Citv and Caloocan City, and the former municipality of Polo, Bulacan (now Valenzuela City). The two former neighbors are now separated by a portion of Caloocan City.

Novaliches is the birthplace of the revolutionary heroine Melchora Aquino, better known as Tandang Sora and Mother of the Katipunan. It is also the site of the first bloody encounter between the Katipuneros led by Andres Bonifacio, on the one hand, and the Spanish soldiers, on the other, on August 26, 1896, twelve days after the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution against Spain.

It was also in one of the existing barangays of Novaliches -- Pasong Putik -- where Tandang Sora was captured by the Spaniards prior to her exile to Guam in the later part 1896.
If Novaliches was not erased from the country's map during the American regime in the early 1900s, perhaps Filipino historians would not have difficulty pinpointing the exact site of the First Cry of the Revolution more than 100 years after the event.

This is because old maps existing during the 1896 Revolution and earlier show Pasong Tamo (site of the very first encounter between the Katipuneros and the Spanish soldiers) and Banlat (Tanclang Sora's birthplace) as parts of the then municipality of Novaliches. (It must be noted that Quezon City, which now has territorial jurisdiction over the two areas, was not yet existing at the time of the 1896 Revolution, having been founded only in 1939 by then Philippine Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon).

In fact, the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) quarterly publication "Kultura," in an article entitled "Balintawak: The Cry for a Nationwide Revolution" written by three noted historians for the second quarter (April-June) issue of 1996 (in time for the first Centennial of the 1896 Revolution), states that "Bonifacio establishes his new government in Pasong Tamo" (originally part of the old Novaliches town and now site of the Himlayang Pilipino in Barangay Pasong Tamo, Quezon City).

The authors of the historical article are Professor Milagros C. Guerrero, who teaches history at the University of the Philippines; Emmanuel N. Encarnacion, a scientist and custodian of the Bonifacio papers and who devotes his time to historical research and antiquarian studies; and Ramon N. Villegas, another historical writer and antiquarian.

When most of the Filipino historians started writing about the Revolution from the 1920s until the 1950s, they could not agree where the First Cry of the 1896 Revolution actually took place because Novaliches was no longer a town during those years, but already reduced as a barrio of Caloocan, then a town of Rizal. Whenever they looked at any of the national maps existing from 1910 until 1948, what they could see was the town of Caloocan which has taken over the original barrios of Novaliches.

In Novaliches today, an ancient duhat tree, estimated to be over 150 years old, has been renamed Katipunan tree by the National Historical Institute and the Tree Preservation Foundation of the Philippines Inc. to perpetuate the memory of the revolutionary society founded by Bonifacio on July 7, 1892.

According to a marker attached on the base of the old tree it was under that duhat tree that Tandang Sora used to treat the sick Katipuneros, on several occasions at the presence of Bonifacio himself. The tree is located at the compound of the Metro Manila College, formerly the Novaliches Academy in Barangay Kaligayahan.

Another century-old duhat tree in Novaliches, also in Barangay Kaligayahan, was officially declared as Centennial Tree two years ago by the national government as a highlight of the celebration of the first Centennial of the country's independence from Spain in 1998. This tree is situated at the compound of the Kaligayahan Elementary School.

On a former rice field about six kilometers south of the two historical century-old trees, a historical marker was installed along Tandang Sora Avenue in 1958 by the National Historical Institute, also to preserve for posterity the site of the first battle fought by Bonifacio and his men with the Spaniards.

That Novaliches or Pasong Tamo battle took place just a few hours after Bonifacio and his men first unfurled the Katipunan flag at the hills of Balintawak on August 26, 1896. It preceded by four days the equally historic but better known Battle of Pinaglabanan in San Juan del Monte on August 30, 1896.

Ironically, the Novaliches war marker was removed more than 15 years ago to give way to the construction of a housing project on a private property in the area.
History shows that Novaliches was created by the Spanish authorities as a town in 1855, four decades before the outbreak of the Revolution. Its disheartening fate began in the American regime during the early part of the 1900s when it was incorporated with Caloocan, then a municipality of the newly-created Rizal province.

When Quezon City was established in 1939, part of it was carved out of Caloocan, but excluded Novaliches. In 1948, when Quezon City was converted into the country's capital, more than half of Novaliches was annexed to Quezon City. As a result, Novaliches now partly belongs to Quezon City and Caloocan City.

Like Novaliches, Polo (now Valenzuela City on the northwest end of Metro Manila) was also a former town rich in history. Also created by the Spaniards, it existed for more than 300 years. It became a battleground during the Filipino-American War in 1899, along with Novaliches, Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas in the north of Manila. It also faded from the country's map when it was renamed Valenzuela in the 1960s.

Polo's new name was derived from that of Dr. Pio Valenzuela, a native son of the old town who was among Bonifacio's most trusted people during the revolution.

At present, the former town of Polo is just one of the 32 barrios or barangays of Valenzuela, which became a city in 1998.

Today, the memory of the two former neighboring towns -- Novaliches and Polo -- can be found only on few old kilometer posts that somehow still remain standing along the old Polo-Novaliches Road stretching from the old Novaliches Poblacion to the MacArthur Highway in Barangay Malinta, Valenzuela City.

On these concrete posts, travellers from Novatiches to Valenzuela can still read the big letter "P" plus a number indicating how far they have to go before reaching the former town of Polo.

Conversely, a traveller from Valenzuela to Novaliches can read an equally big letter "N" and a corresponding number on the opposite side of the same kilometer post. Of course, the "N" indicates that the traveller is heading for Novaliches. (PNA)