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A BRIEF
HISTORY...
The territory
that now comprises the City of Valencia was formerly the thirteen
(13) barrios of the Municipality of Malaybalay, Bukidnon. The earliest
inhabitants in the area, now comprising part of the Pobl;acion,
were Bukidnon natives who founded a settlement along the banks of
Pulangui River. The pioneers were led by Datu Sebastian Manangkila.
Barrio
Panlibatuhan, is derived from a Binukid word, pangyohan ho kayu
ha malibato" which means the supply of Malibato wood materials
fro home building. Malibato, the hardest wood in the Province of
Bukidnon, was found in Valencia - a landmark of the Panlibatuhan
Bridge. The first site of settlement was in a sitio named "
Panglibatuhan" because the area was thickly forested with Malibato
trees.
When
the first one-room barrio school was opened in 1911, its first teacher
was Mr. Jaime Galoprt. That school site was approximately the present
location of Valencia National High School. Mr. Jaime Galoport came
from Valencia, Bohol. So when the Southern portion of Malaybalay
was separated as a new municipality, the settlers agrred to name
it "Valencia" and is now known as the poblacion.
The rich
natural resources found in the territory eventually attracted Christian
settlers from Mindanao, Visayas and Luzon. The Immigration settlers
in the area started in the middle of 1930's. During the World War
II, the migration started to increase such that between 1960 and
1975, the population increased by 4.46 times or from 13,898 to 64,541.
Today, Valencia is composed of 31 barangays and has a population
of 147,924 (2000 Censal Year).
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