San Jose, Batangas

San Jose, officially the Municipality of San Jose, is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 79,868 people.

The municipality is bounded in the north and north-east by Lipa, east by Ibaan, south by Batangas City and San Pascual, and west by Cuenca and Alitagtag.

Etymology
The name of San Jose originates from its previous name as a barrio: San José de Malaquing Tubig or San José de Malaking Tubig. The first part of the name comes from Spanish for its patron saint, Saint Joseph, and Fr. Jose Victoria, the parish priest of Bauan Church, under which the town once fell. The second part, Malaquing Tubig or Malaking Tubig, translates to "big river" or literally "big water" in Tagalog, referring to body of water that cuts through the area.

History
The Aetas were the first inhabitants of the place. They started clearing some portions of the wilderness especially in areas near the riverbanks. Several groups of settlers then drove this Aetas to the hinterlands and permanently occupied the place. They named it “Malaquing Tubig” which literally translates to "big river" referring to body of water that cuts through the central portion of their early settlement.

The Spaniards then colonized the Philippines in 1565. Bauan was established in 1596 as an ecclesiastical unit administered by the order of Saint Agustin with Malaquing Tubig as one of the barrios under its jurisdiction.

Human population of Malaquing Tubig started to grow and in 1754, Taal Volcano erupted destroying the original Bauan. And before its actual site could have been selected, Malaking Tubig was separated from Bauan. The recognized leaders of Malaquing Tubig then petitioned to the Spanish authorities for the creation of that place as a pueblo which was granted to them on April 26, 1765.

On April 26, 1765, the barrio or sitio was renamed as San José de Malaquing Tubig by Fr. Jose Victoria, the parish priest of Bauan Church who presided a Mass there. This date is also noted as the day the residents petitioned to separate from Bauan and become an independent parish and town.

On December 11, 1766, the barrio was separated from Bauan and became a town named San Jose. Ignacio de los Santos was named as its first governadorcillo circa 1767. In the new town's establishment, it originally included the land that now makes up Cuenca, which was separated to become an independent municipality in 1876 or 1877.

Geography
San Jose is located at °N, °W.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the municipality has a land area of 53.29 km2 constituting NaN% of the 3,119.75 km2 total area of Batangas.

San Jose is 15 km from Batangas City and 90 km from Manila.

Barangays
San Jose is politically subdivided into 33 barangays. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.

Demographics
In the 2020 census, San Jose had a population of 79,868. The population density was undefined PD/km2.

Economy
San Jose is well known for growing good varieties of coffee, lanzones, and black pepper. It is where a great number of poultry and piggery animals are grown and sold, especially to Metro Manila, where it supplies a significant percentage of poultry products. Most of the San Jose workforce is either directly or indirectly involved in farming. There are also numerous feedmill corporations within its jurisdiction which include WhiteGold, Everlast, Busilac, Wincom, New Golden Mix.

List of former Municipal Executives


Although currently called "Mayor", the Municipal Executive of San Jose has held other names including Gobernadorcillo which means "Governor" during the Spanish Period.

• Ignacio de los Santos (1767)

• Juan Bautista (1768)

• Juan Enrico (1769)

• Juan Masilang (1770)

• Jose Antonio (1771)

• Luis Isidro (1772 )

• Jose de la Cruz (1773)

• Ignacio de Mercado (1774)

• Domingo de los Santos (1775)

• Juan Magonza (1776)

• Miguel de los Santos (1777)

• Francisco Domingo (1778)

• Laureano Marquez (1779)

• Policarpio Kaponpon (1780)

• Francisco Aguila (1781)

• Antonio Robles (1782)

• Felipe Aguila (1783)

• Nicolas de los Santos (1784)

• Lorenzo Quizon (1785)

• Agustin Aguila (1786)

• Gabriel de Mercado (1787)

• Pedro Umali (1788)

• Domingo Dimaculangan (1789)

• Lucio Hernandez (1790)

• Bernardo Umali (1791)

• Ignacio de la Cruz (1792)

• Agustin de la Cruz (1793)

• Laureano Bautista (1794)

• Pascual Madlangbayan (1795)

• Martin Marquez (1796)

• Gregorio Morales (1797)

• Andres de Leon (1798)

• Diego Robles (1799)

• Hilario Mandigma (1800)

• Gregorio Leionardo (1801)

• Victoriano Isidro (1802)

• Pablo de los Santos (1803)

• Fulgencio Quizon (1804)

• Cristobal de los Santos (1805)

• Juan Tecson (1806)

• Nicolas Lopez (1807)

• Jose de la Cruz (1808)

• Mariano Tiburcio (1809)

• Jose Bautista (1810)

• Valentin Mercado (1811)

• Remigio Dimaculangan (1812)

• Tomas Quizon (1813)

• Cosme Bautista (1814)

• Santiago Castillo (1815)

• Apolinario Aguila (1816)

• Juan de la Cruz (1817)

• Patricio Virtucio (1818)

• Joaquin Enrico (1819)

• Francisco Quizon (1820)

• Juan Mercado (1821)

• Jose Marquez (1822)

• Martin de los Santos (1822)

• Manuel Mercado (1823)

• Bernabe Virtucio (1823)

• Timoteo Tiburcio (1824)

• Florentino Mendoza (1824)

• Juan Mendoza (1825)

• Hilario Aguila (1826)

• Lucas Hernandez (1827)

• Vicente Isidro (1828)

• Juan Quizon (1829)

• Carlos Mercado (1830)

• Esteban de la Cruz (1831)

• Bernardino Hernandez (1832)

• Geronimo Marquez (1833)

• Juan Marquez (1834)

• Hilario Aguila (1835)

• Felipe Aguila (1836)

• Agustin Quizon (1837)

• Vicente Bautista (1838)

• Romualdo de Ocampo (1839)

• Fernando de los Santos (1840)

• Jose de Villa (1841)

• Hilario Aguila (1842)

• Hilario Aguila (1843)

• Vicente Umali (1844)

• Segundo Leonardo (1845)

• Agaton Hernandez (1846)

• Pedro Quizon (1847)

• Juan Macalinga (1848)

• Julian Mitra (1849)

• Braulio de Luna (1850)

• Juan Javier (1851)

• Manuel Aguila (1852)

• Pascual Aguila (1853)

• Laureano Hernandez (1854)

• Ubaldo Hernandez (1855)

• Jose Ona y Gana (1856)

• Antonio Magpantay (1857)

• Manuel de Luna (1858)

• Francisco de Luna (1859)

• Bonifacio Robles (1860)

• Roman Ona y Ramos (1861)

• Pascual Aguila (1862)

• Nicolas de Villa (1863–64)

• Briccio Makalintal (1865–68)

• Camilio Aguila (1869–70)

• Baltazar Mercado (1871–72)

• Basilio Gozos (1873–74)

• Telesforo Hernandez (1875–76)

• Jorge Umali (1877–78)

• Simon Lopez (1879–80)

• Baltazar Mercado (1881–82)

• Andres Umali (1883–84)

• Isidro Marquez (1885–86)

• Remigio Aguila (1887–88)

• Rafael de Luna (1889)

• Ventura Aguila (1890–91)

• Salvador Aguila (1892–94)

• Juan Oblea (1895–1896)

• Ambrosio Makalintal (1897–98)

• Rafael de Luna (1899)

• Fernando Aguila (1900)

• Ambrosio Makalintal 1901-2

• Agaton Marquez (1903)

• Fernando Aguila (1904–5)

• Roman Kalalo (1906–7)

• Fernando Aguila (1908–9)

• Mariano de Villa (1910–11)

• Fernando Aguila (1912–14)

• Manuel Makalintal (1915)

• Fernando Aguila (1916)

• Paterno Aguila (1917–18)

• Vitaliano Luna (1919–21)

• Manuel Makalintal (1922–24)

• Daniel Luna (1925–27)

• Jose de Villa (1928–30)

• Fernando Aguila (1931–37)

• Vitaliano Luna (1938–40)

• Fernando Aguila (1941)

• Roman Kalalo (1942)

• Venancio Q. Remo (1943-45)

• Timoteo Alday (1946–47)

• Bonifacio Masilungan (1948–58)

• Primo Vergara (1959)

• Miguel Ambal Sr. (1960–63)

• Leonardo Ona Sr. (1964–67)

• Miguel Ambal Sr. (1968–72)

• Vicente Briones Kalalo (1972–1986)

• Edgardo Umali (1986–1987)

• Antonio Alday (1988–1992)

• Edgardo Umali (1992–2001)

• Ruben Guce (2001–2010)

• Entiquio Briones (2010–2016)

• Valentino Patron (2016–present)

Tourism


The Archdiocesan Shrine of Saint Joseph the Patriarch located in the town proper is a popular Catholic pilgrimage site. It was once built with cogon and bamboo by Augustinian friars around 1788. The present structure was built on 1812 under the supervision of a botanist Fr. Manuel Blanco. It has single-aisled interior which offers an unobstructed view of the large main altar. The altar is massive, with six rounded columns encircling the image of Saint Joseph. Outside a multi-tiered belfry stands which was built in the latter part of the 19th century; a bridge offers passage to the church over the Malaquing Tubig River.

San Jose is also home to the Oblates of Saint Joseph Mission and its Minor Seminary, founded by the Saint Joseph Marello. The Oblates were the first Italian congregation to send missionaries to the Philippines. San Jose became their first foreign mission, and is the center of the Vicariate X of the Archdiocese of Lipa.

San Jose celebrates Sinuam Festival every April 25 to commemorate its founding anniversary and to thank its patron for the good performance of the main business in the town which is Poultry.

Notable personalities

 * Querube C. Makalintal – Chief Justice of The Supreme Court (1973–1976), Speaker of the Batasang Pambansa (1978–1984) and Solicitor General (1954).