San Jose, officially the Municipality of San Jose (Tagalog: Bayan ng San Jose), is a municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 79,868 people.[4]
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 Augustine 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.[6] 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.[7][8]
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.[1] 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.
Although currently called "Mayor", the Municipal Executive of San Jose has held other names including Gobernadorcillo which means "Governor" during the Spanish Period.
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 Augustinianfriars 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.
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