San Jose, officially the City of San Jose (; ), is a 3rd class component city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 150,917 people.
Etymology
The town got its name after Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the place.
Before the city was founded by the Spanish colonizers, it is known as Kabaritan, named for the plant commonly seen in the area.
History
San Jose, years before it became a town was a wilderness, a veritable hunting ground for wild animals by the inhabitants of its neighboring towns. The earliest inhabitants were known as Negritos (Baluga) headed by Kapitan Danding, a Negrito convert residing in Pinagcuartelan. These early inhabitants depended mostly on hunting and fishing for their livelihood. Some hunters from the neighboring towns found San Jose as a good place for settlers due to its wide and uncleared agricultural land. The first group of settlers made some clearings (kaingin) in the outskirts of the present town.
Originally, San Jose was a part of the town of Puncan, but later on, because of its nearness to Lupao, it was made a barrio of the latter. The early history of this town was coupled with the early history of Puncan and Lupao. Formerly, San Jose was known as the barrio of “Kabaritan” derived from barit, an Ilocano word for a plant that belongs to the rattan family. “Kabaritan” means the place where “barit” grows in abundance.
Spanish colonial era
On March 19, 1894, San Jose became a full-fledged town, with an interim government headed by a Capitan Municipal. “Kabaritan” (now known as San Jose) was made an independent town from Lupao and was named after Saint Joseph, the patron saint of the place.
During the Spanish Regime, the barrio of Kabaritan was a municipal district of Lupao, headed by a Teniente Absoluto. Later, when Kabaritan was declared a town in 1894, the head was changed to a Capitan Municipal. The first appointed Capitan Municipal was Canuto Ramos, who served from 1894 to 1898. One of his remarkable achievements was the construction of an irrigation system which was later taken over and enlarged by the government (now the Talavera River Irrigation System) which irrigates vast ricefields as far as the towns of Muñoz and Talavera.
Several years before the Philippine Revolution, the Ilocanos from Ilocos Region and some parts of Nueva Ecija, especially the towns of Santo Domingo, Muñoz and Lupao, as well as Pangasinenses of Pangasinan and northern Tarlac, settled into the forest of Kabaritan, and cleared its wilderness. It was from this time then that the growth of the town really started.
American era
When the revolution broke out and upon the surrender of the Spaniards in 1898, a revolutionary government was set up in San Jose. The town remained as such until the establishment of a civil government under the Americans in 1901.
San Jose, under the American Regime, became a progressive town. Its inhabitants enjoyed more rights and privileges- political, economic, intellectual and religious than before. This was due to the establishment of various schools, churches, public buildings and the construction of roads and bridges, which made possible the fast progress of the town.
From 1898 to 1900, a military government under the American Regime was established. Jose Cardenas was appointed Capitan Municipal. During his term, the appointment of town officials, town planning, and the opening of new settlements was among his achievements.
The second appointed Capitan Municipal during the military government (1900–1901) was Celestino Javalde who continued the opening of new settlements and the construction of roads in the poblacion.
When the civil government under the American Regime was established, Cornelio Ramos was appointed Capitan Municipal. He continued the construction of roads in the poblacion and he also took a hand in the construction of irrigation canals leading to the different barrios of San Jose.
In 1904, the Filipinos were given more rights and freedom in choosing the right man to take the reins of the government. An election was held. The first elected Municipal President was Crisanto Sanchez (1904–1906). Among his achievements was the construction of roads, the naming of the streets in the poblacion and the appointments of municipal officials.
Again, (1906–1908) Celestino Javalde was elected Municipal President. With the help of his vice-president and other municipal officials, he stressed land reforms, which paved the way for equal distribution of lands.