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It was proclaimed as a component city on 10 September 2000, through Republic Act No. 8797. Its conversion into a highly urbanized city was by virtue of Proclamation No. 1057 issued by PresidentRodrigo Duterte on 4 December 2020; the conversion was rejected on a referendum held on 30 October 2023, by the voters of Bulacan including the concerned city.[1]
San José del Monte derived its name from Saint Joseph, whose statue was found in a veritable forest. The hunters called it as such, which means “Saint Joseph of the Mountain” in Spanish.
Early accounts of the founding of the city, as gathered from the old people, contend that it was formerly a part of the town of Meycauayan. This is supported by a decree from the Archbishop of Manila dated March 1750 on the creation of new municipalities. The municipality of San Jose del Monte was then officially founded on 2 March 1752.[2]
The decree included the list of families who volunteered to be relocated. These families, most if not all from Lagulo (now Malhacan) in Meycauayan, brought with them rice, wine, nganga, and salt in exchange for the wild pigs, deer, yantok, and almasigan of the Itas and Dumagats, the native inhabitants of the area. Solares, including intended lots for main roads, were peacefully distributed to the new occupants after being measured and surveyed.[2]
In all probability, the hunters reported their findings to the parish priest of Meycauayan. It was said that the priest built a stone church at the site where the town proper is now located. The statue was installed in the new church. Extant Catholic Church records reveal that the first parish priest was Father Antonio de Moral. He took charge of the parish in 1845.
During the revolt against Spain, the town became a battleground between the Katipuneros and the Spanish forces. The revolutionaries lost and the vengeful Spanish soldiers burned down the settlement. The townspeople fled for their lives to nearby towns. At the advent of American rule, it was made a part of Santa Maria until 1918 when the town was recreated and Ciriaco Gallardo appointed the first municipal president. Public schools were opened at the start of the American regime but due to the scarcity of the population, the highest grade organized was at the fourth grade.
During the Japanese occupation, the town became an ideal hiding place for the locally recognized guerrillas because of the town's hilly and wooden terrain. The Japanese Imperial Army took over the local government of San Jose del Monte from 1942 to 1943. In resistance, the municipality formed its guerrilla unit. San Jose del Monte experienced large casualties when the Americans bombed the town center on 11 January 1945, and again on 14 January 1945. When the combined Filipino and American troops came, peace reigned but not for long.
At the height of the Hukbalahap Rebellion, the town was raided on 10 October 1950. The Huks burned down the town hall. The town was raided for the second time on 21 March 1951. The Huks did not succeed because of the precautionary measures instituted by the town officials after which the Huks were gradually eliminated.
In the 1980s, thousands of informal settlers from Metro Manila were relocated to San Jose del Monte. Due to the large number of residents, Bulacan Governor Roberto Pagdanganan recalled in 1996 that the relocation did not ensure new livelihoods for its informal settlers, thus turning many squatters toward criminality; he noted that the town had the highest crime rate in the province according to police reports.[3]
In 1988, Eduardo Roquero was elected mayor of the municipality by a margin of eight (8) votes against his closest opponent, reelectionist Reynaldo Villano.[4]
On 14 February 2024, Luneta Morales, an 83-year-old choir member was killed due to chest injuries while 63 attendees suffered multiple injuries when the "Vicariate of Saint Joseph" Saint Peter the Apostle Church (San Jose del Monte, Bulacan) 30-year-old balcony-gallery, weakened by infesting termites collapsed during an Ash Wednesday service past 7 a.m. PHT. Malolos Bishop Dennis Villarojo said "those affected and their families are being assisted by the Diocese of Malolos with parish priest Fr. Rómulo Pérez and his parochial vicar Fr. Divino Cayanan.[5][6][7]
On 13 February 2025, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) unveiled the city’s first historical marker on Saint Joseph the Worker Parish at Barangay Población I, recognizing its historical value for the city since its construction first as a visita of Meycauayan before becoming a separate parish on 11 February 1752, more than a month after San José del Monte became a separate municipality. This comes with the groundbreaking event for constructing the San José del Monte Historical Center (Template:Langx) at the former city hall site before its transfer to Barangay Dulong Bayan. It would be the city’s first museum.[8][9]
Cityhood
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A plebiscite was held on September 10, 2000. Despite a low turnout, the cityhood was approved mostly by migrants, mainly from Metro Manila which composed seventy percent of the residents by then; only nine of the 59 villages voted against the bill. The official proclamation was held in the evening. San Jose del Monte became the first city in Bulacan since Malolos failed in the cityhood bid in December 1999.[10] (Malolos was eventually declared a city in 2002 by the Commission on Elections which had reversed the official result following a recount.)[12] It was also recorded as the country's 86th chartered city.[2]
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On 4 December 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte declared San Jose del Monte as a highly urbanized city through Proclamation No. 1057.[14][15] However, it will have to go through a plebiscite to ratify its city charter. It was supposed to be held four months after the 2022 national and local elections[16] but it was overdue ever since then. Hence, the proclamation remained pending for its HUC status for a long time beyond the national and local elections. On 11 September 2023, COMELEC, released a resolution that synchronized the plebiscite on 30 October 2023, along with the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.[17][18]
The majority of voters in the Province of Bulacan rejected the conversion, as declared by the COMELEC two days after the plebiscite.[19] Meanwhile, a tenth of those who joined did not vote, leaving blank ballots.[20]
Geography
The elevation of the city ranges from approximately Script error: No such module "convert". above sea level; the relief transitions from warm lowland to cool upland as one goes eastward. This is because the city is part of the Sierra Madre mountain range. Plains and river valley flats characterize the western and southwestern quadrant. The central portion and much of its eastern section are made up of undulating hills with low relief. High relief areas and moderate slopes best describe its extreme eastern and northwestern quadrant. Slopes of 3%-8% are extensively found in the city, particularly in the western half. Slopes of 30%-50% comprise the smallest portion of the total land area.
The rivers and creeks that flow in San Jose del Monte are from the Sierra Madre montain range. Major natural waterways of San Jose del Monte are the Kipungok, Santo Cristo, and Santa Maria River systems. Kipungok River separates San Jose del Monte from Caloocan and Rodriguez. It is directly connected to the Marilao River, which flows downwards to Manila Bay. Draining to these rivers are creeks and streams, which act as catchment areas for the surface water runoff of the city. Among these are the Bigte, Kantulot, Katinga, and Salamin creeks.[21]
Located in the southeast of the province, it is bordered by the cities of Caloocan and Quezon City in Metro Manila to the south, by the municipality of Rodríguez in Rizal to the east, the municipalities of Santa María and Marilao to the west and Norzagaray to the north. San Jose del Monte is Script error: No such module "convert". from Malolos and Script error: No such module "convert". from Manila.
The city is home to some of the biggest resettlement areas in the Philippines like the Sapang Palay resettlement area spread over 36 barangays in second district, Pabahay 2000 in Barangay Muzon South, San Jose Del Monte Heights in Barangay Muzon East, Towerville I-V in Barangay Minuyan Proper, and Towerville VI in Barangay Gaya-Gaya. Most of the city's population come from former informal settlers along the creeks, esteros, riverbanks and railway tracks of Metro Manila.[22] Also, many private residential subdivision have been establish in the city.
General Land Use
Growing commercial, residential, and light industrial areas, are found all over the city at major road intersections and along major thoroughfares. However, the bulk of San Jose del Monte's built-up areas are mostly west of Quirino Highway at the primary level to gently sloping 8% terrain, dividing the city into a heavily built-up western section and the largely agricultural eastern section. Most of the city's schools, government institutions, commercial developments, industries, and other urban amenities are in this section. The largest contiguous built-up area is at Sapang Palay Resettlement Project area, followed by the conurbation in Tungkong Mangga and Muzon.
The developments east of the Quirino Highway are mostly scattered residential areas and agricultural lands. However, there are a few subdivisions that are some distance away from Ciudad Real and take advantage of its secluded and rural atmosphere. These are the Blessed Sacrament Seminary and an Augustinian convent.
In between the built-up clusters are pockets of agricultural lands, which are continuously converted into built-up uses. Planted in these lands are crops such as rice and corn. The clustering pattern for both built-up and agricultural uses is partly due to the decisions made by settlers about the hilly conditions that dominate the topography. Most households in the western half of San Jose del Monte opted to convert their lands to residential uses while others maintained the farms. This left upland uses, such as those about forest use, more common towards the easternmost zones.
Most vegetative outgrowths are in areas that are difficult to build on. But there are instances when these outgrowths are integrated into the built-up areas, usually found in the West: several heavily vegetated areas. Supplementing these are mini forest projects of the city government. The City Agriculture Office maintains a Script error: No such module "convert". Mini Forest Project in Barangay Muzon along the San Jose del Monte–Marilao Road and a mahogany planting site.[23]
Climate
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Political Map of San Jose del Monte (prior to the split of Barangay Muzon in 2023)
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San Jose del Monte is politically subdivided into 62 barangays, as shown in the matrix below.[24] Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
It was originally made up of only five barangays: Población, Halang (Muzon), Sapang Palay, Santo Cristo, and Gaya-Gaya. Over time, these five mother barangays were divided to provide better accommodation for the people, particularly in the Sapang Palay Resettlement Area (Hacienda de Sapang Palay), which stretches to Minuyan.
There is an ongoing land dispute with the municipality of Norzagaray, Bulacan regarding both territories. Such disputes can be located in the upper portion of Assumption, the eastern portion of Santo Niño II, the eastern portion of San Martín de Porres, the eastern portion of Lawang Pari, the eastern portion of Minuyan Proper, Kaybanban, San Roque, Paradise III, San Isidro, the upper portion of Tungkong Mangga, the upper portion of Ciudad Real barangays in San José del Monte and lower portion of Tigbe, the lower portion of Bitungol, the lower portion of Minuyan, lower portion of Bigte, lower portion of San Mateo (Sitio Karahume), mountainous portion of San Lorenzo in Norzagaray.
Historical maps of Bulacan, before the creation of Doña Remedios Trinidad, indicate that both territories of San José del Monte and Norzagaray stretch up to Tayabas province.
These barangays are grouped into two districts, the first with a ZIP Code of 3023, and the second with 3024. Twenty-six (26) barangays comprise the first district while the 36 barangays located in Sapang Palay compose the second district.
The city's former administrative center was located in Población 1, which is now transferred to Dulong Bayan, which is now the city's new seat of government. San Jose del Monte has 4 major urban centers, called nodes: Muzon node (consisting of the four barangays of Muzon), Poblacion node (consisting of the two barangays of Población), Sapang Palay node (consisting of the barangays surrounding Sampol Market), and Tungkong Mangga node.
The most recently created barangays are Muzon Proper, Muzon East, Muzon West, and Muzon South created by dividing Barangay Muzon.[25] The four barangays were made through the approval of a law on 25 March 2023 through a referendum.[26]
Barangay
District
Population
Area (in ha.)
Density (per ha.)
ZIP Code
Ciudad Real
First
1,826
1414
1
3023
Dulong Bayan
First
11,008
407.5
27
3023
Francisco Homes-Guijo
First
6,972
44.58
156
3023
Francisco Homes-Mulawin
First
11,226
82.01
137
3023
Francisco Homes-Narra
First
8,293
45.57
182
3023
Francisco Homes-Yakal
First
3,721
31.66
118
3023
Gaya-Gaya
First
56,896
511.3
111
3023
Graceville
First
42,207
254.5
166
3023
Gumaoc Central
First
4,123
11.23
367
3023
Gumaoc East
First
5,376
13.7
392
3023
Gumaoc West
First
8,885
31.29
284
3023
Kaybanban
First
3,245
401.1
8
3023
Kaypian
First
46,045
464.6
99
3023
Maharlika
First
3,057
24.63
124
3023
Muzon East
First
127,506
959.6
133
3023
Muzon Proper
First
Muzon West
First
Muzon South
First
Paradise III
First
5,318
1,108
5
3023
Población
First
2,273
62.94
36
3023
Población I
First
5,617
83.86
67
3023
San Isidro
First
4,282
1134
4
3023
San Manuel
First
11,432
92.52
124
3023
San Roque
First
2,492
268.4
9
3023
Santo Cristo
First
49,579
769.2
64
3023
Tungkong Mangga
First
16,324
1652
10
3023
Sapang Palay Proper
Second
5,804
432.0
13
3024
Area A - Minuyan Proper
Second
46,171
810.2
57
3024
Area A - Minuyan I
Second
3,333
14.52
230
3024
Area A - Minuyan II
Second
5,977
8.025
745
3024
Area A - Minuyan III
Second
2,673
16.84
159
3024
Area A - Minuyan IV
Second
4,769
33.82
141
3024
Area A - Minuyan V
Second
2,200
14.38
153
3024
Area B - Bagong Buhay I
Second
7,264
42.92
169
3024
Area B - Bagong Buhay II
Second
4,175
26.81
156
3024
Area B - Bagong Buhay III
Second
5,698
20.08
284
3024
Area C - San Martín I
Second
4,095
20.63
198
3024
Area C - San Martín II
Second
3,527
10.22
345
3024
Area C - San Martín III
Second
3,695
12.14
304
3024
Area C - San Martín IV
Second
4,085
15.81
258
3024
Area D - Santa Cruz I
Second
4,854
22.43
216
3024
Area D - Santa Cruz II
Second
3,405
9.938
342
3024
Area D - Santa Cruz III
Second
3,029
10.20
297
3024
Area D - Santa Cruz IV
Second
3,175
14.36
221
3024
Area D - Santa Cruz V
Second
3,811
7.942
480
3024
Area E - Fátima I
Second
3,109
10.1
308
3024
Area E - Fátima II
Second
1,890
6.423
294
3024
Area E - Fátima III
Second
1,922
5.915
325
3024
Area E - Fátima IV
Second
2,121
8.337
254
3024
Area E - Fátima V
Second
2,195
20.96
105
3024
Area F - San Pedro
Second
16,439
77.15
213
3024
Area G - Citrus
Second
22,893
89.76
255
3024
Area H - San Rafael I
Second
3,362
26.27
128
3024
Area H - San Rafael II
Second
8,139
9.617
846
3024
Area H - San Rafael III
Second
2,718
10.35
263
3024
Area H - San Rafael IV
Second
6,447
16.50
391
3024
Area H - San Rafael V
Second
2,844
6.798
418
3024
Area I - Assumption
Second
4,362
24.68
177
3024
Area I - Lawang Pari
Second
5,075
26.82
189
3024
Area I - Santo Niño I
Second
2,610
24.16
108
3024
Area I - Santo Niño II
Second
3,746
20.60
182
3024
Area I - San Martín de Porres
Second
2,470
18.48
134
3024
Demographics
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In the 2020 census, the population of San Jose del Monte was 651,813 people,Template:PH wikidata with a density of Script error: No such module "convert".. This makes it the largest local government unit in Bulacan province. It is also the largest city in Central Luzon (Region III).[27]
With the coming of settlers to San Jose del Monte, its population increased tremendously. Its population increased dramatically since the 1950s as the population tended to move from rural areas to towns and cities. Its proximity to Manila allowed it to accommodate its spillover population. This is further hastened by the development of nearby Quezon City and the accompanying increase in population and infrastructure.
The forced relocation of informal settlers and the lure of government to provide them with their own homes allowed the town to continue to grow despite the lack of government facilities. As such, San Jose del Monte exhibited an increasing percentage share of the provincial population from as low as 2% in 1960 to 9% in 1990 and then to 17% in 2015. The town surpassed the population of Meycauayan in the 1980 census and Malolos in the 1990 census, then the largest towns of Bulacan. By 2015, it has more than two times the population of the now second place Santa María town (256,454 people in the 2015 Census).
If current population growth holds (2010-2015, +4.55%), the population of San Jose del Monte is expected to double and breach one million by the 2030 Census.
Languages
The city, along with the municipalities of San Miguel, Doña Remedios Trinidad, and Norzagaray, is the homeland of the Dumagat Kabuloan or Alta Kabuloan, the first inhabitants of Bulacan, with a language named exactly as their people. Their language is currently endangered and is in dire need of local government intervention. The majority of residents in the town are native speakers of the Tagalog language.
Major crops are leafy vegetables, root crops (cassava as its OTOP), pineapple, mango, and coffee beans.
Livestock and poultry
The major income earner is large- and small-scale swine production. There are 60 commercial livestock and poultry farms in the city. The major poultry producers are RFM Corporation, Vitarich, and FELDAN.
The city has three major business district growth areas: Tungkong Mangga, Muzon, and Sapang Palay (Sampol). They are in wholesale and retail trade.
The minor business districts include Towerville in Minuyan Proper, Palmera in Kaypian, Northgate in Santo Cristo, Citrus, Poblacion 1, Grotto in Graceville, Francisco Homes, Gumaoc, and San Rafael III.
Commercial and thrift banks, pawnshops, and cooperatives provide financial services. There are two major malls: Starmall San Jose del Monte in Palmera and SM City San Jose del Monte in Tungkong Mangga.
Tourism
Mount Balagbag and Kaytitinga Falls (Barangay San Isidro) are the main tourist attractions in the city. A portion of the Angat Watershed Forest Reserve also extends to San Jose del Monte.
VS Orchids Farm (Santo Cristo) is the biggest orchids nursery and ornamental plants farm in Bulacan owned by Rolita Spowart, 3 Manila Seedling Bank Foundation, Quezon City.[28] Hundreds of orchids species are nurtured in this 1.8 hectars flora haven.
San Jose del Monte's road network has a total length of Script error: No such module "convert".. The following are the main arteries of San Jose del Monte's road network which link the 59 barangays with Metro Manila and the rest of Bulacan.
Quirino Highway is a national road that stretches from the town of Norzagaray (Bigte Rotonda) to Quezon City (Balintawak).
Sapang Palay–Santa Maria Road links the Sapang Palay Resettlement Project to the town of Santa María passing through Barangay Bulac, Barangay Catmon, and Barangay San José Patag in the said town.
San Jose–Marilao Road, also referred to as Miguel Villarica Road, and formerly, but still used commonly, Carriedo Street, links the city with the municipality of Marilao and to the North Luzon Expressway.
Dr. Eduardo V. Roquero Avenue links the Sapang Palay Resettlement Project to Quirino Highway and in the opposite end to Sapang Palay Proper.
Igay Provincial Road connects Quirino Highway to Rodríguez, Rizal, passing through Santo Cristo, Kaybanban, San Roque, Paradise III, and San Isidro.
Kaypian Road connects Barangay Dulong Bayan to Starmall–San Jose del Monte via Barangay Kaypian and links to Quirino Highway.
Circumferential Road 6 (C6) bypasses the city of San Jose del Monte that the project initially would link Metro Manila with the provinces of Bulacan in the north, Rizal in the east, and Cavite in the south via Phase 2, passing through the cities of Pasig, Taguig, and Muntinlupa.
North Luzon East Expressway (NLEE) bypasses through the city of San Jose del Monte and connects to Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija.
Railway Network
The city is also the site of the under-preparation terminus of Manila Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 7. The initial location of the said station, named San Jose del Monte Station, would be located near the area of Colinas Verdes, a subdivision in Tungkong Mangga, San Jose del Monte, passing through Tala, North Caloocan, and barangay Ciudad Real.
However, due to the appeals the residents of Pangarap Village in Tala over years of land dispute and right-of-way issues, in 2021, the railway leading to the station was realigned, now passing through Quirino Highway instead of passing through the said disputed residential community, and the new site of San Jose del Monte station would now be located on a vast vacant lot alongside Skyline Hospital and Medical Center.[29][30]
The bulk of the city's water requirement is being served by the San José del Monte City Water District,[31] together via Joint Venture Agreement to PrimeWater Corporation.
Power
Power distribution is being undertaken by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco). The city hosts the biggest National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) sub-station in the country in Barangay Dulong Bayan.
Telecommunications/communications
Landline telephone systems are provided by the PLDT and Globe.
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Like other cities in the Philippines, San Jose del Monte is governed by a mayor and vice mayor elected to three-year terms. The mayor is the executive head and leads the city's departments in executing the city ordinances and improving public services. The vice mayor heads a legislative council consisting of 12 members: 6 from District I and 6 from District II. The council is in charge of creating the city's policies.
Government officials (2025–28)
Elected local officials, such as the representative, mayor, vice mayor, and twelve councilors, are currently serving their terms that last from 2025 to 2028.
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