San Jose del Monte
San Jose del Monte, officially the City of San Jose del Monte (abbreviated as SJDM or CSJDM; ), is a 1st class component city in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 651,813 people, making it the largest local government unit within the province of Bulacan and Central Luzon, and the 18th most populated city in the Philippines. The City of San Jose del Monte had been proclaimed as a highly urbanized city on 4 December 2020, by the virtue of Proclamation No. 1057, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, however, majority of the votes cast on the plebiscite on October 30, 2023 has rejected the conversion. Located in the southeast of the province, it is bordered by the city of Caloocan in Metro Manila to the south, by the town of Rodriguez in Rizal to the east, the towns of Santa Maria and Marilao to the west and Norzagaray to the north. San Jose del Monte is from Malolos and 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, Pabahay 2000 in Barangay Muzon and Towerville in Barangay Minuyan Proper. Most of the city's population come from former informal settlers along the creeks, esteros, riverbanks and railway tracks of Metro Manila. Etymology San Jose Del Monte derived its name from Saint Joseph, whose statue was found in a veritable forest. The hunters called it as such, which literally means “Saint Joseph of the Mountain” in Spanish. History Early accounts on 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. 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 from 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. In all probability, the hunters reported their find 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 town people fled for their lives to nearby towns.