San Jose is a 1st class coastal municipality of Occidental Mindoro Province in Region IVB or MiMaRoPa Region, Philippines. It is one of the biggest towns in the country in terms of area, population and revenue.

Profile of San Jose Municipality (Geography)
Location –> Southern part of Mindoro Island (See map below)
Neighboring Towns –> Rizal and Calintaan (north), Mansalay in Oriental Mindoro (east), Magsaysay (south)
* The islands of Ilin and Ambulong are territories of San Jose.
Area –> 446.70 km2 (172.47 sq mi)
Population –> 143,430 (2015 Census)
Terrain –> Coastal Plain with hills and mountains
Industries –> Agriculture, Trading, Tourism
Major Products –> Rice, Corn, sugarcane, salt, fish, Vegetables, Poultry, Handicraft, Home-made Food Items
People/Language –> Tagalog, English
Barangays –> 40
Revenue (2016) –> 307,944,122.94
Legislative District –> Lone
Government Officials
Congresswoman –> Josephine “Nene” Ramirez-Sato
Mayor –> Romulo “Muloy” Festin
Vice Mayor –> Roderick Q. Agas

History of San Jose

Long before the coming of the Spaniards, villagers in the area called Pandurucan had trading relations with China.

On May 1, 1910, San Jose became the seat of the Civil Government with Don German Ramirez as its first appointed leader until 1915.

During World War II, the town of San Jose became the second landing area of the American Forces led by General Douglas MacArthur. The liberation of the island of Mindoro proved decisive in the recapture of Manila and the whole of Luzon.

Economy of San Jose

San Jose is the commercial and financial center of Occidental Mindoro. Still, agriculture plays a very important role in the local economy and many residents depend on farming and fishing for their livelihood. Rice, corn, sugar and fish are the main products. Some farmers are engaged in raising hogs, chicken and egg while others plant vegetables and root crops. Aquaculture produces milkfish (bangus) and prawn.

San Jose is one of the largest producers of salt in the region. Cottage industries include hollow blocks making, handicrafts, furniture, sweet goods and other food products.

The tourism industry in San Jose is still in its infancy.

San Jose is served by its airport with regular flights to Manila. Caminawit Port serves the shipping needs of the province but it is presently in dire need of repair due to siltation.

Tourist Spots in San Jose

Aroma Beach

Inasakan Beach in Ilin Island

Ambulong Island

Devil’s Mountain

Mindoro Landing Monument

St. Joseph Cathedral

Organic Techno Demo Farm

Colleges in San Jose

Occidental Mindoro State College (OMSC)
Divine Word College of San Jose (DWC)
San Jose Adventist Academy Inc. (SJAA)
Philippine Central Islands College (PCIC)
I-NET Asia Technological School, Inc.
Southwest Philippines Ecumenical School Inc.
Abeleda Technical School

Festivals

Pandurucan Festival

Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

Map of San Jose Municipality

See also: Profile of Mayor Romulo “Muloy” Festin , Governor Eduardo Gadiano