San Jose del Monte

On September 10, 2000, San Jose del Monte was proclaimed as a component city under Republic Act No. 8797. It became the first city in the province of Bulacán and was recorded as the 86th chartered city of the Philippines. On December 18, 2003, the City of San Jose del Monte became the 1st Lone Congressional District in Bulacán.[6]

On December 4, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte declared San Jose del Monte as a highly urbanized city through Proclamation No. 1057.[9][10] However, it will have to go through a plebiscite to ratify its city charter, and it will be held four months after the 2022 national and local elections.[11]

On July 1, 2022, a bill seeking for the division of Barangay Muzon lapsed into law as Republic Act No. 11896. Under that law, the village will be divided into four, namely, Muzon Proper, Muzon East, Muzon West and Muzon South.[12] The plebiscite, supervised by the Commission on Elections, was held on March 25, 2023.[13]

Muzon then was the most populous village both in Bulacan[14][15][16] and in Central Luzon, surpassing Loma de Gato in the neighboring municipality of Marilao, and Dau in Mabalacat, Pampanga.[17]

The plebiscite was held in four schools with 78 clustered precincts.[14] With 30.44% of registered voters participated, majority of them approved the division.[16][18]

Plebiscite for the division of Barangay Muzon

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	12,324	92.71
No	969	7.29
Valid votes	13,293	99.78%
Invalid or blank votes	29	0.22%
Total votes	13,322	100.00
Registered voters/turnout	43,771	30.44%
Source: COMELEC via CNN Philippines news article.

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 the 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 with regard to the hilly conditions that dominate the topography. Most of households in the western half of San Jose del Monte opted to convert their lands to residential uses while other maintained the farms. This left upland uses, such as those pertaining to 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 in the built-up areas, usually found in the west: a number of heavily vegetated areas. Supplementing these are mini forest projects of the city government. The City Agriculture Office maintains a 1.65-hectare Mini Forest Project in Barangay Muzon along the San Jose del Monte-Marilao Provincial Road and a mahogany planting site.[20]

San Jose del Monte, after its separation to Santa Maria de Pandi (Now Santa Maria), was originally made up of only six barangays: Poblacion, Halang (Muzon), Sapang Palay, Minuyan, Santo Cristo, and Gaya-Gaya. Over time, these six mother barangays were divided to provide better living conditions for the people, particularly in the Sapang Palay Ressetlement Area, which stretches all the way to Minuyan. Now, it is politically subdivided into 62 barangays,[15] which handle governance in a much smaller area. These barangays are grouped into two districts, 26 barangays comprise the first district while 36 compose the second commonly known as Sapang Palay. The city has a lone legislative district, being represented in the country's House of Representatives.

Political Map of San Jose del Monte

The population of the second district, or Sapang Palay, if combined, would be 214,100, slightly lower than Meycauayan but higher than the City of Baliwag.

Major agricultural crops are leafy vegetables, root crops (cassava as its OTOP), pineapple, mango and coffee beans.

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.

Poblacion Public Market

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 I, 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.

• Mount Balagbag and Kaytitinga Falls in 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).[34] Hundreds of orchids species are nurtured in this 1.8 hectares flora haven.
• The Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto Shrine, is a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site often visited by devotees during Holy Week.
• City of San Jose del Monte People's Park in Barangay Sapang Palay Proper
• River Esplanade in Barangay Dulong Bayan at the back of the new government center of SJDM.
• The Rising Heart and Padre Pio Mountain of Healing in Barangay Paradise III.

• 
  Mount Balagbag
• 
  Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes
• 
  Kaytitinga Falls

The city is serviced by bus routes going to and from Parañaque (Baclaran), Muntinlupa (Alabang), Taguig (FTI), Makati, Quiapo and Santa Cruz districts in Manila, Novaliches district in Quezon City and Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Jeepney routes also ply the roads between the city and neighboring cities and towns in Metro Manila and Bulacan province.

Below are the routes that the jeeps and e-jeeps ply by:

• Sapang Palay to Grotto (via Tungkong Mangga)
• Sapang Palay to Muzon (via Tunkong Mangga)
• Sapang Palay to Minuyan Loop
• Grotto Shop and Ride to Minuyan Loop (via Verde Heights)
• Starmall SJDM to Minuyan Loop (via Kaypian)
• San Jose del Monte to Tungkong Mangga
• Tungkong Mangga to Licao-Licao
• Area H to Sampol (via Loop)
• Norzagaray to SM Fairview
• Bigte to Novaliches
• Sapang Palay to Novaliches
• Muzon to Novaliches
• Grotto to Novaliches
• Palmera to Novaliches
• Muzon Central Terminal to Ali Mall, Cubao (via Kalayaan Avenue)
• Francisco Homes to Cubao (via Kalayaan Avenue)
• Sampol to Santa Maria (via Bulac)
• Sampol to Santa Maria (via Muzon) to Meycauayan
• San Jose del Monte to SM Marilao
• San Jose del Monte to Malolos (via NLEX)
• Sapang Palay to CEU Malolos (via MacArthur HIghway)

Below are the routes that the bus ply by:

• Sapang Palay to PITX
• Sapang Palay to Avenida, Santa Cruz (via NLEX Marilao)
• Sapang Palay to Divisoria (via NLEX Bocaue)

Quirino Highway

San Jose del Monte's road network has a total length of 211.43 km (131.38 mi). 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 which stretches from the town of Norzagaray (Bigte Rotonda) to Quezon City (Balintawak).
• Bocaue - San Jose Road, also called Gov. Fortunato Halili Avenue, is a provincial road which links the city passing through Tungkong Mangga (Tungko) via Muzon to the town of Santa Maria, Bocaue and to the North Luzon Expressway.
• Sapang Palay Road - Santa Maria Road links the Sapang Palay Resettlement Project to town of Santa Maria passing through Barangay Bulac, Barangay Catmon, and Barangay San Jose Patag in the said town.
• San Jose - Marilao Road links the city with the municipality of Marilao and to the North Luzon Expressway. This is now a permanent full exit.
• Sapang Palay Road, also called Eduardo V. Roquero Avenue, links the Sapang Palay Resettlement Project to Quirino Highway and in the opposite end to Sapang Palay Proper.
• Igay Road connects Quirino Highway to Rodriguez, Rizal, passing through Santo Cristo, Kaybanban, San Roque, Paradise III, and San Isidro barangays.
• Kaypian Road connects Barangay Dulong Bayan to Starmall San Jose del Monte via Barangay Kaypian and links to Quirino Highway.

The bulk of the city's water requirement is being served by the San Jose Del Monte City Water District together via Joint Venture Agreement to Prime Water Corporation.

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.

Landline telephone systems are provided by the PLDT and Globe.

Internet service is available through PLDT Home Fiber and DSL and Globe Fiber and Converge Fiber X.

Mobile telephone services are provided by Smart Communications, Globe Telecom and Dito Telecommunity.

• Jesus the Greatest Name Christian College

• Muzon National High School
• Graceville National High School
• Muzon Harmony Hills High School
• Minuyan National High School
• Marangal National High School
• Kaypian National High School
• Paradise Farms National High School
• Kakawate National High School
• Citrus National High School
• San Jose del Monte National High School
• San Martin National High School
• Sapang Palay National High School
• Santo Cristo National High School
• San Jose del Monte National Trade School
• Towerville National High School
• City of San Jose del Monte National Science High School
• San Rafael National High School
• San Jose Del Monte Heights High School[35]

City hall

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.

San Jose del Monte, being a part of the Bulacan province, has its mayor in the city council heading the Area Integrated Development Authority (AIDA), a special committee created during the term of then Mayor Eduardo V. Roquero to concentrate on the improvement of 3 highly commercialized areas such as, Tungkong Mangga, Muzon, and Sampol areas.. This council formulates development plans that seeks to solve the problems and improve the conditions in the metropolis.