The City of San Jose Del Monte (SJDM), the oldest city in the province of Bulacan, is on the brink of history, as a plebiscite on Oct. 30 will determine if it joins the ranks of the country’s highly urbanized cities (HUCs).
The plebiscite coincides with the nationwide Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) also on October 30.
If residents vote “Yes” on the ballot, San Jose del Monte will join the ranks of cities like Manila, Makati, Quezon City, Caloocan, Cebu City, Ilo-ilo City, Olongapo and Angeles as HUCs.
Getting more “yes” votes would be a dream come true for SJDM City Mayor Arthur Robes and a longtime wish of both the late congressman and former mayor Angelito Sarmiento and the late mayor Dr. Eduardo Roquero.
Sarmiento was the representative who authored Republic Act 8797, converting SJDM into the first component city of Bulacan on Sept. 10, 2000, while Roquero served as the first city mayor.
Envisioned by Mayor Robes as the ‘fastest rising city’ of Bulacan, SJDM has gone a long way since becoming a separate town in March 2, 1752 from Meycauayan, now also a component city of Bulacan.
Once it attains the HUC status, San Jose Del Monte will be able to sufficiently fund and operate its city hospital and provide better service to the health care needs of its growing population, Robes said.
In education, Robes said the facilities of the City College of SJDM will be improved and additional Learning Centers will be opened, including the City Library that will cater to all Bulakenyos even from its neighboring towns.
The existing City College will augment the existing Sarmiento Campus of the Bulacan State University, which will also be complemented with funds to help the internet and technological needs of its students.
In becoming an HUC, Robes sees the complete digitalization of the city’s payment operations and queuing systems, making transactions with the city government simpler and easier.
SJDM is also the largest city in Bulacan in terms of land area with a population of 651,813, way above the population requirement of 200,000 to be classified as HUC.
Its annual income of some P2.1 billion is also way above the HUC requirement of P50 million.
Known as the “Balcony of the Metropolis”, SJDM is recorded as the 86th City of the Philippines. On Dec. 18, 2003, the City of San Jose became the first Lone Congressional District in Bulacan.
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 65 kms. from Malolos and 30 kms. from Manila.
The city is home to some of the biggest resettlement areas in the country, like the Sapang Palay area spread over 36 barangays, Pabahay 2000 in Barangay Muzon, and Towerville in Barangay Minuyan Proper.
Most of the city’s population had come from informal settlers from Metro Manila. Now, the city population and landscape has changed and has caught up with modernity, Robes noted.
Lending its all-out support to the HUC campaign of SJDM is Malolos City Mayor Atty. Christian Natividad, who recently hosted the Mayors League of Bulacan monthly meeting at the Malolos City Hall.
Natividad declared: “As mayor of the capital and historic city, I am taking the role as a big brother of my fellow mayors to support all step towards the autonomy of every municipality and city in Bulacan to fast-track local development initiatives in their area of responsibilities.”
The Malolos mayor said he and the 22 other mayors of Bulacan fully support SJDM’s bid achieve HUC status.