San Jose del Monte

San Jose del Monte, officially the City of San Jose del Monte (abbreviated as SJDM or CSJDM); Tagalog: Lungsod ng San José del Monte; Southern Alta: Siyudad na San José del Monte; Spanish: Ciudad de San José del Monte; Spanish pronunciation: [ˌsãŋ xoˌse ð̞el ˈmõn̪.t̪e]; Tagalog pronunciation: [ˌsan̪ hoˌsɛ d̪ɛl ˈmon̪.t̪ɛ]), is a 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. 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 President Rodrigo 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. 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.