San Jose

San Jose is a rural, agricultural municipality between Lipa and Batangas City, in Batangas.

Understand

San Jose lies between the province's two largest cities, Batangas City and Lipa. It a common stopover for travellers on the Jose P. Laurel Highway, the major route between those locations until the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR Tollway) bypassed it. The town has many poultry farms, producing most eggs and chickens sold in Manila, so it is nicknamed the "Egg Basket of the Philippines".

The municipality used to be part of a larger municipality of Bauan, today a suburb of Batangas City. San Jose was created in 1765 as the town of San José de Malaquing Tubig, since shortened into the present name. It is named after Saint Joseph the Patriarch, its patron.

Get in

By jeepney

San Jose is served by the BN-02 jeepney route between Batangas City and Lipa. It costs around ₱30 from Batangas City bus terminal, and ₱27.5 from Lipa.

By bus

Frequent provincial bus services ply the highway, and they make the usual stop near the intersection at Taysan, but is hardly possible from Batangas City. A bus ticket on standard air-conditioned costs ₱135 from Pasay (1 hr, 30 min), ₱150 from Cubao (1 hr, 45 min), ₱110 from Alabang (1 hr, 15 min), and ₱70 (45 min) from Calamba.

By car

The town lies along the highway between Lipa and Batangas City, locally called National Highway (Route 4), which bypasses the town proper to the east

STAR Tollway does not directly serve San Jose, but you can either exit at Lipa Exit or Ibaan Exit. Travel through Lipa Exit is far the most suggested, as the route via Ibaan Exit runs through forest, not best to travel through at night.

By train

Train service ended around the 1960s, but is proposed to be restored by the 2020s once the line between Calamba and Batangas City is rebuilt.

Get around

Tricycles are the common transport mode through the town and surrounding area composing the larger municipality; most corners of town are reachable by tricycle.

See

• 1 Giant egg marker, Jose P. Laurel Highway, Banaybanay 1 (Near San Jose District Hospital). Welcome monument showcasing the town's egg production industry. (updated Dec 2018)
• 2 Saint Joseph the Patriarch Church. Baroque-styled church in the middle of town, dedicated to its patron saint and forming the Spanish-era Poblacion. (updated Dec 2018)

Do

The town is not much frequently visited, but if you want to see the local economy, you can arrange visits to many egg and poultry farms around the rural areas of the town.

San Jose holds a local festival in April 25, dedicated to the town's founding and its patron saint, St. Joseph the Patriarch (San Jose Patriarca).

Eat

• 1 Lando and Lorie's Banay-banay Eatery, Jose P. Laurel Highway, Banay-banay 2.0, ☏ +63 43 757-1252. Popular roadside eatery serving inexpensive lutong bahay. From ₱75. (updated Dec 2018)
• 2 Sarap Ala-eh!, Jose P. Laurel Highway, Palanca, ☏ +63 947 339-3865. 24/7. Cheap Batangueño dishes, such as lomi and crispy pata, as well as cultural experience through Batangas Tagalog words. (updated Dec 2018)
• 3 Corcolon Lomi House, Pinagtung-ulan, ☏ +63 995 642-1584. 6AM-8PM. Inland food destination visited for its cheap bowl of lomi. From ₱75. (updated Dec 2018)

Sleep

• 1 Valentino's Resort and Spa, Pinagtung-ulan. Mediterranean-themed resort not far from Mount Maculot. (updated Dec 2018)
• Villa Rozaida Events and Resort, Jose P. Laurel Highway, Aguila. From ₱2800. (updated Jul 2019)

Go next

Cuenca just lies to the northwest; you can arrange treks to Mount Maculot, which provides wide views of the province. Tricycles can bring you to town.

Routes through San Jose

Lipa ←	N  S	→ Batangas City → END
Lipa ←	E  W	→ Cuenca → Taal