HISTORY OF SAN JOSE (OCO)
San Jose (Oco) is a barangay of municipality of Viga in the island province of Catanduanes (the 12th largest island in the Philippines) in Bicol Region which is part of Luzon group of islands. According to the 2010 census, Viga has a population of 20,669 people. San Jose (Oco) has 1,163 residents per 2010 Philippines Census of Population and Housing. The site of the ori
ginal settlement of Viga was at Caviga-e now called Viga. It was believed that a group of tribesman led by certain “Abines” from mainland was the first settlers. Due to frequent moro depredations, they fled some four kilometers inland and settled in the place where most of the inhabitants were found to be relatively shorter in height than the size of ordinary natives akin to pygmies, the primitive inhabitants that originally settled in northern Luzon. They called the place “Oco” in reference to short people or dwarfs. In the later part of 16th century, a group of Spaniards believed to be a segment of Juan de Salcedo’s expedition reached the place and subdued the natives. They built a military encampment just at the junction call “Burdang” where streams meet and formed Oco River, and extended up to the lowlands. The Spaniards named the settlement Pueblo de San Jose de Oco, means “Town of San Jose of Oco”. When moro stopped their plundering activities, the settlers moved back to the lowlands where the soil was more fertile. They selected an area where herbaceous giant gabi-like-plants which they called “Marviga” abundantly grew. The settlers became a mixed stock as a result of the enter-marriages between the natives migrating tribesmen. An Augustinian friar named Francisco Putiocan became the first Catholic Priest and recognized leader. The Spaniards called the settlement “Viga” a shortened name for Marviga. With the advent of the Spanish civil rule, the inhabitants were easily converted to the catholic faith. As time went on they felt however, the strain of Spanish cruelties. When the Philippine Revolution broke out, many able-bodied natives joined the nationalistic movement and fought the colonizer. They were known as the insurrectos and closely identified with the revolutionary movement called Katipunan. Caviga-e is now today the poblacion of the town of Viga while Pueblo de San Jose de Oco became the Barangay San Jose today. The Barrio Oco was change to Barangay San Jose with the passage of R.A. No. 5561 on June 21st of 1969.
