This article is about one of the earliest bus lines from my hometown of San Antonio, Nueva Ecija, the E. Jose Trans buses.
The E. Jose Trans can be considered one of the earliest 'homegrown' bus lines in the town of San Antonio in Nueva Ecija.
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| This photo is owned by Mr. John Ward. More info about it here |
The E. Jose Trans buses, named after Mr. Emilio Jose, were originally owned by the Jose Family, residents of Poblacion, San Antonio, Nueva Ecija. The first bus station was located on a lot opposite San Antonio High School. The original color of the E. Jose buses is red and white. The E. Jose buses cover the routes to Manila and some parts of Northern Luzon.
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| An old E. Jose bus ticket. Photo owned by Arnold Macatunao |
After several decades of operation, the E. Jose Trans buses were acquired by the Salonga Family. For a long time, the Salonga Family managed the operation of E. Jose. During this time, they modernized the bus units to improve service for the people of San Antonio, and it became known as New E. Jose Trans.
The last family to own it was the Torres Family. They introduced air-conditioned units for a more comfortable journey, also changing the color and appearance to keep up with the times, and eventually renamed some units as ZO Torres Transport.
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(Tagalog version)
Ang Kasaysayan ng E. Jose Trans
Ang E. Jose Trans, maituturing na marahil ay isa sa mga kauna-unahang bus lines na "homegrown" sa bayan ng San Antonio, Nueva Ecija.
Ang E. Jose Trans, isinunod sa pangalan ni G. Emilio Jose, ay orihinal na pagmamay-ari ng Pamilya Jose, mga residente ng Poblacion, San Antonio, Nueva Ecija. Ang unang istasyon ng bus ay sa lote katapat ng San Antonio High School. Ang orihinal na kulay ng mga bus ng E. Jose ay puti at pula. Ang E. Jose ay bumabyahe sa ruta pa-Maynila at ilang bahagi ng Northern Luzon.
Makalipas ang ilang dekada ng operasyon, ang E. Jose Trans ay nabili ng Pamilya Salonga. Sa mahabang panahon, ang Pamilya Salonga ang nag-manage sa operasyon ng E. Jose. Sa panahon din na ito, nag-modernize ng mga units ng bus para maging mas maigi ang serbisyo sa mga mamamayan ng San Antonio at nakilala rin sa pangalan na New E. Jose Trans.
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| A ZO Torres bus. This photo is owned by Mr. John Ward |
Ang huling pamilya na nag-may ari nito ay ang Pamilya Torres. Nag-introduce sila ng mga airconditioned units para mas maging komportable ang byahe, binago rin ang kulay at itsura para makasabay sa panahon, at eventually ay nagpalit ng pangalan at nakilala bilang ZO Torres Transport.
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History of San Antonio, Nueva Ecija
The town of San Antonio, Nueva Ecija, received its present name in 1843 from Father Leocadio Luis, its first parish priest. He named it in honor of its patron saint, San Antonio Abad. Before its official recognition as a town during the Spanish colonial period, the area was a barangay of Gapan known as Barrio Delinquente, a name that translates to "outlaw" in English.
Local accounts suggest that the name Delinquente originated from an incident involving a casco (a large boat) heavily loaded with palay (unhusked rice) that sank in the Pampanga River. This event left a lasting impression on the community and inspired the barangay’s original name.
The movement to separate Barrio Delinquente from Gapan and establish it as an independent municipality began in 1839. After years of petitioning, the residents’ request was approved in November 1842, and the formal separation was completed in 1843.
In 1848, San Antonio, along with Gapan, Aliaga, Cabiao, and San Isidro, was transferred from the province of Pampanga to Nueva Ecija, marking a significant administrative change.
Today, San Antonio is composed of 16 barangays:
- Buliran
- Cama Juan
- Julo
- Lawang Kupang
- Luyos
- Maugat
- Panabingan
- Papaya
- Poblacion
- San Francisco (KC-1) Kaisiwan
- San Jose (Cabungan)
- San Mariano
- Santa Barbara
- Sta. Cruz (Parang)
- Sto. Cristo
- Tikiw
About this project
One of my personal initiatives is to document events, customs, traditions, places, buildings, and even businesses with historical significance in my hometown - San Antonio, Nueva Ecija.
In 2006, when I opened this blog site, my goal was to document the traditions and customs of my hometown, San Antonio in Nueva Ecija. However, I never got around to fulfilling that goal because of a lack of reference materials and the extensive work that research may entail.
With social media, though, I was able to reconnect with people from my hometown and was able to gather a few pieces of information from residents of my hometown, both young and town. Even with the little information I gathered, I want to push through with my original objective for blogging and document the historical aspects of my hometown on this website. This is my own little way of giving back to my beloved hometown.
You can also get to know more about my hometown through this Facebook page I created: Tara Sa San Antonio [Nueva Ecija].
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