Jose Alvarez

Jose Chaves Alvarez is a Filipino politician from the province of Palawan, Philippines. He was first elected as Governor of the province in 2013 and was re-elected in 2016 and 2019. Jose Alvarez, known to every Palaweño as “JCA” is the current governor of the Province of Palawan. He was born on June 29, 1944 in Kidapawan City, Province of Cotabato.

Jose Alvarez, was born on June 29, 1944 in Kidapawan City, Province of Cotabato, to his spouses Engr. Tomas Alvarez and Mrs. Lilia Alvarez. At the age of six, he started his education at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Davao University. He then pursued his secondary education at San Nicholas College, now St. Paul University, and finished the same in 1960.

When he was 16 year-old, Alvarez took Chemical Engineering at Cebu Institute of Technology University. But due to financial constraints, he was forced to transfer to Xavier University and enroll in Liberal Arts. Because he wanted to help his family and avoid becoming a burden to his parents, the young JCA financed his university education by working as a collector in an insurance agency. Through his own perseverance and skills, the future Palawan Governor was able to graduate from college in 1964.

After his graduation, Alvarez ventured into a small used-car trading business in Cagayan de Oro City. In 1969, he was able to expand his business to Mandaue City. In 1970, he was presented an opportunity to start a logging business in Indonesia and immediately grabbed the same. He stayed in the forests of Indonesia for seven years, far away from his home and family.