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<img src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources-25/jose-ozamiz.avif" alt="José Ozámiz" loading="lazy" />
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(José Ozámiz y Fortich)
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Early Life and Family Background
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José Ozámiz y Fortich was born on May 5, 1898, in a house near the "Old Bridge" in Aloran, Misamis Occidental. He was the eldest and only son among ten children of Jenaro Ozámiz, a Basque Spaniard from Navarre, and Basilisa Fortich, a mestiza of Spanish and Cebuano descent. Jenaro had left Spain at the age of sixteen, eventually settling in the Philippines, where he amassed wealth through the abacá and copra trade. Over the years, he acquired vast tracts of land, including 3.55 square kilometers in Misamis Occidental and a 10-square-kilometer ranch in Bukidnon. This affluence provided José with a privileged upbringing and access to quality education.
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Growing up in a multilingual household, José became fluent in Spanish, Cebuano, Tagalog, and English - skills that would later serve him well in his legal and political career. His sisters - Pacita, Consuelo, Carmen, Pilar, Remedios, Nieves, Mercedes, Paulita, and Lourdes - were also notable in their own right, with Consuelo serving as a councilor in Jimenez for six terms and Remedios becoming a congresswoman of Bukidnon, whose son, Carlos Fortich, later became the province's governor.
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In 1904, the Ozámiz family relocated to a large house in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental, where they continued their copra business, shipping the product to various islands across the Philippines. This move solidified their status as a leading family in the region.
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May 5, 1898: José Ozámiz was born in Aloran, Misamis Occidental