Jose Alvarez (Filipino politician)

Jose Alvarez was born on June 29, 1944 in Kidapawan to Engr. Tomas Alvarez and 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 Surigao, and finished the same in 1960.

When he was 16 years 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 Jose financed his university education by working as a collector in an insurance agency. Through his own perseverance and skills, he was able to graduate from college in 1964.

After his graduation, Alvarez ventured into a small used-car trading business in Cagayan de Oro. In 1969, he was able to expand his business to Mandaue. 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, before returning to the province of Palawan.^[4][5] He also owns the Terrafirma Dyip that currently plays in the Philippine Basketball Association.