Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines

About Jose Dalman, Zamboanga del Norte

Location and Access

Jose Dalman, formerly known as Ponot, is a coastal municipality in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, part of Region IX – Zamboanga Peninsula in the Philippines. It is located along the western coastline of the province, bordered by other coastal and inland municipalities connected through the national highway network.

Access to Jose Dalman is primarily by land via buses, vans, and jeepneys traveling along the Dipolog–Sindangan–Liloy–Zamboanga City corridor. The nearest commercial airport is Dipolog Airport in Dipolog City, which offers regular flights to major cities. For sea travel, residents usually use the larger ports in Dapitan and Dipolog, where roll-on/roll-off services and commercial shipping lines operate.

Location of Municipality Hall

The Municipal Hall of Jose Dalman is located in the town center within Barangay Poblacion (Ponot). This barangay serves as the administrative core of the municipality, hosting government offices, public services, the public market, and various commercial establishments.

Economy of Jose Dalman

The economy of Jose Dalman is predominantly agricultural and coastal. Many residents are engaged in farming, cultivating rice, corn, coconut, root crops, and vegetables in the agricultural barangays such as Tabon, Madalag, Manawan, and Litalip. Coconut-based products remain a major agricultural output.

Fishing is also a significant livelihood, especially in coastal communities like Lunay, Balatakan, and Bitoon, where small-scale marine fishing, seaweed gathering, and fish vending contribute to the local economy.

Retail and small commercial activities are concentrated in Barangay Poblacion (Ponot), where sari-sari stores, eateries, and service shops support the daily needs of residents. Many households also rely on remittances from relatives working in larger cities or overseas.

Natural Resources and Rivers

Jose Dalman’s landscape features a combination of coastal areas, inland plains, and hilly terrain. Several small rivers, creeks, and natural springs flow throughout the municipality, providing water for irrigation and household use. These waterways support farmers in barangays such as Marupay, Ilhan, and Tamarok.

Natural resources also include fertile soil suitable for agriculture, nearshore fishing grounds along the coastline, and small forest patches found in upland barangays like Lopero and Sigamok. These areas help regulate water flow, support biodiversity, and offer potential for eco-tourism on a small scale.

Power, Water, and Utilities

Electricity is supplied by the Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative (ZANECO), which energizes the poblacion and the majority of barangays such as Siparok, Lipay, and Tabon. While the main service areas are connected to the cooperative’s grid, some remote sitios may occasionally experience variations in supply reliability during extreme weather.

Water supply comes from community-managed systems, deep wells, spring sources, and hand pumps. Larger barangays and the poblacion area may have level II or level III piped water systems, while many upland sitios still rely on natural springs and rainwater collection. Telecommunications and mobile data services are available in most barangays, with stronger signals near the town center and main roads.

Banking, Commerce, and Health Services

Commercial activities are centered in Barangay Poblacion (Ponot), where the public market, small groceries, hardware stores, and service shops operate. Sari-sari stores are widespread in barangays like Balatakan, Tamil, and Lumanping.

Formal banking services in the municipality are limited. Residents usually rely on cooperatives, microfinance institutions, pawnshops, and remittance centers for basic financial transactions. For full-service banking and ATM access, residents typically travel to larger towns such as Sindangan, or to Dipolog City.

Primary health services are provided by the rural health unit in the poblacion, supported by barangay health stations located in key barangays such as Tabon, Tamarok, and Lopero. For hospital-level care, residents typically travel to comprehensive medical facilities in Dipolog City, Dapitan City, or Sindangan.

Education in Jose Dalman

Elementary education is accessible across most barangays, with public elementary schools located in communities such as Madalag, Litalip, Manawan, Tamil, and Bitoon. These schools provide foundational education to children living in both coastal and inland barangays.

Secondary education is anchored by Godod National High School’s counterpart institutions for Jose Dalman, including public high schools located in barangays such as Poblacion (Ponot) and Sianan in the adjacent municipality (for students living near boundary areas). Other barangays may be served by annex campuses or by traveling to nearby municipalities with established high schools.

There are no colleges or universities located directly in Jose Dalman. Students seeking tertiary education typically enroll in institutions located in Sindangan, Dipolog City, Dapitan City, or other cities in the Zamboanga Peninsula region.

Local Transportation

Motorized tricycles and motorcycles (habal-habal) are the main modes of transport within the poblacion and adjacent barangays. They provide point-to-point service between residential areas, markets, and schools.

For barangay-to-barangay travel, residents use jeepneys, multicabs, and motorcycles, traversing the municipal and provincial road networks that link communities such as Tabon, Balatakan, Tamarok, and Marupay. For longer trips to Dipolog, Sindangan, or Liloy, buses and vans-for-hire operate daily.

There are no taxicabs or app-based transport services operating in Jose Dalman; mobility relies mainly on traditional public utility vehicles, private motorcycles, and family-owned vehicles.

January 7, 2026

1️⃣ Andas for Traslación 2026 now ready, with upgrades

The Andas carrying the Black Nazarene for January 9 Traslación features new steering wheel and reinforced underchassis to handle massive devotee crowds safely.

2️⃣ Over 3,500 affected by Mayon volcano unrest

NDRRMC reports 3,515 people from 964 families evacuated in Albay due to recent magmatic eruptions, ashfall, and pyroclastic flows; all in permanent danger zone.

3️⃣ Magnitude 6.4 quake hits off southern Philippines

USGS detects 6.4 quake off Davao Oriental coast—no tsunami threat reported, but locals feel shaking; no immediate damage confirmed.