Dr. Jose was born and raised in Bacara, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. Countless generations of his family lived a humble life on the farm. But his father had dreams of him becoming a doctor and so Tata courageously immigrated to America and worked arduously on a Maui sugarcane plantation in order to send money home to the Philippines for Nana and his son. Through hard work and the loving support of his parents and Auntie, Dr. Jose fulfilled his dad’s wish and entered medical school at Far Eastern University where he met his future wife, Dr. Gloria.

After coming to America and settling in Hawaii, Dr. Jose completed residency training in the highly selective University of Hawaii surgery program, serving as chief surgical resident. During his 40+ year career Dr. Jose performed surgeries at virtually all of the Oahu hospitals. He also saw outpatients at offices in St. Francis Liliha, St. Francis West (now Queen’s Medical Center West), and of course Liliha Medical Building. One of the highlights of his career is serving as President of the Philippine Medical Association, with the theme of his tenure focusing on spirituality and health. After thousands of surgeries and helping countless patients over the years, Dr. Jose finally retired in 2014. He now enjoys spending time with family, golf, cooking, family/action movies, nature shows & classic TV shows, yoga, reading, and traveling.