Jose Castro Evangelista

José Castro Evangelista, Sr. :

José Castro Evangelista, Sr. was a beloved political figure in Candaba politics who was elected Vice Mayor of Candaba, Pampanga in 1966. He was an undefeated Councilor, and won as Vice Mayor, after refusing to run for Mayor, in a landslide victory at a time when all his party mates were defeated. He was a member of the Evangelista Clan, a Principalia Family and one of the largest landowners in Pampanga during the Spanish Colonial Rule.

José was the only son of Candaba Municipal Presidente and haciendero Don Pedro Canciller Evangelista and his wife Doña Mercedes Castro (or de Castro) y Constantino of Polo, Bulacan. His mother was the sister of Marciana de Castro, the wife of Katipunero Dr. Pio Valenzuela.

José was well loved and respected in Candaba. The townsfolk looked up to him as their doctor although he never formally practiced Medicine as he was unable to take the Medical Board exams because of World War II. Everyone who came to him received free medical treatment.

He married Doña Aurora Limjoco and they had three children: Erlinda (Mrs. Bienvenido Tongol), Cenen, and José, Jr., who followed in his father's footsteps and studied Medicine and became one of the most distinguished cardiologists in the United States of America.

José Evangelista, Sr. continued in the tradition of his illustrious antecedents as the face of the Evangelista Clan in Candaba politics. Although he was not interested in politics, José, Sr.'s popularity thrust him into the political limelight. He was held in such high esteem by the Candabeños that there was no need for him to campaign when he ran for office. When Candabeños clamored for him to run for Mayor, he politely refused to run for that office. But when he ran for Vice-Mayor in 1966, he won in a landslide victory without spending a single day on the campaign trail.

José, Sr. was also the President of the Board of Trustees at St. Andrew's Academy, Candaba, where his son Dr. José Limjoco Evangelista, Jr. graduated as Class Valedictorian in elementary and high school.

José Castro Evangelista, Sr. passed away at the age of 55. He was deeply mourned by his constituents who saw in him a true champion for the less fortunate.