Josefina dela Cruz

Josefina Mendoza-Dela Cruz (born April 15, 1958), commonly known as Josie Dela Cruz, is a Filipino politician and government executive. She served as the Governor of Bulacan from 1998 to 2007, making history as the first female governor of the province. She later served as the Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Postal Corporation from 2011 to 2016, also becoming the first woman to head the national postal agency.

Early life and education Dela Cruz was born on February 24, 1958, in the municipality of Bocaue, Bulacan. She pursued her higher education at the Ateneo de Manila University, where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Engineering in 1980. The following year, she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the same institution, graduating magna cum laude.

Postmaster General In July 2011, Dela Cruz was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as the Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine Postal Corporation. She was the first female executive to lead the agency.

During her tenure, Dela Cruz oversaw a Rationalization Plan aimed at reorganizing and modernizing the state-owned postal service. Her administration, however, faced significant friction with postal worker unions. In 2012, labor leaders petitioned for a Senate investigation into her leadership, citing mass terminations of long-serving casual employees under the Rationalization Plan, unauthorized salary increases for executive positions, and concerns regarding the prospective privatization of postal assets. She concluded her term in 2016 at the end of the Aquino administration.

Awards and honors Dela Cruz has received multiple commendations for her decades in public service. Notably, during National Women's Month in 2025, she was honored by the Provincial Government of Bulacan as a recipient of the "Natatanging Babae" (Outstanding Woman) award, celebrating her pioneering achievements as a female local chief executive.