Paco, formerly known as Dilao, is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, located south of the

Pasig River The Pasig River (; ) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its m ...

and

San Miguel San Miguel, Spanish for Saint Michael, may refer to: Places Argentina *San Miguel Partido *San Miguel, Buenos Aires * San Miguel, Catamarca * San Miguel, Corrientes * San Miguel, La Rioja *San Miguel Arcángel, a Volga German colony in Adolfo Al ...

, west of Santa Ana, southwest of

Pandacan Pandacan is a district in Manila, Philippines, which is known in recent history as the former site of the Pandacan oil depot, Pandacan Oil Depot which supplied the majority of oil exports in the country. Etymology Pandacan is a corrupted term ...

, north of

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ( ...

, northwest of

San Andres Bukid San Andres (also San Andres Bukid) is a district of Manila, Philippines. San Andres shares the Estero Tripa de Gallina as its western and northern border with the districts of Malate and Paco, respectively and Pedro Gil and Tejeron streets to t ...

, and east of

Ermita Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's e ...

. It had a population of 79,839 people as of the 2020 census.

History

Paco was known as Dilao because of the

Amaryllis ''Amaryllis'' () is the only genus in the subtribe Amaryllidinae (tribe Amaryllideae). It is a small genus of flowering bulbs, with two species. The better known of the two, '' Amaryllis belladonna'', is a native of the Western Cape region of ...

plants that were once plentiful in this district. Dilao or ''dilaw'' is a

Tagalog Tagalog may refer to: Language * Tagalog language, a language spoken in the Philippines ** Old Tagalog, an archaic form of the language ** Batangas Tagalog, a dialect of the language * Tagalog script, the writing system historically used for Tagal ...

word for the color

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...

. Although, some sources say, it was named Dilao or "Yellow Plaza" by the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

settlers because of the Japanese migrants who lived there, describing their

physiognomy Physiognomy () or face reading is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general appearance of a person, object, or terrain without referenc ...

. Spanish

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

missionaries founded the town of Paco as early as 1580. It was a town part of the province of Tondo, which was later renamed Manila in 1859, until 1901. The Japanese established an enclave quite early or

Nihonmachi is a term used to refer to historical Japanese communities in Southeast and East Asia. The term has come to also be applied to several modern-day communities, though most of these are called simply " Japantown", in imitation of the common term " ...

in Dilao where they numbered between 300 and 400 in 1593. A statue of Takayama can be found there. In 1603, during the

Sangley Sangley (English plural: ''Sangleys''; Spanish plural: ''Sangleyes'') and Mestizo de Sangley (Sangley mestizo, ''mestisong Sangley'', ''chino mestizo'' or Chinese mestizo) are archaic terms used in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial ...

rebellion, their numbers reached up to 1,500; and later up to 3,000 in 1606. The Franciscan friar

Luis Sotelo Luis Sotelo, OFM, in English known also as Louis Sotelo, (September 6, 1574 – August 25, 1624) was a Franciscan friar from Spain who died as a martyr in Japan, in 1624, and was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1867. Early life Luis was born to a ...

was involved in the support of the Dilao enclave between 1600 and 1608. The name Dilao was used until 1791. The name San Fernando was added, making it San Fernando de Dilao. In the 19th century, the town of San Fernando de Dilao was given the nickname of Paco (which means Francisco). Paco, along with Sampaloc, Santa Ana, San Juan del Monte, and San Pedro de Macati became the second largest district to become part of Manila. It came to be known as Paco de Dilao and eventually Paco, as it is known today. The Japanese led an abortive rebellion in Dilao against the Spanish in 1606–1607. Their numbers rose again during the interdiction of Christianity by

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

in 1614, when 300 Japanese Christian refugees under

Takayama Ukon , born and also known as Dom Justo Takayama (c. 1552/1553 - 5 February 1615) was a Kirishitan, Japanese Catholic daimyō and samurai during the Sengoku period that saw rampant Anti-Catholicism, anti-Catholic sentiment. Takayama was baptize ...

settled in the Philippines. As population assimilated to native population, numbers dimmed. However, there are today around 200,000 recorded Japanese people in the Philippines, based on modern day immigrants' records distinct from the population of colonial era immigrants which assimilated to the native population. Paco was incorporated as a district of the newly chartered city of Manila in 1901, thus reducing from its independent municipality status. From 1907 to 1949, Paco was part of the 2nd congressional district of Manila. Reapportionment of districts made Paco part of the

4th district Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

from 1949 to 1972. In the 1987 Constitution, Paco was split to the 5th and 6th congressional districts, with the former covering the southern half and the latter covering the northern areas.

List of barangays

''Fifth District'' Southern Paco ''Sixth District'' Northern Paco

Landmarks

The San Fernando de Dilao Church is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

that served as the temporary

pro-cathedral A pro-cathedral or procathedral is a parish Church (building), church that temporarily serves as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese, or a church that has the same function in a Catholic missionary jurisdiction (such as an apostolic prefect ...

of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila The Archdiocese of Manila (; ; ) is the archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Philippines, encompassing the cities of Manila, Makati, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasay, and portions of Taguig City (the Embo ba ...

from 2012 to 2014 during the renovations of

Manila Cathedral The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, commonly known as the Manila Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic basilica and cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Manila. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of ...

Intramuros Intramuros () is the historic walled area within the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It is administered by the Intramuros Administration with the help of the city government of Manila. Intramuros comprises a centuries-old hist ...

. A

Sikh Temple A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and religions are welcomed in gurd ...

and

Unilever Philippines Unilever Philippines, Inc. is the Philippines, Philippine subsidiary of United Kingdom, British Multinational corporation, multinational fast-moving consumer goods, consumer goods company Unilever. It is based in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig ...

is located on

United Nations Avenue United Nations Avenue (also known as U.N. Avenue and formerly known as Isaac Peral Street) is a major thoroughfare in Manila, Philippines. A commercial, residential and industrial artery, it runs east–west near the city center, linking Ermita, ...

. Unilever was moved to

Bonifacio Global City Bonifacio Global City, also known as BGC, Global City, or The Fort, is a 240-hectare mixed-use estate and central business district located in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, Philippines. It is the home of the Philippine Stock Exchange, the national ...

Taguig Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig (), is the List of cities in the Philippines, fifth-most populous city in the Philippines situated on the eastern shores of Metro Manila, the national capital region. It is a center for culture, finance ...

. There is a ten-minute walk away is a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

temple at Looban Street. Presently, Dilao is traversed by

Quirino Avenue President Elpidio Quirino Avenue, more commonly known as Quirino Avenue, is a 6-10 lane divided highway in Manila, Philippines. It runs for in a northeast–southwest direction from Nagtahan Bridge (now Mabini Bridge) across Santa Mesa, Mani ...

. A loop road from Quirino Avenue is named

Plaza Dilao Plaza Dilao is a public square in Paco, Manila, bounded by Quirino Avenue to the south and east and Plaza Dilao Road and Quirino Avenue Extension to the north and west. The former site of a Japanese settlement from the Spanish colonial era, the ...

to commemorate the once flourishing Japanese and the Japanese-Filipino communities and districts there in

Japantown is a common name for Japanese communities in cities and towns outside Japan. Alternatively, a Japantown may be called J-town, Little Tokyo or , the first two being common names for Japantown, San Francisco, Japantown, San Jose and Little ...

Paco Park The Paco Park (originally named as Cementerio General de Dilao) is a recreational garden and was once Manila's municipal cemetery built by the Dominicans during the Spanish colonial period. It is located on General Luna Street and at the east ...

, was a former municipal cemetery of the old city of Manila, and once contained the remains of Philippine national hero,

José Rizal José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda (, ; June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896) was a Filipino nationalist, writer and polymath active at the end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines. He is popularly considered a na ...

and the

GOMBURZA Gomburza, alternatively stylized as GOMBURZA or GomBurZa ("Gom" for Gómes, "Bur" for Burgos, and "Za" for Zamora), refers to three Filipino Catholic priests, Mariano Gómes, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, who were executed by a garrot ...

priests. The

Osmeña Highway The President Sergio Osmeña Sr. Highway (often shortened as Osmeña Highway), also known as the South Superhighway, is a major highway that links Quirino Avenue in Paco, Manila, Paco, Manila to EDSA, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) and ...

starts in this district and it leads to

Calabarzon Calabarzon (officially stylized in all caps; ; ), sometimes referred to as Southern Tagalog () and designated as Region IVA, is an administrative region in the Philippines. It is situated southeast of Metro Manila and is bordered by Manila Bay ...

region via

South Luzon Expressway The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), signed as E2 of the Philippine expressway network and R-3 of the Metro Manila arterial road network, is a controlled-access highway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces in the Calabarzon, Mimaropa a ...

and

Southern Tagalog Arterial Road The Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), commonly known as the STAR Tollway, and formerly the South Luzon Expressway Extension Project (SLEEP) during its early stages, is a two-to-four-lane controlled-access toll expressway in the province ...

that starts in

Magallanes Interchange The Magallanes Interchange is a four-level partial turbine interchange in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. It serves as the junction between the Osmeña Highway, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) while al ...

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

and ends in

Batangas City Batangas, sometimes called Batangas City and officially called the City of Batangas (), is a component city and capital of the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 351,437 people. Batangas City ...

Philippine National Railways The Philippine National Railways (PNR) (; ) is a government-owned and controlled corporation, state-owned railway company in the Philippines which operates one commuter rail service between Laguna (province), Laguna and Quezon, and local servic ...

owns and operates the

Paco railway station Paco station is a railway station located on the South Main Line in the city of Manila, Philippines. It was originally opened by the Manila Railroad Company in 1908 as a major hub in the southern half of Manila, where trains toward Cavite prov ...

. The Paco Public Market located along the edge of Estero de Paco was designed by William Parsons and built in 1911. Schools include the

Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion de la Concordia The College of the Immaculate Conception of Concordia (), commonly known as Concordia College Manila, is a private school, private Catholic school, Catholic basic and higher education institution run by Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de P ...

, or simple Concordia College, and the

Paco Catholic School Paco Catholic School is a co-institutional private school located in the district of Paco in the City of Manila, Philippines. Paco Catholic school started in November, 1912 as an informal class for 50 young boys inside the chapel in the Peñaf ...

. In January, 2024, Cardinal

Jose Advincula José Lázaro Fuerte Advíncula Jr. (born March 30, 1952) is a Filipino prelate of the Catholic Church and a professed member of the Dominican Order, who became 33rd Archbishop of Manila in 2021. He became a cardinal in November 2020. He previ ...

unveiled the

Important Cultural Property (Philippines) An Important Cultural Property () of the Philippines is a cultural property which has been singled out from among the innumerable cultural properties as possessing "exceptional cultural, artistic, or historical significance" to the Philippines. ...

marker for Pope Pius XII Catholic Center along

in Paco, Manila with

Charles John Brown Charles John Brown (born 13 October 1959) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has been serving as an apostolic nuncio since 2012. He is currently the apostolic nuncio to the Philippines. Before entering the diplomatic service of ...

and Jeremy R. Barns,

National Museum of the Philippines The National Museum of the Philippines () is an umbrella government organization that oversees a number of national museums in the Philippines, including Ethnography, ethnographic, Anthropology, anthropological, Archaeology, archaeological, an ...

Director-General, witnessed by 80 bishops gathered for the

Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (abbreviated as CBCP) is the permanent organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines exercising together certain pastoral offices for the Christian faithful of their terr ...

's 127th plenary assembly. File:San Fernando de Dilao Church, Paco, Manila, April 2023.jpg, San Fernando de Dilao Church File:WTMP Noel Gonong DSC 0025.JPG, Plaza Dilao marker on the foreground, and Takayama's statue on the background. File:WTMP A-trio a19 1.JPG, Facade of the Paco railway station. File:Paco_Citizen_Academy_Foundation_01.jpg, Paco Citizen Academy Foundation File:0159Pius_XII_Catholic_Center_(United_Nations_Avenue,_Paco,_City_of_Manila)_12.jpg, Pius XII Catholic Center

References

External links

{{coord, 14.583, N, 120.983, E, type:city_region:PH_source:GNS-enwiki, display=title Districts of Manila 1580 establishments in the Philippines

History

List of barangays

Landmarks

See also

References

External links