Paco
District ofManila
Aerial view ofPaco Park
Country	Philippines
Region	National Capital Region
City	Manila
Congressional districts	Part of the5th and6th districts of Manila
Barangays	43[1]
Founded	c. 1580
Founded by	SpanishFranciscan missionaries
Area
• Total	2.7869 km2 (1.0760 sq mi)
Population  (2020)[2]
• Total	79,839
• Density	28,648/km2 (74,198/sq mi)

Paco, formerly known asDilao, is adistrict ofManila,Philippines, located south of thePasig River andSan Miguel, west ofSanta Ana, southwest ofPandacan, north ofMalate, northwest ofSan Andres Bukid, and east ofErmita. It had a population of 79,839 people as of the 2020 census.^[2]

Paco was known asDilao because of theAmaryllis plants that were once plentiful in this district.^[3] Dilao ordilaw is aTagalog word for the coloryellow. Although, some sources say,^[4][5] it was named Dilao or "Yellow Plaza" by theSpanish settlers because of the Japanese migrants who lived there, describing theirphysiognomy. SpanishFranciscan missionaries founded the town of Paco as early as 1580.^[3] It was a town part of the province ofTondo, which was later renamed Manila in 1859, until 1901.

The Japanese established an enclave quite early orNihonmachi in Dilao where they numbered between 300 and 400 in 1593. A statue ofTakayama can be found there. In 1603, during theSangley rebellion, their numbers reached up to 1,500; and later up to 3,000 in 1606. The Franciscan friarLuis Sotelo 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.^[3] In the 19th century, the town of San Fernando de Dilao was given the nickname of Paco (which means Francisco). Paco, along withSampaloc,Santa Ana,San Juan del Monte, andSan Pedro de Macati became the second largest district to become part of Manila.^[6] It came to be known asPaco de Dilao^[7] and eventuallyPaco, as it is known today.

The Japanese led an abortive rebellion in Dilao against the Spanish in 1606–1607. Their numbers rose again during theinterdiction of Christianity byTokugawa Ieyasu in 1614, when 300 Japanese Christian refugees underTakayama Ukon 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.^[8]

From 1907 to 1949, Paco was part of the2nd congressional district of Manila. Reapportionment of districts made Paco part of the4th district 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.

Fifth District

Southern Paco

Sixth District

Northern Paco

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TheSan Fernando de Dilao Church is aRoman Catholicparish church that served as the temporarypro-cathedral of theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila from 2012 to 2014 during the renovations ofManila Cathedral inIntramuros.^[9]

ASikh Temple andUnilever Philippines is located onUnited Nations Avenue. Unilever was moved toBonifacio Global City,Taguig. There is a ten-minute walk away is aHindu temple at Looban Street. Presently, Dilao is traversed byQuirino Avenue. A loop road from Quirino Avenue is namedPlaza Dilao to commemorate the once flourishing Japanese and the Japanese-Filipino communities and districts there inJapantown inManila.

Paco Park, was a former municipal cemetery of the old city of Manila, and once contained the remains of Philippine national hero,José Rizal and theGOMBURZA priests.

TheOsmeña Highway starts in this district and it leads toCalabarzon region viaSouth Luzon Expressway andSouthern Tagalog Arterial Road that starts inMagallanes Interchange,Makati and ends inBatangas City.

Philippine National Railways owns and operates thePaco railway station.

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

Schools include theColegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion de la Concordia, or simple Concordia College, and thePaco Catholic School.

In January, 2024, CardinalJose Advincula unveiled theImportant Cultural Property (Philippines) marker forPope Pius XII Catholic Center alongUnited Nations Avenue in Paco, Manila withCharles John Brown and Jeremy R. Barns,National Museum of the Philippines Director-General, witnessed by 80 bishops gathered for theCatholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines's 127th plenary assembly.^[10]

• 
  San Fernando de Dilao Church
• 
  Plaza Dilao marker on the foreground, andTakayama's statue on the background.
• 
  Facade of the Paco railway station.
• 
  Paco Citizen Academy Foundation
• 
  Pius XII Catholic Center

• Marvin Agustin
• Joaquin Domagoso

• Nihonmachi
• Dom Justo Takayama

Wikimedia Commons has media related toPaco, Manila.

14°34′59″N120°58′59″E / 14.583°N 120.983°E /14.583; 120.983

• Paco, Manila
• Districts of Manila
• 1580 establishments in the Philippines

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