History:
Paco was known as Dilao because of the Amaryllis plants that were once plentiful on this
district. Dilao or dilaw is a Tagalog word for the color yellow. Although, some sources say, it was
named Dilao or "Yellow Plaza" by the Spanish settlers because of the Japanese migrants who
lived there, describing their physiognomy. Spanish Franciscan missionaries founded the town of
Paco as early as 1580.
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 districts that became part of
Manila. It became too known as Paco de Dilao and eventually as Paco as it known today.
The Japanese had established quite early an enclave at Dilao, a suburb of Manila, where they
numbered between 300 and 400 in 1593. A statue of Takayama can be found there. In 1603,
during the Sangley rebellion, they numbered 1,500, and 3,000 in 1606. The Franciscan friar Luis
Sotelo was involved in the support of the Dilao enclave between 1600 and 1608.
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 in 1614, when 300
Japanese Christian refugees under Takayama Ukon settled in the Philippines. There are today
around 200,000 Japanese people in the Philippines.
Paco was incorporated as one of the eleven municipal districts of the new city of Manila in June
1901.
From 1907 to 1949, Paco was part of the 2nd congressional district of Manila. Reapportionment
of districts made Paco part of the 4th district from 1949 to 1972. In the 1987
constitution, Paco was split to the fifth and sixth congressional districts (with the fifth covering
the southern half and the sixth covering the northern areas).
Concept and Ideas:
The neighbourhood's name Dilao refers to a native shrub once used to dye textiles yellow
(current Filipino orthography: dilaw, "yellow").
Amaryllis Plants
Reference:
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paco,_Manila