Pandacan is a district of the City of Manila in the Philippines, located south of the banks of the Pasig River and belongs under the 6th congressional district of Manila, divided into forty three (43) barangays that includes Zone 90 to Zone 95 and barangays 829 to 872. Manilas President Manuel Roxas Boulevard also known as the Baywalk Manila (Filipino: Maynila) is the capital of the Philippines. ... The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that drains Laguna de Bay (via the Napindan Channel) into Manila Bay. ... A barangay is the smallest local government unit in the Philippines and is very similar to a village. ...

Origin of the name

When Spanish colonizers reached the area of what is now known as Pandacan, the native pandan tree (Scientific name: Pandanus fascicularis Lam) grew abundantly along the banks of the Pasig River. Natives called the area where the pandan trees grew as "Pandanan" or translated as "where Pandan trees grew." Nuances in translation among the Spanish and the natives of that time misspelled and mispronounced "Pandanan" into Pandacan. The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that drains Laguna de Bay (via the Napindan Channel) into Manila Bay. ...

Profile

Based on a year 2000 survey of the National Statistics Office, Pandacan has a total population of close to 82,194. The original residents of the district was primarily composed of Tagalog speaking migrants from the province of Bulacan. When the district served as center for industrial, manufacturing facilities for Manila, several migrants from other parts of the country have migrated into the district. Image File history File linksMetadata Pandacan. ... Tagalog (pronunciation: ) is one of the major languages of the Republic of the Philippines. ... Bulacan is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. ...

The district is bounded to the east by the Pasig River, the district of Sta. Ana to the southwest and the district of Paco to the northeast. The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that drains Laguna de Bay (via the Napindan Channel) into Manila Bay. ... Sta, Ana is a district of the City of Manila in the Philippines, located at the southeast banks of the Pasig River, bounded on the northeast by Mandaluyong City, Makati City to the east, southwest is the Manila district of Paco, Manila and to the west, Pandacan. ...

Majority of the residents of Pandacan are belong to the general lower to upper middle class brackets. Most of the residents are gainfully employed as blue collar workers to junior executives. Pandacan's proximity to Makati City, the country's central business district makes Pandacan an ideal dwelling place for most of the Makati-based workers. Makati City is one of the most important cities in the Philippines in terms of finance and commerce. ...

Pandacan was once the industrial center for the City of Manila by the turn of the 20th century. Oil depots which services more than half of the fuel requirements of the country originate from the piers of oil companies in the district by the banks of the Pasig River.

Pandacan's western section, along the street formerly called Otis (now Guazon st.) was once a row for manufacturing such as a coconut oil processing, rope making facility, including the central bottling and distribution center of Coca Cola in the Philippines. One can also find along Guazon street the major car dealerships and their respective showrooms for Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Ford and Isuzu. Otis can refer to: Elisha Otis invented a safety device for hoisting machinery and went on to invent the first passenger elevator. ... Coconut oil, also known as coconut butter, is a fat consisting of about 90% saturated fat, extracted from coconuts and used in cosmetics as well as baking and cooking. ... The current logo for Coca-Cola Classic is a variant of the Arden square design of 1969 that introduced the wavy Dynamic Ribbon Device below the Coca-Cola script. ... Toyota redirects here. ... For other uses, see Honda (disambiguation). ... Nissan Motor Co. ... Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ... Isuzu Motors Ltd. ...

Landmarks

A portion of the Malacañan Palace, the official residence of the Philippine President is located in Pandacan. A well secured five (5) hectare property called Malacañan Park is located at the foot of the Nagtahan bridge and it serves as the barracks for the Presidential Security Guard. Depiction of the Malacañan Palace at the back of the 20-peso bill. ...

The district is also home to a few well known historical figures including Apolinario Mabini, dubbed as the "sublime paralytic." Mabini served as one of the key figures of the Katipunan who revolted against the Spanish colonial masters. Mabini was the Philippines' first Foreign Affairs Secretary. The National Historical Institute has declared Mabini's former residence as a national historical shrine. Apolinario Mabini Apolinario Mabini (July 23, 1864—May 13, 1903) was a Filipino theoretician who wrote the constitution for the first Philippine republic of 1899-1901, and served as its first premier in 1899. ... The Katipunan was a secret society founded in the Philippines by Andrés Bonifacio aimed towards liberating the country from the Spanish colonizers. ...

The head office and training center of the Roman Catholic Church's Catholic Charities or CARITAS under the Archdiocese of Manila is also based in the district. Catholic Charities is a worldwide charitable organization whose aim is to reduce poverty, support families, and empower communities. ...

Schools

Public elementary schools serving the district includes Zamora Elementary School, Bagong Diwa Elementary School, Beata Elementary School and Bagong Baranggay Elementary School, while the district has one public high school, the Carlos P. Garcia High School.

Private education is provided by a Catholic school called St. Joseph's School - Pandacan, located beside the Sto. Niño Parish along Jesus Street. Italic text Headline text St. ...

At the start of school year 2006, banker Alfonso Yuchengco opened the first modern privately run science high school called Malayan Science High School (under the Mapua Institute of Technology system) on what was once the head office of the A. Soriano Corporation along Otis Street (now Guazon Street), across the bottling plant of Coca Cola. Mapúa Institute of Technology (MIT, MapúaTech or simply Mapúa) is a private, non-sectarian, Filipino tertiary institute located in Intramuros, Manila. ...

Churches

Three of the leading Christian religious dominations in the Philippines established their presence in the district. For Roman Catholics, there is the Sto. Niño (Child Jesus) Parish located along Jesus street; the members of the Iglesia ni Cristo have their local along Quirino highway; and the Aglipayan or members of the Iglesia Filipinas Independiente have a church along Labores street. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... An image of the Santo Niño de Cebú can be commonly found in many Filipino homes. ... Iglesia ni Cristos first chapel The Iglesia ni Cristo (IPA: ) (also known as INC, Iglesia ni Manalo, or Iglesya ni Kristo ; Filipino for Church of Christ) is a nontrinitarian independent religious organization which originated in the Philippines. ... The Philippine Independent Church, officially the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) in Spanish, is a Christian denomination belonging to the Roman Catholic tradition. ...

History

Officially Pandacan was established as a community in 1574 when Franciscan priests of the Roman Catholic church established the first mission in the district. Pandacan was originally part of the parish of Sampaloc but was later established as a separate parish in 1712. The Order of Friars Minor and other Franciscan movements are disciples of Saint Francis of Assisi. ... Sampaloc is a 5th class municipality in the province of Quezon, Philippines. ...

Pandacan was generally a rice and sugar farming community producing small quantities that are sold to the Spanish enclave in Intramuros. Aside from a few vegetable plots, Pandacan also produced brick & tile, cotton laces in various colors but limited quantities, shoes, and boats. In the 19th century, Pandacan was likened to a "Little Venice" or "Little Italy" for its networks of canals or estuaries leading to the Pasig River and often, many would row leisurely through the estuaries in the late afternoons as described by Francisco Balagtas in his early writings. Old timers even explained that Pandacan was home to balladeers and musical fare for Manila in the early times. Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Rice refers to two species (Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima) of grass, native to tropical and subtropical southern & southeastern Asia and to Africa, which together provide more than one fifth of the calories consumed by humans[1]. (The term wild rice can refer to wild... Magnified crystals of refined sugar Magnification of typical sugar In general use, non-scientists take sugar to mean sucrose, also called table sugar or saccharose, a white crystalline solid disaccharide. ... Intramuros circa 1920s Intramuros, located along the southern bank of the Pasig River, is the oldest among the districts of the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines. ... The Canal du Midi in Toulouse, France. ...

Late in the Spanish era and into the American regime, Pandacan is developed in the first industrial estate in the Philippines and the first modern manufacturing company built in Pandacan was the Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas in 1882.

The first stone church in Pandacan was built in 1732 by Fr. Francisco del Rosario and it would not be finished until after 30 years. The image of the Holy Child of Jesus or popularly known as Sto. Niño was enshrined at the church and its feast is traditionally celebrated on the 2nd Sunday of January.

According to tradition, the image was recovered from a well near the church and some say the water from the well resulted in the miraculous healing of the infirm. The well has long been sealed due to pollutants but a shrine stands on what was once the well. The original church completed in 1760 was twice destroyed by earthquakes. A modern church now stands on the old ruins including a parish school which stands on what was the Catholic cemetery of the district.

Pandacan was also home to prominent Filipino artists of the 19th century and these distinguish personages of Philippines' arts and letters include Francisco Baltazar (or also known as Balagtas) who authored, "Florante at Laura;" musician Ladislao Bonus, Tagalog language theorist Lope K. Santos and playwrights Miguel Masilungan and Pantaleon Lopez. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Francisco Balagtas (April 2, 1788—February 20, 1862), Francisco Baltazar being his real name, is considered to be one of the great Filipino poets. ... Florante at Laura by Francisco Baltazar (also known as Balagtas) is one of the masterpieces of Filipino literature. ...

By the turn of the 19th century, the American colonial government decreed Pandacan as the center for industrial activity and had oil companies build their storage and distribution facilities in the district.

With the presence of several manufacturing facilities in the district, a modern housing facility was built to house the workers at the nearby oil depots. The housing project was called "Kapitan Tikong" (Captain Tikong) Subdivision, named after a popular local leader. The housing facility was developed, built on the south eastern banks of the Estero de Beata and in honor of Francisco Baltazar, the streets in the subdivision were named after the characters of "Florante at Laura."

Modernization

From Industrial to Commercial

The various manufacturing facilities in Pandacan have long transferred to other locations outside of Manila. Only the three major oil companies known as the "Big Three" operates its oil distribution depots in Pandacan; Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron's Caltex and Saudi Aramco majority owned Petron Philippines. The City of Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynila), or simply Manila, is the capital of the Philippines. ... Royal Dutch Shell PLC is a multinational oil company of Anglo Dutch origins, which is amongst the largest energy corporations in the world, and one of the six supermajors (vertically integrated private-sector oil, natural gas, and petrol (gasoline) companies). ... Caltex is a petrol company. ...

During the 2nd term of Manila Mayor Joselito L. Atienza, Jr., the mayor led an effort to convert Pandacan from an industrial classification into commercial, in an effort to have the oil depot removed from the district. Atienza and several city councillors were concerned that the oil depot served as a security, environment, and safety hazard to the densely populated Pandacan. Several fires have been attributed to the presence of the oil depot and the terrorist attacks in New York City in September 11, 2001 added as reason to evict the depot. During the Second World War, retreating American forces ordered the dumping of fuel into the Pasig River to ensure that advancing Japanese forces would not be able to use the remaining oil supply. Jose L. Atienza, Jr. ... Nickname: Big Apple Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that drains Laguna de Bay (via the Napindan Channel) into Manila Bay. ...

Difficulty in finding a reasonable relocation site for the oil depots, without disturbing the national distribution process of fuel resulted in compromise in place of the eviction, however a gradual phase out of large oil tanks that lined near residential areas has been completed and a Pandacan Linear Park was built along the oil depot and residential units up to the banks of the Pasig River. An Oil Depot is an industrial facility for the storage of oil products and from which these products are usually transported to end users or further storage facilities. ...

Beautification programs

In 2003, Atienza spearheaded a beautification program and spruced up various parks and recreational facilities and this included the Plaza Balagtas (built under the administration of Mayor Antonio J. Villegas) that sits on top of the Estero de Beata and the Ladislao Bonus Park in 2006. On September 2006, as part of Atienza's sidewalk re-development and street lighting program, the main highway from Jesus street corner Quirino Avenue at the foot of Nagtahan bridge southwards into Palumpong street and the whole of Laura street up to the foot of the Padre Zamora bridge was renovated, linking the walkways into the the Pandacan Linear Park, a buffer zone made into a park separating the oil distribution facilities from the residential-commercial areas. The Pandacan Linear Park, developed under the support of the big three oil companies and the City Government of Manila now allow residents a leisure walk and recreation along the Pasig River.

Modern housing

Owing to the re-development goals for Manila, various sections of the district are seeing improvements with a low cost housing development in the site of the compound of the Manila City Engineer's Office beside the Nagtahan bridge called "Residencias Manila". The industrial estates for a coconut mill plant is now an exclusive medium class housing village while the former compound for the Manila Gas Company will see a mix 5-hectare commercial-residential complex geared for wealthy Filipino-Chinese families called "Residencias 888" that will be built by Robinson's Land Company of industrialist John Gokongwei. Once "Residencias 888" is completed in 2008, the district of Pandacan will have its first shopping mall. Chinese Filipino is an overseas Chinese in the Philippines. ... John Gokongwei, Jr. ...

Tourism and Events

The facade of the Sto. Niño de Pandacan Parish, celebrates its fiesta every 2nd Sunday of January.

The City of Manila boasts of its rich cultural history every year in Pandacan with the traditional "Buling Buling" Dance Festival. Because many of the country's literary and musical geniuses of the 19th century came from Pandacan, an annual traditional dancing in the streets of Pandacan is featured every Saturday before the main celebrations for the feast of the Sto. Niño every 2nd week of January. Image File history File links Santoninopandacan. ... Image File history File links Santoninopandacan. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Maynila

• Official Website of Manila
• Manila Photos
• Manila Map and Directory