Pandacan

**Pandacan** is a district in Manila, Philippines, known in recent history for the Pandacan oil depot that supplies the majority of oil exports in the country.

## Etymology

Pandacan is a corrupted term derived from its older designation, Pandanan. The name is rooted in the word _pandan_ (Pandanus amaryllifolius), referencing a tree that was once abundant in the area.

## Profile

In 2020, Pandacan was reported to have a total population of 84,769. The original residents of the district were Tagalog migrants from the nearby province of Bulacan. When the district grew and progressed as a manufacturing center for Manila, several ethnic groups from other parts of the country migrated into the district after the Second World War.

The district is bounded to the north and northeast by the Pasig River, the _Estero de Pandacan_ to the west and south and the district of Santa Ana to the southeast.

Socio-economically, the majority of Pandacan residents range from lower to middle class gainfully employed as blue-collar workers in the nearby factories and oil depots, with smatterings of upper middle class property owners. Pandacan was originally established as the industrial center for the city of Manila during the turn of the 20th century. Oil depots which service more than half of the fuel requirement of the country were established along the banks of the Pasig River in the district.

### Churches

Four of the leading Christian religious dominations in the Philippines established their presence in the district. For Roman Catholics, there is the Santo Niño Parish along Jesus Street. The _Iglesia ni Cristo_ and the United Methodist Church both have a church along Quirino Avenue, and the Philippine Independent Church has a church (Parish of Sto. Niño) at the corner of Central and Labores Streets.

### Romualdez House

Former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos claims Pandacan as her ancestral home in Manila. Since marrying former President Ferdinand Marcos in the 1960s, caretakers have been constantly maintaining her home. The house serves to validate Mrs. Marcos as a resident of Manila, despite her family's political bailiwick in the Leyte province of Visayas.

## References

- _By Sword and Fire: The Destruction of Manila in World War II, 3 February-3 March 1945_ by Alphonso J. Aluit (1994) Bookmark, Inc. © 1994 National Commission for Culture and the Arts

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Pandacan
- **image skyline**: Pandacan skyline (Manila; 12-02-2023).jpg
- **settlement type**: District of Manila
- **image caption**: Pandacan skyline in 2023
- **image map**: Ph fil manila pandacan.png
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision name**: Philippines
- **subdivision type1**: Region
- **subdivision name1**: Metro Manila, National Capital Region
- **subdivision type2**: City
- **subdivision name2**: Manila
- **subdivision type3**: Congressional districts
- **subdivision name3**: Part of the Manila's 6th congressional district, 6th district of Manila
- **subdivision type4**: Barangays
- **subdivision name4**: 38
- **area total km2**: 1.66
- **population as of**: 2020
- **population total**: 84,769
- **population density km2**: auto
- **timezone1**: Philippine Standard Time
- **utc offset1**: +08:00
- **postal code type**: List of ZIP codes in the Philippines, Zip codes
- **postal code**: 1011
- **area code type**: Telephone numbers in the Philippines, Area codes
- **area code**: 02