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Liliw, officially the Municipality of Liliw (Tagalog: Bayan ng Liliw), is a municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 39,976 people.
It is known for its cold water spring resorts, native homemade sweets and a sizeable shoe industry that rivals that of Marikina. The town is also known for its baroque church and its Liliw-style houses.
Founded in 1571 by Gat Tayaw, the small town of Liliw is nestled at the foot of Mount Banahaw, 17 kilometers (11 mi) away from Santa Cruz, Laguna's capital.
According to local tradition,Liliw derived its name from a bird. It is said that Gat Tayaw and his followers erected a bamboo pole and agreed to name the settlement after the first bird to alight on it within four days. A crow initially landed on the pole, but as it was considered a bad omen, the group relocated farther south and set up another pole. A more auspicious bird later perched on it and sang “liw, liw, liw,” from which the town’s name was derived.
This account is supported by the Tagalog dictionary compiled by Fr. Noceda and Fr. San Lucar, which includes the entry “lilio,” described as a type of bird from which the town in Laguna, then under Franciscan administration, takes its name.
The spelling of the town's name from Lilio was changed on June 11, 1965, when the municipal council passed Resolution No. 38-S-65, which declared "Liliw" as the official name and spelling of the town. This was to avoid confusion in pronouncing and spelling the town name.
Liliw has a total land area of 3,910 hectares (9,700 acres). It borders Santa Cruz to the northwest, Magdalena to the northeast, Majayjay to the east, Nagcarlan to the west and Dolores in Quezon Province to the south. It is 56 kilometers (35 mi) from Santa Cruz and 101 kilometers (63 mi) from Manila.
It is one of the highland towns forming the southern extremity of Laguna. It is situated at the foot of Mount Banahaw.
Liliw is politically subdivided into 33 barangays, as indicated below. Each barangay consists of puroks and some have sitios.
In the 2024 census, the population of Liliw was 39,976 people, with a density of 1,000 inhabitants per square kilometer or 2,600 inhabitants per square mile.
Poverty incidence of Liliw (%)
5
10
15
20
25
30
2000 20.07
2003 14.18
2006 10.50
2009 7.61
2012 9.86
2015 3.92
2018 2.06
2021 6.91
2023 8.79
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority
The town's main attraction is its growing footwear industry. It started in 1931 when Casiano Pisueña became interested in making slippers. His first prototype was made from coconut husk and rubber from tire interiors. He soon became successful, and many residents of Liliw followed suit. At present, there are about 50 footwear stores in Liliw. The regular slippers are still the most popular, but many stores now sell shoes, handbags and other leather goods. Most stores still carry the three-for-P100 slippers. The annual Tsinelas Festival is celebrated every end of April.
The local government is currently undertaking measures to conserve its cultural heritage sites and has proposed enacting legislation that would mandate the usage of Liliw-style architecture as the only means of construction and reconstruction in the town. If the ordinance passes, Liliw will have a greater chance of becoming a heritage town and further support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Tricycles and jeepneys are popular modes of transportation in Liliw. Buses are available to Santa Cruz, Calamba and Metro Manila.
The town's main Roman Catholic church is the Saint John the Baptist Parish Church, whose current structure was built during the 19th century. It is also the burial place of Spanish missionary Juan de Plasencia.
The Liliw Schools District Office governs all educational institutions within the municipality. It oversees the management and operations of all private and public, from primary to secondary schools.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Liliw”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.