Liliw

Founded in 1571 by Gat Tayaw, the small town of Liliw is nestled at the foot of Mount Banahaw, 17 kilometres (11 mi) away from Santa Cruz, Laguna's capital.

According to a story, Liliw got its name from a bird. It was said that Gat Tayaw and his followers decided to erect a bamboo pole and to name the town after the bird that would first alight at the top of the pole within four days. A crow, however, was the first bird to alight on the pole. A crow was considered bad and so Gat Tayaw and his men moved south and erected another bamboo pole. A beautiful bird alighted on the pole and sang, "Liw, Liw, Liw". Thus the town became Liliw.

This is supported by Tagalog dictionary written by Fr. Noceda and Fr. San Lucar, under the dictionary entry 'lilio' stating "a type of bird, from which the town in Laguna under the Franciscan monks is named after."

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 name of the town.

Liliw has a total land area of 3,910 hectares (9,700 acres). ^[8] It is bounded on the north-west by Santa Cruz; north-east by Magdalena; on the east by Majayjay; on the west by Nagcarlan; and on the south by Dolores in Quezon Province. It is 56 kilometres (35 mi) from Santa Cruz and 101 kilometres (63 mi) from Manila.

It is one of the highland towns forming the southern extremity of Laguna. It is situated at the foot of Mt. Banahaw.

In the 2024 census, the population of Liliw was 39,976 people,^[15] with a density of 1,000 inhabitants per square kilometre or 2,600 inhabitants per square mile.

Poverty incidence of Liliw

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority^{[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]}

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 stores selling footwear in Liliw. The regular slippers are still the most popular, but many stores are now selling 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 means to conserve its cultural heritage sites and has proposed to enact a legislation that would mandate the usage of the Liliw-style architecture as the only means of construction and re-construction in the town. If the ordinance passes, Liliw will have a greater chance to become 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.^[24] It is also the burial place of Spanish missionary Juan de Plasencia.^[25]

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.^[26]

• 
  Saint John the Baptist Parish Church
• 
  Liliw town hall
• 
  Poblacion
• 
  Municipal Hall