Pa-Quil Were Lovers

No one seems to know how Paquil got its name. Obviously though, the name sounds like Pangil and with the absence of “ng” in the Spanish phonetics, Castilian tongues must have pronounced it Pa-keel. The name must have been given in honor of Gat Pangil, the chieftain of Bay whose rule is believed to have extended up to Guiling-guiling.

However, in Laguna, there is always a legend that tells a story of how a a town got its name. Whether such legends were accurate, have a tinge of truth, or just products of the mind, we would not know. Paquil is no different.

The legend of Paquil tells a story of two lovers– Padiok and Quiar. Padiok was the son of one Gat Damuro to the sister of Gat Labuyo. Gat Damuro’s wife died after giving birth to Padiok

On the other hand, Quilar was the only daughter of Gat Calainga and Dolosina. The couple lives on the riverbanks of Sambol. Padiok and Qilar were playmates. They often play hide and seek, and sometimes go fishing at the riverbank. As the playmates grew, they fell in love with each other.

During rainy days, the lake swelled, causing the river of Sambol to overflow, destroying the crops of Quilar’s parents. Gat Calainga decided to move their house at a nearby creek called Limbok. Gat Calainga and Dolosina cultivated a fertile area near the creek. Whie the couple were busy in their new farm, Padiok would often visit Quilar in Limbok. They would secretly meet at the bed of the creek to play hide and seek as they did when they were kids. Unknown to them, village folks were building a dam not so far away from where they were to redirect the waters of the river of Simbol, to avert floods, and to irrigate farms in Limbok.

While the lovers played at the bed of the creek, men folks of the village opened the dam to release its water. The men cheered as water surged to the creek of Limbok unmindful of the lovers still larking at the bed of the creek.

River water rushed and heavy currents carried Padiok and Quilar. The lovers bobbled in the rushing stream. As Quilar's head surface from the surging water, she would call for Padiok. She could only holler “Pa…” and she would sink again.

Padiok exerted all his might to save Qular, but she could only yell “Quil…” before furious currents submerged him once more in the surging water.

When the flood receded, village folks found the embracing bodies of Padiok and Quilar.. In memory of the ill-fated couple, settlers called the village Paquil.

Paquil was a barrio of Paete in 1602. It was under the leadership of Francisco Dumukot and Juan Maglintik, both from the Maulawin Clan. Don Juan Tinawin, the assigned leader of the clustered Lumban barrios of Paete, Paquil, and Longos. and his wife Doña Apolonia Guiing donated a stretch of land from Tuyong Ilog to the present day plaza for the church.

Later, a Franciscan priest named Francisco Barajas, left his post at the Santa Ana de Sapa Church in Manila for missionary works in the mountains of Morong (Now Rizal). He came down from the mountain settlements in the year 1670 and continued his work in the surrounding regions. Paquil separated from Paete through his efforts. Paquil became an independent municipality on May 12, 1676. The town’s first gobernadorcillo was Don Diego Jorge.

The first church of Paquil, like the other visitas was made of bamboo, roofed with nipa. Parishioners dedicated it to San Pedro de Alcantara, the Patron Saint of Padre Barajas’ mission. Town folks built the church along three parallel streets, which the Franciscan missionary named San Francisco, San Pascuala and La Purisma Concepcion.

At the façade of the church, made of clay bricks and adobe, built to replace the old place of worship made of bamboo and nipa, the name “Paquil,” was inscribed. Executive Order No. 77 dated September 9, 1927, during the American regime decreed to spell the town’s name “P-a-k-i-l.”