2025 Iloilo City local elections
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May 12, 2025
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Mayoral election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vice mayoral election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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City council election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 of 14 seats to the Iloilo City Council 8 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Local elections were held in Iloilo City on May 12, 2025, as part of the 2025 Philippine local elections. Voters elected candidates for all local positions above the barangay level, including the mayor of Iloilo City, vice mayor and members of the Iloilo City Council.
Raisa Treñas and Juliet Grace Baronda were elected mayor and vice mayor, respectively; along with Julienne Baronda, who was elected House representative for the city's lone district, this marks the first time where women occupied the top three posts in the city.
Background
[edit]On the last day of voter registration, the city Commission on Elections reported a 500% increase in turnout, as compared to the previous days, with 1,351 applications against the usual 200. A total of around 36,000 new registrants filed to vote.[1]
In March 2024, Iloilo City mayor Jerry Treñas announced that his daughter Raisa Treñas will run against the incumbent House representative Julienne Baronda. Baronda and the elder Treñas were political allies until Treñas announced his daughter's plans to challenge Baronda for the congressional seat.[2] By September, Treñas's spokesperson said that Team Uswag slate is about to be completed, with Nene de la Llane replacing Jeck Conlu, who had resigned from the party. Furthermore, Sheen Mabilog was seen not to be included in the slate.[3]
Mayor Treñas announced in October 2024 that he will not seek reelection, endorsing instead his daughter Raisa.[4] Later that week, it was revealed that he underwent a bile duct operation in Manila. While he was recovering, Jeffrey Ganzon and Sedfrey Cabaluna served as acting mayor and vice mayor, respectively.[5]
Team Uswag of the Treñases filed their candidacies on October 9, 2024. Raisa Treñas was indeed their mayoral candidate, while Ganzon sought reelection as vice mayor. Team Uswag's city council line-up included eight incumbents, and former councilors and other well-known figures in the city. Team Gugma, led by House representative Julienne Baronda, has her defending her congressional seat, while councilor Julie Grace, Julienne's sister, is running for vice mayor. Team Gugma held its proclamation rally at the University of San Agustin gymnasium. Candidates Treñas and Baronda issued a joint statement that announced their decision to set aside differences and unite for the sake of the city, and that they would not run against each other.[6] Speaker Martin Romualdez reportedly brokered an agreement between the two camps.[7]
Meanwhile, Team Gugma announced that former mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog is not running in this election. Another former mayor, Jose Espinosa III, endorsed Team Uswag's candidates, including his niece Raisa Treñas.[8] Mabilog returned to the Philippines in 2024, after former president Rodrigo Duterte accused him of being linked to the illegal drugs trade, leading him to go to exile in the United States.[9]
Electoral system
[edit]Local elections in the Philippines are held in every second Monday of May, every three years starting in 1992. Single-seat positions (mayor, vice mayor and House representative) are elected via first-past-the-post-voting.
City council elections are done via plurality block voting, with the entire city electing the council at-large; each voter has 12 votes, and can vote for how many people as allowable. The 12 candidates with the highest number of votes being elected. The council also has two ex officio members, the city presidents of the Sangguniang Kabataan and of the Liga ng mga Barangay, which were elected indirectly following the 2023 Philippine barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Candidates
[edit]
Team Uswag[edit]Team Uswag fielded a full slate, including a 12-person council ticket.[7]
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Team Sulong Gugma[edit]Team Sulong Gugma had a ten-person council ticket.[7]
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PDP–Laban[edit]
Independents[edit]
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Campaign
[edit]On April 14, Mayor Treñas accused Team Gugma of endorsing Roland Magahin's independent campaign for mayor. Baronda denied this, despite tarpaulins that allegedly presented Magahin along with Team Gugma. Magahin himself denied there was no alliance between him and Team Sulong Gugma, while saying he personally supports Gugma's slate.[10]
An opinion poll dated April 5 to 6 showed Baronda leading the vice mayoral race against Ganzon, with Baronda having the support of 53.3%, while Ganzon trailing at 46.5%, with a margin of error of ±4%.[11]
Results
[edit]For the first time in its history, Iloilo City elected women for mayor, vice mayor and House representative, with Raisa Treñas, Juliet Grace Baronda, and Julienne Baronda being proclaimed as mayor, vice mayor, and House representative.[12] Treñas succeeds her father, vice mayor-elect Baronda takes over from defeated incumbent Jeffrey Ganzon, while House representative-elect Baronda defending her seat for her final and third term. Outgoing mayor Treñas remarked that "it only shows that here in Iloilo City, Ilonggos are inclusive and there is always a place for everyone."[13]
All winning candidates under Team Uswag took their oaths of office on June 27.[14]
For mayor
[edit]| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raisa Treñas | National Unity Party | 170,162 | 69.37 | |
| Roland Magahin | Independent | 75,139 | 30.63 | |
| Total | 245,301 | 100.00 | ||
| Total votes | 330,621 | – | ||
For vice mayor
[edit]| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Juliet Grace Baronda | Lakas–CMD | 132,562 | 52.19 | |
| Jeffrey Ganzon | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 121,453 | 47.81 | |
| Total | 254,015 | 100.00 | ||
| Total votes | 330,621 | – | ||
For councilor
[edit]| Party or alliance | Votes | % | Seats | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Uswag | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 780,077 | 34.31 | 6 | ||
| National Unity Party | 592,554 | 26.06 | 5 | |||
| Total | 1,372,631 | 60.37 | 11 | |||
| Team Sulong Gugma | Lakas–CMD | 634,101 | 27.89 | 1 | ||
| Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 35,252 | 1.55 | 0 | |||
| PDP–Laban | 16,405 | 0.72 | 0 | |||
| Independent | 215,171 | 9.46 | 0 | |||
| Ex officio seats | 2 | |||||
| Total | 2,273,560 | 100.00 | 14 | |||
Per candidate
[edit]| Candidate | Party or alliance | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedfrey Cabaluna | Team Uswag | National Unity Party | 138,841 | 6.11 | ||
| Miguel Treñas | Team Uswag | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 134,616 | 5.92 | ||
| Rex Marcus Sarabia | Team Uswag | National Unity Party | 121,633 | 5.35 | ||
| Alan Zaldivar | Team Uswag | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 118,912 | 5.23 | ||
| Lyndon Acap | Team Uswag | National Unity Party | 115,912 | 5.10 | ||
| Nene dela Llana | Team Uswag | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 114,048 | 5.02 | ||
| Mandrie Malabor | Team Uswag | National Unity Party | 110,540 | 4.86 | ||
| Johnny Young | Team Uswag | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 107,413 | 4.72 | ||
| Romel Duron | Team Uswag | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 106,813 | 4.70 | ||
| Rudolph Ganzon | Team Uswag | National Unity Party | 105,628 | 4.65 | ||
| Sheen Mabilog | Team Sulong Gugma | Lakas–CMD | 104,469 | 4.59 | ||
| Frances Grace Parcon | Team Uswag | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 104,276 | 4.59 | ||
| Shiella Olid | Team Uswag | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 93,999 | 4.13 | ||
| Bryant Zulueta | Team Sulong Gugma | Lakas–CMD | 86,366 | 3.80 | ||
| Boots Gerochi | Team Sulong Gugma | Lakas–CMD | 83,303 | 3.66 | ||
| Jun Capulot | Independent | 82,532 | 3.63 | |||
| Kesha Pesina-Tupas | Team Sulong Gugma | Lakas–CMD | 79,940 | 3.52 | ||
| Von Deveza | Team Sulong Gugma | Lakas–CMD | 77,887 | 3.43 | ||
| Mor Espinosa | Independent | 76,061 | 3.35 | |||
| Peter Oñate | Team Sulong Gugma | Lakas–CMD | 70,003 | 3.08 | ||
| Stanley Flores | Team Sulong Gugma | Lakas–CMD | 68,025 | 2.99 | ||
| Ariete Ramos | Team Sulong Gugma | Lakas–CMD | 64,108 | 2.82 | ||
| Art Araneta | Independent | 30,476 | 1.34 | |||
| Jan Barredo | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 19,262 | 0.85 | |||
| Junjun Moleta | Partido Federal ng Pilipinas | 15,990 | 0.70 | |||
| Abner Batan | Independent | 15,870 | 0.70 | |||
| Muni Estrella | Independent | 10,232 | 0.45 | |||
| Efren Gimeo | PDP–Laban | 8,391 | 0.37 | |||
| Rich Piad | PDP–Laban | 8,014 | 0.35 | |||
| Total | 2,273,560 | 100.00 | ||||
Aftermath
[edit]According to the city Commission on Elections, all candidates complied with submitting their campaign expenses, with the mayor-elect spending 716,200 pesos, the vice-mayor-elect almost 265,000 pesos, and the House representative-elect spent over 472,000 pesos.[15]
On the organization of the city council, Team Uswag netted all committee chairmanships; the sole opposition councilor, Sheen Mabilog, was shut out.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ Lena, Perla (2024-10-01). "Last day of voter sign-up in Iloilo City sees 500% turnout hike". Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on 2025-04-30. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Castor, Rjay Zuriaga; Sitchon, John (2025-04-24). "Iloilo's top 2025 races see uneasy alliances, internal clan rifts". Rappler. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Oladive, Mariela Angella (2024-09-27). "Treñas to reveal complete 2025 election slate soon". Daily Guardian. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Ferreras, Vince Angelo (2024-10-03). "Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas won't seek re-election, endorses daughter as replacement". GMA News Online. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Lena, Perla (2024-10-09). "Treñas on path to full recovery after surgery". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Solinap, Leo (2024-10-09). "Team Uswag, Team Gugma bets file COC for 2025 polls". SunStar Publishing Inc. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ a b c Castor and, Rjay Zuriaga; Sitchon, John (2025-05-11). "Iloilo's Top 2025 Races See Uneasy Alliances, Internal Clan Rifts". Daily Guardian. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ "No Jed Mabilog, Jerry Treñas for 2025 Iloilo mayoral bid | Explained PH". Explained PH. 2024-10-08. Archived from the original on 2025-12-17. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Leda, Allaine Kate (2024-09-21). "Ex-Iloilo mayor Mabilog hopes to get justice under Marcos". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ G, Herbie (2025-04-16). "Cracks show in Iloilo's 'united' Treñas-Baronda front weeks before election". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ "RACI April 5-6 survey results: Baronda takes the lead". Panay News. 2025-04-21.
- ^ "A historic first –women at the helm of Iloilo City". Panay News. 2025-05-14. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Lena, Perla (2023-05-15). "Iloilo City chooses women for top 3 posts".
- ^ Castor, Rjay Zuriaga (2025-06-27). "Raisa Treñas-Chu, Councilors to Take Oath Today". Daily Guardian. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Ladiao, Ma. Theresa (2025-06-15). "Comelec: All Iloilo City May election bets complied with campaign spending rules; Top spender Mayor-elect Raisa Treñas-Chu stays nearly P275K below cap while rival declared only P29K". Panay News. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
- ^ Ladiao, Ma. Theresa (2025-07-09). "Iloilo City Council majority bloc claims all 32 committee chairmanships". Panay News. Retrieved 2026-06-03.