MANILA, Philippines – Are you a registered voter in Iloilo? How well do you know your local candidates and the province’s top concerns?
The province of Iloilo holds a significant portion of the Western Visayas vote, with about 1.6 million voters, based on 2022 estimates from the Commission on Elections. Given this large number, it is crucial to provide voters with the necessary information to help them make informed choices in the upcoming local elections.
To make this possible, Iloilo-based newspaper Daily Guardian and Rappler have created infographics and videos focused on Iloilo province to help Ilonggo voters better understand the election dynamics unique to their locality.
These special voter guides are part of #FactsFirstPH’s voter empowerment campaign, #AmbagNatin, supported by the Google News Initiative. Through this campaign, Daily Guardian and Rappler received support to produce voter empowerment content and share it with their networks.
Daily Guardian and Rappler are members of #FactsFirstPH, a coalition of over 150 organizations nationwide committed to ensuring that facts thrive in the Philippines’ information landscape.
The Daily Guardian is a publishing firm and media outfit led by Iloilo journalists, with bureaus in Kalibo, Boracay, Roxas, Bacolod, Antique, Guimaras, and Manila.
Top concerns of Ilonggos
To better understand the most pressing issues among Ilonggos, Daily Guardian took to the streets to ask residents: what issues must be addressed in their localities? What qualities are they looking for in their future leaders?
Check out this video to hear what Ilonggos have to say.
Local candidates
According to Daily Guardian, Iloilo City’s political landscape is “marked by both competition and collaboration,” with some candidates, who were electoral rivals in the past elections, deciding to form strategic alliances this year.
One significant political development is the tie-up between Arthur Defensor Jr., running for governor, and Ferjenel Biron, running for 4th district representative, who have set aside their previous electoral rivalry from 2019. It is reported that Biron is endorsing Lee Ann Debuque, who is running for vice governor, in tandem with Defensor.
Learn more about Iloilo’s candidates running for the provincial board in this set of infographics.
Meanwhile, here are the candidates running for city council seats.
Political dynasties
From the family of Garins in the 1st District to the Tupases in the 5th District, family legacies continue to shape Iloilo’s governance up to this day. Know your candidates’ history by tracking political clans linked from municipal mayors to district representatives.
Ilonggos’ bets
Do you already have a candidate in mind? Watch Rappler Visayas Reporter John Sitchon take a quick trip to the City of Love to ask who Ilonggos are voting for in the upcoming 2025 elections.
Do you know any other developments related to the Iloilo elections? The public can relay any reports to Rappler. The Rappler Communities app has a public chat room called voter-hotline, where any reader can post photos or post a message to share insights and even report election-related issues and violations. Comelec staff are in the chat room to monitor reports sent by users. – Rappler.com