Governor of Iloilo

After the Spanish settlement was first established in 1570, towns were settled, established and were granted town hood status. By this time, the Spanish government appoints an alcalde mayor to govern the provincial government and surrounding jurisdictions.[5]

As the last Spanish politico-military governor (alcalde-mayor) of Iloilo province, Ricardo Monet who served during the last remaining months of 1898 appointed Martin Delgado as captain and commander of the 125-strong voluntarios in Sta. Barbara.

On August 13, 1898, the United States had already bought Manila, Philippines and agreed to spare Iloilo to Spain. Negotiations between the United States and Spain was finished. They made a mock drama on May 10, 1898 that an American vessel will fire a Spanish ship on Manila Bay then they will surrender to America not to a loose platoon of Emilio Aguinaldo in Intramuros. The Americans occupied Manila and raised their flag in Intramuros. Spain's dream is to establish a Spanish kingdom in Iloilo its loyal and devoted province and totally relinquish its right in the entire Philippines.

Gen. Pablo Araneta appointed Martin Delgado as "General en Jefe de los Tropas del Ejercito Libertador de Visayas y Governador Politico-Militar". On October 28, 1898, Delgado marched into Santa Barbara and took control of the municipal building.[6]

Meanwhile, Spanish governor-general Diego de los Ríos left Manila and sailed to Iloilo and established the last Spanish capital in the Orient in Iloilo City. General de los Rios asked Spain to grant some reforms demanded by the representative citizens of Iloilo. He issued in Iloilo a proclamation to the people of the Visayas calling on them to establish a "Council of Reforms" to be made up of 24 leading citizens, 12 of whom would be selected by popular vote, another 12 to be appointed by the general himself.[7]

General de los Rios was obviously sincere in bringing about the reforms people asked for. The granted reforms, however, satisfied only a few ilustrado leaders. Things did not turn out the way it should be. There was widespread oppositions of their offer. The flame of rebellion already swept Iloilo towns, Panay and Negros under Comite Conspirador. Their swift decision is to forego more battle and to peacefully grant sovereignty to Iloilo and to vacate the place and let Americans finished the job. If Ilonggos would have remained loyal to Spain, it would have not encountered the canons of the Americans.

On February 6, 1901, several days after the passage of the Municipal Code, the Philippine Commission passed the Act No. 83 or the Provincial Government Act. It states that every province shall have elected provincial governor. Election is also to be held to also elect a provincial secretary, a provincial treasurer, a provincial supervisor and a provincial fiscal.

On February 2, 1901 during the fiesta celebration of Jaro, General Delgado weary of war and poorly armed formally surrendered in Jaro to the American military governor Edmund Rice. Many of the rebel leaders surrendered.

He was recognized by the Americans as "the ablest leader" on the island. Delgado was appointed as the first governor of Iloilo province upon the establishment of the civil government on April 11, 1901. Jovito Yusay was given the provincial government secretary with a yearly stipend of $1,800 gold. Quintin Salas and his Chief of Staff. Lt. Col. Francisco Jalandoni were the last to lay down their arms on October 4, 1901.[8] Here are the governors of the province during the American Commonwealth Period.[9]

Order	Term Of Office	Portrait	Name	Origin	Governor-General	Notes
87	1901 - 1904		Martin Teofilo Delgado	Sta. Barbara	Arthur MacArthur Jr., Adna Chaffee, William Howard Taft, Luke Edward Wright	The first civil governor of Iloilo being appointed by virtue of Provincial Government Act by the Philippine Commission
88	1904 - 1906		Raymundo Melliza	Molo	Luke Edward Wright, Henry Clay Ide, James Francis Smith	The only Filipino who served as magistrate in the Supreme Court of Cuba. A schoolmate and dear friend of Jose Rizal, he was the one who persuaded Rizal to serve as military doctor in the Spanish–American War in Cuba
89	1906 - 1908		Benito Lopez	Jaro	Henry Clay Ide, James Francis Smith	He was the first Ilonggo civil governor to be assassinated while in office. He was literally shot in his office at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.
90	1908 - 1912		Ruperto Montinola	Jaro	James Francis Smith, William Cameron Forbes
91	1912 - 1914		Adriano Hernández y Dayot	Dingle	James Francis Smith, William Cameron Forbes, Newton W. Gilbert(acting governor-general), Francis Burton Harrison
92	1914 - 1916		Amado Avanceña	Molo	Francis Burton Harrison
93	1917 - 1922		Gregorio Yulo	Molo	Francis Burton Harrison, Newton W. Gilbert(acting governor-general), Leonard Wood
94	1922 - 1925		Ruperto Montinola	Jaro	Leonard Wood
95	1925 - 1927		Jose Ledesma	Jaro	Leonard Wood, Eugene Allen Gilmore(acting governor-general), Henry L. Stimson
96	1927 - 1928		Jose Lopez-Vito	Jaro	Henry L. Stimson, Eugene Allen Gilmore(acting governor-general)	Appointed governor
97	1928 - 1929		Mariano Pidal Arroyo	Molo	Henry L. Stimson, Eugene Allen Gilmore(acting governor-general)
98	1929 - 1931		Alejo Aquino	Jaro	Eugene Allen Gilmore(acting governor-general), Dwight F. Davis
99	1931 - 1934		Jose Regalado Yulo	Molo	Dwight F. Davis, George C. Butte(acting governor-general), Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Frank Murphy
100	1934 - 1937		Timoteo Y. Consing, Sr.	Molo	Frank Murphy, Paul V. McNutt	Appointed governor
101	1938 - 1941		Tomás Confesor	Cabatuan	Paul V. McNutt, Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.
102	1941 - 1942		Oscar Ledesma	Jaro	Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.

These were the provincial governors of Iloilo during the dark years of World War II.

Order	Term Of Office	Portrait	Name	Origin	Governor-General	Notes
103	1942 - 1944		Fermin Caram	Beirut	Francis Bowes Sayre Sr., Paul V. McNutt, Masaharu Homma, Shizuichi Tanaka, Shigenori Kuroda, Tomoyuki Yamashita	Governor under the Japanese Sponsored Government. Known as the Grand Old Man of Iloilo. He saved Iloilo City from heavy bombings by the American forces by asking to put a big "NO MORE JAPS" message on the balcony of his house for the pilot to see his message therefore stopping continued devastation of the city.
104	1942 - 1945		Tomás Confesor	Cabatuan	Francis Bowes Sayre Sr., Paul V. McNutt, Masaharu Homma, Shizuichi Tanaka, Shigenori Kuroda, Tomoyuki Yamashita	Provincial Governor under the Civil Resistance Government

These are the governors of the province after the war up to the present.[10]

Order	Term Of Office	Portrait	Name	Origin	Vice-Governor	President	Notes
105	1945		Patricio Confesor	Cabatuan		José P. Laurel, Sergio Osmeña
106	1945		Jose Ledesma	Jaro		José P. Laurel, Sergio Osmeña
107	1946 - 1948		Tomas Vargas	Janiuay		Manuel Roxas
108	1948 - 1959		Mariano Peñaflorida	Pototan		Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos P. Garcia
109	1960 - 1963		José Zulueta	Molo	Guardalino Mosqueda Elected (Jan. 1, 1960 - Dec. 31, 1963)	Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal
110	1964 - 1969		Rafael Palmares	Passi	Conrado Norada Elected (Jan. 1, 1964 - Dec. 31, 1967) Re-Elected (Jan. 1, 1968 - Sept. 10, 1969) Fortunato Padilla Succeeded (Sept. 11, 1969 - Dec. 31, 1971)	Diosdado Macapagal, Ferdinand Marcos
111	1969 - 1986		Conrado Norada	Miagao	Fortunato Padilla Succeeded (Sept. 11, 1969 - Dec. 31, 1971) Ramon Duremdes Elected (Jan. 1, 1972 - Dec. 31, 1975) PD 826 (Jan. 1, 1976 - May 31, 1980)Elected (June 1, 1981 - Feb. 26, 1986)	Ferdinand Marcos
112	1986 - 1987		Licurgo Tirador	Pototan	Carlos Lopez Jr. Appointed (May 8, 1986 - Nov. 26, 1986) Simplicio Griño Appointed (Dec. 22, 1986 - Mar. 31, 1987)	Corazon Aquino	Appointed governor
113	1987 - 1992		Simplicio Griño	Oton	Ramon Lopez Jr. Appointed (Apr. 9, 1987 - Jan. 31, 1988) Ramon Duremdes Elected (Feb. 1, 1988 - Apr. 1990) Robert Maroma Acting Capacity (May 1990 - Mar. 1992)	Corazon Aquino
113	1992		Feliciano Marañon	Leganes	Ramon Duremdes Elected (Apr. 1992 - Jun 30 1992)	Corazon Aquino	Acting Capacity
114	1992 - 2001		Arthur Defensor Sr.	Mina	Robert Maroma Elected (Jul 1, 1992 - Jun 30 1995) Demetrio Sonza Elected (Jul 1, 1995 - Jun 30 1998) Re-Elected (Jul 1, 1998 - Jun 30 2001)	Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada
115	2001 - 2010		Niel Tupas Sr.	Ajuy	Roberto Armada Elected (Jul 1, 2001 - Jun 30 2004) Re-Elected (Jul 1, 2004 - Jun 30 2007) Rolex Suplico Elected (Jul 1, 2007 - Jun 30 2010)	Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
116	2010 - 2019		Arthur Defensor Sr.	Mina	Oscar Richard Garin Jr. Elected (Jul 1, 2010 - Jun 30, 2013) Raul Tupas Elected (Jul 1, 2013 - Jun 30, 2016) Christine Garin Elected (Jul 1, 2016 - Jun 30, 2019)	Benigno Aquino III, Rodrigo Duterte
117	2019–present		Arthur Defensor Jr.	Mina	Christine Garin Re-Elected (Jul 1, 2019 - present)	Rodrigo Duterte