These are the lists of governors who served the province of Iloilo since the early Spanish settlement in the 1600s to the present day.
Spanish Alcalde Mayores (governors) of Iloilo Province 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.
American Commonwealth Period civil governors 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. 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. 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. Here are the governors of the province during the American Commonwealth Period.
World War II governors These were the provincial governors of Iloilo during
World War II.
Post-war to present governors These are the governors of the province after the war up to the present. == See also ==