Iloilo Provincial Governors Fun Facts And Trivia

Martin Teofilo Delgado, the first civil governor of Iloilo in 1901 until 1904. He served as a teniente mayor in his hometown of Santa Barbara. He fought the Spaniards and the Americans as a general. He surrendered to the American military governor Edmund Rice on February 2, 1901 and by May 1 he became the first civil governor of Iloilo province appointed by the American civil government. After he served his term, he returned to his hometown of Sta. Barbara. He spent the last years of his life serving as  superintendent of a leprosy sanitarium in the island of Culion (in Palawan), a leper colony until his death on November 12, 1918 at the age of 60. 

Raymundo Angulo Melliza is the second civil governor of Iloilo who served from 1904 to 1906. He is the only Filipino appointed by the Spanish monarch as a magistrate to the Supreme Court of Cuba. He is a school mate and dear friend of Jose Rizal, he was the one who persuaded Dr. Jose Rizal to serve as a military doctor in Cuba. After serving his term as governor, he retired from public office after his unsuccessful attempt for reelection and bid for a seat in the Philippine Assembly as an assemblyman in the second district of Iloilo. In his later years at the age of 81, he was the persuaded by then General Emilio Aguinaldo to be his running mate and vice-presidential candidate to the very first Philippine Presidential Election of 1935 but they both lost to Nacionalista Party candidates Manuel Luis Quezon and Sergio P. Osmena as the President and Vice President of the Philippines, respectively. 

 

Benito Lopez is the third provincial governor of Iloilo who served from 1906 - 1908 under the administration of American governor-general Henry Clay Ide and James Francis Smith. He was the first and only Ilonggo civil governor to be assassinated while in office. He was literally shot in his office at the old Iloilo Provincial Capitol which still stands today. 

Ruperto Montinola is the fourth and eight civil governor of Iloilo province whose term of office is from 1908 at the time of the assassination of then Iloilo governor Benito Lopez until 1912 and again from 1922 to 1925 under three (3) American governor-generals namely James Francis Smith, William Cameron Forbes and Leonard Wood. He was referred to as the "Colossus of the South" by the Philippine press. 

Amado Avanceña was the sixth governor of Iloilo province who served from 1914 - 1916 under the American governor-general Francis Burton Harrison.

Gregorio Yulo is the seventh governor of Iloilo whose term of office is from 1917 - 1922 and served under three American governor-generals namely Francis Burton Harrison, Newton W. Gilbert and Leonard Wood. 

Jose Ledesma is the ninth and twentieth governor of Iloilo province who served from 1925 - 1927 and again in 1945 serving three (3) American governor-generals namely Leonard Wood, Eugene Allen Gilmore and Henry L. Stimson and two (2) Philippine presidents namely Jose P. Laurel and Sergio Osmena. 

Jose Lopez-Vito was the 10th provincial governor of Iloilo appointed by American governor-general Henry L. Stimson and served the office from for only a year from 1927 - 1928.

Alejo Aquino was the 12th governor of Iloilo who served from 1929 - 1931 under two American governor-general, Eugene Allen Gilmore and Dwight F. Davis.

Tomas Confesor twice served as Iloilo provincial governor. He first served from 1938 - 1941 during the terms of Paul V. McNutt and Francis Bowes Sayre Sr. and during the turbulent dark years of World War II serving from 1942 - 1945 under the civil resistance government whose headquarters where he is taking his office was in the mountains of central Panay Island.

Following on his father's footsteps, Patricio Confesor from Cabatuan took the governorship in 1945 around the time of the liberation of Panay and started the rehabilitation efforts after World War II under President Sergio Osmena. He is the 19th provincial governor of Iloilo.

The twenty-first provincial governor of Iloilo from 1946 - 1948, Tomas Vargas of Janiuay took the responsibility and continued the post World War II rehabilitation efforts of constructing new government, school and office building, paving concrete roads and constructing bridges. 

 

One of the longest serving governors of Iloilo who served for eleven years from 1948  - 1959,  Mariano Peñaflorida of Pototan served as the twenty-second (22nd) governor of Iloilo during the presidency of four (4) Philippine presidents - Manuel Roxas, Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay and Carlos P. Garcia.

 

The 25th provincial governor of Iloilo, poet and writer Conrado Norada of Miagao served during Ferdinand E. Marcos administration from 1969 - 1986. His vice governors were Fortunato Padilla and Ramon Duremdes.  

Licurgo Tirador of Pototan was the appointed twenty-sixth (26th) interim provincial governor of Iloilo and was appointed by President Corazon C. Aquino. His vice governors were Carlos Lopez Jr., and Simplicio Griño. 

 

The twenty-seventh (27th) governor of Iloilo, Simplicio Griño of Oton served during the presidency of Corazon C. Aquino from 1987 - 1992. His vice governors were Ramon Lopez Jr., Ramon Duremdes, and Robert Maroma

Iloilo City Full Street Names

 

Note: The name of the street is underlined in red while the full name or title is italicized in pink

(Don Alfonso) Fajardo Street

or probably (Governor Enrique) Fajardo Street

(Don Teodoro) Benedicto Street

(Capt.) Simon Ledesma Street

(Don Manuel) Arguelles Street

(Graciano) Lopez Jaena Street

(Marcelo Hilario) M.H. Del Pilar Street

(Spanish Bishop Mariano) Cuartero Street

(Gov. and Businessman Eugenio) E. Lopez (Sr.) Street

(First Iloilo Mayor) Plazoleta (Jose N.) Gay

(Apolinario) Mabini Street

(Fuerza del) Santo Rosario Street - original name of Fort San Pedro

(Gov. Manuel) Iznart Street

(Merchant/Revolutionary Jose Maria) JM Basa Street

(Don Anastacio Lopez) Ledesma Street

(Municipal Pres. Juan) De Leon Street

(Gen. Martin) Delgado Street

General (Antonio) Luna Street

(Sen. Espiridion) Guanco Street

Muelle (Nicholas) Loney Street - British consul and "Father of the Philippine Sugar Industry"

(Heiress) Valeria (Ledesma) Street

(Don Joaquin) Ortiz Street

(Father Jacinto) Zamora Street

(Pres. Manuel) Quezon Street

(Sen. Mariano) Arroyo Street

(Mr. Manuel) Aldeguer Street

(Don Isidro) De La Rama Street

(Revolutionary Manuel) Jalandoni Street

(Chief Justice Victoriano) Mapa Street

General (Robert) Hughes - American

(Ferdinand) Blumentritt Street - Austrian propagandist, educator, Filipinologist and a dear friend of Jose Rizal