WOMEN IN POWER: How Ilonggos voted for three women to lead Iloilo City

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor and Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

ERRATUM: This story, particularly the map and corresponding analysis of the mayoral race, has been updated due to inaccuracies in the manual encoding of votes. PHHC Block 22 NHA was incorrectly identified in the first version of this story as an area where Roland won over Raisa. 

History was made on election day as Ilonggos elected three women into the city’s highest posts — a rare political feat in a traditionally male-dominated arena. But how did Ilonggo voters cast their vote to make this happen? Daily Guardian analyzes the results.

Raisa Treñas-Chu has been proclaimed as the next city mayor, succeeding her father, incumbent Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas. Her win marks a historic first as the first elected woman mayor of Iloilo City.

Former City Councilor Lady Julie Grace “Love-Love” Baronda was also elected as the next vice mayor, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the city’s history.

Completing the all-women leadership is Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda, who secured a fresh mandate in Congress, winning her third and final term.

This landmark outcome reflects that “Ilonggos are inclusive and there is always a place for everyone,” according to Mayor Jerry Treñas.

Daily Guardian takes a closer look at village-level voting patterns and the rise of a female political bloc.

Raisa sweeps, but a tight race persists

Despite an overwhelming landslide victory across nearly all precincts, barangay-level results reveal a pocket of tight competition in the mayoral race.

Raisa, who ran under the administration banner’s Team Uswag, received a total of 170,162 votes, securing a commanding lead in the mayoral race.

Her strongest performance among the districts was in City Proper, where she garnered 72.42 percent of the vote share.

But she also performed strongly across all districts, including in Lapuz (71.08 percent), Jaro (70.27 percent), La Paz (69.50 percent), Molo (67.61 percent), Mandurriao (67.13 percent), and Arevalo (64.94 percent).

Raisa emerged victorious in almost every precinct in the city, securing significant margins against her lone rival, Roland Magahin, in traditional strongholds and swing areas alike.

In major voting centers like Calumpang, Tagbac, and Bakhaw, Raisa nearly doubled or even tripled her rival’s votes.

Yet amid the sweeping win, results from several barangays show the opposition still has life.

Unexpectedly, Roland posted stronger-than-expected numbers in select barangays. He garnered a total of 75,139 votes.

A notable tight race was observed in Barangay MacArthur, where Raisa led by just eight votes (431 vs 423).

Baronda vs Ganzon: Neck-and-neck fights

The vice mayoral race was exhilarating. Love-Love Baronda of Team Sulong Gugma staged a political comeback after being stripped of her position as executive assistant to the mayor in March 2024.

Incumbent Vice Mayor Jeffrey Ganzon, running under Team Uswag, was seeking a final term.

The election results between the two vice mayoral candidates reveal a compelling narrative of political rivalry defined by sharp local dynamics and voter preferences across barangays.

Unlike the mayoral race, this contest was much tighter when it came to the seven districts, where Baronda led all of them, but with smaller margins.

Baronda’s strongest showing among the districts was in Arevalo (56.65 percent), while her poorest showing was in City Proper, where she carried only 50.04 percent of the vote share.

It was in that district where she had a difference of only 28 votes from her 17,168 votes to Ganzon’s 17,140.

Elsewhere, she also won in Mandurriao (54.08 percent), Jaro (52.03 percent), Molo (51.93 percent), Lapuz (51.70 percent), and La Paz (50.29 percent).

She won 94 barangays while he carried a close 86 barangays. Twenty barangays were classified as tight races.

Baronda’s victories were marked by strong showings in many areas, especially in key barangays such as San Juan, Calaparan, and Tabuc Suba, where the margins were decisive.

Ganzon, on the other hand, remained competitive in areas such as Aguinaldo, Bantud, and parts of Lapuz and Molo.

Several precincts were battlegrounds, with “touches” between the two suggesting neck-and-neck fights. In Alasasan Lapuz, Balantang, and Cuartero, the vote was nearly evenly split.

In the end, it was a stinging defeat for Team Uswag, with Ganzon being one of only two candidates from the slate who failed to secure a seat.

Ganzon later said he was not bitter about the results and was emotionally at peace. After all, the loss had prompted him to exit politics.

Jam-Jam’s grip wavers in some barangays

Jam-Jam Baronda retained her congressional seat with wide margins in most precincts, but a closer look at the results reveals vulnerabilities.

Similar to her sister, Jam-Jam’s best showing among the districts was in Arevalo with 82.88 percent of the vote share, but her worst was in La Paz (72.54 percent).

She also led with huge margins in other districts such as Mandurriao (81.85 percent), Jaro (78.02 percent), City Proper (77.88 percent), Molo (77.50 percent), and Lapuz (77.11 percent).

Baronda won in 177 barangays, including high-vote areas like Calumpang, Balabago, and San Juan. However, she lost in at least three barangays and faced tight contests in nine others.

She was defeated in Maria Clara, President Roxas, and Libertad-Lapuz by perennial candidate Mel Carreon.

In Maria Clara, Carreon outpolled her 196 to 149. In Libertad-Lapuz, he won with 294 votes to Baronda’s 225. In President Roxas, Carreon garnered 194 votes, over the 110 votes of Baronda. While these areas are not particularly vote-rich, their deviation from the overall trend warrants attention.

Several other precincts were nail-biters. In Aguinaldo, Baronda edged Carreon by only 7 votes. Other closely contested areas included Hinactacan, Taytay Zone II, Delgado-Jalandoni-Bagumbayan, and San Jose in City Proper.

If challengers like Carreon can consolidate support in those areas and broaden their reach to middle-class enclaves, future elections could become more competitive.

For now, Baronda remains in control — but the electoral map shows that her rivals are learning where and how to strike next.

A new era? 

With women now holding the city’s three top posts, expectations run high for more inclusive and community-focused governance.

Raisa pledged to lead with “a mother’s care. Love-Love vowed to champion education and social services. Jam-Jam promised to bring in more infrastructure projects while completing those long-stalled by delays.

But the city’s political landscape remains divided between two factions: Team Uswag and Team Sulong Gugma.

Raisa will govern the city alongside Love-Love of Team Sulong Gugma. However, the City Council, where Love-Love will preside as vice mayor, is dominated by councilors from Team Uswag.

With two rival factions now sharing power in a city that has made its mark on the global stage, what lies ahead?

The question now is: Will this political synergy among women usher in a new era of collaborative, transformative leadership — or will it simply repackage old power structures in a different form?