By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
The City of Passi, the lone component city of the province, holds the largest voting population among the 43 towns in Iloilo, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Comelec data showed that Passi City has a total of 58,623 registered voters in the upcoming May elections.
As a component city, Passi City is administratively part of the province. While it has its own local government unit and elects its own mayor and city council members, its residents also vote for candidates running for provincial positions, such as governor and the heavily contested vice governor seat.
Passi City is also part of the 4th district of Iloilo, meaning its voters will participate in electing the district’s congressional representative.
Incumbent Representative Ferjenel “Ferj” Biron is seeking reelection and is in a head-to-head battle with Charlie Sustento.
Following Passi City, the town of Oton ranks second with 54,996 voters, while Dumangas secures the third spot with 50,677.
The municipalities of Carles (46,777) and Pototan (46,521) round out the top five, showcasing significant voter populations that could influence election outcomes in the province.
Other municipalities with large voting populations include Lambunao (43,548), Santa Barbara (43,196), Miagao (42,582), Tigbauan (41,879), and Janiuay (41,028).
Meanwhile, smaller municipalities such as Bingawan (10,181), San Rafael (12,515), and Tubungan (15,170) have the least number of registered voters in the province.
The province of Iloilo, historically known for supporting opposition candidates, is emerging as a major battleground for national positions in the upcoming midterm elections, with over 1.3 million registered voters, according to Comelec data.
Comelec reports that Iloilo has a total of 1,319,109 registered voters, making it the 12th vote-rich province in the country.
Among other provinces in the Visayas region, Iloilo trails behind Cebu (3rd) with 2,172,170 voters and Negros Occidental (8th), now part of the Negros Island Region, with 1,645,852 voters.
The highly urbanized Iloilo City, on the other hand, has a total of 330,621 registered voters for the midterm polls.
The campaign period for senatorial candidates and party-list groups began on February 11, 2025.
So far, only the administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas has held its proclamation rally in Iloilo.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. led his senatorial candidates rally in Iloilo City on February 14, which saw a participation of around 20,000. Marcos claimed his candidates would bring continuous progress to the country.
On March 6, former Vice President Leni Robredo led the volunteers’ campaign kick-off for senatorial candidates Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan.
The PDP-Laban Senate slate, led by former President Rodrigo Duterte, is set to hold its grand rally in Iloilo City this April after postponing its originally scheduled March event due to scheduling conflicts.
