Iloilo Governor Defensor banks on 3 of 5 districts to secure team’s win

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – Without an opponent, last-term seeker Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. campaigned for his candidates, saying he was counting on the support of people from three of the province’s five congressional districts to secure victory for his entire slate in the May 2025 elections.

Defensor is running unopposed, securing his third term as Iloilo governor. His only opponent, Mary Frances Chloe Noble, withdrew from the race on December 26, 2024.

At a proclamation rally at the Tamasak Arena in Barotac Nuevo on March 29, Defensor said they needed overwhelming support from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th congressional districts of the province to make them carry out a successful campaign.

“You are our political machinery and you are the only one that we have,” Defensor said. “We entrust everything to you – our candidacy and the candidacies of those we are supporting – to explain to the public our platform and to convince them to vote for us.”

Defensor’s lineup includes candidate for vice governor Lee Ann Debuque and several congressional hopefuls.

Kathryn Joyce Fermin-Gorriceta is running unopposed for the 2nd District’s congressional seat. She is set to succeed her husband, Representative Michael Gorriceta.

In the 3rd District, Representative Lorenz Defensor is seeking a third term and is facing independent candidate Thelma Langusta.

Representative Ferjenel Biron is running for a second term in the 4th District against former police major Charlie Sustento Jr.

The 5th District presents a family contest, with former congressman Niel “Junjun” Tupas Jr. challenging his sister-in-law, incumbent provincial board member Binky April Montesclaros-Tupas, for the congressional seat.

With his reelection already assured, Defensor made an earnest appeal for the three districts to support Debuque’s candidacy. The 31-year-old politician, who has served as Anilao mayor since 2016, is making her first bid for a provincial position.

Debuque is set to face a tough battle against 5th District Representative Raul Tupas, who served as Iloilo vice governor from 2013 to 2016.

The 5th District, a stronghold of the Tupas family, is seen as a key battleground for the vice gubernatorial race. It has the highest number of registered voters for the midterm elections, with 312,776, according to the Commission on Elections.

“We chose her because we want a young, intelligent, competitive, and dynamic vice governor for the province of Iloilo, and for you – that is the reason why we chose her,” Defensor said.

Debuque’s candidacy is backed by the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the political party of Defensor and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In previous elections, she ran under the Nacionalista Party. The Anilao mayor took her oath as a PFP member on September 30, 2024.

Debuque said, “This is a hard challenge for us, but as I have done before and as I continue to do so, when facing immense pressure, I will not crack, I will not break. I will stand with what I promised to the governor,” she said.

Meanwhile, the 1st District, traditionally influenced by the Garin family, has not yet officially endorsed a vice gubernatorial candidate.

According to Commission on Elections data, Iloilo’s 1st District has 255,699 registered voters. The 2nd District, where the Gorriceta family is strong, has 252,320, while the 3rd District, the Defensor clan’s stronghold, has 204,249. The 4th District, led by the Biron family, has 261,658. – Rappler.com