List of people from Iloilo

The following is a list of people born or associated with Iloilo and Iloilo City.

Arts, literature, and entertainment

Beauty pageants

• Angelia Ong – Miss Earth 2015 winner
• Anjanette Abayari – Binibining Pilipinas Universe 1991 winner
• Pura Villanueva Kalaw – first Manila Carnival queen in 1908
• Rabiya Occeña Sundall Mateo – Miss Universe Philippines 2020 winner
• Alexie Brooks - Miss Eco International 2025 Winner

Film

• Nick Deocampo – film director, film historian
• Peter Solis Nery – film director, actor, producer, writer; Gugma sa Panahon sang Bakunawa (2012)

Literature

• Gilbert Luis R. Centina III – Palanca awardee
• Leoncio P. Deriada – Ilonggo Palanca awardee
• Magdalena Jalandoni – Hiligaynon poet, National Cultural awardee for Literature
• Ramon Muzones – National Artist for Literature.
• Stevan Javellana – Ilonggo writer
• Peter Solis Nery – Ilonggo Palanca Awards Hall of Fame awardee; first Filipino author invited to the Sharjah International Book Fair
• Guillermo Gómez Rivera – Ilonggo writer
• Miguel Syjuco – winner of 2008 Man Asian Literary Prize

Performing arts

Music

• Emman Abatayo – singer, songwriter, Pinoy Dream Academy Season 1 scholar
• Jose Mari Chan – singer, songwriter
• Vehnee Saturno – record producer
• Nina Girado – singer
• Jed Madela – singer, songwriter
• Ruben Tagalog – Kundiman singer
• Young JV – singer, actor, model, and dancer
• Jhett Tolentino – singer, Grammy and Tony-award winning theatrical producer
• Beabadoobee – indie pop rock singer-songwriter and guitarist

TV and movie personalities

• Allan K. - actor, comedian, host, singer and businessman.
• Carla Abellana – actress, model, TV host and personality
• John Arcilla – actor
• Sharmaine Arnaiz – actress
• Claudine Barretto – actress
• Gretchen Barretto – actress
• Billy Crawford – actor, model, singer, TV host and personality
• Dingdong Dantes – actor, model
• Charlie Davao – actor
• Sunshine Dizon – actress, model
• Gabb Drilon – actor
• Anita Linda – actress
• Ike Lozada – actor
• Edu Manzano – TV host, actor
• Luis Manzano – actor, model, TV host and personality
• Pokwang – actress, comedian
• Delia Razon – actress
• Paul Salas – actor
• Myrtle Sarrosa – Big Winner
• Arthur Solinap – actor
• Prince Stefan (actor) – actor, model, and dancer
• Joy Viado – actress, comedian
• Marita Zobel – actress
• Dawn Zulueta – actress
• Seham Daghlas – former adult housemate

Mass communications

• Billy Balbastro – radio broadcaster
• Karen Davila – main news anchor on the ABS-CBN News Channel programmers TV Patrol and Headstart with Karen Davila

Visual arts

• Romeo Villalva Tabuena – Filipino painter and printmaker
• Iain Macnab and Chica Macnab The Scottish artists who were both born in Iloilo

Business

• Alfonso A. Uy – first President of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry from Visayas and Mindanao
• Eugenio Lopez, Sr. – former Chairman of the Lopez Group of Companies
• Eugenio Lopez, Jr. – former Chairman Emeritus of ABS-CBN
• Eugenio Lopez III – the 3rd generation Eugenio of the Lopez family; present Chairman of ABS-CBN
• Edgar Sia – founder of Mang Inasal and DoubleDragon Corporation
• Jonha Richman – investor and dubbed by Rappler as one of the 'most inspiring Filipino entrepreneurs'

Education

• Jose Cabalum, Sr. – educator
• William Valentine – American Protestant missionary and educator; founded Central Philippine University, the second American university in Asia

Government service

Executive service

• Teofisto Guingona, Jr. – former Senator and Vice President of the Philippines
• Fernando López – former Senator, Vice President of the Philippines, and Mayor of Iloilo City
• Amelita Ramos – former First Lady of the Philippines; wife of former President Fidel Ramos
• Liza Araneta Marcos – First Lady of the Philippines; wife of President Bongbong Marcos

Judiciary

• Ramón Avanceña – former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and Vice President
• Carolina Griño-Aquino – former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, Rank 1st 1950 Philippine Bar Examinations
• Gregorio Perfecto – former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
• Florenz Regalado – former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and record holder for the highest average in the Philippine Bar Examinations, with his 1954 mark of 96.7%
• Francis Jardeleza – former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines and Solicitor General of the Philippines
• Raul M. Gonzalez – former Secretary of Justice
• Gregorio S. Araneta – former Secretary of Finance and Justice, Attorney General of the Philippines, and Solicitor General of the Philippines

Legislators

Senators

• Tomas Confesor – Senator served in the 2nd Commonwealth Congress or 1st Congress of the Philippines, elected ranked 6th in the 1946 national elections, former Governor of Iloilo
• José María Arroyo – Senator from the Seventh Senatorial District
• Jose Hontiveros – Senator of the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
• Risa Hontiveros – Senator 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th Congress; House Representative for Akbayan 13th 14th Congress
• Francisco Felipe Villanueva – Visayan delegate to the Malolos Congress, Senate majority floor leader during the Fourth Legislature in 1916–1919
• Nikki Coseteng – Senator, 8th Congress
• Miriam Defensor Santiago – Senator, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th Congress
• Franklin Drilon – Senator, 10th, 11th (Senate President), 12th (Senate President), 13th (Senate President), 15th, 16th (Senate President), and 17th (Senate President pro tempore) Congress
• Teofisto Guingona, Sr. – Senator, 4th Philippine Legislature
• Grace Poe-Llamanzares – Senator, 16th Congress of the Philippines
• Manuel Villar – Senator, 12th, 13th (Senate President), 14th (Senate President), 15th Congress
• Jose Zulueta – Senator and Senate President, 2nd Congress

House Representatives

• Niel Tupas Jr. – former House Representatives of the 5th district of Iloilo
• Ferjenel Biron – former House Representatives of the 4th district of Iloilo
• Janette Garin – incumbent House Representatives of the 4th district of Iloilo, former Secretary of Health
• Richard Garin – former House Representatives of the 1st district of Iloilo and Vice Governor of Iloilo
• Judy Syjuco – former House Representatives of the 2nd district of Iloilo
• Julienne Baronda – incumbent House Representatives of the lone district of Iloilo City

Local Government

• Niel Tupas Sr. – former Governor of Iloilo and House Representatives of the 5th district of Iloilo
• Arthur Defensor Sr. – former Governor of Iloilo and House Representatives of the 3rd district of Iloilo
• Arthur Defensor Jr. – incumbent Governor of Iloilo, former House Representatives of the 3rd district of Iloilo
• Isko Moreno – 27th Mayor of Manila and actor whose father originally hail from San Joaquin, Iloilo
• Jerry Treñas – incumbent Mayor of Iloilo City
• Jed Patrick Mabilog – former Mayor of Iloilo City

Military service

• Vicente Piccio, Jr. – former chief of the Philippine Air Force
• Ramona Go – First Female Brigadier General

Civil service

• Resurreccion Borra – COMELEC Commissioner

Social sciences

• F. Landa Jocano – anthropologist and historian; documented the epic Hinilawod of the Panay Bukidnon of Iloilo
• Alicia P. Magos – anthropologist and historian; published and documented the culture of Western Visayas, especially the Panay Bukidnon

Innovators and scientists

• Alexis Belonio – engineer, inventor and winner of Rolex Award for Enterprise in 2008
• Josette Biyo – Intel Excellence for Teaching awardee in 2002; an asteroid was named after her, 13241 Biyo
• Magdalena Villaruz, inventor
• Mariano Yogore, Jr, MD, PHD, MPH – accomplished Scientist at major universities. Senior author and co-author in about 50 scientific publications, and published a number of books. Published in Library of Congress

Religious service

• Fernando Capalla – present Archbishop of Davao
• Eduardo Hontiveros – Filipino Jesuit composer and musician
• Angel Lagdameo – 5th Archbishop of Jaro and former President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines
• Antonio Ledesma – Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro
• Jose S. Palma – present Archbishop of Cebu and President of Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines
• Alberto Jover Piamonte – 4th Archbishop of Jaro
• Jaime Sin – 9th Archbishop of Jaro and 30th Archbishop of Manila
• Mother Rosario Arroyo de la Visitacion - Servant of God, founder Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of the Philippines

Revolutionaries and war heroes

• Juan Araneta – led the Negros Revolution
• Ludovico Arroyo Bañas – World War II veteran, pioneer in Philippine telecommunications
• Jose Calugas – World War II Medal of Honor awardee
• Martin Teofilo Delgado – revolutionary hero, soldier, politician
• Adriano Hernandez – leader of the "Cry of Lincud", the first armed uprising for independence in the province of Iloilo
• Graciano Lopez Jaena – revolutionary hero, writer, editor, orator, and journalist, founder of La Solidaridad
• Aniceto Lacson – led the Negros Revolution
• Teresa Magbanua – the Joan of Arc of the Visayas
• Patrocinio Gamboa – revolutionary heroine, brought the Philippine flag to Sta. Barbara, where it was first raised outside the capital.

Sports

• Paulino Alcántara – international football player who played for FC Barcelona
• Angel Guirado Aldeguer – member of Philippine Azkals
• Ian Araneta – member of Philippine Azkals
• Kurt Bachmann – basketball player
• Ken Bono – PBA player
• Emelio Caligdong – Vice Captain of Philippine Azkals and 2012 The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awardee
• Anjo Caram – PBA player, former NCAA basketball player for San Beda Red Lions
• Denver Cuello – current WBC International minimumweight champion
• Kenneth Duremdes – PBA player
• Rudy Fernandez – amputee triathlete
• Emmanuel "Emman" Monfort – PBA player, former UAAP basketball player for the Ateneo Blue Eagles, former Ateneo de Iloilo-SMCS player Ateneo Blue Dragons
• Bong Ravena – PBA player
• Kiefer Ravena – UAAP basketball player for the Ateneo Blue Eagles
• Masunoyama Tomoharu – sumo wrestler
• Eugenio Torre – first Filipino and Asian Grandmaster
• Ronald Tubid – PBA player
• James Yap – PBA player, former ICCHS or Huasiong basketball player
• Wesley So – chess prodigy; youngest Filipino chess grandmaster
• Manuel Araneta Jr. – basketball player in 1948 Summer Olympics

Others

• Nicholas Loney – 19th-century British diplomat and businessman who helped develop Iloilo City
• Josefa Jara Martinez – social worker, suffragist and civic leader
• Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. – former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman; 2010 Philippine Vice-Presidential candidate running mate alongside Eddie Villanueva

References