Iloilo City
Iloilo City | |
|---|---|
The skyline of the Mandurriao district | |
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Flag Seal | |
| Nicknames: City of Love and others | |
| Motto(s): La muy leal y noble ciudad de Iloílo (transl. The Most Loyal and Noble City of Iloilo) | |
Map of Western Visayas with Iloilo City highlighted | |
Interactive map of Iloilo City | |
Iloilo City Location within the Philippines | |
| Coordinates: 10°43′N 122°34′E / 10.72°N 122.57°E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Western Visayas |
| Province | Iloilo (geographically only) |
| District | Lone district |
| Founded | 1566 (Spanish settlement) |
| Cityhood | October 5, 1889 |
| Reincorporated | July 16, 1937 |
| Highly urbanized city | December 22, 1979 |
| Barangays | 180 (see Barangays and districts) |
| City geographical districts | |
| Government | |
| • Type | Sangguniang Panlungsod |
| • Mayor | Raisa Maria Lourdes S. Treñas-Chu (NUP) |
| • Vice Mayor | Lady Julie Grace L. Baronda (Lakas) |
| • City Representative | Julienne L. Baronda (Lakas) |
| • City Council | Members |
| • Electorate | 330,621 voters (2025) |
| Area | |
• City | 78.34 km2 (30.25 sq mi) |
| • Urban | 91 km2 (35 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,105.53 km2 (426.85 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 21 m (69 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 175 m (574 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | −1 m (−3.3 ft) |
| Population (2024 census) | |
• City | 473,728 |
| • Density | 6,047/km2 (15,660/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 574,000 |
| • Urban density | 6,300/km2 (16,000/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 1,039,935 |
| • Metro density | 940.666/km2 (2,436.31/sq mi) |
| • Households | 104,313 |
| Demonym(s) | Ilonggo (en), Ilonggo (f. -a) (hil/fil), ilongo (f. -a) (es) |
| Economy | |
| • Gross domestic product (GDP) | ₱145.05 billion (2022) $2.563 billion (2022) |
| • Income class | 1st city income class |
| • Poverty incidence | 3.3 |
| • HDI | 0.885 (Very High) |
| • Revenue | ₱ 4,143 million (2022) |
| • Assets | ₱ 11,768 million (2022) |
| • Expenditure | ₱ 3,294 million (2022) |
| • Liabilities | ₱ 2,713 million (2022) |
| Service provider | |
| • Electricity | Monte Oro Resource Electric and Power Corporation (MORE) |
| • Water | Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (PST) |
| ZIP code | 5000 |
| PSGC | |
| IDD : area code | +63 (0)33 |
| Native languages | Hiligaynon/Ilonggo |
| Catholic diocese | Archdiocese of Jaro |
| Patron saint | Nuestra Señora de la Purificación y la Candelaria (English: Our Lady of Purification and Candle) |
| Website | iloilocity |
Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (Hiligaynon: Dakbanwa sang Iloilo; Tagalog: Lungsod ng Iloilo; Spanish: Ciudad de Iloílo), is a highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of the island of Panay. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 473,728 people, making it the most populous city in Western Visayas. For the Iloilo–Guimaras metropolitan area, the total population is 1,039,935 people.
The city is a conglomeration of former towns, now organized into seven geographical or administrative districts: the City Proper, Jaro, Molo, Mandurriao, La Paz, Arevalo, and Lapuz. It is the largest city and capital of the Iloilo province, where the city is geographically situated and grouped under the Philippine Statistics Authority, but remains politically independent in terms of government and administration. Iloilo City is the regional center of Western Visayas and serves as the hub for trade, commerce, industry, education, religion, healthcare, tourism, culture, and culinary arts.
In 1566, the Spanish settled in Iloilo, establishing it as the second Spanish colonial center in the Philippines after Cebu. The city was bestowed with the honorific title "La Muy Leal y Noble Ciudad" (Most Loyal and Noble City) by Queen Regent Maria Christina of Austria in recognition of its loyalty to the Spanish crown during the Philippine Revolution. Iloilo City served as the last capital of the Spanish Empire in Asia and the Pacific before the Philippines was ceded to the United States in 1898 through the Treaty of Paris. At the turn of the 20th century, Iloilo City was considered the second most important city in the Philippines, next to Manila, and was widely known as the "Queen City of the South."
Recognized as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, Iloilo City is known for its signature dishes such as La Paz Batchoy, Pancit Molo, Kadyos-Baboy-Langka (KBL), Laswa, and Kansi. Iloilo City has several heritage sites from the Spanish and American colonial periods, including the Calle Real Heritage Zone. Iloilo City is considered a pilgrim city and is known as the center of Candelaria devotion in the Philippines, as it home to the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Jaro, the first Marian image in Asia to be canonically crowned in person by a pope, now Saint John Paul II. The city is known for the Dinagyang Festival, a popular cultural and religious festival held every January, in honor of Santo Niño.
Iloilo City is among the fastest-developing cities in the Philippines, experiencing significant annual growth since the redevelopment of the old airport in Mandurriao. The IT-BPM industry in the city continues to thrive and remains in high demand. It has been recognized as a top location for outsourcing expansion outside Metro Manila and is the third-largest hub for the industry in the country.