Legislative district of Mountain Province

Philippines
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The Legislative District of Mountain Province is the current representation of Mountain Province in the lower house of the Congress of the Philippines. The present-day provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao and Kalinga, as well as the independent city of Baguio, formed part of the old (pre-division) Mountain Province's representation until 1969. Since 1969, the representation of Mountain Province has been reduced to a lone district, confined only to the limits of the former sub-province of Bontoc.

History

The passage of the Philippine Autonomy Act by the United States Congress in 1916 extended legislative representation to what were then non-Christian-majority areas of the Philippines for the first time. These areas included the seven provinces of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu (Agusan, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Davao, Lanao, Sulu and Zamboanga), Nueva Vizcaya, the Mountain Province and Baguio City.

The Revised Administrative Code (Act No. 2711), enacted on March 10, 1917, further elaborated on the manner by which these areas would be represented. The non-Christian areas were represented in the 12th district of the upper house by two senators, both appointed by the Governor-General. Similarly, the nine new lower house representatives — five representatives from the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, three from the undivided Mountain Province (including the independent city of Baguio) and one from Nueva Vizcaya — were also appointed, and not elected. The appointment of these members of the Legislature did not require the consent of the upper house; the appointive legislators were also not necessarily required to be residents of the areas they represented.^[1] For example, Assemblyman Pedro Aunario, a resident of Manila,^[2] and Senator Lope K. Santos, a resident of Rizal, were among the representatives of the Mountain Province.

By virtue of Act No. 4203 enacted by the Philippine Legislature on July 23, 1935, the senatorial district system was abolished and the Mountain Province's lower house representation was made elective through popular vote; the law divided the province into three districts with definite territorial composition. The ten municipalities that comprise the present-day Mountain Province were, in 1935, still divided between the sub-provinces of Bontoc and Lepanto; areas within Bontoc (Barlig, Bontoc, Paracelis, Natonin, Sabangan, Sadanga and Sagada) were represented in the undivided province's first district, while those within Lepanto (Bauko, Besao and Tadian) were represented in the third district. Although the sub-province of Lepanto was dissolved and annexed to the sub-province of Bontoc shortly afterwards, the boundaries between the three representative districts remained unaltered.

In the disruption caused by the Second World War, two delegates represented the province in the National Assembly of the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic: one was the provincial governor (an ex officio member), while the other was elected through a provincial assembly of KALIBAPI members during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. Baguio was represented separately in this short-lived legislative body.

Upon the restoration of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1945, the expanded sub-province of Bontoc remained split between the old Mountain Province's first and third districts, which lasted until 1969. The enactment of Republic Act No. 4695 on June 18, 1966 made the expanded sub-province of Bontoc into a full-fledged province that retained the name "Mountain Province." The new (post-division) Mountain Province began electing its own representative starting in the next general election.

Mountain Province was represented as part of Region I from 1978 to 1984, and elected one representative to the Regular Batasang Pambansa in 1984. It retained its lone congressional district under the new Constitution which was proclaimed on February 11, 1987, and elected its member to the restored House of Representatives starting that same year.

Lone District

• Population (2010): 154,187

1st District (defunct)

• Sub-province of Apayao: Calanasan (Bayag), Conner, Kabugao, Luna, Namaltugan (dissolved 1936), Tauit (dissolved 1936), Pudtol (established 1959), Flora (established 1963), Santa Marcela (established 1967)
• Sub-province of Bontoc: Barlig, Bontoc, Natonin, Sabangan, Sadanga, Sagada, Tinglayan (later transferred to Kalinga sub-province), Paracales (Paracelis) (established 1962)
• Sub-province of Kalinga: Balbalan, Lubuagan, Pinukpuk, Tabuk, Tanudan, Liwan (established 1965), Pasil (established 1966)

2nd District (defunct)

• Baguio City¹
• Sub-province of Benguet: Atok, Bakun, Bokod, Buguias, Itogon, Kabayan, Kapangan, Kibungan, La Trinidad, Mankayan, Sablan, Tuba, Tublay

3rd District (defunct)

• Sub-province of Ifugao: Banaue, Lagawe (Burnay), Hungduan, Kiangan, Mayoyao, Potia (established as municipal district in 1955^[3]), Lamut (established as municipal district in 1959)
• Sub-province of Lepanto (later dissolved, annexed to Bontoc): Banaao (annexed to Tadian), Bauko, Besao, Tadian (Kayan)

At-Large (defunct)

1916—1935

• includes the independent city of Baguio, and the sub-provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga and Lepanto

1943—1944

• includes the sub-provinces of Apayao, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao and Kalinga

1984—1986

See also

• Legislative district of Benguet
  • Legislative district of Baguio City
• Legislative district of Ifugao
• Legislative district of Kalinga-Apayao
  • Legislative district of Apayao
  • Legislative district of Kalinga

References

• Philippine House of Representatives Congressional Library

Legislative districts for the House of Representatives of the Philippines
Luzon	Abra Albay Antipolo Apayao Aurora Baguio Bataan Batanes Batangas Benguet Biñan Bulacan Cagayan Caloocan Camarines Norte Camarines Sur Catanduanes Cavite Dasmariñas Ifugao Ilocos Norte Ilocos Sur Isabela Kalinga La Union Laguna Las Piñas Malabon Makati Mandaluyong Manila Marikina Marinduque Masbate Mountain Province Muntinlupa Navotas Nueva Ecija Nueva Vizcaya Occidental Mindoro Oriental Mindoro Palawan Pampanga Pangasinan Parañaque Pasay Pasig Pateros & Taguig Quezon Quezon City Quirino Rizal Romblon San Jose del Monte San Juan Sorsogon Taguig Tarlac Valenzuela Zambales
Visayas	Aklan Antique Bacolod Biliran Bohol Capiz Cebu Cebu City Eastern Samar Guimaras Iloilo Iloilo City Lapu-Lapu City Leyte Negros Occidental Negros Oriental Northern Samar Samar Siquijor Southern Leyte
Mindanao	Agusan del Norte Agusan del Sur Basilan Bukidnon Cagayan de Oro Camiguin Compostela Valley Cotabato Davao City Davao del Norte Davao del Sur Davao Occidental Davao Oriental Dinagat Islands Iligan Lanao del Norte Lanao del Sur Maguindanao Misamis Occidental Misamis Oriental Sarangani South Cotabato Sultan Kudarat Sulu Surigao del Norte Surigao del Sur Tawi-Tawi Zamboanga City Zamboanga del Norte Zamboanga del Sur Zamboanga Sibugay
Defunct	Defunct districts  Agusan Ambos Camarines Cavite City Davao Kalinga-Apayao Lanao Las Piñas-Muntinlupa Las Piñas-Parañaque Malabon & Navotas Malabon-Navotas-Valenzuela Mindanao & Sulu Mindoro Misamis Olongapo Pasig & Marikina San Pablo San Juan & Mandaluyong Shariff Kabunsuan Surigao Taguig, Pateros & Muntinlupa Zamboanga
See also: Districts for the Senate (1916–1935)