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The legislative districts of Cotabato are the representations of the province of Cotabato in the various national legislatures of the Philippines. The province is currently represented in the lower house of the Congress of the Philippines through its first, second, and third congressional districts.

The provinces of South Cotabato (including the province of Sarangani and the highly urbanized city of General Santos), and Maguindanao (including the independent component city of Cotabato) and Sultan Kudarat last formed part of the province's representation in 1967 and 1972, respectively.

Since 2022, the legislative districts excludes municipalities from the Special Geographic Area of Bangsamoro.

History

Prior to partition of Cotabato Province in 1966

Initially being excluded from representation in the lower house of the Philippine Legislature in 1907, the then-non-Christian-majority areas of the Philippines — which included the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, of which the undivided province of Cotabato was part — were finally extended legislative representation with the passage of the Philippine Autonomy Act in 1916 by the United States Congress. 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 to be collectively represented in the upper house's 12th senatorial district by two senators, both appointed by the Governor-General. Five assembly members, also appointed by the Governor-General, were to represent the seven component provinces of Department of Mindanao and Sulu — Agusan, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Davao, Lanao, Sulu and Zamboanga — in the lower house as a single at-large district.

These arrangements remained in place despite the abolition of the Department in 1920. It lasted until 1935, when each of the seven provinces was provided one representative to the National Assembly of the Philippines, albeit the manner of election varying between provinces. Voters of the more Christianized provinces of Agusan, Bukidnon, Davao and Zamboanga could elect their representative through popular vote by virtue of Article VI, Section 1 of the 1935 Constitution. In the Muslim-dominated provinces of Cotabato, Lanao and Sulu, however, voter qualifications were more restrictive: the only persons allowed to vote for the province's representative were past and present municipal officials (municipal president, vice-president, municipal councilors); present senators, assembly representatives and 1935 Constitutional Convention delegates; provincial governors and members of provincial boards; and any persons currently residing in the concerned province who held any of the aforementioned positions in the past. This was the manner by which Cotabato's representative was elected in 1935.

The 1st National Assembly of the Philippines passed Commonwealth Act No. 44 on October 13, 1936, to finally give all qualified voters of Cotabato (along with Lanao and Sulu) the right to elect their own representatives through popular vote. Voters began to elect their representatives in this manner beginning in 1938.

During the Second World War, the undivided Province of Cotabato sent two delegates to 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. Upon the restoration of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1945 the province retained its pre-war lone congressional district. Even after receiving its own city charter on June 20, 1959 Cotabato City remained part of the representation of the Province of Cotabato, per Section 91 of Republic Act No. 2634.

As the reduced Cotabato Province (1966–1973)

The enactment of Republic Act No. 4849 on June 18, 1966, reduced the territory of Cotabato Province with the separation of its southern municipalities to form the new province of South Cotabato. Pursuant to Section 5 of R.A. 4849, the incumbent representative of Cotabato began to represent only the remaining portion of the province (along with the chartered city of Cotabato) in the second half of the 6th Congress, following the election of South Cotabato's separate representative in a special election held on the same day as the 1967 senatorial elections.

As the current (North) Cotabato Province (1973–present)

On November 22, 1973, the reduced Cotabato Province was further subdivided into the provinces of Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 341. All three successor provinces were represented in the Interim Batasang Pambansa as part of Region XII from 1978 to 1984. It was during this period that one of them — North Cotabato — was renamed Cotabato through Batas Pambansa Blg. 660.

The present-day (North) Cotabato Province returned two representatives, elected at-large, to the Regular Batasang Pambansa in 1984. Under the new Constitution which was proclaimed on February 11, 1987, the province was reapportioned into two congressional districts; each elected its member to the restored House of Representatives starting that same year.

The approval of Republic Act No. 10177 on September 14, 2012, increased the representation of (North) Cotabato by reapportioning the province into three legislative districts. The representatives for the newly reconfigured districts were first elected in the 2013 elections.

Despite the reallocation of 63 barangays of Cotabato to the Bangsamoro in early 2019 (later known as the Special Geographic Area or SGA), voters in that region are able to vote for local provincial positions including district representatives for the 2019 elections. However they were barred to do so by the Comelec in the 2022 elections.

1st District

• Municipalities: Alamada, Aleosan, Libungan, Midsayap, Pigcawayan, Pikit
• Population (2020): 398,953

1987–2013

• Municipalities: Alamada, Aleosan, Banisilan, Carmen, Kabacan, Libungan, Midsayap, Pigcawayan, Pikit

2nd District

• City: Kidapawan
• Municipalities: Antipas, Arakan, Magpet, Makilala, President Roxas
• Population (2020): 432,405

1987–2013

• City: Kidapawan (became city 1998)
• Municipalities: Antipas, Magpet, Makilala, Matalam, M'lang, President Roxas, Tulunan, Arakan (established 1991)

3rd District

• Municipalities: Banisilan, Carmen, Kabacan, Matalam, M'lang, Tulunan
• Population (2020): 443,827

Lone District (defunct)

1935–1967

• encompasses present-day provinces of Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato, and the independent cities of Cotabato and General Santos

Notes

1. Only took oath of office on January 3, 1950.
2. Elected for a third term in 1965 as representative for the undivided province of Cotabato; began to serve as the representative of the reduced Cotabato province beginning in the second half of the 6th Congress, after the election of a separate representative for South Cotabato, pursuant to R.A. 4849.

1968–1972

• encompasses present-day provinces of Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, and the independent city of Cotabato

Notes

1. Elected in 1965 as representative for the undivided province of Cotabato; began to serve as the representative of the reduced Cotabato province beginning in the second half of the 6th Congress, after the separate representative for South Cotabato took office, pursuant to R.A. 4849. For the 7th Congress: only took oath of office as representative on July 29, 1970, following a legal battle over results of election contested by Datu Blah Sinsuat.

At-Large (defunct)

1943–1944

• encompasses present-day provinces of Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato, and the independent cities of Cotabato and General Santos

1984–1986

See also

• Legislative district of Mindanao and Sulu
• Legislative districts of South Cotabato
  • Legislative district of General Santos
  • Legislative district of Sarangani
• Legislative districts of Maguindanao
• Legislative districts of Sultan Kudarat

References

1. ^ Philippine Legislature (1917). Revised Administrative Code of the Philippine Islands of 1917 (Act No. 2711) (Digitized Revised Administrative Code of the Philippine Islands of 1917 from the Presidential Museum and Library Collection, uploaded on February 15, 2016). Bureau of Printing. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
2. Commonwealth of the Philippines (February 8, 1935). "The 1935 Constitution". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
3. Philippine Legislature (1937). "Public Laws Enacted by the Philippine Legislature, Acts No. 4203 to 4275". Public Resolutions, Etc. Laws, etc. Bureau of Printing Office: 5. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
4. National Assembly of the Philippines (October 13, 1936). "Commonwealth Act No. 44 - An Act applying the General provisions of the Election Law to the election of Assemblymen from the Provinces of Lanao, Cotabato, and Sulu". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
5. "Republic Act No. 2364 - An Act Creating the City of Cotabato". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. June 20, 1959. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
6. ^ Congress of the Philippines (June 18, 1966). "Republic Act No. 4849 - An Act Creating the Province of South Cotabato". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
7. Marcos, Ferdinand E. (November 22, 1973). "Presidential Decree No. 341 - Creating the Provinces of North Cotabato, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
8. Batasang Pambansa ng Pilipinas (March 7, 1984). "Batas Pambansa Blg. 660 - An Act Changing the Name of the Province of North Cotabato to Cotabato". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
9. 1986 Constitutional Commission (February 2, 1987). "1987 Constitution of the Philippines - Apportionment Ordinance". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved November 19, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
10. Congress of the Philippines (September 14, 2012). "Republic Act No. 10177 - An Act Reapportioning the Province of Cotabato into Three (3) Legislative Districts". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
11. "Comelec bars voters of BARMM areas in Cotabato from local polls". Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 7, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
12. "BARMM asks COMELEC to reconsider resolution on SGA polls - BARMM Official Website". Bangsamoro Information Office. January 5, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
13. "Fact Sheet: Pros and Cons of Delaying the 2025 BARMM elections". November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
14. ^ "Population of Population of Legislative Districts by Region, Province, and Selected Highly Urbanized/Component City: 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
15. ^ Congressional Library Bureau. "Roster of Philippine Legislators". Republic of the Philippines, House of Representatives. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
16. Supreme Court of the Philippines (June 30, 1970). "G.R. No. L-31501 - DATU BLAH SINSUAT, Petitioner, v. SALIPADA K. PENDATUN, COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS, and THE PROVINCIAL BOARD OF CANVASSERS OF COTABATO, Respondents". The LawPhil Project. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
17. ^ Official program of the inauguration of the Republic of the Philippines and the induction into office of His Excellency Jose P. Laurel. Bureau of Printing. 1943.

• Legislative districts of the Philippines
• Politics of Cotabato