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 Philippinesportal |
The legislative district of General Santos, officially the Lone district of General Santos, is the representation of the highly urbanized city of General Santos in the Congress of the Philippines. The city is represented in the lower house of the Congress through its lone congressional district after the 2022 Philippine general elections.
Prior to gaining separate representation, areas now under the jurisdiction of General Santos were represented under the Department of Mindanao and Sulu (1917–1935), the historical Cotabato Province (1935–1967), Region XI (1978–1984) and South Cotabato (lone district, 1967–1972; at-large district, 1984–1986; first district, 1987–2019).
Even after becoming a highly urbanized city independent from South Cotabato in 1988, General Santos remained part of the province's congressional representation. The city only gained a separate representative with the passage of Republic Act No. 11243 on March 11, 2019, [1] which segregated General Santos from the first congressional district of South Cotabato to form its own congressional district.
Given that it was already too late for the Commission on Elections to change the old congressional district configuration data in the automated election system in time for the May 2019 polls, COMELEC Resolution No. 10524 was promulgated on April 11, 2019, to delay the elections for both the new lone congressional district of General Santos and the newly reconfigured first congressional district of South Cotabato to a date no less than six months from May 13, 2019. [2] By virtue of COMELEC Resolution No. 10552 promulgated on July 25, 2019, the date of elections for the lone district of General Santos was set for October 26, 2019. [3]
However, on September 10, 2019, the Supreme Court of the Philippines declared COMELEC Resolution No. 10524 null and void for violating the law, when COMELEC set separate special elections for the reconfigured 1st Congressional District of South Cotabato and the newly created Lone Congressional District of General Santos instead of using the new district boundaries in the next regular (i.e., 2022) election, as RA 11243 [1] intended. [4] In the same ruling, the Supreme Court ordered COMELEC to convene a Special Provincial Board of Canvassers to proclaim the winning candidate, Shirlyn L. Bañas-Nograles who garnered 68.55% of the votes cast in the May 2019 election, as the duly elected representative of the 1st Congressional District of South Cotabato, including General Santos. [4]
The Supreme Court ruling effectively sets the election of the first separate representative for General Santos to the 2022 elections.
Subsection c Section 1 of Republic Act No. 11243 designated General Santos as Third district of South Cotabato and it caused confusion of the bill's title AN ACT REAPPORTIONING THE FIRST LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT OF THE PROVINCE OF SOUTH COTABATO THEREBY CREATING THE LONE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT OF GENERAL SANTOS CITY. House Representative Ferdinand Hernandez filed House Bill No. 10021 that officially mandate and legally clarify the City of General Santos as a lone district, separate from South Cotabato. [5] It passed on House third and final reading on 15 September 2021 and on the Senate on 31 January 2022 with an amendment where the first election for the reapportioned seats will be on 2025. The bill lapsed into a law without then President Rodrigo Duterte's signature on June 2, 2022, and was indexed under Republic Act No. 11804 [6]
| Period | Representative |
|---|---|
| 19th Congress 2022–2025 | Loreto B. Acharon |
The House of Representatives is the lower house of Congress, the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, with the Senate of the Philippines as the upper house. The lower house is commonly referred to as Congress, although the term collectively refers to both houses.
The legislative districts of Agusan del Norte are the representations of the province of Agusan del Norte 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 and second congressional districts.
The legislative districts of Cavite are the representations of the province of Cavite in the various national and local legislatures of the Philippines. At present, the province is represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines by its eight congressional districts, with the districts' representatives being elected every three years. The congressional districts are coextensive with the provincial board districts, where each district is allotted two seats in the Cavite Provincial Board, creating a total of sixteen elective seats in the legislature.
The legislative districts of Sulu are the representations of the province of Sulu 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 and second congressional districts.
The legislative districts of Maguindanao were the representations of the province of Maguindanao and the independent component city of Cotabato in the various national legislatures of the Philippines. The province and the city were represented in the lower house of the Congress of the Philippines through their first and second congressional districts from 1987–2022.
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 legislative districts of Sarangani are the representations of the province of Sarangani in the Congress of the Philippines. The province is currently represented in the lower house of the Congress through its lone congressional district.
The legislative districts of South Cotabato are the representations of the province of South Cotabato and the urbanized city of General Santos 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 and second congressional districts.
The legislative districts of Sultan Kudarat are the representations of the province of Sultan Kudarat 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 and second congressional districts.
The legislative districts of Bulacan are the representations of the province of Bulacan 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, third, fourth, fifth and sixth congressional districts.
The legislative districts of Southern Leyte are the representations of the province of Southern Leyte 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 and second congressional districts.
The legislative districts of Laguna are the representations of the province of Laguna 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, third, and fourth congressional districts.
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Sema v. COMELEC and Dilangalen, 580 Phil. 623 (2008), is a court case that was ruled on by the Supreme Court of the Philippines on July 16, 2008. It was consolidated with Marquez v. COMELEC. It held that the Regional Assembly of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao does not have the power to create provinces and cities. Thus, the creation of the province of Shariff Kabunsuan was unconstitutional ab initio and that province no longer exists as a political entity in the Philippines. All its employees and officials, elected or otherwise, were declared as not holding validly created offices.
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The 2022 Philippine House of Representatives elections were the 36th lower house elections in the Philippines. The election of the House of Representatives was held on May 9, 2022.
South Cotabato's 1st congressional district is one of the two congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of South Cotabato. It has been represented in the House of Representatives since 1987. The district covers its southern municipalities of Polomolok, Tampakan and Tupi, and, until 2022, the independent city of General Santos. It is currently represented in the 19th Congress by Isidro Lumayag of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.
South Cotabato's 2nd congressional district is one of the two congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of South Cotabato. It has been represented in the House of Representatives since 1987. The district covers the provincial capital city, Koronadal, and seven adjacent municipalities, namely Banga, Lake Sebu, Norala, Santo Niño, Surallah, Tantangan and T'boli. It is currently represented in the 19th Congress by Peter Miguel of the Lakas–CMD.
South Cotabato's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district that previously encompassed the Sarangani Bay region, a former territory of South Cotabato. It was represented in the House of Representatives from its creation under the ordinance annex of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines that divided the province into three congressional districts, until 1995. The district was dissolved following the ratification of Sarangani's organic law of March 1992 which elected its own provincial at-large representative beginning in May 1995.
The 2025 Philippine House of Representatives elections will be the 37th lower house elections in the Philippines, scheduled to be held on May 12, 2025, within the 2025 Philippine general election. All 317 seats in the House of Representatives will be contested in the election, including one seat for each of the 254 congressional districts in the country and 63 seats representing party-lists apportioned on a nationwide vote.
| Cotabato | |
|---|---|
| General Santos | |
| Mindanao and Sulu | |
| Region XI | |
| Region XII | |
| Sarangani | |
| South Cotabato | |
| Sultan Kudarat | |
