South Cotabato's 3rd congressional district
| South Cotabato's 3rd congressional district | |
|---|---|
| Constituency for the House of Representatives of the Philippines | |
| Province | South Cotabato |
| Region | Soccsksargen |
| Population | 358,088 (2020)[1] |
| Electorate | 222,412 (2025)[2] |
| Major settlements | |
| Area | 54.84 km2 (21.17 sq mi) |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1987 |
| Representative | Dibu Tuan |
| Political party | Lakas–CMD |
South Cotabato's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district in South Cotabato that encompasses the western municipalities of Lake Sebu, Norala, Santo Niño, Surallah, and T'boli.[3] It previously encompassed the Sarangani Bay region, a former territory of South Cotabato, from 1987 to 1995.[4] It has been represented in the House of Representatives since 2025 and previously from 1987 to 1995.[5][6] It is currently represented in the 20th Congress by Dibu Tuan of the Lakas–CMD.
History
The district was initially created in 1987 under the ordinance annex of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines that divided South Cotabato into three congressional districts.[5][6] The district was dissolved in 1995 following the ratification of the law that created the province of Sarangani in March 1992, wherein both provinces would elect their respective provincial at-large representatives beginning in May 1995.[4]
It was later recreated on March 11, 2019, from South Cotabato's 1st district, with General Santos being the sole component under Republic Act No. 11243.[7] The title of the act mentions creating "the Lone Legislative District of General Santos City," but its Section 1, paragraph (C) shows that General Santos was South Cotabato's 3rd district.[8] As it was too late in the preparation for the May 2019 elections, elections were postponed to October 2019.[9] As the ballots, which showed the old configuration with General Santos as part of the first district, also had ballot questions for other positions, voting went through, and voters freely voted on the 1st district race. Days before the rescheduled election, the Supreme Court declared the postponement as unconstitutional, and declared the candidate with the most votes in May 2019 as the winner, with the 3rd district as General Santos scheduled to be first contested in 2022.[10]
However, the South Cotabato's districts were redistricted in 2022 through a law that reapportioned South Cotabato's districts into three and made General Santos officially a single, distinct legislative district.
Representation history
| # | Image | Member | Term of office | Congress | Party | Electoral history | Constituent LGUs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||||||||
South Cotabato's 3rd district for the House of Representatives of the Philippines | |||||||||
| District created February 2, 1987, from South Cotabato's at-large district.[6] | |||||||||
| 1 | James L. Chiongbian | June 30, 1987 | June 30, 1995 | 8th | Lakas ng Bansa | Elected in 1987. | 1987–1995 Alabel, Glan, Kiamba, Maasim, Maitum, Malapatan, Malungon | ||
| 9th | Lakas | Re-elected in 1992. Redistricted to Sarangani's at-large district. | |||||||
| District dissolved into Sarangani's at-large district.[4] | |||||||||
| District recreated on March 11, 2019 from South Cotabato's 1st district.[7] | |||||||||
| Redistricted on June 2, 2022, from South Cotabato's 2nd district.[3] | |||||||||
| 2 | Dibu S. Tuan | June 30, 2025 | Incumbent | 20th | Lakas | Elected in 2025. | 2025–present Lake Sebu, Norala, Santo Niño, Surallah, T'boli | ||
See also
References
- ^ Census of Population (2020). Table B - Population and Annual Growth Rates by Province, City, and Municipality - By Region. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Data on the Total Number Established and Clustered Precincts, Registered Voters and Voting Centers" (PDF). Commission on Elections. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
- ^ a b Republic Act No. 11804 (June 2, 2022), An Act Reapportioning the Province of South Cotabato Into Three (3) Legislative Districts, and Separating the City of General Santos From the Third Legislative District of the Province of South Cotabato to Constitute the Lone Legislative District of the City of General Santos, Repealing for the Purpose Republic Act No. 11243, Entitled "An Act Reapportioning the First Legislative District of the Province of South Cotabato Thereby Creating the Lone Legislative District of General Santos City" (PDF), Official Gazette, retrieved July 27, 2024
- ^ a b c Republic Act No. 7228 (March 16, 1992), An Act Creating the Province of Sarangani, Official Gazette (Philippines), retrieved March 2, 2021
- ^ a b "Roster of Philippine legislators". House of Representatives of the Philippines. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b c "The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines". Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
- ^ a b "Duterte signs law making GenSan separate district". www.pna.gov.ph. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- ^ "AN ACT REAPPORTIONING THE FIRST LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT OF THE PROVINCE OF SOUTH COTABATO THEREBY CREATING THE LONE LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT OF GENERAL SANTOS CITY". Supreme Court of the Philippines. 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- ^ Jaymalin, Mayen. "S. Leyte, S. Cotabato special polls set". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- ^ "Bañas-Nograles proclaimed congresswoman of 1st district of South Cotabato". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2024-11-02.