Legislative district of Lanao

Philippines
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The Legislative district of Lanao was the representation of the historical province of Lanao in the various national legislatures of the Philippines until 1969. Marawi (formerly Dansalan) and Iligan also remained part of the province's representation even after becoming chartered cities in 1940 and 1950, respectively.

The undivided province's representation encompassed what are now the highly urbanized city of Iligan, and the provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur.

History

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 Lanao 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 10 March 1917 further elaborated on the manner by which these areas would be represented.[1] 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.[1] 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 a single 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.[2] 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.[3] This was the manner by which Sulu's representative was elected in 1935.

The 1st National Assembly of the Philippines passed Commonwealth Act No. 44 on 13 October 1936 to finally give all qualified voters of Lanao (along with Cotabato and Sulu) the right to elect their own representatives through popular vote.[4] Voters in Lanao Province began to elect their representatives in this manner beginning in 1938. Even after Dansalan became a chartered city in 1940 by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 592, it remained part of the province's representation.[5]

In the disruption caused by the Second World War, the Province of Lanao 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 district. For the duration of the war, Dansalan was annexed to the province and was not represented separately like other chartered cities at the time.[6]

Upon the restoration of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1945 the Lanao Province and Dansalan City (renamed Marawi in 1956[7]) retained their combined pre-war lone district. After receiving its own city charter by virtue of Republic Act No. 525 on 16 June 1950, Iligan also remained part of the representation of the Province of Lanao.[8]

The enactment of Republic Act No. 2228 on 22 May 1959 divided the old Lanao Province into Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur, and provided them each with a congressional representative.[9] In accordance with Section 8 of R.A. 2228, the incumbent representative of Lanao Province, Laurentino Badelles, served as the representative of Lanao del Norte; he also represented Lanao del Sur until the next general election in 1961.[9]

Lone District (defunct)

Period Representative[10]
1st National Assembly
1935–1938		 Tomas Cabili
2nd National Assembly
1938–1941
1st Commonwealth Congress
1941–1946		 Salvador T. Lluch
1st Congress
1946–1949		 Manalao Mindalano
2nd Congress
1949–1953		 Mohammad Ali B. Dimaporo
3rd Congress
1953–1957		 Domocao Alonto1
Mohammad Ali B. Dimaporo2
4th Congress
1957–1961		 Laurentino Ll. Badelles
^1 Lost election protest lodged by Mohammad Ali Dimaporo after already having been elected in 1955 to the Senate.[10]
^2 Won election protest against Domocao Alonto, 21 May 1957; served for the remainder of the 3rd Congress.[10]

At-Large (defunct)

Period Representatives[10]
National Assembly
1943–1944		 Datu Bato Ali[6]
Ciriaco B. Razul (ex officio)[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 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 15 February 2016). Bureau of Printing. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  2. ↑ Commonwealth of the Philippines (8 February 1935). "The 1935 Constitution". Official Gazette. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Philippine Legislature (1937). Public Laws Enacted by the Philippine Legislature, Acts No. 4203 to 4275. Bureau of Printing Office. p. 5. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  4. ↑ National Assembly of the Philippines (13 October 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. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  5. ↑ National Assembly of the Philippines (19 August 1940). "Commonwealth Act No. 592 - An Act to Create the City of Dansalan". Chan Robles Law Library. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 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.
  7. ↑ Congress of the Philippines (16 June 1956). "Republic Act No. 1552 – An Act to Amend the Charter of the City of Dansalan so as to Change Its name to Marawi and Make Elective Its Mayor, Vice-Mayor and Councilors, and for other purposes". Chan Robles Law Library. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  8. ↑ Congress of the Philippines (16 June 1950). "Republic Act No. 525 – An Act Creating the City of Iligan". Chan Robles Law Library. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  9. 1 2 Congress of the Philippines (22 May 1959). "Republic Act No. 2228 - An Act to Create the Provinces of Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur". Chan Robles Law Library. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Congressional Library Bureau. "Roster of Philippine Legislators". Republic of the Philippines, House of Representatives. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
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