The legislative districts of Benguet are the representations of the province of Benguet 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 lone congressional district.
History
In 1917, the undivided Mountain Province, of which Benguet was a component sub-province, was provided representation in the Philippine Legislature. Pursuant to the Revised Administrative Code (Act No. 2711) enacted on March 10, 1917, the non-Christian-majority areas of the Philippines, which then included the Mountain Province and Baguio, were to be collectively represented in the legislature's upper house by two senators from the 12th senatorial district, both appointed by the Governor-General. Three assembly members, also appointed by the Governor-General, were to represent the Mountain Province and the chartered city of Baguio in the lower house as a single at-large district.
The residents of Benguet and the rest of the Mountain Province only began electing representatives through popular vote in 1935 by virtue of Act No. 4203; the law provided the territorial coverage for each lower house representative district, while also abolishing the senatorial district system. The sub-province was then represented as part of the Mountain Province's second district, which also included the city of Baguio.
In the disruption caused by the Second World War, the Mountain Province 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. Baguio, being a chartered city, was represented separately in this short-lived legislative body. Upon the restoration of the Philippine Commonwealth in 1945, district representation was restored to the pre-war setup: the sub-province of Benguet and Baguio remained part of Mountain Province's second district.
The enactment of Republic Act No. 4695 on June 18, 1966 made the sub-province of Benguet into a full-fledged province. Per Section 10 of R.A. 4695 Baguio was to be part of the newly independent province's representative district. Benguet, along with Baguio, began electing its separate representative starting in the next general election.
Benguet was represented in the Interim Batasang Pambansa as part of Region I from 1978 to 1984. The province returned one representative, elected at-large, to the Regular Batasang Pambansa in 1984. Baguio separately elected its own representative in this election.
Under the new Constitution which was proclaimed on February 11, 1987, Benguet was once more grouped with Baguio. The latter, though an independent city since 1909, comprised what was legally known between 1987 and 1995 as the first district of Benguet, while the actual province itself comprised the second district. Both elected members to the restored House of Representatives starting that same year.
Starting in 1995 the first district was re-designated as the "Legislative district of Baguio", thereby making the second district Benguet's lone district.
Since 2019, the districts used in appropriation of members is coextensive with the legislative districts of Benguet. Prior to 2019 when the province was just one congressional district, the Commission on Elections divided the province into two provincial board districts.
Lone District
Population (2015): 446,224
Period Representative 9th Congress1992–1995 Samuel M. Dangwa 10th Congress1995–1998 Ronald M. Cosalan 11th Congress1998–2001 12th Congress2001–2004 Samuel M. Dangwa 13th Congress2004–2007 14th Congress2007–2010 15th Congress2010–2013 Ronald M. Cosalan 16th Congress2013–2016 17th Congress2016–201918th Congress2019–2022 Nestor B. Fongwan vacant 19th Congress2022–2025 Eric G. Yap 20th Congress2025–2028 Eric G. Yap
1969–1972 includes Baguio Period Representative 7th Congress1969–1972 Andres Cosalan Notes
1st District (defunct)
City: Baguio
Period Representative 8th Congress1987–1992 Honorato Y. Aquino Notes
2nd District (defunct) Municipalities: Atok, Bakun, Bokod, Buguias, Itogon, Kabayan, Kapangan, Kibungan, La Trinidad, Mankayan, Sablan, Tuba, Tublay
Period Representative 8th Congress1987–1992 Samuel M. Dangwa
At-Large (defunct) excludes Baguio Period Representative Regular Batasang Pambansa1984–1986 Samuel M. Dangwa
See also Legislative district of Baguio Legislative district of Mountain Province
References