Legislative district of Mindanao and Sulu

The legislative district of Mindanao and Sulu was the collective representation of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu and its component provinces of Agusan, Bukidnon, Cotabato, Davao, Lanao, Sulu and Zamboanga as a single at-large district in the lower house of the Philippine Legislature from 1916 until 1935.

Coat of Arms of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu

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's seven component provinces; Nueva Vizcaya; the Mountain Province; and Baguio — 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. The appointment of these members of the Legislature did not require the consent of the upper house; the appointive legislators were also not necessarily required to be residents of the areas they represented.[2] For example, Assemblyman Pedro Aunario, a resident of Manila,[3] and Senator Lope K. Santos, a resident of Rizal, were among the representatives of the Mountain Province.

These arrangements remained in place despite the abolition of the Department in 1920. It lasted until 1935, when each of the seven provinces was finally 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.[4] 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.[5]

At-Large (defunct)

Period	Representatives[6]
4th Philippine Legislature 1916–1919^1	Rafael Acuña Villaruz	Datu Piang	Teodoro Palma Gil	Datu Benito	Pablo Lorenzo
5th Philippine Legislature 1919–1922	Isidro Vamenta^2			Datu Tampugaw
	Julius Schuck^3
6th Philippine Legislature 1922–1925	Rafael Acuña Villaruz	Ugalingan Piang
7th Philippine Legislature 1925–1928	Pedro de la Llana	Abdullah Piang	Arsenio Suazo	Jose P. Melencio	(vacant)
8th Philippine Legislature 1928–1931	Jose G. Sanvictores	Monico R. Mercado	Jose Artadi		Tabahur Taupan
9th Philippine Legislature 1931–1934		Datu Sinsuat	Francisco Bangoy	Datu Ibra Gundarangin	Agustin S. Alvarez
10th Philippine Legislature 1934–1935	Manuel Fortich	Julian A. Rodriguez	Doroteo Karagdag	Alaoya Alonto	Ombra Amilbangsa

^1 Representatives only assumed office in 1917 after appointment by the Governor-General, pursuant to the provisions of Act No. 2711.[6]

^2 Served from 1919 to 1920.[6]

^3 Served from 1920 to 1922.[6]

See also

• Legislative district of Agusan
• Legislative district of Bukidnon
• Legislative district of Cotabato
• Legislative district of Davao
• Legislative district of Lanao
• Legislative district of Sulu
• Legislative district of Zamboanga

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 15 February 2016)). Bureau of Printing. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
2. Cain, Andrew W. (1917). Philippine Government. Philippine Education Company, Inc. p. 57.
3. Cain, Andrew W. (1917). Philippine Government. Philippine Education Company, Inc. p. 157.
4. Commonwealth of the Philippines (8 February 1935). "The 1935 Constitution". Official Gazette. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
5. Philippine Legislature (1937). Public Laws Enacted by the Philippine Legislature, Acts No. 4203 to 4275. Bureau of Printing Office. p. 5. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
6. Congressional Library Bureau. "Roster of Philippine Legislators". Republic of the Philippines, House of Representatives. Retrieved 7 February 2017.