Legislative districts of Surigao

The legislative district of Surigao was the representation of the historical province of Surigao in the various national legislatures of the Philippines until the election of representatives for its successor provinces in 1961. The undivided province's representation encompassed the present-day provinces of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands.

History

Surigao initially comprised a [|lone district] for the purposes of electing representatives to the First Philippine Assembly in 1907. When seats for the upper house of the Philippine Legislature were elected from territory-based districts between 1916 and 1935, the province formed part of the eleventh senatorial district which elected two out of the 24-member Senate.
During the Second World War, two delegates represented Surigao in the National Assembly of the Japanese-sponsored Second Philippine Republic: one was the provincial governor, 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 continued to constitute a single representative district.
The enactment of Republic Act No. 2786 on 19 June 1960 split Surigao into Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur, and provided each province separate representation in Congress. The new provinces first elected their separate representatives in the 1961 elections.