Batanes's at-large congressional district | |
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Constituency for the House of Representatives of the Philippines | |
Province | Batanes |
Region | Cagayan Valley |
Population | 18,831 (2020)[1] |
Electorate | 13,820 (2022)[2] |
Area | 219.01 km2 (84.56 sq mi) |
Current constituency | |
Created | 1909 (single-member district) |
Representative | Ciriaco B. Gato Jr. |
Political party | NPC |
Congressional bloc | Majority |
Batanes's at-large congressional district refers to the lone congressional district of the Philippines in the province of Batanes. Batanes has been represented in the country's various national legislatures since 1898.[3] The first congressional delegation consisted of two members in the First Philippine Republic legislature known as the Malolos Congress.
Since 1909 when it was re-established as a regular province separate from Cagayan, Batanes has been entitled to one member in the House of Representatives of the Philippines, elected provincewide at-large, except for a brief period between 1943 and 1944 when it was again eliminated and absorbed by Cagayan's at-large representation for the National Assembly of the Second Philippine Republic.[4] From 1978 to 1984, all provinces were converted into multi-seat regional at-large districts for the Interim Batasang Pambansa of the Fourth Philippine Republic, with Batanes forming part of the seven-seat Region II's at-large district. It was restored as a single-member district in 1984.[4]
The district is currently represented in the 19th Congress by Ciriaco B. Gato Jr. of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC).[5]