South Cotabato's 3rd congressional district is a congressional district that previously encompassed the Sarangani Bay region, a former territory of South Cotabato. It was represented in the House of Representatives from its creation under the ordinance annex of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines that divided the province into three congressional districts, until 1995.[1] [2] The district was dissolved following the ratification of Sarangani's organic law of March 1992 which elected its own provincial at-large representative beginning in May 1995.[3]
The 3rd district was recreated in 2022 through a law that reapportioned South Cotabato's districts into three and made General Santos officially a single, distinct legislative district. This time, it will encompass the western municipalities of Lake Sebu, Norala, Santo Niño, Surallah, and T'boli. The district will be contested again in May 2025.[4]
| Member | Term of office | Congress | Party | Electoral history | Constituent LGUs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||||||||
South Cotabato's 3rd district for the House of Representatives of the Philippines | |||||||||
| District created February 2, 1987, from South Cotabato's at-large district. | |||||||||
| 1 | James L. Chiongbian | June 30, 1987 | June 30, 1995 | 8th | Lakas ng Bansa | Elected in 1987. | 1987–1995 Alabel, Glan, Kiamba, Maasim, Maitum, Malapatan, Malungon | ||
| 9th | Lakas | Re-elected in 1992. Redistricted to Sarangani's at-large district. | |||||||
| District dissolved into Sarangani's at-large district. | |||||||||
| District recreated June 2, 2022, from South Cotabato's 2nd district. | |||||||||
| 2 | To be chosen | June 30, 2025 | 20th | TBD | To be elected in 2025. | 2025–future Lake Sebu, Norala, Santo Niño, Surallah, T'boli | |||