Proposed provinces with enacted law •
Occidental Leyte and Oriental Leyte (1923)
Leyte was divided into two new provinces by
Act No. 3117 on March 27, 1923. The division never took place, however, as no proclamation was issued by the
Governor-General. • The province of
Oriental Leyte would have covered the present-day territories of the entire province of Biliran, the municipalities of Abuyog, Alangalang, Babatngon, Barugo, Burauen, Calubian, Capoocan, Carigara, Dagami, Dulag, Jaro, Javier, Julita, La Paz, Leyte, MacArthur, Mahaplag, Mayorga, Palo, Pastrana, San Isidro, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Tabango, Tabontabon, Tanauan, Tolosa, Tunga and Tacloban (which was designated as the provincial capital). • The province of
Occidental Leyte would have covered the present-day territories of the entire province of Southern Leyte, the municipalities of Albuera, Bato, Hilongos, Hindang, Inopacan, Isabel, Kananga, Matag-ob, Matalom, Mérida, Palompon, Villaba and the cities of Baybay and Ormoc. The province capital of Occidental Leyte "
SEC. 2. ... shall be designated by the Governor-General, until determined by a plurality vote of the electors of the new province at the next general election." •
Samal (1969)The sub-province of Samal was created by
Republic Act No. 5999 and covered the area of the present-day
Island Garden City of Samal. However, the sub-province was never inaugurated. •
Maranaw (1971)
Republic Act No. 6406, which sought to create a new province out of eastern
Lanao del Sur (now corresponding to the province's
first congressional district), was approved on October 4, 1971. The province was to consist of the municipalities of
Bubong,
Ditsaan-Ramain (including what is now
Buadiposo-Buntong),
Kapai,
Lumba-Bayabao (including what is now
Maguing),
Marantao,
Masiu,
Mulondo,
Saguiaran,
Piagapo,
Poona Bayabao,
Tamparan,
Taraka and
Wao (including what is now
Bumbaran), with the chartered city of
Marawi serving as the new province's capital. Lanao del Sur was to retain the remaining municipalities, with
Malabang serving as its new capital. Section 4 of RA 6406 provided that "
The new provinces as provided in this Act shall come into existence upon the election and qualification of their first elective provincial officials, who shall be elected in a special election simultaneously with the general elections of November, nineteen hundred and seventy-three." The division never took place due to the
declaration of
martial law in the Philippines on September 21, 1972, which disrupted the scheduled general elections for 1973 and paved the way for the adoption of a new
Constitution and the establishment of the
Fourth Philippine Republic. A legacy of this unimplemented division is the existence of two
ZIP code series for Lanao del Sur: the 93- series was retained by what were to be the remaining towns of the province (with Malabang, the new capital, being reassigned the code 9300), while a new series (97-) was assigned to what was supposed to be the province of Maranaw (with Marawi getting the new code 9700).
Rejected in a plebiscite •
Isabela del Norte and Isabela del Sur (1995)On February 20, 1995,
Republic Act No. 7891, which sought to divide the province of
Isabela, was approved. Isabela del Norte was to comprise municipalities belonging to the province's
first and
second congressional districts with
Ilagan serving as capital. Isabela del Sur was to consist of the
third and
fourth congressional districts (excluding the independent component city of
Santiago), with
Cauayan as the capital. The proposed division was rejected in a plebiscite held on June 20, 1995. •
Quezon del Norte and Quezon del Sur (2007)The act dividing the province of
Quezon into two,
Republic Act No. 9495, lapsed into law without
the President's signature on September 7, 2007. Quezon del Norte (which would be renamed from Quezon) was to be composed of the
first and
second congressional districts of the province, with
Lucena as its capital. Quezon del Sur, with its capital at
Gumaca, would have been composed of the
third and
fourth congressional districts. The COMELEC held the
plebiscite on December 13, 2008, and the majority of the votes rejected the division. Notwithstanding the voters' rejection, all the representatives of Quezon's four legislative districts—Wilfrido Mark Enverga, Irvin Alcala,
Danilo Suarez, and
Lorenzo Tañada III—reintroduced the measure as House Bill No. 3839 on December 8, 2010. They explained that “the wisdom, logic and bare facts behind what is driving this bill to be filed again in this Congress remain,” citing the persistence of poverty in far-flung coastal municipalities and small islands. Yet, the bill did not make it out of the committee level this time. •
Palawan del Norte,
Palawan Oriental, and
Palawan del Sur (2021) On April 5, 2019, President
Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11259 that proposed the division the province of Palawan, with the exception of the independent city of
Puerto Princesa, into three separate provinces. A
plebiscite was originally scheduled for the second Monday of May 2020 but was postponed to March 2021 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Palawan del Norte would have been composed of
Taytay and municipalities north of it. Palawan del Sur would have been composed of the municipalities west and south of Puerto Princesa, including
Kalayaan (which administers the country's claims in the
Spratly Islands), while the rest were proposed to form Palawan Oriental. The proposed provincial capitals would have been
Taytay (Palawan del Norte),
Brooke's Point (Palawan del Sur), and
Roxas (Palawan Oriental). The COMELEC held the plebiscite on March 13, 2021, and the majority of the votes rejected the division.
Currently proposed provinces in the 19th Congress •
Kutawato or
Moro Province (2024): Senate Bill No. 2875 of
Robin Padilla proposes the conversion of the
Special Geographic Area of the
Bangsamoro autonomous region, which is currently under the jurisdiction of the provincial government of
Soccsksargen region's
Cotabato province, into a separate province named 'Kutawato'. The bill names as capital the municipality of
Pahamuddin, which was created by an act of the
Bangsamoro Parliament. Separately, Bangsamoro regional government has been planning to convert the SGA towns into a new province. The
Moro Islamic Liberation Front which leads the regional government is already informally referring to the SGA as 'Ligawasan Province'. The regional government has alternatively proposed that the subdivision be named "Moro Province" to avoid confusion with Cotabato province. •
Western Leyte (2005, 2010, 2024, 2025): During the 13th and the 15th Congress,
Leyte 5th District Rep. Carmen L. Cari and her son and successor Rep. Jose Carlos L. Cari introduced bills seeking to carve the new province of Western Leyte out of the province of
Leyte. The Caris' constituency consisted of the
City of Baybay and the eight southernmost municipalities of the province. The bills died in the committee level. Previously, during the 9th Congress,
Leyte 4th District Rep. Carmelo J. Locsin filed House Bill No. 6388 also to create the province of Western Leyte; his district consists of the City of
Ormoc and the surrounding western municipalities of
Albuera,
Isabel,
Kananga,
Matag-ob,
Merida, and
Palompon. During the 19th congress, Leyte 4th District Rep.
Richard Gomez revived the idea through House Bill 11077, seeking to establish Western Leyte as a new province. The proposed province would consist of Cebuano-speaking areas, including Ormoc City as its capital, Baybay City, and the municipalities of Leyte, Calubian, San Isidro, Tabango, Villaba, Albuera, Isabel, Kananga, Matag-ob, Merida, Palompon, Bato, Hilongos, Hindang, Inopacan, and Matalom. This would divide Leyte’s third and fourth congressional districts, covering approximately 3,000 square kilometers with a population nearing 1 million. Gomez cited the geographic division caused by the Leyte Central Highland Range and Mt. Pangasugan, which hinders access to essential services concentrated in Tacloban City on the eastern side of the island. He maintained that creating Western Leyte would address these logistical challenges and improve service delivery for the population on the western side. •
Surigao Oriental (1992, 2015, 2022, 2025): House Bill No. 2336 seeks to carve a province out of the six southernmost local government units of
Surigao del Sur province. The
City of Bislig and the municipalities of
Barobo,
Hinatuan,
Lingig, and
Tagbina all comprise the district of the bill's author, Surigao del Sur
2nd District Representative
Johnny T. Pimentel; the bill also seeks to transfer
Lianga, currently part of the First District, to the proposed province. Bislig would be the designated capital. The bill is pending with the Committee on Local Government since August 2, 2022. A previous attempt to create the province of Surigao del Oriente, which would have covered the 2nd District municipalities but would have excluded Lianga, died in the committee level during the 16th Congress. The proposal to create a province called Surigao Oriental was raised as early as 1992 by then-2nd District Representative Ernesto T. Estrella. •
Zamboanga Occidental (2002, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2023, 2025) On September 25, 2023,
Zamboanga del Norte 3rd District Representative Adrian Michael A. Amatong filed House Bill No. 9311 seeking to create a new province out of his constituency. The proposed province would consist of the 12 westernmost municipalities of Zamboanga del Norte—
Liloy as the proposed capital, together with
Baliguian,
Godod,
Gutalac,
Kalawit,
Leon B. Postigo,
Salug,
Sibuco,
Siocon,
Sirawai, and
Tampilisan. Previous attempts to turn the district into the province of Zamboanga Occidental, the province of Liloy, or the province of Zamboanga Hermosa—which began with the efforts of then-2nd District Representative Ernesto T. Estrella as early as 1992—failed to hurdle the 12th, the 14th, the 15th, the 17th and the 19th Congress and later it passed in the 20th congress.
Other proposed provinces •
Mindoro del Sur (1998): During the 11th Congress,
Oriental Mindoro 1st District Rep. Renato Leviste filed House Bill No. 1476 proposing to turn the adjoining
2nd District into its own province called Mindoro del Sur. The proposed province would have consisted of the seven municipalities forming the southern half of
Oriental Mindoro:
Bansud,
Bongabong,
Bulalacao,
Gloria,
Mansalay,
Pinamalayan, and
Roxas. However, the measure did not take off. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan in 2002 passed a resolution urging the province's two representatives, Charity Leviste and Alfonso Umali, Jr., to refile the bill in the 12th Congress, but to no avail. •
Panguil Bay (1999): During the 11th Congress,
Lanao del Norte 1st District Rep. Alipio Cirilo Badelles filed House Bill No. 8049 to carve the province of Panguil Bay out of
Lanao del Norte. The bill died in the committee level. •
Bukidnon del Sur (2004): In November 2004, during the 13th Congress,
Bukidnon 3rd District Rep.
Juan Miguel F. Zubiri filed a bill seeking to carve the new province of Bukidnon del Sur out of the province of
Bukidnon. The proposed province would have been composed of 10 southwestern and southern municipalities:
Damulog,
Dangcagan,
Don Carlos,
Kadingilan,
Kalilangan,
Kibawe,
Kitaotao,
Maramag,
Pangantucan, and
Quezon. The capital would have been determined by way of plebiscite had the bill passed into law. House Bill No. 4834 was unanimously approved on third reading by the House of Representatives on November 21, 2005, but it never moved past the committee level at the Senate. •
Cebu del Norte,
Cebu del Sur, and
Occidental Cebu (2005): During the 13th Congress, the province of
Cebu grappled with the so-called
Sugbuak controversy. Three bills were filed in January and February 2005 by
2nd District Rep. Simeon L. Kintanar,
3rd District Rep. Antonio P. Yapha, Jr., and
4th District Clavel A. Martinez, who sought to turn their respective constituencies into the new provinces of Cebu del Sur, Occidental Cebu, and Cebu del Norte, respectively. The consolidated substitute bill, House Bill No. 5721, was approved by the Committee on Local Government but was not acted upon by the Committee on Rules by the end of the 13th Congress amid strong opposition. •
Misamis North and
Misamis South (2005): During the 13th Congress,
Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Augusto H. Baculio introduced two bills seeking to carve the provinces of Misamis North and Misamis South out of the province of
Misamis Oriental. The bills died in the committee level. •
Northwestern Samar (2008, 2010, 2019, 2026) Most recently during the 17th Congress, House Bill No. 8824 was introduced in the House of Representatives on January 22, 2019, by
1st District Representative
Edgar Mary Sarmiento to turn his constituency into a new province called Northwestern Samar. The proposed province would have consisted of the
City of Calbayog as its capital, along with the nine municipalities of
Almagro,
Gandara,
Matuginao,
Pagsanghan,
San Jorge,
Santa Margarita,
Santo Niño,
Tagapul-an, and
Tarangnan. This proposal has repeatedly died in the committee level during the 14th, 15th and 17th Congress and later re-filled again. •
Nueva Camarines (2011, 2025) On May 24, 2011, during the 15th Congress,
Camarines Sur Fourth District Rep.
Arnulfo Fuentebella introduced House Bill 4728, which sought to create a new province out of the
City of Iriga and 16 municipalities comprising the eastern half and the southern portion of Camarines Sur. This would have included all 10 municipalities of Fuentebella's Fourth District (
Caramoan,
Garchitorena,
Goa,
Lagonoy,
Presentacion,
Sagñay,
San Jose,
Siruma,
Tigaon, and
Tinambac) and all six municipalities of the adjacent
Fifth District (
Baao,
Balatan,
Bato,
Buhi,
Bula, and
Nabua). Tigaon would have been the capital of the proposed province. Just three months later, on August 3, 2011, the finalized measure numbered House Bill No. 4820 passed the House of Representatives of the Philippines with 229 votes in favor to one against. However, it failed to gain the concurrence of the Senate, which did not take up the controversial bill by the end of 15th Congress, following the opposition of Senators
Joker Arroyo,
Antonio Trillanes IV,
Bongbong Marcos and
Manny Villar. In 2015,
Rappler reported: “It is widely believed here that the Fuentebellas want a new province they can rule because they had failed to win the
governorship of Camarines Sur since former Governor
Luis Villafuerte held the position.”
Proposed renaming •
Southern Leyte to
Leyte del Sur (2007)
Southern Leyte Lone District Rep. Roger Mercado introduced bills to rename the province of
Southern Leyte to Leyte del Sur, citing a desire to “enhance the identity of [the province] as geographically a part of the
Leyte Island with a distinct personality of its own” and to have the province alphabetically listed closer to the neighboring province of
Leyte, from which it was separated in 1959. Mercado first filed the bill in 2007, and this attempt gained traction during the 14th Congress, as House Bill No. 6650 was passed by the House of Representatives on September 8, 2009, with 170 votes in its favor and none against it. The Senate, however, did not act on the measure. Mercado's second attempt in 2017 did not prosper, as House Bill No. 1602 died in the committee level during the 17th Congress. == See also ==