Negros Occidental's 3rd congressional district

Negros Occidental's 3rd congressional district
Negros Occidental's 3rd congressional district
Constituency; for the House of Representatives of the Philippines
	Boundary of Negros Occidental's 3rd congressional district in Negros Occidental
	Location of Negros Occidental within the Philippines
Province	Negros Occidental
Region	Negros Island Region
Population	482,646 (2020)
Electorate	313,671 (2022)
Major settlements	5 LGUs Cities ; Silay ; Talisay ; Victorias ; Municipalities ; Enrique B. Magalona ; Murcia ;
Area	942.29 km2 (363.82 sq mi)
Current constituency
Created	1907
Representative	Javi Benitez
Political party	PFP
Congressional bloc	Majority

Negros Occidental's 3rd congressional district is one of the six congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of Negros Occidental. It has been represented in the House of Representatives of the Philippines since 1916 and earlier in the Philippine Assembly from 1907 to 1916.^[3] The district consists of the cities of Silay, Talisay and Victorias, as well as the adjacent municipalities of Enrique B. Magalona and Murcia. The seat is currently represented in the 20th Congress by Javier Miguel L. Benitez of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP).

The district served as an electoral district in the 1934 Constitutional Convention, electing two delegates, and in the 1971 Constitutional Convention, electing four delegates.^[4]^[5]

It is one of two congressional districts that produced at least two House Speakers (the other district is Leyte's 1st): Gil Montilla and José Yulo.

List of members representing the district

Philippine Assembly (1907–1916)

Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office		Legislature	Electoral history	Constituencies
District created January 9, 1907.^[6]^[7]
	Agustin Montilla	October 16, 1907 – October 16, 1909	Progresista	1st Legislature	Elected in 1907.	1907–1916 Binalbagan, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, Pontevedra
	Rafael Ramos	October 16, 1909 – October 16, 1912	Nacionalista	2nd Legislature	Elected in 1909.
	Gil Montilla (1876–1946)	October 16, 1912 – October 16, 1916	Nacionalista	3rd Legislature	Elected in 1912.

House of Representatives (1916–1935)

Member (Lifespan)	Term of office		Legislature	Electoral history	Constituencies
Gil Montilla (1876–1946)	October 16, 1916 – June 3, 1919	Nacionalista	4th Legislature	Re-elected in 1916.	1916–1919 Binalbagan, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, Pontevedra
Tito Silverio (1873–1964)	June 3, 1919 – June 6, 1922	Nacionalista	5th Legislature	Elected in 1919.	1919–1935 Binalbagan, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, La Castellana, Pontevedra
Eliseo Limsiaco (1895–1950)	June 6, 1922 – June 2, 1925	Nacionalista Colectivista	6th Legislature	Elected in 1922.
Isaac Lacson (1889–1964)	June 2, 1925 – June 5, 1928	Nacionalista Consolidado	7th Legislature	Elected in 1925.
Emilio Montilla	June 5, 1928 – June 2, 1931	Nacionalista Consolidado	8th Legislature	Elected in 1928.
Emilio Yulo	June 2, 1931 – June 5, 1934	Nacionalista Consolidado	9th Legislature	Elected in 1931.
Agustin S. Ramos (1885–1957)	June 5, 1934 – November 15, 1935	Nacionalista Democratico	10th Legislature	Elected in 1934.

1934 Constitutional Convention (1934–1935)

Seat A							Seat B							Legislature	Constituencies
Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office	Party		Electoral history		Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office	Party		Electoral history		Legislature	Constituencies
	Enrique Montilla	July 30, 1934 – February 19, 1935		Nonpartisan	Elected in 1934.			Jesus Y. Perez	July 30, 1934 – February 19, 1935		Nonpartisan	Elected in 1934.		1934 Constitutional Convention	1934–1935 Binalbagan, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, La Castellana, Pontevedra

National Assembly (1935–1945)

Commonwealth

Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office		Legislature	Electoral history	Constituencies
	Gil Montilla (1876–1946)	November 15, 1935 – December 30, 1938	Nacionalista Democratico	1st National Assembly	Re-elected in 1935.	1935–1941 Binalbagan, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, La Castellana, Pontevedra
	José Yulo (1894–1976)	December 30, 1938 – December 30, 1941	Nacionalista	2nd National Assembly	Elected in 1938.
District dissolved into the two-seat Negros Occidental's at-large district for the Second Republic National Assembly.

House of Representatives (1945–1972)

Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office		Legislature	Electoral history	Constituencies
District re-created May 24, 1945.
	Raymundo Vargas	June 9, 1945 – May 25, 1946	Nacionalista	1st Commonwealth Congress	Elected in 1941.	1945–1949 Binalbagan, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, La Castellana, Pontevedra
	Eliseo Limsiaco (1895–1950)	May 25, 1946 – December 30, 1949	Liberal	2nd Commonwealth Congress	Elected in 1946.
	Eliseo Limsiaco (1895–1950)	May 25, 1946 – December 30, 1949	Liberal	1st Congress	Elected in 1946.
	Augurio Abeto (1904–1977)	December 30, 1949 – December 30, 1953	Liberal	2nd Congress	Elected in 1949.	1949–1953 Asia, Binalbagan, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, La Castellana, Pontevedra, Sipalay
	Agustin Gatuslao (1904–1973)	December 30, 1953 – December 30, 1965	Nacionalista	3rd Congress	Elected in 1953.	1953–1957 Asia, Binalbagan, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, La Castellana, Magallon, Pontevedra, Sipalay
				4th Congress	Re-elected in 1957.	1957–1961 Asia, Binalbagan, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Sipalay
				5th Congress	Re-elected in 1961.	1961–1972 Binalbagan, Candoni, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Hinoba-an, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Sipalay
	Felix Feria Jr.	December 30, 1965 – December 30, 1969	Liberal	6th Congress	Elected in 1965.
	Agustin Gatuslao (1904–1973)	December 30, 1969 – September 23, 1972	Nacionalista	7th Congress	Elected in 1969. Term cut short upon the imposition of martial law.
District dissolved into the sixteen-seat Region VI's at-large district for the Interim Batasang Pambansa, followed by the seven-seat Negros Occidental's at-large district for the Regular Batasang Pambansa.

1971 Constitutional Convention (1971–1972)

Seat A							Seat B							Seat C							Seat D							Legislature	Constituencies
Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office	Party		Electoral history		Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office	Party		Electoral history		Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office	Party		Electoral history		Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office	Party		Electoral history		Legislature	Constituencies
	Jacinto Montilla	June 1, 1971 – November 29, 1972		Nonpartisan	Elected in 1970.			Gregorio Tingson	June 1, 1971 – November 29, 1972		Nonpartisan	Elected in 1970.			Plaridel Villadelgado	June 1, 1971 – November 29, 1972		Nonpartisan	Elected in 1970.			Juan Yulo	June 1, 1971 – November 29, 1972		Nonpartisan	Elected in 1970.		1971 Constitutional Convention	1971–1972 Binalbagan, Candoni, Cauayan, Himamaylan, Hinigaran, Hinoba-an, Ilog, Isabela, Kabankalan, La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Sipalay

House of Representatives (1987–present)

Portrait	Member (Lifespan)	Term of office		Legislature	Electoral history	Constituencies
District re-created February 2, 1987.
	Jose Carlos Lacson	June 30, 1987 – June 30, 1998	UNIDO	8th Congress	Elected in 1987.	1987–present Enrique B. Magalona, Murcia, Silay, Talisay, Victorias
			Lakas	9th Congress	Re-elected in 1992.
			Lakas	10th Congress	Re-elected in 1995.
	Edith Villanueva	June 30, 1998 – June 30, 2001	LDP	11th Congress	Elected in 1998.
	Jose Carlos Lacson	June 30, 2001 – June 30, 2010	Lakas	12th Congress	Elected in 2001.
				13th Congress	Re-elected in 2004.
				14th Congress	Re-elected in 2007.
	Albee Benitez (born 1966)	June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2019	Liberal	15th Congress	Elected in 2010.
			Independent	16th Congress	Re-elected in 2013.
			PDP–Laban	17th Congress	Re-elected in 2016.
	Jose Francisco Benitez (born 1969)	June 30, 2019 – August 16, 2024	PDP–Laban (until 2022)	18th Congress	Elected in 2019.
			PFP (from 2022)	18th Congress	Elected in 2019.
			PFP (from 2022)	19th Congress	Re-elected in 2022. Resigned on appointment as Technical Education and Skills Development Authority director general.
Vacant (August 16, 2024 – June 30, 2025)				19th Congress	No special election held to fill vacancy.
	Javi Benitez (born 1994)	June 30, 2025 – present	PFP	20th Congress	Elected in 2025.

Election results

2010

2010 Philippine House of Representatives election in Negros Occidental
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	NPC	Albee Benitez	116,772	62.21
	Independent	Esteban Coscolluela	40,602	21.63
	Independent	Ted Jimenez	30,325	16.16
Valid ballots			187,699	92.05
Invalid or blank votes			16,219	7.95
Total votes			203,918	100.00
	NPC gain from Lakas–Kampi

2013

2013 Philippine House of Representatives election in Negros Occidental
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Albee Benitez (incumbent)	107,422	64.83
	Lakas	Jose Carlos Lacson	58,268	35.17
Valid ballots			165,690	91.06
Invalid or blank votes			16,263	8.94
Total votes			181,953	100.00
	Liberal hold

2016

2016 Philippine House of Representatives election in Negros Occidental
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Independent	Albee Benitez (incumbent)	177,232	90.37
	NUP	Anthony Puey	13,393	6.83
	Independent	Antonio Barello Jr.	5,488	2.80
Valid ballots			196,113	82.63
Invalid or blank votes			41,240	17.37
Total votes			237,353	100.00
	Independent hold

2019

2019 Philippine House of Representatives election in Negros Occidental
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	PDP–Laban	Jose Francisco Benitez	173,352	100.00
Total votes			173,352	100.00
	PDP–Laban hold

2022

2022 Philippine House of Representatives election in Negros Occidental
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	PDP–Laban	Jose Francisco Benitez (incumbent)	204,301	92.33
	Reform	Toto Bernard Ferraris	16,967	7.67
Total votes			221,268	100.00
	PDP–Laban hold

2025

2025 Philippine House of Representatives election in Negros Occidental
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	PFP	Javi Benitez	200,044	92.03
	PLM	Toto Bernard Ferraris	17,336	7.97
Total votes			217,380	100.00
	PFP hold

References

↑ Census of Population (2020). Table B - Population and Annual Growth Rates by Province, City, and Municipality - By Region. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
↑ "Number and Turn-Out of Registered Voters and Voters Who Actually Voted by City/Municipality May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections". Commission on Elections. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
↑ "Roster of Philippine legislators". House of Representatives of the Philippines. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
↑ Act No. 4125 (May 26, 1934), An Act to Provide for the Election and Holding of the Constitutional Convention Authorized by the Act of the Congress of the United States of March Twenty-Fourth, Nineteen Hundred and Thirty-Four, Appropriate Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes
↑ Republic Act No. 6132 (August 24, 1970), An Act Implementing Resolution of Both Houses Numbered Two as Amended by Resolution of Both Houses Numbered Four of the Congress of the Philippines Calling for a Constitutional Convention, Providing for Proportional Representation Therein and Other Details Relating to the Election of Delegates to and the Holding of the Constitutional Convention, Repealing for the Purpose Republic Act Four Thousand Nine Hundred Fourteen, and for Other Purposes
↑ "Act No. 1582, (1907-01-09)". Lawyerly. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
↑ Division of Insular Affairs (1908). Eighth Annual Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War. Elihu Root Collection of United States Documents Relating to the Philippine Islands. Vol. 253. Elihu Root, Secretary of War. Washington, D.C.: United States War Department. p. 49. Retrieved April 11, 2020.

[PSA20–[[Category:Errors_reported_by_Module_String]]<strong_class="error">String_Module_Error:_String_subset_index_out_of_range</strong>-1] Census of Population (2020). Table B - Population and Annual Growth Rates by Province, City, and Municipality - By Region. Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved July 8, 2021.

[2] "Number and Turn-Out of Registered Voters and Voters Who Actually Voted by City/Municipality May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections". Commission on Elections. Retrieved September 24, 2023.

[congleg-3] "Roster of Philippine legislators". House of Representatives of the Philippines. Retrieved April 23, 2020.

[4] Act No. 4125 (May 26, 1934), An Act to Provide for the Election and Holding of the Constitutional Convention Authorized by the Act of the Congress of the United States of March Twenty-Fourth, Nineteen Hundred and Thirty-Four, Appropriate Funds Therefor, and for Other Purposes

[5] Republic Act No. 6132 (August 24, 1970), An Act Implementing Resolution of Both Houses Numbered Two as Amended by Resolution of Both Houses Numbered Four of the Congress of the Philippines Calling for a Constitutional Convention, Providing for Proportional Representation Therein and Other Details Relating to the Election of Delegates to and the Holding of the Constitutional Convention, Repealing for the Purpose Republic Act Four Thousand Nine Hundred Fourteen, and for Other Purposes

[electionlaw-6] "Act No. 1582, (1907-01-09)". Lawyerly. Retrieved February 20, 2021.

[7] Division of Insular Affairs (1908). Eighth Annual Report of the Philippine Commission to the Secretary of War. Elihu Root Collection of United States Documents Relating to the Philippine Islands. Vol. 253. Elihu Root, Secretary of War. Washington, D.C.: United States War Department. p. 49. Retrieved April 11, 2020.

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Congressional districts for the House of Representatives of the Philippines in the Negros Island Region
Bacolod	At-large
Negros Occidental	At-large* 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
Negros Oriental	At-large* 1st 2nd 3rd
Region VI	At-large*
Region VII	At-large*
Siquijor	At-large
Districts marked with asterisks (*) are defunct. Districts per region I II III IV-A V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII BARMM CAR Mimaropa NCR NIR