Provinces of the Philippines
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The provinces are grouped into 17 regions (rehiyon) based on geographical, cultural, and ethnological characteristics. Fourteen of the regions are designated with numbers corresponding roughly with their geographic location from north to south. The National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao do not have a number designation.
The provincial government is headed by a governor (gobernador). For purposes of legislative representation, the province is divided into one or more congressional districts (distrito). Each city or municipality belongs to one of these districts. One congressman (kinatawan) represents each district in the House of Representatives. Every district also has board members in the Provincial Board (see the succeeding section on the Provincial government).
Provincial government
The provincial government has an executive and a legislative branch. The judicial powers in the province are under the supervision of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The provincial government is an autonomous unit, given direct supervision of the affairs of the province. The president of the Philippines coordinates with the provinces through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Executive branch
The provincial government is headed by a governor (gobernador), who is the chief executive and head of the province. Under the governor are the various provincial departments such as the Administration, Legal Office, Information Office, Engineering Office, and Treasury Office.
The governor is elected a term of three years and may be elected for a maximum of three terms. The provincial department heads are appointed by the governor.
Legislative branch
Heading the legislature of the province is the vice-governor (bise-gobernador) who presides over the Provincial Board (Sangguniang Panlalawigan), which is composed of board members from each district in the province. Depending on the income class of the province, it may either have eight or ten board members. First and second class provinces have ten board members while third and fourth class provinces have eight. Negros Occidental and Cebu are exceptions, having 12 board members each.
The board also has, as ex-officio members, the provincial president of the Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) (Liga ng mga Barangay), the provincial president of the Philippine Councilors League (PCL), and the provincial president of Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) Federation (the youth council).
All of the board members are elected by the citizens of the province along with the governor. The ex-officio members are elected within their organizations.
List of provinces
Note 1: On February 20, 1995, legislation was approved for the division of Isabela into Isabela del Norte and Isabela del Sur. The division never took place.
Note 2: Negros del Norte was created from Negros Occidental on January 3, 1986. Its creation was declared unconstitutional on July 11, 1986, and it was abolished on August 18, 1986.
Name origins
The provinces are mainly named after geographic features like rivers and islands, after people or individuals, or they bear a name of older local origin.Provinces named after:
- Ethnic groups: Apayao, Ifugao, Kalinga, Maguindanao, Negros, Zambales
- Presidents: Quirino, Quezon
- Heroes: Rizal, Sultan Kudarat
- Other Known People: Aurora, Isabela
- : Agusan, Aklan, Iloilo, Pampanga, Tarlac
- : Laguna, Lanao
- Other bodies of water: Albay, Ilocos
- : Basilan, Batanes Islands (plural) , Biliran, Bohol, Catanduanes, Cebu, Guimaras Leyte, Masbate, Negros, Romblon, Samar, Siquijor
- : Bataan, Cavite, Zamboanga
- Other landforms: Mountain Province
- Prominent cities and towns in the province: Batangas, Cavite, Cotabato, Zamboanga
- Spanish regions: Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya
- Nature, flora and fauna: Antique (from the red ants known locally as lantik-lantik), Batangas (root word: 'batang' log), Bulacan (root word: bulaklak - flower), Pangasinan (root word: asin - salt)
See also
- Seals of the Philippine provinces
- [[ISO 3166-2:PH]]
References
- [Philippine Standard Geographic Code Interactive], National Statistical Coordination Board
- [Total Population, Number of Households, Average Household Size, Population Growth Rate and Population Density by Region, Province and Highly Urbanized City: as of May 1, 2000], Census 2000 Final Counts, National Statistics Office, Republic of the Philippines
- [The Local Government Code of the Philippines], Department of Interior and Local Government, Republic of the Philippines
- [Government system based on US and Spanish models under review], Andrew Stevens, Local government in The Philippines, City Mayors
External links
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