| Leyte's 1st congressional district | |
|---|---|
| Constituency for the House of Representatives of the Philippines | |
Boundary of Leyte's 1st congressional district in Leyte | |
 Location of Leyte within the Philippines | |
| Province | Leyte |
| Region | Eastern Visayas |
| Population | 534,120 (2020)[1] |
| Electorate | 328,387 (2022)[2] |
| Major settlements | 8 LGUs
|
| Area | 988.74 km2 (381.75 sq mi) |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1907 |
| Representative | Martin Romualdez |
| Political party | Lakas |
| Congressional bloc | Majority |
Leyte's 1st congressional district is one of the five congressional districts of the Philippines in the province of Leyte. 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 provincial capital, Tacloban, and adjacent municipalities of Alangalang, Babatngon, Palo, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Tanauan and Tolosa since 1987. It is currently represented in the 19th Congress by Martin Romualdez of the Lakas–CMD (Lakas), who has served as the House Speaker since July 2022.[4]
Until 1931, it consisted of the sub-province of Biliran and the northwestern municipalities of Albuera, Baybay, Calubian, Leyte, Merida, Ormoc, Palompon, San Isidro, and Villaba. Following the creation of the fifth district, Albuera, Baybay, and Ormoc were redistricted to the second district, while other municipalities were retained;[5] Isabel, Matag-ob, and Tabango were later established as new municipalities after the district was re-created in 1945. Following the creation of Southern Leyte in 1959, these areas under this district were reapportioned to the third district, and the district was redefined to consist of the city of Tacloban and the eastern municipalities of Abuyog, Babatngon, Dulag, Javier, MacArthur, Mahaplag, Mayorga, Palo, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Tanauan, and Tolosa, all previously from the fourth district, from 1961 until its second dissolution in 1972.[6]
Leyte's 1st district has seen two House Speakers, the most by any district: Daniel Z. Romualdez and his nephew, Martin Romualdez.
- ^ "TABLE 1. Population of legislative districts by Region, Province, and selected Highly Urbanized/Component City : 2015". Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "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 16, 2023.
- ^ "Roster of Philippine legislators". House of Representatives of the Philippines. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ "House Members". House of Representatives of the Philippines. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
- ^ Act No. 3788 (December 2, 1930), An Act Reorganizing the Representative Districts of the Province of Leyte and Creating a Fifth District, Lawyerly, retrieved May 6, 2020
- ^ Republic Act No. 2227 (May 22, 1959), An Act Creating the Province of Southern Leyte, The Lawphil Project - Arellano Law Foundation, Inc., retrieved May 6, 2020