[ Act No. 3117, March 27, 1923 ]

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE DIVISION OF THE PROVINCE OF LEYTE INTO TWO PROVINCES INDEPENDENT FROM EACH OTHER, FIX THE BOUNDARIES OF EACH, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and  House of Representatives of the Philippines in Legislature assembled and by the authority of the same:

SECTION 1. The Province of Leyte is hereby divided into two provinces  completely independent from  each other, which shall be denominated Oriental Leyte and  Occidental Leyte,  respectively,  and the Governor-General  is hereby authorized to designate by executive order the date on which the division herein provided for is to take effect,  which shall in no case be prior to the year nineteen hundred and twenty-four.

SEC. 2. The Province of Oriental  Leyte shall  be composed of  the following  municipalities: Abuyog,  La Paz, Dulag, Burauen, Dagami, Pastrana, Tolosa, Tanauan, Palo, Tacloban, Jaro,  Alangalang, San Miguel, Babatngon, Barugo, Carigara, Capookan,  Leyte, Biliran, Caibiran,  Naval, Kawayan, Maripipi,  Calubian, and  San Isidro.   The Province of Occidental Leyte shall be composed of the following  municipalities:  Villaba,  Palompon,  Merida,  Ormoc, Albuera, Baybay, Inopacan, Hindang,  Hilongos, Bato, Matalom, Maasin, Mac-Crohon, Malitbog, Sogod, Libagon, Liloan,  Pintuyan,  Cabalian,  Hinunangan, and Hinundayan.

The boundaries of each shall be those of the adjacent municipalities  of  the two  provinces.  The  capital of  Oriental Leyte shall be Tacloban and that of Occidental Leyte 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.  The conditions and procedure of the determination of the provincial capital shall be subject to the existing provisions  governing election and canvass for provincial office.

SEC. 3. The provisions of the Administrative Code governing regularly organized provinces shall be applicable to mi the government and administration of said provinces and the election and appointment of the officers thereof.

SEC. 4. Upon the division  of the present Province of Leyte as  provided in sections one and two of this Act, the present provincial officers  of  said  province  shall  continue to perform the duties of their respective offices as officers of Oriental Leyte, until their successors have been duly  elected and qualified; and the officers of the Province of Occidental Leyte shall for the time being be appointed by the Governor- Genera],  with the consent of  the  Senate,  and shall hold office until  their successors have  been duly elected  and qualified.

SEC.  5. The  provincial  officers  of Oriental  Leyte  shall each receive  an annual  compensation  at the rate fixed by the Secretary of the Interior, in accordance with  section one of Act Numbered Twenty-eight hundred  and twenty-nine, relative to salaries of provincial officers, and the  members of the provincial board shall  each receive a per  diem for each day of actual  attendance at  the session, at the rate fixed by said provincial board in  accordance with  section two thousand and ninety-seven of the Revised Administrative Code of nineteen  hundred and  seventeen.  The provincial officers of Occidental  Leyte shall each  receive an   annual compensation at the rate fixed by the Secretary of the Interior, in accordance with section one of Act Numbered  Twenty-eight hundred  and  twenty-nine,  relative to salaries  of provincial officers, and the  members  of the provincial board shall each receive a per diem for each day of actual attendance at the sessions,  at the rate fixed  by the provincial board in  accordance with section two  thousand and ninety-seven  of the Revised Administrative Code of nineteen hundred and seventeen.

SEC. 6. The Province  of Oriental Leyte shall have three Representatives, and the Province of Occidental Leyte shall have two, in the  House of Representatives.   The present Representatives of each  representative district of the Province of Leyte shall be considered, during their respective terms of office, as Representatives of the districts for which they have been elected, and both provinces shall continue to form  part  of the ninth senatorial district.

SEC. 7. At the  first election after this division has been carried into effect, and  at all subsequent elections for the office  of  Representative, the  Province  of Oriental  Leyte shall be divided into three  districts, in the following manner: The first district shall be composed of the municipalities of Tacloban, Palo, Alangalang,  Tanauan, Jaro, and San Miguel;  the  second district shall be composed  of the municipalities of  Abuyog, La Paz, Dulag, Burauen, Tolosa, Dagami, and  Pastrana;  and the third districts shall be composed of the municipalities of Barugo, Carigara, Capookan, Biliran, Caibiran, Kawayan, Maripipi,  Naval,  Kalubihan, Leyte, Babatngon, and San Isidro.  The Province of Occidental Leyte  shall be divided  into two districts, as follows: the first district shall be composed of the municipalities of Villaba, Palompon,  Merida, Ormoc, Albuera, Baybay, Inopacan, and Hindang; and the  second district shall be com- posed  of the  municipalities  of Hilongos, Bato, Matalom, Maasin,  Mac-Crohon, Malitbog,  Sogod, Libagon,  Liloan, Pintuyan, Cabalian, Hinunangan,  and Hinundayan.

SEC. 8. This Act shall take  effect on its approval.

Approved,  March 27, 1923.