Prior to gaining separate representation, areas now under the jurisdiction of Davao del Norte were represented under the Department of Mindanao and Sulu (1917–1935) and the historical Davao Province (1935–1967).
The enactment of Republic Act No. 4867 on May 8, 1967, split the old Davao Province into Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental.[1] Per Section 4 of R.A. 4867, the incumbent Davao Province representative was to indicate which of the three new provinces he wished to continue to represent;[1] Rep. Lorenzo Sarmiento chose to represent Davao del Norte. Davao del Sur (grouped together with Davao City) and Davao Oriental were separately represented beginning in the second half of the 6th Congress after special elections were held on November 14, 1967, to fill their new congressional seats.
Under the new Constitution[3] which was proclaimed on February 11, 1987, the province was reapportioned into three congressional districts; each district elected its member to the restored House of Representatives starting that same year.
Apart from restoring the name of the province to Davao del Norte, the passage of Republic Act No. 8470[4] and its subsequent ratification by plebiscite on March 7, 1998, separated the province's eleven eastern municipalities to create the new province of Compostela Valley (now named Davao de Oro). Per Section 3 of Republic Act No. 8470, Davao del Norte's own representation was reduced to two districts.[4] The newly reconfigured districts elected their own representatives beginning in the 1998 elections.
^Elected in 1965 as representative for the undivided province of Davao; served as Davao del Norte's own representative beginning in the second half of the 6th Congress after separate representatives for Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental took office.