Its division into three different provinces was only approved in a plebiscite held together with the general elections on November 19, 1965, as mandated by Republic Act No. 4221,[1] which meant that voters still elected representatives under the old district configuration. After the ratification of RA 4221 the representatives of the second and third districts automatically served as the representatives of the lone districts of Western Samar and Eastern Samar, respectively, while the representative of the first district only served until 1967, when special elections were held to determine the new representative for Northern Samar. In 1969 Western Samar was renamed, and it is just this portion of the original undivided province that now assumes the title Samar.
Samar was part of the representation of Region VIII from 1978 to 1984, and from 1984 to 1986 it elected 2 assemblymen at-large. In 1986 it was redistricted into two legislative districts.
^Quezon City's 4th District Representative and House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte served as legislative caretaker of the district for the remaining term of the 16th Congress.[2]