Provinces of the Philippines

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Updates: 

David Short notified me that Dinagat Islands province was split from Surigao del Norte. The separation was approved by a referendum held on 2006-12-02, and authorized by a Republic Act  passed on 2006-08-28.

Eneko Sanz called my attention to the formation of Shariff Kabunsuan province. News items seem to imply that the split took effect immediately on publication of the results of the weekend referendum, so I've dated it Monday, 2006-10-30. Maguindanao was formerly divided into District 1 and District 2; Shariff Kabunsuan looks as if it coincides with District 1.

There are some current proposals to change the Philippines into a federal union of eight to eleven states, or to create a state of Muslim Mindanao.

The local government of Negros Oriental province has requested a name change to Oriental Negros, but the central government has not ratified it as yet. The Planet Naga  site has an explanation of the underlying politics.

ISO 3166-2 Newsletter Number I-2 was published on 2002-05-21. It shows one new region and six new provinces. They were all created between 1992-03-16 and 2001-02-23. There are also some minor spelling changes, and the code for one of the old regions is changed. The new ISO codes for provinces appear in the table below.

Country overview: 

In 1900, the United States had recently acquired the Philippines from Spain by conquest and purchase. Rebels against Spain had declared a Philippine Republic upon Spain's defeat. U.S. forces overcame the nationalists as well. The archipelago was invaded by Japan during World War II. After the war, the United States granted independence on 1946-07-04.

Other names of country: 

1. Danish: Filippinerne
2. Dutch: Filipijnen, Republiek Filipijnen (formal)
3. English: Republic of the Philippines (formal)
4. Finnish: Filippiinit
5. French: Philippines fp
6. German: Philippinen fp
7. Icelandic: Filippseyjar
8. Italian: Filippine fp
9. Norwegian: Filippinene, Republikken Filippinene (formal) (Bokmål), Filippinane, Republikken Filippinane (formal) (Nynorsk)
10. Pilipino: Republika ng Pilipinas (formal)
11. Portuguese: Filipinas, República f das Filipinas fp (formal)
12. Spanish: Filipinas, República f de Filipinas (formal)
13. Swedish: Filippinerna
14. Turkish: Filipinler, Filipinler Cumhuriyeti (formal)

Origin of name: 

Named after King Philip II of Spain (1527-1598)

Primary subdivisions: 

The Philippines is divided into 81 provinces and one region.

Note 1: I reported in "Administrative Subdivisions of Countries" that the capital of Maguindanao moved from Maganoy to Sultan Kudarat in ~1978. I stated on this page that it moved from Sultan Kudarat to Maganoy in ~1997. Both statements may have been true, but the underlying situation is more complicated. David Short informs me that when the governor of Maguindanao province is from the Upper Valley, the capital is Shariff Aguak (formerly known as Maganoy); when the governor is from the Lower Valley, Sultan Kudarat becomes the capital. For most purposes it should suffice to say that Shariff Aguak and Sultan Kudarat are co-capitals.

Note 2: This is the code for Manila, considered as a chartered city, that was given in the draft standard ISO/DIS 3166-2 (1996). ISO 3166-2 has not had a code on this level for the Metropolitan Manila region since the official standard came out in 1998.

Postal codes: 

The Philippines uses four-digit postal codes. The first two digits represent a province, district, or city.

Further subdivisions:

See the Municipalities of the Philippines page.

The Philippines have been divided into provinces since they were a Spanish colony, although there have been many changes in the division. Since 1972-09-24, the provinces have been grouped into regions. The regions have no government of their own, but are for administrative convenience. In addition, over the years, certain cities have been designated as chartered cities. Technically, the chartered cities are no longer part of the province within which they are located. Most of the provinces are further subdivided into numbered districts. There are also some sub-provinces, which generally split off and form separate provinces in due course. All provinces are subdivided into municipalities. The municipalities are similar in size to the chartered cities, but generally lower in population. Municipalities and chartered cities are subdivided into barangays. The divisions I have used are the provinces, each one combined with the chartered cities located within its limits, because it's easiest to get statistics or maps for those units.

For more about the regions, see the end of the Change history section, below.

International standard ISO 3166-2 was published on December 15, 1998. It superseded ISO/DIS 3166-2 (draft international standard), which came out in fall 1996. Both documents showed the Philippines divided into fifteen regions, which are further subdivided into 73 provinces. The draft standard showed, in addition, sixty-one chartered cities.

I believe that the divisions shown in "Administrative Subdivisions of Countries" were correct, and not the ISO standard. The book listed 78 provinces (including Metropolitan Manila) as the primary subdivisions of the Philippines. It listed sixteen regions, which are groupings of provinces. It listed sixty chartered cities. The chartered cities are technically distinct from the provinces, and have a province-like status. The book identified the chartered cities as sub-units of the provinces in which they're located, for several reasons. On maps and in statistical lists, they're usually grouped with their provinces. If they were kept as separate entities, that would have given the Philippines a total of 138 primary divisions, which is an excessive number to deal with. The chartered cities were dropped from the final version of the ISO standard, showing that ISO apparently agreed with this judgment. Also, consider how the chartered cities are handled by the PSGC.

There were 61 chartered cities in 1996. According to the National Statistical Coordination Board, there were 84 of them by 2000-06-31. On 2000-12-31 there were 96, and on 2004-12-31, 117. If chartered cities were treated as primary subdivisions of the Philippines, it would be a big maintenance chore to keep up with the new ones. (References: 2001 Factsheet 1 , 2001 Factsheet 6 , 2001 Factsheet 9 , 2002 Factsheet 1 , 2002 Factsheet 2 , 2003 Factsheet 2 , 2004 Factsheet 1 , 2005 Factsheet 5 .) Since the draft ISO standard and the FIPS standard both had codes for sixty chartered cities, I present the list here for reference.

Aside from the omission of the chartered cities, there are a few other changes between the draft ISO standard and the final version.

In the draft standard, twelve regions are coded using Roman numerals I-XII, and three regions are just identified by name. In the final standard, each region has a two-digit numeric code, as shown in the table above. Caraga region is omitted from both versions.

Between the two documents, all the provinces and province codes remain the same, except that Samar (SAM) in the draft standard is replaced by Western Samar (WSA) in the final standard. In fact, the name of this province was changed from Western Samar to Samar in 1969, although the former name is sometimes used.

The assignment of provinces to regions has remained the same, except for one thing: all the provinces that were in Cordillera Administrative Region according to the draft standard have been put in Eastern Visayas region, leaving Cordillera empty - obviously a mistake.

Territorial extent: 

The Philippines claims part of the Spratly Islands, north of about 7.5° N. latitude in the South China Sea. The group as a whole has been given the FIPS 10-4 country code PG.

There is a single point in Mindanao where four provinces (Bukidnon, Davao, Davao del Sur, and North Cotabato) meet.

As a rule, Philippine provinces are either part or all of a large island, along with some number of entire smaller nearby islands. In the following list, the large island is mentioned first. A slash (/) before its name indicates that the province only covers part of this island.

1. Abra: /Luzon
2. Agusan del Norte: /Mindanao
3. Agusan del Sur: /Mindanao
4. Aklan: /Panay, Borocay
5. Albay: /Luzon, Batan, Cagraray, Rapu Rapu, San Miguel
6. Antique: /Panay, Semirara Islands (Semirara, Sibay, Caluya), Batbatan, Maniquin, Seco
7. Apayao: /Luzon
8. Aurora: /Luzon
9. Basilan: Basilan, Pilas Group, Tapiantana Group
10. Bataan: /Luzon, Corregidor
11. Batanes: Batan, Itbayat, Sabtang, Y'ami (northernmost point in Philippines)
12. Batangas: /Luzon, Maricaban, Verde
13. Benguet: /Luzon
14. Biliran: Biliran, Maripipi
15. Bohol: Bohol, Panglao, Lapinin, Mahanay
16. Bukidnon: /Mindanao
17. Bulacan: /Luzon
18. Cagayan: /Luzon, Babuyan Islands (Camiguin, Calayan, Babuyan, Fuga, Dalupiri), Palaui
19. Camarines Norte: /Luzon, Calagua Islands (Tinaga, Maculabo, Guintinua)
20. Camarines Sur: /Luzon, Quinasalag, Lahuy, Butauanan
21. Camiguin: Camiguin
22. Capiz: /Panay, Olutayan
23. Catanduanes: Catanduanes, Panay, Palumbanes, Parongpong, Calbagio
24. Cavite: /Luzon
25. Cebu: Cebu, Camotes Islands (Pacijan, Poro, Ponson), Bantayan, Mactan, Guintacan, Olango
26. Davao: /Mindanao, Samal, Talicud
27. Davao del Sur: /Mindanao, Sarangani Islands (Balut, Sarangani)
28. Davao Oriental: /Mindanao
29. Dinagat Islands: Dinagat, Hibuson
30. Eastern Samar: /Samar, Homonhon, Hilaban, Manicani, Calicoan, Suluan
31. Guimaras: Guimaras, Inampulugan
32. Ifugao: /Luzon
33. Ilocos Norte: /Luzon
34. Ilocos Sur: /Luzon
35. Iloilo: /Panay, Calagnaan, Tagubanhan, Sicogon, Pan de Azucar, Gigante Islands
36. Isabela: /Luzon
37. Kalinga: /Luzon
38. La Union: /Luzon
39. Laguna: /Luzon, Talim Island in Laguna de Bay (lake)
40. Lanao del Norte: /Mindanao
41. Lanao del Sur: /Mindanao
42. Leyte: /Leyte
43. Maguindanao: /Mindanao
44. Marinduque: Marinduque, Mompog, Tres Reyes Islands
45. Masbate: Masbate, Burias, Ticao, Naro, Jintotolo, Deagan
46. Metropolitan Manila: /Luzon
47. Mindoro Occidental: /Mindoro, Lubang Islands (Lubang, Ambil, Cabra, Golo), Ilin, Ambulong
48. Mindoro Oriental: /Mindoro
49. Misamis Occidental: /Mindanao
50. Misamis Oriental: /Mindanao
51. Mountain: /Luzon
52. Negros Occidental: /Negros, Molocaboc
53. Negros Oriental: /Negros
54. North Cotabato: /Mindanao
55. Northern Samar: /Samar, Balicuatro Islands, Batag, Laoang, Capul, Dalupiri, Destacado, Cabaun
56. Nueva Ecija: /Luzon
57. Nueva Vizcaya: /Luzon
58. Palawan: Palawan, Calamian Group (Busuanga, Culion, Coron, Calauit), Dumaran, Balabac, Linapacan, Bugsuk, Pandanan, Maytiguid, Batas, Boayan, Cuyo Islands (Cuyo, Agutaya, Canipo), Cagayan Islands (Cagayan, Calusa), Quiniluban Islands, San Miguel Islands, and the Philippines' claim to the Spratly Islands
59. Pampanga: /Luzon
60. Pangasinan: /Luzon, Cabarruyan, Santiago
61. Quezon: /Luzon, Polillo Islands (Polillo, Patnanongan, Jomalig), Alabat, Cabalete, Pagbilao Grande
62. Quirino: /Luzon
63. Rizal: /Luzon
64. Romblon: Tablas, Sibuyan, Romblon, Carabao, Banton, Maestre de Campo, Simara
65. Samar: /Samar, Daram, Buad, Santo Niño, Almagro, Tagapula, Camandag, Libucan
66. Sarangani: /Mindanao
67. Siquijor: Siquijor
68. Sorsogon: /Luzon
69. South Cotabato: /Mindanao
70. Southern Leyte: /Leyte, Panaon, Limasawa
71. Sultan Kudarat: /Mindanao
72. Sulu: Jolo Group (Jolo, Pata, Capual), Tapul Group (Siasi, Lugus, Tapul, Lapac), Pangutaran Group (Pangutaran, Kulassein, North Ubian), Samales Group (Tungkil, Balanguingui), Laparan
73. Surigao del Norte: /Mindanao, Siargao, Bucas Grande, Nonoc, East Bucas, Poneas, Hikdop, Zaragosa, Sumilon, Basul, San Jose, Nasapilid
74. Surigao del Sur: /Mindanao, General
75. Tarlac: /Luzon
76. Tawitawi: Tawi Tawi, Sibutu Group (southernmost point in Philippines), Tandubatu, Sanga Sanga
77. Zambales: /Luzon, Salvador
78. Zamboanga del Norte: /Mindanao
79. Zamboanga del Sur: /Mindanao, Olutanga, Sacol, Great Santa Cruz, Malanipa, Lanhil, Sibago

Origins of names: 

Most place names in the Philippines are native words that were sometimes misapplied, and always corrupted in transmission from the natives to the Spanish explorers and colonists. There are also some Spanish names bestowed by the colonists, and a few that have been translated into English. Usually the compass points are identified as del Norte (Northern), del Sur (Southern), Occidental (Western), and Oriental (Eastern), but the nomenclature is not consistent.

1. Agusan: Malay agasan: where the water flows, originally a river name
2. Albay: from former name of its capital, Albaybay, which means "by the bay"
3. Antique: from hantic-hantic, native name of a species of ant
4. Aurora: named for Doña Maria Aurora Quezon, wife of President Manuel Quezon
5. Basilan: = iron trail
6. Bohol: named after Bool, a village on the island
7. Bukidnon: natives were called bukidnon: mountain people
8. Bulacan: native word bulaklakan, freely translated "many flowers," or from Tagalog bulak: cotton
9. Cagayan: Ilocano carayan: big river, or catagayan: where the tagay trees grow
10. Camarines: Spanish adaptation of a native place name Kamalig: granaries
11. Camiguin: from kamagong, a tree in the ebony family
12. Capiz: from kapid: twins, named by Spanish conquistadores when the local chief's wife had twins
13. Caraga: Calagan, from Bisayan calag: soul, people + an: land
14. Catanduanes: from catanduan: where the tando trees grow
15. Cavite: Tagalog kawit: hook, after the shape of the city's peninsula
16. Cotabato: Maguindanao kota wato: stone fort
17. Davao: from Daba-o Daba-o: justice to the Bagobos, an epithet of ancient chieftain Datu Duli
18. Ifugao: from pugo: hills
19. Iloilo: from ilong-ilong: nose-shaped, referring to promontory between two rivers
20. Isabela: named for Queen Isabela II of Spain
21. Kalinga: Ibanag kalinga: headhunters
22. Laguna: province contains part of Laguna de Bay (Spanish laguna: lake; Bay is a city name)
23. La Union: = the union; province was formed by the union of towns from Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan
24. Lanao: from ranao: lake, because of Lake Lanao
25. Maguindanao: means "people of the flooded plains" (danao: flood)
26. Manila: contraction of Maynilad, place of the nilad plant
27. Masbate: supposedly, an explorer asked a local woman what the place was called. She thought he asked what she was doing, and replied, "Masa bati": mix and beat more
28. Mindanao: native name for "that which has been flooded"
29. Mindoro: Spanish mina de oro: gold mine
30. Misamis: from kuyamis, a variety of coconut found there
31. Mountain: Spanish la montañosa: the mountainous [province]
32. Negros: Spanish negros: blacks, referring to Negrito natives
33. Nueva Ecija: = New Ecija, named by Governor Cruzar after Ecija, Spain, where he was born
34. Nueva Vizcaya: = New Biscay, named by Governor Luis Lardizabal after his home province in Spain
35. Palawan: Chinese pa-lao-yu: "land of beautiful harbors"
36. Pampanga: from pangpang: river banks; explorers found natives mostly living by rivers
37. Panay: Spanish pan: bread + hay: there is ("there is bread")
38. Pangasinan: = the place where salt is made
39. Quezon: named for Manuel Quezon (1878-1944), President of the Philippine Commonwealth
40. Quirino: named for President Elpidio Quirino (1890-1956)
41. Rizal: named for independence hero Dr. José P. Rizal (1861-1896)
42. Shariff Kabunsuan: named for 16th-century Muslim missionary Shariff Mohammed Kabunsuan (an ancestor of Sultan Kudarat)
43. Siquijor: supposedly, an explorer asked a native for the name of the island. He replied quipjod: the tide is ebbing.
44. Sorsogon: supposedly, an explorer asked a native where they were. He directed them to proceed upstream, saying the Bicol word solsogon: "follow the river upstream."
45. Sultan Kudarat: named after Sultan Mohammed Dipatuan Kudarat, 17th-century ruler of Mindanao and Sulu
46. Sulu: from sug: water current (inhabitants were good navigators)
47. Surigao: said to be named for an inhabitant named Saliagao
48. Tawitawi: from Malay jaui-jaui: far away, referring to the trip from the Asian mainland
49. Zambales: from Malay sambali: worshippers, samba: to worship; natives worshipped a spirit called Anitos
50. Zamboanga: Malay jambangan: place of flowers
51. Zamboanga-Sibugay: for the Sibuguey River

Change history: 

When the United States defeated Spain in 1898, the Philippine Islands were divided into four gobiernos (governments): Bisayas, Islas Adjacentes (present-day Palawan), Luzon, and Mindanao. These were further subdivided into provinces and districts. The American administration initially inherited the Spanish divisions, placing them under military government. As the rebels were pacified, civil government was established in the provinces, one by one.

This is the history of the division of the Philippines into provinces since 1900.

1. 1901-06-11: Morong district (capital Tanay) merged with part of Manila province to form Rizal province.
2. 1902: Mindoro province merged with Marinduque; Amburayan province split from La Union; Mindoro province, including Lubang Island, merged with Marinduque province; later, Marinduque province merged with Tayabas.
3. 1903: Moro province formed, consisting of the districts of Cotabato, Davao, Lanao, Sulu, and Zamboanga. Its capital was Zamboanga.
4. 1905: Name of Paragua province changed to Palawan, and capital moved from Cuyo to Puerto Princesa; Masbate province merged with Sorsogon.
5. 1907: Romblon province merged with Capiz; split from it again in 1917.
6. 1907-08-20: Agusan province split from Surigao.
7. 1908: Abra province merged with Ilocos Sur; split from it again on 1917-03-09.
8. 1908-08-13: Mountain province formed by merging Amburayan, Apayao, Benguet, Bontoc, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Lepanto province, which became its sub-provinces.
9. 1909: Batanes province split from Cagayan.
10. 1912: Capital of Nueva Ecija moved from San Isidro to Cabanatuan.
11. ~1914: Capital of Bulacan moved from Bulacan to Malolos.
12. 1916-08-29: Name and status of Moro province changed to Mindanao and Sulu department. Status of its districts (Bukidnon, Cotabato, Davao, Lanao, Misamis, Sulu, and Zamboanga) changed to provinces.
13. 1917-03-10: Ambos Camarines province divided into Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur provinces. (Spanish ambos: both. They had also been divided at various times in the 19th century, most recently 1857-1893.)
14. 1920-02-21: Marinduque province split from Tayabas.
15. 1920-12-15: Masbate province split from Sorsogon.
16. 1921-02-20: Mindoro province split from Marinduque.
17. 1925: Name of capital of Albay province changed from Albay to Legaspi (sometimes spelled Legazpi).
18. 1929-11-02: Misamis province divided into Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental provinces (implemented 1939-11-28).
19. 1945-09-26: Catanduanes province split from Albay.
20. 1946: Romblon province merged with Capiz; split from it again on 1947-01-01.
21. 1946-09-07: Name of Tayabas province changed to Quezon.
22. 1948: Capital of country moved from Manila to Quezon City.
23. ~1950: Name of capital of Capiz changed from Capiz to Roxas, in honor of President Manuel Roxas.
24. 1950-06-13: Mindoro province (capital Calapan) split into Mindoro Occidental and Mindoro Oriental.
25. 1952-06-06: Zamboanga province (capital Zamboanga) split into Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur.
26. 1954: Capital of Cavite province moved from Cavite to Trece Martires.
27. 1955-06-16: Capital of Camarines Sur province moved provisionally from Naga (formerly Nueva Caceres) to Pili; change made permanent ~1962.
28. 1956: Name of capital of Lanao changed from Dansalan to Marawi.
29. 1956-04-25: Aklan province split from Capiz (implemented 1956-11-08).
30. 1959-05-22: Lanao province (capital Marawi) divided into Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur; Southern Leyte province split from Leyte.
31. 1960-06-19: Surigao province (Surigao) divided into Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur provinces.
32. 1965-06-19: Samar province (capital Catbalogan) divided into Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Western Samar.
33. 1966-06-18: South Cotabato province (capital Koronadal) split from Cotabato (capital Cotabato, moved to Pagalungan after the split); Benguet, Ifugao, and Kalinga-Apayao provinces split from Mountain; Camiguin province split from Misamis Oriental.
34. 1967-05-08: Davao province (capital Davao) divided into Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and Davao Oriental provinces (implemented 1967-07-01).
35. 1967-06-17: Agusan province divided into Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur provinces (implemented 1970-01-01).
36. ~1968: Capital of Nueva Ecija moved from Cabanatuan to Palayan.
37. 1969-06-21: Name of Western Samar province changed to Samar.
38. 1971-09-10: Quirino province split from Nueva Vizcaya.
39. 1972-01-08: Siquijor province split from Negros Oriental, following a referendum.
40. 1972-06-17: Name of Davao del Norte province changed to Davao.
41. 1973-09-11: Tawi-Tawi province split from Sulu.
42. 1973-11-22: Cotabato province divided into Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces.
43. 1973-12-27: Status of Basilan (formerly within Zamboanga del Sur province) changed from chartered city to province.
44. 1975-11-08: Metropolitan Manila area split from Rizal province.
45. 1976: Capital of country returned from Quezon City to Manila.
46. 1979-08-13: Aurora province split from Quezon, following a referendum.
47. 1982-06-24: Capital of Lanao del Norte moved from Iligan to Tubod.
48. 1983-12-19: Name of North Cotabato province changed to Cotabato.
49. 1986-01-03: Negros del Norte province (capital Cadiz) split from Negros Occidental, following a referendum. This action was found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Negros Occidental reverted to its original status on 1986-08-18.
50. 1992-03-16: Sarangani province split from South Cotabato.
51. 1992-05-11: Biliran province split from Leyte, following a referendum; Guimaras province split from Iloilo, following a referendum.
52. 1995-02-14: Kalinga-Apayao province split into Kalinga and Apayao provinces.
53. ~1997: Capital of Tawi-Tawi province moved from Balimbing to Bongao. [This is a perplexing case. All of my printed sources agree that the capital of Tawi-Tawi is Balimbing or Bato-Bato, which is another name for the same place. Internet sources are nearly unanimous in naming Bongao as the capital. One of them explicitly states that Bongao was capital from the beginning.]
54. 1998-03-07: Compostela Valley province split from Davao province. It consists of the municipalities of Nabunturan, Compostela, Laak (San Vicente), Mabini (Dona Alicia), Maco, Maragusan (San Mariano), Mawab, Monkayo, Montevista, New Bataan, and Pantukan. Name of Davao province changed back to Davao del Norte.
55. 2001-02-23: Zamboanga-Sibugay province split from Zamboanga del Sur by a plebiscite. The new province is sometimes spelled Sibuguey, or other variants. Sibuguey was apparently the name of the whole area during the period of Muslim rule. Zamboanga-Sibugay consists of sixteen of the 44 municipalities of Zamboanga del Sur: Alicia, Buug, Diplahan, Imelda, Ipil, Kabasalan, Mabuhay, Malangas, Naga, Olutanga, Payao, Roseller T. Lim, Siay, Talusan, Titay, and Tungawan. Its capital is Ipil. According to the 2000 census figures, the population of old Zamboanga del Sur province includes 497,239 people in the municipalities which went to form Zamboanga-Sibugay; 1,437,941 people in the 28 municipalities which remained in Zamboanga del Sur province; and 70 people living in disputed areas, so that it wasn't definitely known which municipality they lived in. (In the main table, I arbitrarily divided these 70 people up in proportion to the known populations, coming to 18 in Zamboanga-Sibugay and 52 in Zamboanga del Sur.)
56. 2006-10-30: Shariff Kabunsuan province split from Maguindanao (former HASC code PH.MG) by a referendum conducted on October 28 and 29. The new province consists of 10 of the 29 municipalities of Maguindanao: Barira, Buldon, Datu Blah Sinsuat, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Kabuntalan, Matanog, Parang, Sultan Kudarat, Sultan Mastura, and Upi. Based on the 2000 population of those municipalities, the population of Shariff Kabunsuan would be 529,697. I have guessed that the new province's PSGC code will be 1584, because the first two digits indicate the region (ARMM = 15) and the last two digits have been assigned sequentially for the last few new provinces.
57. 2006-12-02: Dinagat Islands province formed by splitting Basilisa (Rizal), Cagdianao, Dinagat, Libjo (Albor), Loreto, San Jose (the capital), and Tubajon municipalities from Surigao del Norte (former HASC code PH.SN). Again, I'm making an educated guess that the new PSGC code will be 1685.

This is the history of the division of the Philippines into regions.

1. 1972-09-24: The provinces were grouped into eleven regions under Integrated Reorganization Plan. The regions were Ilocos (I, San Fernando), Cagayan Valley (II, Tuguegarao), Central Luzon (III, San Fernando), Southern Tagalog (IV, Quezon), Bicol (V, Legazpi), Western Visayas (VI, Iloilo), Central Visayas (VII, Cebu), Eastern Visayas (VIII, Tacloban), Western Mindanao (IX, Jolo), Northern Mindanao (X, Cagayan de Oro), and Southern Mindanao (XI, Davao). In parentheses are the region numbers, and the regional centers, or capitals. (Presidential Decree No. 1)
2. 1975-07-07: Zamboanga del Norte province moved from Western Mindanao region to Northern Mindanao. Surigao del Sur province moved from Northern Mindanao region to Southern Mindanao. Central Mindanao region (XII, Cotabato) created by taking Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur provinces from Northern Mindanao region and Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces from Southern Mindanao region. (Presidential Decree No. 742)
3. 1975-08-21: Zamboanga del Norte moved back from Northern Mindanao region to Western Mindanao. Two sub-regions created within Western Mindanao region. (Presidential Decree No. 773)
4. 1976-01-23: Metropolitan Manila region (IV, Manila) created, consisting of the newly formed Metropolitan Manila province-level area. At the same time, Southern Tagalog region was renumbered IV-A. (Presidential Decree No. 879). Later, Metropolitan Manila region was renamed National Capital Region and designated NCR in place of a number, while Southern Tagalog became IV once more.
5. 1978-06-11: Center of Western Mindanao moved from Jolo to Zamboanga. (Presidential Decree No. 1555)
6. 1979-07-25: Status of Central Mindanao and Western Mindanao regions changed to autonomous regions. (Presidential Decree No. 1618)
7. 1989-08-01: Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) created by taking Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao provinces from Western Mindanao region and Sulu and Tawi-Tawi provinces from Central Mindanao, following a referendum. However, the chartered cities of Cotabato and Marawi, although they lie within Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur, respectively, voted not to become part of ARMM, and so remained in Central Mindanao region. Autonomous status of Central Mindanao and Western Mindanao regions was rescinded. (Republic Act No. 6734)
8. 1989-10-23: Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR, Baguio) created by taking Abra, Benguet, and Mountain provinces from Ilocos region and Ifugao and Kalinga-Apayao provinces from Cagayan Valley. It was intended to become Cordillera Autonomous Region, but that move required a favorable vote by the inhabitants, which has not yet been obtained. (Republic Act No. 6766)
9. 1995-02-23: Caraga region (XIII, Butuan) created by taking Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Norte provinces from Northern Mindanao region and Surigao del Sur province from Southern Mindanao. Sultan Kudarat province moved from Central Mindanao region to Southern Mindanao. (Republic Act No. 7901.) These were the regions at that time:

1. 1997: Sultan Kudarat province moved from Southern Mindanao region to Central Mindanao region, reversing the change of 1995-02-23.
2. 2001-09-19: Basilan province moved from Western Mindanao region to Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, except for Isabela city, which remained in Western Mindanao. Lanao del Norte province and Marawi chartered city moved from Central Mindanao region to Northern Mindanao. Sarangani and South Cotabato provinces moved from Southern Mindanao region to Central Mindanao. Central Mindanao region renamed to SOCCSKSARGEN, an acronym for SOuth Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and SARangani provinces and GENeral santos chartered city. Southern Mindanao region renamed to Davao Region. Western Mindanao region renamed to Zamboanga Peninsula. (Executive Order No. 36)
3. 2002-05-17: Aurora province moved from Southern Tagalog region to Central Luzon. The remainder of Southern Tagalog region split into CALABARZON (IV-A, no center designated) and MIMAROPA (IV-B, Quezon City). The names of the new regions are acronyms for the provinces they contain (CAvite, LAguna, BAtangas, Rizal, queZON; MIndoro, MArinduque, ROmblon, PAlawan). Reference: NSCB fact sheet 2 of 2002 . (Executive Order No. 103)
4. 2002-05-21: ISO 3166-2 code for Cordillera Administrative Region changed from 13 to 15. Now the list of regions looked like this.

1. 2003-10-28: Calamba was designated as the regional center of CALABARZON. (Executive Order No. 246)
2. 2004-03-30: Center of SOCCSKSARGEN region moved from Cotabato to Koronadal. (Executive Order No. 304)
3. 2004-11-12: Center of Zamboanga Peninsula moved from Zamboanga to Pagadian. (Executive Order No. 429)
4. 2005-05-23: Palawan province moved from MIMAROPA region to Western Visayas. (Executive Order No. 429)
5. 2005-08-19: Transfer of Palawan suspended, pending further preparation. Therefore, Palawan is still effectively part of region IV-B. (Administrative Order No. 129)
6. ~2005: Some PSGC region codes changed. Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao used to be 97; Caraga used to be 13; Cordillera Administrative Region used to be 98; and MIMAROPA used to be 04. The new list doesn't show a code for Metropolitan Manila. I'm assuming that its code is unchanged.

Other names of subdivisions: 

The names ending with Occidental and Oriental have variants with the words interchanged, such as Occidental Mindoro for Mindoro Occidental.

1. Compostela Valley: Compostella Valley (variant)
2. Cotabato: North Cotabato (obsolete)
3. Davao: Davao del Norte (obsolete)
4. Eastern Samar: Samar Oriental (variant)
5. Manila: Manilha (Portuguese); Manille (French)
6. Mountain: Mountain Province (variant)
7. Nueva Vizcaya: Nueva Viscaya (variant)
8. Samar: Western Samar (obsolete)
9. Sulu: Jolo (obsolete)

Regions:

1. SOCCSKSARGEN: Central Mindanao (obsolete)
2. Davao Region: Southern Mindanao (obsolete)
3. Zamboanga Peninsula: Western Mindanao (obsolete)