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| Agusan | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Province of thePhilippines | |||||||||||||||
| 1907-1967 | |||||||||||||||
 Location of the historical province of Agusan. | |||||||||||||||
| Capital | Butuan | ||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||
• Established | 20 August 1907 | ||||||||||||||
• Placed underDepartment of Mindanao and Sulu | December 20, 1913 | ||||||||||||||
• Bukidnon sub-province separated from Agusan | September 1, 1914 | ||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 14 November 1967 | ||||||||||||||
| Political subdivisions |
| ||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Today part of | · Agusan del Norte · Agusan del Sur · Bukidnon | ||||||||||||||
Agusan was a province of thePhilippines. It existed from 1907 to 1967, when it was divided into the present-day provinces ofAgusan del Norte andAgusan del Sur.[1]
Prior to its creation as an independent province, Agusan was divided between the provinces/districts ofMisamis, andSurigao during the Spanish colonial period. On August 20, 1907, Agusan was separated from Misamis and Surigao, composed of the sub-provinces ofBukidnon andButuan, by virtue of Act No. 1693. The law became effective when the province's first governor was appointed.[2]
The sub-province of Bukidnon became an independent province on July 23, 1914 through Act No. 2408 and Butuan sub-province assumed the name of Agusan.[3] Both Agusan and Bukidnon were put under theDepartment of Mindanao and Sulu from 1913 to 1920.[4]
DuringWorld War II and theJapanese occupation of the Philippines in 1942, Japanese forces landed in Agusan and occupied the area until they were defeated by combined American andPhilippine Commonwealth troops, along with recognized guerrilla units, in 1945. Filipino soldiers from several infantry divisions of thePhilippine Commonwealth Army and thePhilippine Constabulary played key roles in liberating Agusan from Japanese control. A unit of the joint Philippine-American defense force was stationed at Manot,Talacogon, in the interior of the Agusan Valley, to engage in military operations against the occupying forces.[5]
On June 17, 1967, Agusan was dissolved and was split into the two provinces ofAgusan del Norte, andAgusan del Sur, through Republic Act No. 4979. The law was ratified through a plebiscite held on November 14, 1967, dissolving the old province.[6]
Agusan was located on the northeast portion ofMindanao island. By the time of its dissolution in 1967, Agusan comprised 18 municipalities and 1 city:
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Agusan's provincial government was last headed by the governor.[7]
Agusan was initially under the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes and unrepresented in thePhilippine Assembly that existed until 1916.[8] In 1913, it was placed under theDepartment of Mindanao and Sulu, with its legislative representative appointed by theGovernor-General. It was later represented in national legislatures through the12th senatorial district from 1916 to 1935 and theprovince's at-large congressional district beginning in 1935.[9]
| No. | Term | Portrait | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 |  | Frank W. Carpenter | First civil governor ofDepartment of Mindanao and Sulu, which encompassed Agusan[10] | |
| 1 | 1914–1921 |  | Teofisto Guingona, Sr. | First Filipino governor of Agusan |
| 2 | 1923–1931 |  | Apolonio D. Curato, Sr. | |
| 3 | 1932–1937 |  | Jose A. Rosales | |
| 4 | 1938–1940 |  | Mariano C. Atega | |
| 5 | 1941–1944 |  | Agustin O. Casiñas | |
| 6 | 1948–1951 |  | Servano S. Jongko | |
| 7 | 1952–1959 |  | Felixberto C. Dagani, Sr. | |
| 8 | 1960–1963 |  | Democrito O. Plaza | |
| 9 | 1964–1965 |  | Jose C. Aquino | |
| 10 | 1966–1967 |  | Consuelo V. Calo | Last governor of Agusan, later became the firstGovernor of Agusan del Norte (1967–1986) |
Section 1. The Province of Agusan is hereby divided into two provinces, to be known as Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur.
