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Agusan
Agusan
Province of the Philippines
1907-1967
	; Location of the historical province of Agusan.
Capital	Butuan
History
• Established	20 August 1907
• Placed under Department of Mindanao and Sulu	December 20, 1913
• Bukidnon sub-province separated from Agusan	September 1, 1914
• Disestablished	14 November 1967
Political subdivisions	2 Sub-provinces; (1907-1914) Bukidnon ; Butuan ; ;
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Misamis
	Surigao
Bukidnon
Agusan del Norte
Agusan del Sur
Today part of	· Agusan del Norte; · Agusan del Sur; · Bukidnon

Agusan was a province of the Philippines. It existed from 1907 to 1967, when it was divided into the present-day provinces of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur.^[1]

History

Prior to its creation as an independent province, Agusan was divided between the provinces/districts of Misamis, and Surigao during the Spanish colonial period. On August 20, 1907, Agusan was separated from Misamis and Surigao, composed of the sub-provinces of Bukidnon and Butuan, 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 the Department of Mindanao and Sulu from 1913 to 1920.^[4]

During World War II and the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in 1942, Japanese forces landed in Agusan and occupied the area until they were defeated by combined American and Philippine Commonwealth troops, along with recognized guerrilla units, in 1945. Filipino soldiers from several infantry divisions of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and the Philippine 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 of Agusan del Norte, and Agusan del Sur, through Republic Act No. 4979. The law was ratified through a plebiscite held on November 14, 1967, dissolving the old province.^[6]

Geography

Agusan was located on the northeast portion of Mindanao island. By the time of its dissolution in 1967, Agusan comprised 18 municipalities and 1 city:

Government

Agusan's provincial government was last headed by the governor.^[7]

Agusan was initially under the Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes and unrepresented in the Philippine Assembly that existed until 1916.^[8] In 1913, it was placed under the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, with its legislative representative appointed by the Governor-General. It was later represented in national legislatures through the 12th senatorial district from 1916 to 1935 and the province's at-large congressional district beginning in 1935.^[9]

List of governors of Agusan

No.	Term	Name	Remarks
	1913	Frank W. Carpenter	First civil governor of Department 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 first Governor of Agusan del Norte (1968–1986)