Creation of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur

June 17, 1967

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 4979

AN ACT CREATING THE PROVINCES OF AGUSAN DEL NORTE AND AGUSAN DEL SUR

SECTION 1. The Province of Agusan is hereby divided into two provinces, to be known as Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur.

SECTION 2. The Province of Agusan del Norte shall consist of the portion of the present Province of Agusan comprising the Municipalities of Carmen, Nasipit, Buenavista, Cabadbaran, Tubay, Jabonga, Kitcharao, and Las Nieves.

SECTION 3. A portion of the present Municipality of Esperanza, described as follows: Beginning at a point on the old Agusan-Misamis Oriental boundary approximately 8ยบ39' 30" north latitude; thence due east in a straight line until Barrio Maasin; thence, in a straight line N 55ยบ15' east following the Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur boundary until its intersection with the old Las Nieves-Esperanza boundary approximately 9.80 kilometers away; thence, due north approximately 45ยบ north following the old Las Nieves-Esperanza boundary up to the old boundary of the Municipalities of Buenavista and Esperanza, shall be separated from the said municipality and shall form part of the Municipality of Las Nieves, Province of Agusan del Norte.

SECTION 4. The Province of Agusan del Sur shall consist of the portion of the present Province of Agusan comprising the Municipalities of Bayugan, Esperanza, Prosperidad, San Francisco, Bunawan, Talacogon, La Paz, Loreto, Veruela, and Santa Josefa.

SECTION 5. The capital of Agusan del Norte shall be Butuan City, and that of Agusan del Sur, the Municipality of Prosperidad. acd

SECTION 6. Except as hereinafter provided, all provisions of law now or hereafter applicable to regular provinces shall be applicable to the Provinces of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur.

SECTION 7. The division of the Province of Agusan, as provided in this Act, shall become effective if the majority of the votes cast by the votes of said province in a plebiscite to be held simultaneously with the election of November, nineteen hundred sixty-seven, under the supervision of the Commission on Elections, favors such division: Provided, That should the voters favor such division, the new provinces shall thereafter be organized immediately upon the special elections of the provincial officials and a Member of the House of Representatives for Agusan del Sur, and a Member of the House of Representatives for Agusan del Norte, in the general elections of November, nineteen hundred sixty-nine: Provided further, That provincial officials elected in the special elections of nineteen hundred sixty-nine shall hold office until their successors shall have been elected in the next local elections and shall have qualified: Provided, finally, That all provincial officials elected for the Province of Agusan in the nineteen hundred sixty-seven elections shall ipso facto become the provincial officials of Agusan del Norte and shall continue to serve their terms of office until their successors shall have been elected in the next local elections and shall have qualified.

SECTION 8. The Provincial Board of Canvassers of the Province of Agusan shall also canvas all the votes cast in the special elections for provincial officials for Agusan del Sur in the nineteen hundred sixty-nine elections in accordance with the provisions of the Revised Election Code.

SECTION 9. Upon the organization of the new provinces the obligations, funds, assets, and other properties of the present Province of Agusan shall be divided equally between Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur by the President of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the Auditor General.

SECTION 10. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Enacted without Executive approval, June 17, 1967.

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 65, No. 8, p. 1804 on February 24, 1969