The province of Agusan del Sur was born on June 17, 1967 under Republic Act No. 4979 mandating the division of the province of Agusan into Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur.
In January 1970 the first set of provincial officials assumed office after the provincial election of November 1969. The same law provided that the capital of Agusan del Sur should be the municipality of Prosperidad, and the Government Center be set up in barangay Patin-ay. Honorable Rufino C. Otero was elected as the first Provincial Governor and Hon. Democrito O. Plaza the first Congressman.
The term of office of Congressman Plaza would have continued until December 1983 had it not been for the proclamation of Martial Law on September 21, 1972, which, in effect, abolished the Congress. When the Interim Batasang Pambansa was convened in 1978 after almost a decade of absence under the Martial Law, Hon. Edilmiro Amante represented the province in the Interim National Assembly.
HON. MARIA VALENTINA G. PLAZA
Provincial Governor
2007 to date
Youthful and spirited, ingenious and dynamic, proactive and kindhearted this is Maria Valentina Galido Plaza, the new lady governor of the Province of Agusan del Sur.
Tina, as she is fondly called by intimates, is the youngest of the progeny of the late Congressman and Governor Democrito O. Plaza and former Governor Valentina Galido Plaza, both local political icons. She was born in Pasay City just a few weeks before Agusan del Sur came into being thru Republic Act No. 4979 signed on June 17th of the same year.
Inheriting the hearty spirit of her father, she pursued and finished her Agribusiness degree at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna where she also excelled in the sports of tae kwon do and rodeo. Governor Tina Plaza is herself a three-time national tae kwon do gold medalist as a member of the UPLB Tae Kwon Do Varsity Team and a two-time champion of the UPLB Rodeo Team. After college, she taught at Rosemont School for two years. Finding a knack for teaching young people , she partnered with Cartwheel Foundation with its Teacher Training for Home Teaching and established a school in one of the far-flung indigenous people's communities in the province. In partnership with the local leaders and parish people, her initiative brought substantial improvement in the learning capacity of young 'lumads' in the area.
As a career woman, she also ventured into business and put up her own company, a Food Distribution Company, that serves the entire Caraga Region. She likewise holds a top position in the family owned Corporation as vice president for Mindanao operations. On the side, she busies herself with her other socio-civic commitments in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement She also served as chairperson of the Provincial Tourism Council and an active advocate of the provincial government's moral recovery and value formation program. Though she grew up in a political environment, Tina was content playing supporting roles to her prominent parents and siblings. It did not take long for the calling to public service catch up with her. With the prodding of her brother predecessor, Governor Adolph Edward G. Plaza, this political heiress, though a neophyte, won an overwhelming mandate from the people with her landslide victory in the May 14, 2007 local polls together with her entire provincial slate. Her peers at the League of Provinces of the Philippines likewise appointed her as deputy secretary-general for Mindanao.
Now primed to follow in the footsteps and carry on the legacy of her forbearers, Governor Tina Plaza is keen on upholding and advancing honest, practical, equitable and steadfast public service anchored on her 8-point agenda for development. These are: peace and order; economic development; education; youth and sport development; health, nutrition and social development; socio-cultural and tourism development; moral recovery and values formation; environmental protection and water management and; information and communication technology advancement, all geared towards attaining the mission and vision of a God- centered, caring and self-sustaining Province of Agusan del Sur.
Provincial Governor
2007 to date
Youthful and spirited, ingenious and dynamic, proactive and kindhearted this is Maria Valentina Galido Plaza, the new lady governor of the Province of Agusan del Sur.
Tina, as she is fondly called by intimates, is the youngest of the progeny of the late Congressman and Governor Democrito O. Plaza and former Governor Valentina Galido Plaza, both local political icons. She was born in Pasay City just a few weeks before Agusan del Sur came into being thru Republic Act No. 4979 signed on June 17th of the same year.
Inheriting the hearty spirit of her father, she pursued and finished her Agribusiness degree at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna where she also excelled in the sports of tae kwon do and rodeo. Governor Tina Plaza is herself a three-time national tae kwon do gold medalist as a member of the UPLB Tae Kwon Do Varsity Team and a two-time champion of the UPLB Rodeo Team. After college, she taught at Rosemont School for two years. Finding a knack for teaching young people , she partnered with Cartwheel Foundation with its Teacher Training for Home Teaching and established a school in one of the far-flung indigenous people's communities in the province. In partnership with the local leaders and parish people, her initiative brought substantial improvement in the learning capacity of young 'lumads' in the area.
As a career woman, she also ventured into business and put up her own company, a Food Distribution Company, that serves the entire Caraga Region. She likewise holds a top position in the family owned Corporation as vice president for Mindanao operations. On the side, she busies herself with her other socio-civic commitments in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement She also served as chairperson of the Provincial Tourism Council and an active advocate of the provincial government's moral recovery and value formation program. Though she grew up in a political environment, Tina was content playing supporting roles to her prominent parents and siblings. It did not take long for the calling to public service catch up with her. With the prodding of her brother predecessor, Governor Adolph Edward G. Plaza, this political heiress, though a neophyte, won an overwhelming mandate from the people with her landslide victory in the May 14, 2007 local polls together with her entire provincial slate. Her peers at the League of Provinces of the Philippines likewise appointed her as deputy secretary-general for Mindanao.
Now primed to follow in the footsteps and carry on the legacy of her forbearers, Governor Tina Plaza is keen on upholding and advancing honest, practical, equitable and steadfast public service anchored on her 8-point agenda for development. These are: peace and order; economic development; education; youth and sport development; health, nutrition and social development; socio-cultural and tourism development; moral recovery and values formation; environmental protection and water management and; information and communication technology advancement, all geared towards attaining the mission and vision of a God- centered, caring and self-sustaining Province of Agusan del Sur.
The history of Agusan del Sur is largely linked with that of its sister province, Agusan del
Norte. Through most of their historical existence, they were but one province run by one
governor or under one local civil local government.
The coming of the Spaniards was in time with the visit of Rajah Siagu, the ruler of Agusan, to his friend Rajah Humabon of Bohol. Together, they visited the ruling rajah of an island called Muzuah where a fleet of Spanish galleons, commanded by a Portuguese navigator named "Ferrao Magalhaes" (Fernando Magallanes in Spanish), had just dropped anchor. Expressing fervent hospitality, an innate characteristic of the Filipino natives, Rajah Siagu invited "Magalhaes" to visit his home, and on the occasion of Easter Sunday, April 8, 1521, the first mass in Agusan, and for that matter in Mindanao, was celebrated in a place now called Magallanes (formerly Masao).
Agusan took up arms against Spain during the revolution of 1898. After the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, the Americans took over the civil government. Under the Americans, the dream of independence and self-governance continued to haunt Filipinos, and Agusan was again active in the campaign to drive away the conquerors. But bolos and spears were no match for the powerful guns of the Americans and in January 1900, Agusan yielded.
Just as the long anticipated road to independence was nearly at hand, the Japanese occupation cut it short in December 1941. But the day of liberation came. In 1945, Agusan, as well as the other province all over the Philippines, picked herself up and braced for freedom.
The coming of the Spaniards was in time with the visit of Rajah Siagu, the ruler of Agusan, to his friend Rajah Humabon of Bohol. Together, they visited the ruling rajah of an island called Muzuah where a fleet of Spanish galleons, commanded by a Portuguese navigator named "Ferrao Magalhaes" (Fernando Magallanes in Spanish), had just dropped anchor. Expressing fervent hospitality, an innate characteristic of the Filipino natives, Rajah Siagu invited "Magalhaes" to visit his home, and on the occasion of Easter Sunday, April 8, 1521, the first mass in Agusan, and for that matter in Mindanao, was celebrated in a place now called Magallanes (formerly Masao).
Agusan took up arms against Spain during the revolution of 1898. After the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, the Americans took over the civil government. Under the Americans, the dream of independence and self-governance continued to haunt Filipinos, and Agusan was again active in the campaign to drive away the conquerors. But bolos and spears were no match for the powerful guns of the Americans and in January 1900, Agusan yielded.
Just as the long anticipated road to independence was nearly at hand, the Japanese occupation cut it short in December 1941. But the day of liberation came. In 1945, Agusan, as well as the other province all over the Philippines, picked herself up and braced for freedom.
