The Department of Mindanao and Sulu was an agency of the United States colonial administration in the Philippine Islands task to administer all

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

-dominated areas in the territory. It was established on July 23, 1914, pursuant to Act No. 2408, replacing the

Moro Province Moro Province was a province of the Philippines consisting of the regions of Zamboanga, Lanao, Cotabato, Davao, and Jolo. It was later split into provinces and regions organized under the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, along with the former ...

after the latter was divided into the then districts/provinces of Zamboanga, Lanao,

Cotabato Cotabato or North Cotabato ( hil, Aminhan Cotabato; ceb, Amihanang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pangutaran Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤڠوترن كوتاواتو; fil, Hilagang Cotabato), officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in ...

, Davao, and

Sulu Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu ( Tausūg: ''Wilāya sin Lupa' Sūg''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sulu), is a province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago and part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Its cap ...

. It was later split into provinces/regions organized under the Department of Mindanao and Sulu, along with the former provinces of Agusan, and current province of Bukidnon.

Government

A civil government replaced the

's government. The Legislative Council was replaced with an advisory body called the Administrative Council and its legislative power was diverted to the

Philippine Commission The Philippine Commission was the name of two bodies, both appointed by the president of the United States, to assist with governing the Philippines. The first Philippine Commission, also known as the Schurman Commission, was appointed by Preside ...

. The provincial government of the seven provinces was vested in a Provincial Board to be composed of a governor, a secretary-treasurer, and a third member. The governor and the secretary-treasurer is appointed by the department governor subject to the confirmation of the

governor-general Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...

. The third member is elected by the presidents and councilors of all the municipal districts of province. In 1915 the region's Department of Public Instruction became part of the Bureau of Education. It was slowly integrated into the overall system, with this process finishing in 1922.

Provinces

The department encompassed seven provinces: * Agusan * Bukidnon *

* Davao * Lanao * Zamboanga *

Suffrage

The right to vote for the municipal officers was given to males of at least twenty-five (25) years of age with at least six (6) months legal residence in the town. One who held a position before the American occupation; had an annual property worth ₱500.00 or paid at least ₱30.00 in taxes annually; and could spell, read or write English or Spanish.

Abolition

It was eventually abolished in 1920, after the responsibility for the administration of Moro lands was transferred to the

Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes The Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes was an agency of the United States colonial government in the Philippine Islands, under the Department of the Interior that was tasked to conduct systematic investigations with reference to the non-Christian trib ...

of the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the ma ...

. It was headed by a governor, subordinate to the U.S. Governor-General of the Philippine Islands. Frank C. Carpenter served as its governor from 1914 to 1920.

References

North Cotabato – Overview of its Past, People & Resources
Accessed on February 5, 2007. Insular Government of the Philippine Islands Moro people Former subdivisions of the Philippines {{Philippines-geo-stub