Bongao

Bongao is an island in the southwestern Sulu archipelago, where steep Bud Bongao rises above the surrounding waters. Sama communities, including seafaring Sama-Bajau, have long inhabited these islands. Local tradition connects the name Bongao with a heron once common on its heights. The island formed part of the world of the Sulu Sultanate, whose authority extended across the archipelago between Mindanao and Borneo.