Mount Bongao

About

Mount Bongao (famously known as Bud Bongao) is a mountain located on Bongao Island in the province of Tawi-Tawi. It is a mountain formed with six limestone pillars that serves as its six peaks. It is the Philippines' southernmost peak. Bud Bongao is inside the Bongao Peak Eco-Tourism Park that was inaugurated on July 3, 2017. It is a 250-hectare forest that is one of the last remaining moist forests in the Sulu Archipelago. The mountain is of spiritual and traditional importance to the indigenous Sama Dilaut people. The mountain is also considered sacred where it is believed that two Islamic preachers who were direct followers of Karim ul-Makhdum, are buried under what is called Tampat Rocks, although the site was already sacred even before Islam arrived. Karim ul-Makhdum brought Islam to the Philippines in the year 1380.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.