Taganak Island
| Taganak Island | |
|---|---|
| Island | |
.svg)
 Taganak Island
|
|
| Coordinates: 06°05′N 118°19′E / 6.083°N 118.317°ECoordinates: 06°05′N 118°19′E / 6.083°N 118.317°E | |
| Country | Philippines |
| Region | Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) |
| Province | Tawi-Tawi |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.16 km2 (0.45 sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+8) |
Taganak Island is a small tropical island surrounded by the Sulu Sea in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. The island is the largest of the seven Philippine Turtle Islands.
The island is at the very edge of the international treaty limits separating the Philippines from Malaysia. Taganak contains about 116 hectares (290 acres) with the highest point at 148 metres (486 ft). The island is about one mile in length.
As one of the Philippine Turtle Islands the island enjoys the historical distinction of being territory that was not under Philippine administration at the time of independence in 1946. The State of North Borneo, a United Kingdom protectorate, administered the Philippine island. The Republic of the Philippines took over the administration of the island from the United Kingdom on 16 October 1947. The first Filipino district officer and police force to administer the Philippine Turtle Islands assumed their duties in Taganak on 22 October 1947.
The island is near the entrance to Sandakan Bay. The lighthouse on the island, which was of practical importance to nearby North Borneo, became the subject of an international dispute known as the Taganak Lighthouse Dispute. The 1930 international treaty dealing with the transfer of administration of the Turtle Islands including Taganak contained the following provision:
In the event of (the administration) of the Island of Taganak...being transferred, the United States Government will give favorable consideration to the question of the compensation to be paid to the (British North Borneo Company) in respect of the capital expenditure incurred by the company in connection with the lighthouse situated on the island, and that the United States Government will provide for the future maintenance of the lighthouse.
At the time of the transfer of the island the Philippine government rejected the UK request that the Philippines pay for the cost of the lighthouse and that they provide for its maintenance in the future. The Manila government asserted that the lighthouse had been severely damaged in the war, that it had not been in operation since its destruction, and that the Philippines did not need its service. The government was willing to lease the site for the lighthouse to North Borneo for one peso per annum, as long as the British needed and used the facility. The United Kingdom view was that the Philippines was required under the terms of the 1930 treaty concerning the Turtle Islands to maintain it in the future. Today, the abandoned lighthouse tower remains at the summit of the island.
...
Wikipedia