Brief history of Turtle Islands also know as Taganak Island The Turtle Islands is a 5th class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines and was constituted as a ‘special municipal district’ under the jurisdiction of the Province of Sulu under Executive Order 95 signed by President Manuel Roxas on 13 October 1947. The same executive order proclaimed “the assumption of jurisdiction and administration by the Republic of the Philippines over the Turtle and Mangsee Islands which form part of Philippine territory”., Under the executive order, a district officer was put in charge of administering the new special municipality. The following year, Executive Order 130 was signed by President Elpidio Quirino providing for regular and more usual local government structures.

The Turtle Islands were constituted as the “municipal district of Turtle Islands” to be governed by article VI, chapter 64, of the Revised Administrative Code. It was provided that the provincial board of Sulu shall act as council for the municipal district of Turtle Islands. The “district officer of Turtle Islands” was given the new title of “municipal district mayor of the Turtle Islands” and the same powers and duties which pertain to such official in other municipal districts organized under the provisions of article VI, chapter 64, of the Revised Administrative Code, in addition to those prescribed under Executive Order No. 95 in 1947. The islands are located within the Sulu Sea at the south-western tip of the country, at the edge of the international treaty limits separating the Philippines and Malaysia.

The seven islands from largest to smallest are: Taganak is of volcanic origin and the largest island of the group with an area of about 116 hectares (290 acres) with the highest point at 148 metres (486 ft). Boaan, also known as Boan, is the second largest island of the group with an area of 76 hectares (190 acres) with the highest elevation at 59 metres (194 ft). Great Bakkungaan also known as Great Bakkungan is the third largest at 51 hectares (130 acres) with the highest elevation at 58 metres (190 ft). Baguan is the easternmost of the islands and is also volcanic in origin. The bell-shaped island has an area of 29.1 hectares (72 acres) with the maximum elevation of 40 metres (130 ft). Lihiman is a mud and coralline island of about 29 hectares (72 acres). The island is noted for its explosive mud volcanoes extrusions (see below). Langaan is a flat coral island of about 7 hectares (17 acres) and a perimeter of 458 metres (1,503 ft). Sibaung is the westernmost island and is a small coral reef lying 4.5 miles (7.2 km) westward of the north part of Boaan Island. The island has an area of 0.1 hectares (0.25 acres) only. There are a few bushes 35 feet (11 metres) high on this reef. (Brief history under the United Kingdom)

The islands, together with Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi, were formerly held by the United Kingdom since 1885 which at that time administered the adjacent territory of a protectorate called North Borneo (present-day Sabah, Malaysia). Following the League of Nations treaty between the United States (which controlled the Philippines at the time) and United Kingdom on 2 January 1930 regarding territorial boundaries, the UK acknowledge seven of the Turtle Islands (including Cagayan de Tawi-Tawi) are part of the Philippine archipelago. The United States then was given a privilege to administer the islands anytime if a one-year notice was given to the United Kingdom and in 1932, a treaty was signed between them to let the United States to administer the islands.

According to the treaty, Britain would fully hand over the administration to Philippine government when it gained its full independence from the United States on 4 July 1946. After achieving its independence, the Philippines expressed its interest to take over the islands. The British under the Crown Colony of North Borneo officially transferred control of the islands to the Philippines on 16 October 1947. The remaining three Turtle Islands which were not turned over by UK are now part of Malaysia, which formed the Malaysian Turtle.