Panguan Island

Philippines, Philippines

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Panguan Island, also known as Malamanok, is a small island in the municipality of Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi province, Philippines, situated at the southwestern edge of the country near the Philippine-Malaysian border.

Covering only about 0.06 square kilometers, it lies roughly 50 kilometers from Sabah, Malaysia, and is part of the Sulu Archipelago. The island serves as a traditional stopover for seafarers traveling between the Philippines and Malaysia, a practice reflected in its local name meaning "eat chicken" from the Sama-Bajau dialect.

It hosts a small community of Badjao people and has limited access to basic resources like food, potable water, and healthcare. Panguan Island was previously used as a hideout by the Abu Sayyaf group until it was reclaimed by the Philippine government in 2017, marked by the hoisting of the Philippine flag to assert control.

The island now includes a military barrack and remains an isolated yet significant part of the country's maritime border.