Bud Dajo


Bud Dajo, is the second highest point in the province of Sulu, Philippines. it is one of the cinder cones that make up the island of Jolo and part of the Jolo Volcanic Group in the Republic of the Philippines. The extinct volcano is located southeast from the town of Jolo in Sulu province. The mountain and adjacent lands were declared as Mount Dajo National Park in 1938.

Physical features

The cinder cone has an elevation of with a base diameter of. On the summit of the mountain is crater that is breached to the southwest. The other volcanic edifices adjacent to Bud Dajo are: Matanding, located northeast of the Bud Dajo with an elevation of asl; Guimba, east and elevation of asl; and Sungal, southeast which is asl., dangerous volcano.

Geology

The basaltic volcanic cone is part of Zamboanga-Sulu volcanic arc.

Eruptions falsely attributed to the mountain

1641

Two volcanoes falsely attributed to the eruption on January 4, 1641 which engulfed southern Philippines in darkness. Further studies later found the eruption to have come from Parker Volcano in Cotabato province.

1897

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami on September 21, 1897 that devastated the Southern Philippines was believed to be from a submarine eruption therefore excludes Bud Dajo.

PHIVOLCS monitoring activity

A short-term monitoring surveys were conducted by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in 1993 and in 1997 on the mountain. No unusual activities were observed within the vicinity of the volcano.

Mount Dajo National Park

The mountain and surrounding areas were declared as a national park by Proclamation No. 261 on February 28, 1938 encompassing of land. Recent reports have shown that the mountain is very deforested with few remaining forest cover usually on the steep ridges. The game refuge is not currently listed as a protected area under the National Integrated Protected Areas System of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Fauna

Some vulnerable and endangered species, not necessarily endemic to the area, but can be found within the Mount Dajo National Park are :
  1. Grey imperial pigeon, Vulnerable
  2. Philippine cockatoo or the red-vented cockatoo, Critically endangered
  3. Sulu hornbill, Critically endangered
  4. Sulu woodpecker Dendrocopos ramsayi, Vulnerable
  5. Winchell's kingfisher or rufous-lored kingfisher, Vulnerable

    Historical relevance

The mountain was the site of the First Battle of Bud Dajo during the Moro Rebellion of the Philippine-American War in 1906, which culminated in the Moro Crater Massacre, the killing of over 600 villagers hiding on the crater of Bud Dajo. The five-day Second Battle of Bud Dajo in 1911 ended with fewer casualties through negotiations, persuading the majority to return home.