Philippine Ethnic Groups

The majority of the population is composed of ethnolinguistic( groups whose languages are
Austronesian also known as Malayo-Polynesian in origin. Many of these groups converted to
Christianity, particularly the lowland-coastal groups, and adopted many foreign elements of
culture. Ethnic groups include the Cebuano, Ilocano, Pangasinense, Kapampangan, Tagalog,
Bicolano, Waray, Surigaonon, Zamboangueo and Hiligaynon who are also called Ilonggo.
In western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, there are indigenous groups who practice Islam.
The Spanish called them Moros after the Moors (despite no resemblance or cultural ties to them
apart from their religion). In the Agusan Marsh and the highlands of Mindanao, there are native
ethnic groups collectively known as the Lumad. Unlike the Moros, these people do not practice
Islam, and maintain their animistic beliefs and traditions though some of them have converted to
Christianity as well.
The Negrito are a pre-Austronesian people who migrated from mainland Asia and were one of
the earliest human beings to settle the Philippines, around 90,000 years ago. The first known
were the people of the Callao Man remains. The Negrito population was estimated in 2004 at
around 31,000. Their tribal groups include the Ati, and the Aeta. Their ways of life remain
mostly free from Western and Islamic influences. Scholars study them to try to understand preHispanic culture.
Most Filipinos are Malayo-Polynesian, a major group within the Austronesian language family.
Other ethnic groups form a minority in the Philippine population. These include those of
Japanese, Han Chinese, Indians, Americans, Spanish, Europeans, and other ethnic groups from
other countries. Mixed-race individuals are known as Filipino mestizo.

Ethnic Identity, Language and Genetic Studies

The color of the province denotes the largest ethnic group within that province, according to the
2000 census.
A 2008 genetic study showed no evidence of a large-scale Taiwanese migration into the
Philippines. The Leeds University study, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, showed
that mitochondrial DNA lineages have been evolving within Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) since
modern humans arrived approximately 50,000 years ago.

There is no genetic evidence for large-scale population replacement, displacement, or absorption

to suggest replacement of preexisting hunting and gathering populations by farming-voyaging
immigrants from Taiwan. Population dispersals occurred at the same time as sea levels rose,
which resulted in migrations from the Philippines to as far north as Taiwan within the last 10,000
years.
Examination of mitochondrial DNA lineages showed that the neolithic culture (Austronesian)
had been evolving within Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) for a longer period than previously
believed. Population dispersals occurred at the same time as sea levels rose, which may have
resulted in migrations from the Philippines to as far north as Taiwan within the last 10,000 years.
Per co-author Dr Oppenheimer, from the Oxford University School of Anthropology, population
migrations were most likely to have been driven by climate change the effects of the
drowning of a huge ancient peninsula called Sundaland (that extended the Asian landmass as
far as Borneo and Java). This happened during the period 15,000 to 7,000 years ago following
the last Ice Age. Rising sea levels in three massive pulses caused flooding and the submergence
of the Sunda Peninsula, creating the Java and South China Seas and the thousands of islands that
make up Indonesia and the Philippines today.
According to a recent study by Mark Donohue of the Australian National University and Tim
Denham of Monash University, there is no linguistic evidence for an orderly north-to-south
dispersal of the Austronesian languages from Taiwan through the Philippines and into Island
Southeast Asia (ISEA).
The Philippine Statistics Department does not account for the racial background or ancestry of an
individual. The official population of all types of mestizos (Asian, American, Hispanic, etc.) that
reside inside and outside of the Philippines remains unknown. Although a study provided by
Stanford University found that 3.6% European introgression into the Philippines was evident due
to the period of colonization, it only genotyped 28 individuals from the Philippines. Results from
such a small sample cannot be used with high confidence to characterize a population of 92
million persons.

Population history
Prehistoric Tabon Man, found in Palawan in 1962 was, until 2007, the oldest human remains
discovered by anthropologists in the Philippines. Archaeological evidence indicates similarities
with two early human fossils found in Indonesia and China, called the Java Man and Peking
Man. In 2007, a single metatarsal from an earlier fossil was discovered in Callao Cave,
Peablanca, Cagayan. That earlier fossil was named as Callao Man.
The Negritos, several ethnic groups of the Australoid race, arrived about 30,000 years ago and
occupied several scattered areas throughout the islands. Recent archaeological evidence
described by Peter Bellwood claimed that the ancestors of Filipinos, Malaysians, and
Indonesians first crossed the Taiwan Strait during the Prehistoric period. These early mariners
are thought to be the Austronesian people (Malayo-Polynesian). They used boats to cross the
oceans, and settled into many regions of Southeast Asia, the Polynesian Islands, and Madagascar.

By the 14th century, the Malayo-Polynesian ethnic group had dominated and displaced the
Negrito population in most areas. Traders from southern China, Japan, India, Malaysia, and
Indonesia, also contributed to the ethnic, and cultural development of the islands.
By the 16th century, Spanish colonization brought new groups of people to the Philippines.
Many settled in the Philippines, and some intermarried with the indigenous population, although
intermarriage was slight. This gave rise to the Filipino mestizo or individuals of mixed
Austronesian and Spanish descent.
Far more numerous were Chinese immigrant workers, known as sangley, as many Chinese
historically had been traders. They intermarried with Filipinos, and their children and
descendants were called mestizo de sangley. The mestizo de sangleys were far more numerous
than mestizos of Spanish descent. By the 19th century, the more successful among them had
risen to become wealthy major landowners. They could afford to have their children educated in
elite institutions in the Philippines and Europe.
By the opening of the Suez Canal in the 1800s, the Spanish opened the Philippines for foreign
trade. Europeans such as the British, Germans, and French settled in the islands to do business.
By the end of the Spanish colonial period, the native ethnic groups of the Philippines began
calling themselves Filipinos, a term that had begun as self-identification for persons of Spanish
descent born in the Philippines.
Following its victory in the Spanish-American War, the United States created a colonial authority
in the Philippines in 1898. Military troops and businessmen made their way to the country,
bringing in new ethnic groups, culture and language. In the late 19th century, some Americans
proposed resettling African Americans in the Philippines, because of discrimination against them
in the South, particularly. Post-American Civil War violence against the freedmen had gone on as
southern whites struggled for political and economic dominance. The resettlement idea did not
get implemented.
The Philippines has over 180 indigenous ethnic groups, over half of which represent unique
linguistic groups.

Indigenous and ethnic groups

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Ethnic
group(s)

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Description(s)

Bicolano

The Bicolanos originated in Bicol, Luzon.

There are several Bicolano languages, of
which there is a total of about 3.5 million
speakers.[10] Their languages are Central
Bikol with Naga, Legazpi, Daet, Partido
(Virac is sometimes considered as a
separate language), Masbatenyo, Rinconada
Bikol, Pandan Bikol, Sorsogon
Masbatenyo, Sorsogon Waray,Southern
Sorsogon (Gubat language), West Albay
Bikol, Miraya Bikol, Libon Bikol and
Tagalog.

Gaddang

The Gaddang number about 25,000. They

are known to have inhabited the upper
Cagayan Valley, particularly Isabela and
Nueva Vizcaya since before the Spanish
arrived. Their distinct language is distantly
related to that of the Ibanag and Yogad; it is
also spoken by ethnically-related Ga'dang
in Ifugao and Mountain Provinces, as well
as some neighboring Aeta.

Ibanag

Ibanags are an ethnic group numbering

around half a million people, who inhabit
the provinces of Cagayan, and Isabela.

Ilokano

The Ibanag, Ivatan, the Ilocano people are

the inhabitants of the lowlands, and coastal
areas of northern Luzon. Ilocano are also
found in central Luzon, Metro Manila, and
some towns in the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Notes

There are about

8 million
speakers of
Ilocano, and
most of these
individuals are
Christians.

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Ethnic
group(s)

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Description(s)

Ivatan

The Ivatan are predominant in the Batanes

Islands of the Philippines. They have close
cultural links with Taiwanese aborigines.

Kapampangan

The Ka'Pampangan or Capampagan

(English: Pampangan; Spanish:
Pampangueo or Pampango) people
originate from the central plains of Luzon,
starting from Bataan up to Nueva Ecija.
The Kapampangan language is spoken by
more than two million people. In the
Spanish colonial era, Pampanga was known
to be a source of valiant soldiers. There was
a Kapampangan contingent in the colonial
army who helped defend Manila against the
Chinese Pirate Limahon. They also helped
in battles against the Dutch, the English and
Muslim raiders. Kapampangans, along with
the Tagalogs, played a major role in the
Philippine Revolution.

Moro

The Moros are of various ethnolinguistic

groups in southern, and western Mindanao
who are the same as other Filipinos, but
whose religion is Islam. The largest of these
are the Tausug, the Maguindanao, the
Maranao, the Sama, the Yakan, and the
Banguingui. These ethnolinguistic groups
are different in terms of culture, religion,
and have been politically independent.
Muslim Filipinos have an independent
justice, and education system based in
Cotabato City. They form about 5-10% of
the Philippine population, making them the
sixth largest ethnic group in the country.

Pangasinense

The Pangasinan people or the Pangasinense

are the ninth largest Filipino ethnic group.

Notes

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Ethnic
group(s)

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Description(s)
They originated from the northwestern
seaboard of Luzon and predominantly
reside in the Pangasinan province.

Sambal

The Sambal are the inhabitants of the

province of Zambales, and the city of
Olongapo in the Philippines. Sambals
currently make up a large proportion of the
population in the municipalities of
Zambales province north of Iba.
The Subanon or "Subanu" (also called
Subanen or Subanun) means "river
people", which is derived from the word
"soba", "suba" a word common in Sulu,
Visayas, and Mindanao, which means
"river" and the suffix -nun or -non
which indicates a locality or place of origin.
Subanon are also known in the Anglicized
form as "Subanen".

Subanon

Subanon are the biggest group of lumad or

non-Muslim indigenous cultural
community on the island of Mindanao. This
ethnic group were the aborigines of western
Mindanao particularly in Zamboanga
Peninsula areas which are divided into
different provinces such as Zamboanga del
Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga
Sibugay, Basilan, Misamis Occidental and
extended to the province of Misamis
Oriental. The Subanon people speak the
Subanon language.

Notes

Sortable table
Ethnic
group(s)

Tagalog

Visayan

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Description(s)
The Tagalogs, the settlers of Manila and its
surrounding areas, are one of the most
widespread groups of people in the
Philippines. The Tagalog language was
chosen as an official language of the
Philippines in the 1930s. Today, Filipino, a
de facto version of Tagalog, is taught
throughout the islands. As of the 2000
census, there were about 21.5 million
speakers of Tagalog in the Philippines, 23.8
million worldwide.
The term Visayan refers to a cluster of
lowland ethnolinguistic groups who refer to
themselves as Bisaya and mainly reside in
the Visayas region. Some of these
individuals are also found in some parts of
Mindanao. These particular groups share
nearly the same history, maritime
civilization mostly around the Visayan Sea,
culture and traditions. As such, their
languages mostly within the Visayan island
group were said to be actually one dialect
continuum of Visayan due to their great
lexical and grammatical semblance to each
other. It was also hypothesized that
scattered present-day Visayans originated
from a proto-ethnic group that fled Sri
Vijaya, a major thalassocratic empire in
Southeast Asia during 13th century. Based
on estimates from the 2010 census, there
are currently around 33 million ethnic
Visayans.
There are various Visayan languages
spoken in the Central Philippine region.
They mostly include Cebuano, Ilonggo, and
Waray-Waray. Smaller language groups are
Romblomanon, Kinaray-a Aklanon and
Masbatenyo. Although having their
indigenous language classified as Visayan
by linguists, some ethnic groups do not
identify themselves as part of the Visayan

Notes

Sortable table
Ethnic
group(s)

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Description(s)

Notes

ethnic group. One example is the Tausug

who speak a Visayan language yet are
predominantly Muslim. Some of these only
use the Visayan identity to refer to those
who are Christian. Another language
taxonomically considered as Visayan is the
Cuyonon of Palawan.
The Chavacanos are an ethnic group
numbering around a million people, who
inhabit the provinces and cities of
Cavite(the Caviteo Chabacano),
Zamboanga City(Zamboangueo or
Chavacano), Zamboanga provinces
(Zamboangueo), Basilan
(Zamboangueo), Sulu (Zamboangueo),
Tawi-Tawi (Zamboangueo)
Ternate(Ternateo Chabacano),
Ermita(Ermiteo Chabacano),
Cotabato(Cotabate Chavacano),
Davao(Castellano Abakay) and
Malaysia(Zamboangueo).

Zamboangueo

Tribal groups
There are more than 100 highland, lowland, and coastland tribal groups in the Philippines. These
include:
Sortable table
Name(s)
Batak
Bugkalot

image

Description
The Batak is a group of
indigenous Filipino people that
resides in the northeast portion
of Palawan.
Also called Ilongot, this 2,500person tribe lives in the
southern Sierra Madre and
Caraballo Mountains, on the
east side of Luzon Island in the

Notes

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Name(s)

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Description

Notes

Philippines, primarily in the

provinces of Nueva Vizcaya
and Nueva Ecija.

Igorot

The Igorot (Bontoc, Ibaloi,

Ifugao, Isneg, Kalinga,
Kankana-ey, Kalanguya), live
in the highlands of Luzon.
They are primarily located in
the Cordillera Administrative
Region.

Ilongots

The Ilongot are a headhunting

ethnic group found in the
Caraballo Mountains.

Kagayanen

The Kagayanen are from the

municipality of Cagayancillo,
Palawan province. There are
about 36,000 Kagayanen in the
Philippines.

Lumad

The Lumad of Mindanao

includes several tribes such as
the Manobo, the Tasaday, the
Mamanwa, the Mandaya, the
Bilaan and the Kalagan. They
primarily inhabit the eastern
parts of Mindanao such as the
Caraga, and Davao Regions.

Mangyan

The Mangyan communities are They are 13% in the

found in Mindoro.
population.

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Name(s)

Molbog

Negrito
groups

image

Description

Notes

The Molbog (referred to in the

literature as Molebugan or
Molebuganon) are
concentrated in Balabak island
and are also found in other
islands of the coast of Palawan
as far north as Panakan. The
word Malubog means "murky
or turbid water". The Molbog
are probably a migrant people
from nearby North Borneo.
Judging from their dialect and
some socio-cultural practices,
they seem to be related to the
Orang Tidung or Tirum
(Camucone in Spanish), an
Islamized indigenous group
native to the lower east coast
of Sabah and upper East
Kalimantan.

However, some Sama words

(of the Jama Mapun variant)
and Tausug words are found in
the Molbog dialect after a long
period of exposure with those
ethnics. This plus a few
characteristics of their sociocultural life style distinguish
them from the Orang Tidung.
Molbog livelihood includes
subsistence farming, fishing
and occasional barter trading
with the Sulu Bangsa Moro
and nearby Sabah market
centers. In the past, both the
Molbog and the Palawanon
Muslims were ruled by Sulu
datus, thus forming the outer
political periphery of the Sulu
Sultanate. Intermarriage
between Tausug and the
Molbog hastened the
Islamization of the Molbog.
The offsprings of these
intermarriages are known as
kolibugan or "half-breed".

The Negrito are several ethnic The Negrito, Aeta, Batak, and
groups of the Australoid race Mamanwa live in remote areas
who inhabit isolated parts of throughout the islands.
Southeast Asia. Their current
populations include 12
Andamanese peoples of the
Andaman Islands, six Semang
peoples of Malaysia, the Mani
of Thailand, and the Aeta,
Agta, Ati, and 30 other peoples
of the Philippines. Genetically,
Negritos are the most distant
human population from
Africans at most loci studied
thus far (except for MC1R,

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Name(s)

image

Description

Notes

which codes for dark skin).

The tribes of Palawan are a
diverse group of tribes
primarily located in the island
of Palawan and its outlying
islands. These tribal groups are
widely distributed to the long
strip of mainland island
literally traversing Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao.

Palawan
Tribes

Pala'wan
Tagbanwa
people

Palawan is home to many

indigenous peoples whose
origins date back thousands of
centuries. Pre-historic
discoveries reveal how
abundant cultural life in
Palawan survived before
foreign occupiers and
colonizers reached the
Philippine archipelago. Today,
Palawan is making its best to
preserve and conserve the
richness of its cultural groups.
The provincial government
strives to support the groups of
indigenous peoples of
Palawan.
The Pala'wan are a tribal
people found in Southern
Palawan particularly Quezon,
Palawan.
The Tagbanwas are found in
the western and eastern coastal
areas of central Palawan. Their
name means "people of the
world". They are concentrated
in the municipalities of
Aborlan, Quezon and the city
of Puerto Princesa. Two other
ethnic groups called

The Tagbanwas speak the

Tagbanwa language and has
several sub-dialects. They are
able to comprehend Tagalog,
and, depending on their
proximity to neighboring
groups, Batak, Cuyonen and
Calamian languages. They

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Name(s)

image

Description

Notes

usually dress like the nontribal lowlanders. However,

"Tagbanwa" (i.e. the Central
elder men prefer to wear GTagbanwa and the Calamian
string while tilling or fishing.
Tagbanwa) are from a different
Houses are built from
family of languages and should
available forest materials.
not be confused the
Bamboo and wood are used
Tagnbanwas discussed here.
for the house's frame anahaw
These are found Coron Island,
leaves are used to create walls
Northern Palawan, Busuanga
and the roof and bamboo slats
Island and the Baras coast. The
are used as flooring. Their
Central Tagbanwa language is
basic social unit is the nuclear
dying out as the younger
family which is composed of a
generations are learning
married couple and their
Cuyonon and Tagalog.
children usually one girl and
one boy.
Tau't Bato

The Taaw't Batos' name means

"people of the rock". They are
not actually a separate
language or ethnic group, but
rather a small community of
traditional S.W. Palawanos
who happen to reside in the
crater of an extinct volcano
during certain seasons of the
year, in houses built on raised
floors inside caves though
others have set their homes on
the open slopes. They are
found in the Singnapan Basin,
a valley bounded by Mount
Mantalingajan on the east and
the coast on the west. North of
them is the municipality of
Quezon, Palawan and to the
South are the still unexplored
regions of Palawan.

As of 1987, their population

was about 198. Note that the
common-seen spelling "Tau't
Bato" or "Tau't Batu" is a
misspelling based on the
Tagalog word for "human"
(tao). The Palawano word is
"taaw." The men of the tribe
wear G-strings while the
women cover their lower
bodies with bark or cloth that
is made into a skirt. The upper
half is left exposed although
some now wear blouses that
are bought from the market.
The people practice agriculture
with cassava as the major
source of carbohydrates. They
also plant sweet potatoes,
sugarcane, malunggay
(Moringa oleifera), garlic,
pepper, string beans, squash,
tomatoes and pineapples.

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Name(s)

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Description

Notes
Others practice fishing,
hunting and industrial arts.
Their social organizations are
based on family (kin ties),
band (type of substinence
activity) and settlement
(geographic location).

Suludon

The Tumandok people are an

indigenous group who live in
central Panay island. They are
the largest indigenous peoples
group in Panay, with a
population As of 2011 of some
94,000. They are mostly slashand-burn farmers with bisaya
rice as the main crop, the
Tumandok also engage in
hunting, fishing, and foraging
for fruits and root crops.

Non-indigenous ethnic groups

The Philippine Statistics Department does not account for the racial background or
ancestry of an individual. The official number of all types of Filipino mestizos who reside
inside and outside of the Philippines remains unknown.
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name
Chinese

Descriptions
Filipinos of Chinese ancestry form a minority in the Philippine population. Most
migrations of Chinese to the Philippines started even before the Spanish colonial
period, when foreign trade with other countries were opened to the Philippines. The
ethnically Chinese Filipinos comprise 1.3% (1.1 million) of the population.

Filipinos of American ancestry form a minority in the Philippine population. Some

of these multiracial individuals are descended from Americans who settled in the
Philippines during the United States colonial period, and others from tourists who
American have settled in the Philippines in the contemporary period. As of 2011, the U.S,
State Department estimated that there are an estimated four million Americans of
Philippine ancestry in the United States, and more than 300,000 American citizens
in the Philippines.

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name

Descriptions

Arabs

the Arabs form a minority in the Philippine population. Their official population is
unknown.

Indian

Indians form a minority in the Philippine population and have been in the
Philippines since pre-colonial times. They have contributed to the unique cultural
blend in the Philippines. One source estimated the size of the Indian community in
the Philippines in 2008 at 150,000 persons. Most Indians in the Philippines belong
to either Sindhi people or Punjabi people ethnic groups, and are largely businessmen
and traders. A smaller population of Indians belonging to the Marathi ethnic group
form part of the clergy of Roman Catholic dioceses in the country.

People of Japanese descent form a minority in the Philippine population. However,

some estimates put the number of Japanese residing in the Philippines at around
120,000 when including Filipinos of Japanese descent. Japanese people have been
Japanese
settling in the Philippines for centuries, therefore there has been much cultural and
genetic blending. The Ryukyu Kingdom (Okinawa, etc...) also had heavy trade and
mixing in the Philippines, particularly in Northern Luzon.
Filipinos of Hispanic ancestry form a minority in the Philippine population. Their
official population is unknown. Most of these are descendants of the Spanish settlers
who settled in the islands during the Spanish colonial period. Most were of either
Hispanic pure Spanish ancestry or Amerindian-Spanish ancestry (The term 'Mestizo'
originated in Latin America). The first groups of Hispanics sailed in 1565 with
Miguel Lpez de Legazpi from New Spain, in what is now Jalisco state, Mexico to
conquer the Philippines.
Jewish

Jews form a minority in the Philippine population. Their official population is

unknown.

Koreans

As of 2007, approximately 72,000 Koreans are living in the Philippines. Most of

them are transient students and expatriates. Most are tourists or students studying in
the Philippines.

Other

Other ethnic groups and/or nationalities include various European ethnicities,

Brazilian, Canadian, Australian, New Zealander, Pacific Islander, Eastern European,
Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese, and other ethnic groups from other
countries.