Indigenous Tribes in the

Philippines
By: Karla Anne Gonzales
Indigenous Peoples/Indigenous refer to a group of people
sharing common bonds of language, customs, traditions and other
distinctive cultural traits.

Indigenous peoples’ communities can be found in the

interiors of Luzon,
Mindanao, and some islands of Visayas
Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines

There are various indigenous Filipino

ethnic groups and
tribes in the Philippines.
Luzon the “IGOROT”

People from the Cordillera Mountains in

Luzon are broadly known as Igorot.
Cordillera Peoples: This is the indigenous
population of the Cordillera mountain range,
which covers six provinces in the middle of
Northern Luzon – Abra, Apayao, Benguet,
Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province. They
are collectively called Igorots, meaning
“mountain people” .There are eight ethno-
linguistic groups in the Cordillera, namely,
Bontoc,, Isneg, Kalinga, Kankanaey,
Tingguian, and Yapayao, Ibaloi
Bontoc

Ibaloi
 Ifugao

Isneg

Kalinga
 Kankanaey

Tingguian

Yapayao
Caraballo Tribes:
These are the five ethnolinguistic
groups – Ibanag, Ilongot, Gaddang, Ikalahan and
Isinai – who together with the Agta peoples inhabit the
Caraballo mountain range in Eastern Central Luzon.
This range connects the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya,
Quirino and Nueva Ecija..
 Ibanag

Ilongot

Gaddang
Ikalahan

Isinai
Visayas The “Manyan” People

 The indigenous groups in the Visayas –mostly in Mindoro – are

called Mangyan. Again, there are many ethnic groups such as the
Tadyawan, Tagbanwa, Palawano, Molbog and Kagayanan.
Mangyan of Mindoro: This is a generic name for
the six ethno-linguistic groups spread over the mountains and
foothills of Mindoro, an island southwest of Luzon, namely,
Batangan, Iraya, Hanunoo, Alangan, Ratagnon, Buhid,
andTadyawan.
Palawan hill tribes: These are the non-Muslim
tribal people of Palawan island located further west of
Mindoro. This group is composed of four ethnic groups –
Tagbanua, Batak, Kalamianes,Cuyonin, and Ken-uy.
Mindanao The Lumad and Moro
There is some differentiation of the indigenous
people in Mindanao. The Moro and the
Lumad. The Moro practice Islam and the
Lumad do not. Moro is Spanish for the word
Moor. Lumad means indigenous or native.
The Moro or Muslim Groups: These are the Muslims in
Mindanao composed of fourteen groups, namely, Maranao,
Maguindanao, Tausug, Samal, Yakan, Sangil, Palawani,
Badjao, Kalibugan, Jama-Mapun, Ipanun, Kalagan,
Molbog, and Muslim.
The main problems that Indigenous
People faces:
1. Land

2. Education

3. Health issues
The National Commission on Indigenous
Peoples (NCIP)
 It is an agency of the Philippine government with
frontline services for the Indigenous Peoples and
attached to the Office of the President.

 The NCIP evolved through a series of governmental

reorganizations in an effort to properly address the
multifarious issues and concerns confronting the
country’s diverse Indigenous Cultural Communities/
Indigenous Peoples (ICCs/IPs), and to effectively,
efficiently and responsively deliver basic services to
them.
Programs of Philippine Government for
Indigenous People
DOH, NCIP, & DILG join to improve indigenous peoples’ health

 Kalusugan Pangkalahatan for Indigenous Peoples

 With the theme “KP for IPs!” or “Kalusugan Pangkalahatan (KP) for
Indigenous Peoples (IPs)”, Secretary Enrique T. Ona of the Department of
Health, Chairperson Zenaida Brigida H. Pawid of the National Center for
Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and Secretary Mar Roxas of the Department of
Interior and Local Government (DILG), signed the Joint Memorandum
Circular  “Guidelines on the Delivery of Basic Health Services for
Indigenous Peoples/Indigenous Cultural Communities (IPs/ICCs)” at
the Diamond Hotel, Manila, on June 3, 2013.

 goal of ensuring that marginalized groups have more equitable access to

affordable quality health care
DEPED OFFERS SPECIAL CURRICULUM FOR
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

 A specially-designed curriculum for members of

indigenous cultural communities is now being offered
by the Department of Education (DepEd) as it takes a
vital step in realizing its   “Education For All” program.

 The objective of the curriculum is for IPs to improve

communication skills, problem-solving and critical
thinking abilities, as well as develop a stronger sense of
community. Other topics include ecological and
sustainable economics and expanding their world view.
Philippine Association For Inter-Cultural
Development,Inc. (PAFID) has been implementing
LTP (Land Tenure Program)

 The aim of the initiative is to assist Indigenous

Communities regain and secure their ancestral
lands/domain.

 Through the LTP, more than 500,000 hectares of

Ancestral Domains including waters have been
secured through the Issuance of available tenurial
instruments.
-END-