The presence of ethnic groups in the Philippines began during the prehistoric age. The outcome of such is the fact that the Philippines has been composed of different kinds of ethnic groups since then. In the Philippines, there is not just a list of ethnic groups but in fact, each ethnic group is even composed of a sub-list of groups. The focus of this article is the Indigenous ethnic groups of the Philippines.

In the Philippines, there is the so-called Indigenous Ethnic Groups consisting of the Pangasinense, Kapampangan, Bicolano, Ilocano, Tagalog and Visayan.

1. THE VISAYAN ETHNIC GROUP When we say Visiyan ethnic group, this is composed of people living in the Visayan region of the Philippines. However, some of the Visayan ethnic group may also be found in Mindanao. Different dialects are spoken by this ethnic group.

2. THE TAGALOG ETHNIC GROUP Members of this ethnic group reside in Marinduque, Mindoro, and Manila. The language spoken by the members of this ethnic group is Tagalog, which was recognized as the official language of the Philippines in 1930. The population of the Tagalog ethnic group totals to approximately 22,000,000 and the Tagalog people are considered as the most popular ethnic group in the Philippines.

3. THE ILOCANO ETHNIC GROUP The Ilocano ethnic group is said to be composed of approximately 8,000,000 individuals popularly known as the Ilocanos. The religion or faith of most of the Ilocanos is Christian. They are inhabitants of the coast regions of the Luzon island of the Philippines, as well as the lowlands of Luzon.

4. THE BICOLANO ETHNIC GROUP The Bicolanos are known as the successors of the Austronesians. The Austronesians are known to have inhabited the peninsula of the Luzon island of the Philippines during the Iron age. The language being spoken by this ethnic group is also called Bicolano. Most of the individuals that form part of the Bicolano ethnic group are Roman Catholics and the population of this ethnic group is estimated to reach 3,500,000.

5. THE KAPAMPANGAN ETHNIC GROUP The Kapampangan ethnic group or the Kapampangans come from different places that form part of the central plains of Luzon, Philippines. Such places include those that are between Bataan and Nueva Ecija. In the past, specifically in the Spanish Colonial Era, members of the Kapampangan ethnic group were said to be soldiers. Most of the Kapampangans are Christians and they are estimated to total 2,000,000 in population.

6. THE PANGASINENSE ETHNIC GROUP The Pangasinense ethnic group is ranked nine among the ethnic groups of the Philippines. The Pangasinenses have notable contribution to the history of the Philippines as they are known to have experienced initial direct communication with the Chinese in the past. The Pangasinenses were the first ones to trade with the Chinese.