Surigaonon people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,000,000 (estimates) based on the population of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and some speakers of Agusan del Norte (2010) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|
Philippines: Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Davao Oriental |
|
| Languages | |
| Surigaonon and/or Tandaganon; (Second languages: Cebuano, Kamayo, Tagalog, English) | |
| Religion | |
| predominantly Roman Catholic, others | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Visayans, other Filipinos, Other Austronesians groups (especially Indonesians, Dayak, Malays, Meratus Dayak and other non-Muslim Pribumi) |
The Surigaonon people are part of the wider Visayan ethnolinguistic group, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group. Although traditionally grouped with the Cebuanos, the Surigaonons are a distinct identity.
Surigaonons populate the eastern coastal plain of Mindanao, particularly the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Islands. They are also present in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and in Davao Oriental.
Currently, the Surigaonons number about 1,000,000 (estimates) based on the population of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and some speakers of Agusan del Norte.
Their ancestors were the Austronesian-speaking immigrants who came from South China during the Iron Age. The Surigaonons are Visayans. Their language closely resembles Cebuano, albeit with some local words and phrases. Hence, it is considered by most linguists to be a separate language, the Surigaonon language. Because of the mass influx of Cebuano settlers to Mindanao, they also speak Cebuano as second language since Surigaonon is a Visayan language, other languages are Tagalog, and English as third languages. The vast majority of Surigaonons are Roman Catholics, very few are Muslims in contrast to its very closely related Tausug brothers which are predominantly Muslims.
...
Wikipedia