Hiligaynon people

The Hiligaynon are the indigenous inhabitants of the large coastal plain of East Panay island. Over the years, intermigrations and intramigrations have contributed to the diaspora of the Hiligaynon to different parts of the country. Now, the Hiligaynon form the majority in Iloilo province, Capiz province, Negros Occidental province, Guimaras province, and Sultan Kudarat province. They are part of the wider Visayan ethnic group, who constitute the largest Filipino ethnic group. They speak Hiligaynon language and also speak Cebuano in Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, and Siquijor as second language. Throughout the Philippines, they speak Tagalog and English as second languages. Most Hiligaynons (entirely in Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato) are Christians belonging to Roman Catholicism.