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Visayas

Native name: Kabisay-an (Visayan) Kabisayaan (Tagalog)
Location of the Visayas within the Philippines
Geography
Location	Southeast Asia
Archipelago	Philippines
Major islands	Bohol Cebu Leyte Negros Panay Samar
Area	71,503 km2 (27,607 sq mi)
Highest elevation	2,435 m (7,989 ft)
Highest point	Kanlaon Volcano
Administration
Philippines
Regions	Central Visayas Eastern Visayas Western Visayas
Largest settlement	Cebu City (pop. 922,611)
Demographics
Demonym	Visayan (natively "Bisayâ")
Population	19,373,431 (2015)[1]
Pop. density	292 /km2 (756 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Visayans (Aklanon Boholano Capiznon Cebuano Cuyunon Eskaya Hiligaynon Karay-a Masbateño Romblomanon Waray) Negrito (Ati) other ethnic groups

The Visayas (/vɪˈsaɪəz/ vi-SY-əz), or the Visayan Islands^[2] (Visayan: Kabisay-an, locally [kabiˈsajʔan]; Tagalog: Kabisayaan [kabiˈsɐjaʔan]), is one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, it consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are also considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea.^[3] Its inhabitants are predominantly the Visayan peoples.

The major islands of the Visayas are Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Samar.^[6] The region may also include the provinces of Masbate, Romblon and Palawan, whose populations identify as Visayan and whose languages are more closely related to other Visayan languages than to the major languages of Luzon.

There are three administrative regions in the Visayas: Western Visayas (pop. 7.1 million), Central Visayas (6.8 million) and Eastern Visayas (4.1 million).^[7] The Negros Island Region existed from 2015 to 2017, separating Negros Occidental and its capital Bacolod from Western Visayas and Negros Oriental from Central Visayas. The region has been dissolved since.

Etymology

The term Visayas was derived from the name of the 7th-century thalassocratic empire of Srivijaya (Sanskrit: श्रीविजय) in Sumatra.^[8] In Sanskrit, sri (श्री) means "fortunate," "prosperous," or "happy" and vijaya (विजय) means "victorious" or "excellent". The archipelagoes of Visayas and Sulu were once Hindu-Buddhist and were either subject states or tributaries of the empire.^[9]

History

The early inhabitants of the Visayas were the Austronesian peoples and Ati peoples, who migrated to the archipelago about 6,000 to 30,000 years ago.^[10] These early settlers were animist tribes. In the 12th century, settlers from the collapsing Buddhist Srivijaya Empire led by Datu Putih and his retinue, settled in the island of Panay and its surrounding islands.^[11] It was also during the 12th century that Visayans are said to have made a series of raids along the southern coasts of China. They were said to have a fearsome reputation, and the mention of their names would cause many to flee in horror and terror.^[12] These tribes practiced a mixture of Hinduism, Buddhism and Animist-Polytheist beliefs although there are those in the population which exclusively practiced Hinduism, Buddhism or Animism. Besides the neighbouring Southeast Asians, there is evidence of trade among other Asian peoples. The Visayans were thought to have kept close diplomatic relations with Malaysian and Indonesian kingdoms, since the people of Cebu were able to converse with Enrique of Malacca using the Malay language when the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan arrived in 1521. The Visayas is subsequently home to several Precolonial kingdoms, like the Kedatuan of Madja-as (now Western Visayas) which was a rump-state of Srivijaya and had conducted resistance movements against the Hindu Chola dynasty and the Majapahit empire, the Rajahnate of Cebu which had allied herself with fellow Hindus in Butuan at Mindanao and Kutai in southern Borneo, and the Kedatuan of Dapitan which was at war with the Papuan Sultanate of Ternate.^[13] Among the archaeological proofs of the existence of this Hiligaynon nation are the artifacts found in pre-European tombs from many parts of the island, which are now in display at Iloilo Museum. There are also recent discoveries of burial artifacts of eight-foot inhabitants of Isla de Gigantes, including extra-large Lungon (wooden coffins) and pre-Hispanic potteries.^[14]

After the Magellan expedition, King Philip II of Spain sent Miguel López de Legazpi in 1543 and 1565 and claimed the islands for Spain. The Visayas region and many kingdoms began converting to Christianity and adopting western culture. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the effects of colonization on various ethnic groups soon turned sour and revolutions such as those of Francisco Dagohoy began to emerge.

Various personalities who fought against the Imperial Spanish Colonial Government arose within the archipelago. Among the notable ones are Graciano Lopez Jaena^[15] and Martin Delgado from Iloilo, Aniceto Lacson, León Kilat and Diego de la Viña from Negros, Venancio Jakosalem Fernandez from Cebu,^[16] and two personalities from Bohol by the name of Tamblot, who led the Tamblot Uprising in 1621 to 1622 and Francisco Dagohoy, the leader of the Bohol Rebellion that lasted from 1744 to 1829.^[17] Negros briefly stood as an independent nation in the Visayas in the form of the Cantonal Republic of Negros, before it was absorbed back to the Philippines because of the American takeover of the archipelago.^[18]

On May 23, 2005, Palawan (including its highly-urbanized capital city of Puerto Princesa) were transferred from MIMAROPA (Region IV-B) to Western Visayas (Region VI) under Executive Order No. 429, signed by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was the president at that year.^[19] However, Palaweños criticized the move, citing a lack of consultation, with most residents in Puerto Princesa and all Palawan municipalities but one preferring to stay in MIMAROPA (Region IV-B). Consequently, Administrative Order No. 129 was issued on 19 August 2005 that the implementation of E.O. 429 be held in abeyance, pending approval by the president of its Implementation Plan.^[20] The Philippine Commission on Elections reported the 2010 Philippine general election results for Palawan as a part of the Region IV-B results.^[21] As of 30 June 2011^[update], the abeyance was still in effect, with Palawan and its capital city remaining under MIMAROPA (Region IV-B).

On May 29, 2015, the twin provinces of Negros Occidental (including its highly-urbanized capital city of Bacolod) and Negros Oriental were joined together to form the Negros Island Region under Executive Order No. 183, signed by President Benigno Aquino III. It separated both, the former province and its capital city from Western Visayas and the latter province from Central Visayas.

On August 9, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 38, revoking the Executive Order No. 183 signed by (former) President Benigno Aquino III on May 29, 2015, due to the reason of the lack of funds to fully establish the NIR according to Benjamin Diokno, the Secretary of Budget and Management.

Mythical allusions and hypotheses

Historical documents written in 1907 by Visayan historian Pedro Alcántara Monteclaro in his book Maragtas tell the story of the ten leaders (Datus) who escaped from the tyranny of Rajah Makatunaw from Borneo and came to the islands of Panay. The chiefs and followers were said to be the ancestors (from the collapsing empires of Srivijaya and Majapahit) of the Visayan people. The documents were accepted by Filipino historians and found their way into the history of the Philippines. As a result, the arrival of Bornean tribal groups in the Visayas is celebrated in the festivals of the Ati-Atihan in Kalibo, Aklan and Binirayan in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique. Foreign historians such as William Henry Scott maintains that the book contains a Visayan folk tradition.^[22]

A contemporary theory based on a study of genetic markers in present-day populations is that Austronesian peoples from Taiwan populated the larger island of Luzon and headed south to the Visayas and Mindanao, and then to Indonesia and Malaysia, then to Pacific Islands and finally to the island of Madagascar, at the west of the Indian Ocean.^[23] The study, though, may not explain inter-island migrations, which are also possible, such as Filipinos migrating to any other Philippine provinces.

According to Visayan folk traditions, the Visayas were populated by Malays from the collapsing empires of Srivijaya and Majapahit migrating from Borneo to Mindanao and to the Visayas, while other Malay groups crossed to Palawan through Sabah.^{[citation needed]} Other Malays were suggested to have crossed from the island of Samar to the Bicol Region in Luzon. The theory suggests that those ancient tribal groups who passed through Palawan may have migrated to what is now the island of Luzon.^{[citation needed]}

A supplementary theory was that at that period, the Malay people were moving north from Mindanao to the Visayas and to Luzon.

Administrative divisions

A map of the Visayas colour-coded according to the constituent regions.

  Central Visayas

  Eastern Visayas

  Western Visayas

The major islands, from west to east, are Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, and Samar.

A map of the Visayas color-coded according to its constituent regions during inclusion of the then Negros Island Region (2015-2017).

  Western Visayas

  Negros Island Region

  Central Visayas

  Eastern Visayas

Administratively, the Visayas is divided into 3 regions, namely Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas. Each region is headed by a Regional Director who is elected from a pool of governors from the different provinces in each region.

The Visayas is composed of 16 provinces, each headed by a Governor. A governor is elected by popular vote and can serve a maximum of three terms consisting of three years each.

Western Visayas (Region VI)

Western Visayas consists of the islands of Panay and Guimaras and the western half of Negros. The regional center is Iloilo City. Its provinces are:

• Aklan


• Antique


• Capiz


• Guimaras


• Iloilo


• Negros Occidental

Central Visayas (Region VII)

Central Visayas includes the islands of Cebu, Siquijor and Bohol and the eastern half of Negros. The regional center is Cebu City. Its provinces are:

• Bohol


• Cebu


• Negros Oriental


• Siquijor

Eastern Visayas (Region VIII)

Eastern Visayas consists of the islands of Leyte,
Samar and Biliran. The regional center is Tacloban City. Its provinces are:

• Biliran


• Leyte


• Southern Leyte


• Eastern Samar


• Northern Samar


• Samar

Scholars have argued that the region of Mimaropa and the province of Masbate are all part of the Visayas in line with the non-centric view. This is contested by a few politicians in line with the Manila-centric view.^[24][25]

Major cities and municipalities

Below is a list of cities and major towns in the Visayas by population.

Language

Languages spoken at home are primarily Visayan languages despite the usual misconception that these are dialects of a single macrolanguage. Major languages include Hiligaynon or Ilonggo in much of Western Visayas, Cebuano in Central Visayas, and Waray in Eastern Visayas. Other dominant languages are Aklanon, Kinaray-a, and Capiznon. Filipino, the 'national language' based on Tagalog, is widely understood but seldom used. English, another official language, is more widely known and is preferred as the second language most especially among urbanized Visayans. For instance, English rather than Tagalog is frequently used in schools, public signs and mass media.

See also

• Visayans


• Regions of the Philippines


• Provinces of the Philippines

Notes

References

• 
  Scott, William Henry (1984). Prehispanic Source Materials for the study of Philippine History. New Day Publishers. ISBN 971-10-0226-4.
  

External links

• 
  Media related to Visayas at Wikimedia Commons


• 
  Visayas travel guide from Wikivoyage


• 
  The dictionary definition of visayas at Wiktionary

Coordinates: 11°00′N 123°30′E / 11.000°N 123.500°E / 11.000; 123.500