The Chavacano of Philippines

The Chavacano of Philippines, numbering approximately 825,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a creole-speaking people associated with Chavacano, Asia's only Spanish-based creole language. Their culture emerged through interaction between Spanish colonial society and indigenous Philippine communities, especially in Zamboanga. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Chavacano is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Chabakano Creole

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Philippines
People Cluster: Filipino, Central
Primary Language(s): Chavacano (cbk)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 825,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG007661
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Pray for the Chavacano of Philippines

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

69%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Chavacano
Language Family: Indo-European

65%
%
Chavacano Speakers

Media Resources in Chavacano:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Chavacano:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Chavacano bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Chavacano are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Chavacano:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Chavacano of Philippines

For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.
readPsalm 130:7b

Pray for those who are unaware of God's steadfast love that is offered to them through Jesus Christ to learn the truth and experience His plentiful redemption.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!
readPsalm 67:3

Pray that God will be working in people's hearts, give them opportunities to receive the gospel, and bring many to faith in Himself.

Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.
readExodus 4:12

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, God will equip them with the words and wisdom to proclaim His message effectively.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
readJohn 1:5

Pray that when discouraging days come, those who cross cultures for the sake of the gospel will be comforted as they remember that the light of Christ is stronger than the darkness that surrounds them.

Chabakano Creole Across Countries (ROP3 - 101951) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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