The Kagayanen of Philippines

The Kagayanen of Philippines, numbering approximately 39,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Manobo-descended people of Cagayancillo in the Sulu Sea, Philippines, later influenced by Moro settlers from the Sulu Sultanate, historically skilled shipbuilders who sought protection from pirates behind the islands' reefs. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Kagayanen is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Philippines
People Cluster: Filipino Tribal
Primary Language(s): Kagayanen (cgc)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 39,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG007701
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Pray for the Kagayanen 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

72%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kagayanen
Language Family: Austronesian

100%
%
Kagayanen Speakers

Media Resources in Kagayanen:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Kagayanen:

Bible Name (Translation) Video Audio Text
Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. ✓ ✓ ✓

1 entry

Or check out the Kagayanen bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Kagayanen are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Kagayanen:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Kagayanen of Philippines

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
readPsalm 73:26

Pray that those who are lost and struggling to find hope will find their strength and hope in God, recognizing Him as their portion and deliverer forever.

Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.
readActs 18:8

Pray that rulers and leaders will access the gospel, respond in faith, and be baptized, uniting with Christ and His Church, and influence others to follow Him.

And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be.”
readGenesis 15:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will trust God to keep His promises.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
readActs 1:8

Pray that God will raise up believers who are willing to cross cultures and boldly share the good news of Jesus with the lost in this people group and from every nation.

Kagayanen Across Countries (ROP3 - 104395) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index

All

1 people group

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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