The Mag-anchi Sambal of Philippines

The Mag-anchi Sambal of Philippines, numbering approximately 16,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an Aeta hunter-gatherer people of the Zambales-Tarlac-Pampanga uplands in Central Luzon, among the most genetically ancient populations known, who adopted the Austronesian language of their lowland neighbors. They mostly adhere to Animism and Mag-antsi Ayta is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Mag-anchi Sambal

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Malay Peoples
Country: Philippines
People Cluster: Filipino Tribal
Primary Language(s): Mag-antsi Ayta (sgb)
Primary Religion(s): Animism
Population: 16,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 10% or Greater Evangelical
People Group ID: PG007722
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Pray for the Mag-anchi Sambal 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: Animism
Religious Affiliation: Ethnoreligion

60%
%
Animism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Mag-antsi Ayta
Language Family: Austronesian

69%
%
Ayta, Mag-antsi Speakers

Media Resources in Mag-antsi Ayta:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Mag-antsi Ayta:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2006 Bible League✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Mag-antsi Ayta bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Mag-anchi Sambal 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 Mag-anchi Sambal:
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 Mag-anchi Sambal of Philippines

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
readMark 10:15

Pray for those who might be trapped in pride, that God will humble them and give them a childlike faith and complete dependence on Him through faith in Christ.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
read2 Timothy 4:3-4

Pray that the lost will be open to the truth of the gospel and turn from false teachings and myths to the sound doctrine of Christ in faith.

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
readPsalm 127:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will build their homes in the Lord and raise their children to know and honor Him.

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.

Sambal, Mag-Anchi Across Countries (ROP3 - 106007) 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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