Introduction / History

The Northern Bikol in the Philippines live primarily in the northernmost coastal areas of the Bicol Region (Region V), including parts of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. Originally animistic, \worshipping ancestors and often revering priestesses, they came under the influence Spanish Catholicism in the 1500s with the arrival of Augustinian and Franciscan missionaries.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Northern Bikol are engaged in fishing and the cultivation of rice, coconut, and hemp. Women do most of the household work while the men are expected to be the primary source of income.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The majority of the Northern Bikol are Catholic, but some continue animistic practices. There are a few Muslims and Protestant Christians among them. Before colonization by the Spanish, the Northern Bikol had a complex religions system involving a variety of deities, including gods of the mountains, lightning, and thunder. These continue to influence religious practices.

What Are Their Needs?

The Northern Bicol are under the influence of several false religions. Many have adapted to these by incorporating them into a single, synchronistic practice.

Prayer Items

Pray for the Northern Bicol to hear and receive the truth of the Gospel. Pray for their blind minds to be opened and enlightened. Pray for all other voices and influences to be silenced. Ask God to reveal their need for a Savior and His desire for relationship with them.

Scripture Prayers for the Bikol, Northern in Philippines.