Bikol, Southern in Philippines

Introduction / History

Southeast of the Philippines' capital of Manila, the Southern Bikol of the Philippines reside within their nation's strongest administrative region, with a significant number of Christian believers engaging with culture. The Southern Bikol live on six separate province islands along the southernmost and eastern portions of Luzon, the Philippines' largest and most populous island of the nation's archipelago. The Southern Bikol people originated ethnically from a Malay people group, adhering to generations of leadership roles being assigned to the strongest, bravest, and wisest individuals within their tribe. The Southern Bikol's name origins are derived from the phase "to bring to the other side," which modern-day interpretations have rephrased as those "who are hospitable and give visitors gifts to bring home." Charity is a cultural expectation for the Southern Bikol to extend when Southern Bikol witness their own people group struggle.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Southern Bikol people group converse using several Bikol macrolanguages, along with Tagalog and Filipino, the latter language being one of Philippines' official languages. English, the other official Philippines' language, is now progressively being spoken in marketplaces where the Southern Bikol frequent. Living up to their namesake's interpretation, the charity that the Southern Bikol Christians extend to others in their community models the Good Samaritan account as recorded in Luke 10:25-37.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Along with the duty to serve others, the Southern Bikol regard religion with esteem, with a significant number practicing Roman Catholicism. Those Southern Bikol traditionally follow what Spain's Augustinian and Franciscan missionaries shared when these foreigners migrated to the Philippines centuries ago. However, some syncretism has crept into the ritual practices of Roman Catholicism, as some of the "converted" give worship to the church's saints as lip service, while still worshipping their land's gods. Additionally, a rising number of Protestant Southern Bikol believers is on the rise, whose group avoids these levels of syncretism. Yet, pockets of Southern Bikol still practice other religious traditions found in indigenous Filipino religions, Islam, and Jehovah's Witnesses.

What Are Their Needs?

The Southern Bikol live in a prosperous region of the Philippines, as urbanization efforts have become consistent since the 1980s. As much as city inhabitants benefit from urbanization progress, poverty and displacement among the Southern Bikol still hovers at a quarter of this people group's population. Those in Southern Bikol church leadership thus acknowledge the opportunity to help those without resources in their own communities. Among the faithful of Christian servants, the Southern Bikol deserve to contribute on a global scale with their theological findings in ministry. What is happening among the Southern Bikol Christian believers ought to be articulated cross-culturally for the global church to celebrate their victories and glean wisdom.

Prayer Points

Advocate for God's presence to zealously stir a hunger within the Southern Bikol believers to pursue righteousness and the knowledge from God's word daily.
Pray that Southern Bikol Christians would be emboldened to share the gospel with those who don't have an adequate gospel presence.
Intercede for the poor among the Southern Bikol, so God can meet both their physical and spiritual needs for them to give God the glory for his provisions.
Ask God to open new doors and innovative strategies for the Southern Bikol Christians to share the gospel in other parts of Southeast Asia.

Text Source:   Joshua Project