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The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands"Visayan Islands" Merriam-Webster Dictionary. http://www.merriam-webster.com/concise/visayan%20islands (Visayan: Kabisay-an, ; Filipino: Kabisayaan ), are one of the three principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, along with Luzon and Mindanao. Located in the central part of the archipelago, it consists of several islands, primarily surrounding the Visayan Sea, although the Visayas are also considered the northeast extremity of the entire Sulu Sea.C. Michael Hogan. 2011. Sulu Sea. Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. P. Saundry & C. J. Cleveland. Washington, D.C. Its inhabitants are predominantly the .
The major islands of the Visayas are Panay, Negros, Cebu Island, Bohol Island, Leyte and Samar. The region may also include the provinces of Palawan, Romblon, and Masbate, whose populations identify as Visayan and whose languages are more closely related to other Visayan languages than to the major languages of Luzon.
There are four administrative regions in the Visayas: Western Visayas (pop. 4.73 million), Negros Island Region (pop. 4.76 million), Central Visayas (6.54 million) and Eastern Visayas (4.5 million).
Visayans were first referred to by the general term Pintados ("the painted ones") by the Spanish, in reference to the prominent practice of full-body tattooing (batok). The word "Bisaya", on the other hand, was first documented in Spanish language sources in reference to the non-Ati people inhabitants of the island of Panay. However, it is likely that the name was already used as a general endonym by Visayans long before Spanish colonization, as evidenced by at least once instance of a place named "Bisaya" in coastal eastern Mindanao as reported by the Loaisa (c.1526), Saavedra (c.1528), and the Villalobos (c.1543) expeditions. It is likely that the reason the Spanish did not use the term generally until the later decades of the 1500s is due to the fact that people were more likely to identify themselves with more specific ethnic names like Cebuano people.
In Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1609) by Antonio de Morga, he specifies that the name " Biçaya" is synonymous with Pintados.
The name has also been hypothesized to be related to the Bisaya ethnic group of Borneo, the latter incidentally recounted in the controversial Maragtas epic as the alleged origins of the ancestral settlers in Panay. However historical, archeological, and linguistic evidence for this are still paltry. The languages of the Bisaya of Borneo and of the Bisaya of the Philippines do not show any special correlation, apart from the fact that they all belong to the same Austronesian family. Similarly there are claims that it was the name of a folk hero (allegedly "Sri Visaya") or that it originated from the exclamation "Bisai-yah!" ("How beautiful!") by the Sultan of Brunei who was visiting Visayas for the first time. All these claims have been challenged and remain as mere speculations and folk etymology.
The short-lived Federal State of the Visayas was established as a revolutionary state during the Philippine Revolution. It designated Iloilo City as the Visayas capital and was composed of three governments: the Provisional Government of the District of Visayas (Panay), the Cantonal Government of Negros, the Cantonal Government of Bohol, and the island of Cebu, which was under revolutionary control.
On May 23, 2005, Palawan (including its highly urbanized capital city of Puerto Princesa) was transferred from Mimaropa (Region IV-B) to Western Visayas (Region VI) under Executive Order No. 429, signed by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was the president at that year. However, Palaweños criticized the move, citing a lack of consultation, with most residents in Puerto Princesa and all Palawan municipalities but one, preferring to stay in Mimaropa (Region IV-B). Consequently, Administrative Order No. 129 was issued on August 19, 2005, that the implementation of E.O. 429 be held in abeyance, pending approval by the president of its Implementation Plan. The Philippine Commission on Elections reported the 2010 Philippine general election results for Palawan as a part of the Region IV-B results. Philippine 2010 Election Results: Region IV-B, Philippine Commission on Elections. , the abeyance was still in effect, with Palawan and its capital city remaining under Mimaropa (Region IV-B). On May 29, 2015, the twin provinces of Negros Occidental (including its highly urbanized capital city, Bacolod) and Negros Oriental were joined to form the Negros Island Region under Executive Order No. 183, signed by President Benigno Aquino III. It separated both, the former province and its capital city from Western Visayas and the latter province from Central Visayas.
On August 9, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 38, revoking the Executive Order No. 183 signed by his predecessor, President Benigno Aquino III, on May 29, 2015, due to the reason of the lack of funds to fully establish the NIR according to Benjamin Diokno, the Secretary of Budget and Management.
On June 13, 2024, the Negros Island Region was re-established, with the inclusion of Siquijor.
Visayans honor their traditions and culture by celebrating festivals as they are known to be Roman Catholic or Christianity in religion. These festivals are celebrated in tribute to their saints, to share peace and happiness, to give thanks for the abundant harvest, and to advertise their products. Visayans are known for their different festivals celebrated in other cities of Visayan Island.
Sinulog is celebrated every third Sunday in January in Cebu City. This festival is a tribute to their saint, Senior Santo Nino de Cebu. The Sinulog festival includes parades, fluvial processions, dances, Cebu beauty pageants, and sometimes arts contests. Some other parts of Cebu provinces participated in the celebration by performing traditional dances and decorating a float, or Higantes, to represent their patron., one of the grandest festivals in the Philippines held in Cebu. ]]Ati-Atihan Festival is celebrated every third Sunday in January, like Sinulog. It is held in Kalibo, on Panay, where the first indigenous people settled, called Ati people, or Ati people. This festival devotes to the mystery of baby Jesus and Indigenous people. The people who participated painted their bodies and face and wore indigenous costumes and props. This festival plays music, drums, and parades for several days.
Dinagyang is celebrated in Iloilo City on the fourth Sunday of January. This festival marked the baby Jesus Senior Sto. Nino. At Ati-Atihan Festival in Aklan, Dinagyang also has Ati people dancing to celebrate the entry of Malay in Panay, colorful costumes, and a Pageant for Miss Iloilo; Sadsad is a procession with a decorated float. Schools and businesses in in this city participate in dancing competitions at this festival.
The major islands, from west to east, are Panay, Negros Island, Cebu Island, Bohol Island, Leyte, and Samar.]] [[File:Visayas regions.PNG|thumb|A former map of the Visayas, prior to the revival of Negros Island Region in June 2024
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Administratively, the Visayas is divided into 4 regions, namely Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas.
The Visayas is composed of 16 provinces, each headed by a Governor. A governor is elected by popular vote and can serve a maximum of three terms consisting of three years each.
Scholars have argued that the region of Mimaropa and the province of Masbate are all part of the Visayas in line with the non-centric view. This is contested by a few politicians in line with the Manila-centric view.
Over the years, Bisaya has often been used interchangeably with Cebuano in many parts of the country, though this practice is context-dependent and varies across regions. Cebuano-speaking settlers in Mindanao and other areas outside Cebu frequently refer to themselves and their language as Bisaya to distinguish themselves from the people of Cebu and their dialect. To address this ambiguity, some propose using the term Sinugbuanong Binisaya (which has been the term used in basic education) to specify Cebuano, while others suggest Binisaya as a broader term. Surveys, such as those conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), often separate Bisaya and Cebuano, despite the two being mutually intelligible. Ethnologue, however, only lists Cebuano as a language. In Western Visayas, Bisaya may refer to Hiligaynon or Kinaray-a speakers, whereas in Eastern Visayas, it may denote Waray speakers.
In Mindanao, migrant ethnic groups from Luzon and indigenous peoples have assimilated into predominantly Cebuano-speaking societies (or Hiligaynon-speaking communities in the case of Soccsksargen) over the years. Many of these individuals now identify as Visayans after learning Cebuano, though they often retain knowledge of their non-Visayan roots and may still speak their ancestral languages fluently as a second or third language.
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