Fact: Ilonggo - people living in Iloilo, Philippines Hiligaynon- dialect The Hiligaynon people (mga Hiligaynon), often referred to as Ilonggo people (mga Ilonggo) or Panayan people,[2] are a Visayan ethnic group whose primary language is Hiligaynon, an Austronesian language of the Visayan branch native to Panay, Guimaras, and Negros. Over the years, inter-migrations and intra-migrations have contributed to the diaspora of the Hiligaynons to different parts of the Philippines. Today, the Hiligaynon form the majority in the provinces of Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Guimaras, Capiz, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and North Cotabato.