The Bantoanon or “people from Banton (Island)” actually reside mostly in Odiongan, Corcuera, Calatrava, and Concepcion in Romblon, an archipelagic province in the MIMAROPA region. They speak Asi, a Visayan language that is lexically similar to the language of Romblomanon. Asi is spoken along with the Romblomanon and Inonhan languages and is classified under the same level as Cebuano. One way to identify a Bantoanon is through his or her family name, which usually starts with the letter “f”.
Bantoanons value education, as most of them consider it a way to improve their lives. Their usual means of livelihood are trade, business, fishing, and agriculture.
Sources
Indigenous People, http://library.thinkquest.org/
Ethnologue, www.ethnologue.com/
Banton, http://www.yagting.com/
National Commission For The Culture And The Arts, http://www.ncca.gov.ph/
