Aren't the peoples of Guam primarily of filipino descent?

Answer 1

No, the indigenous people of Guam are not descended from Filipinos. They are called Chamorros.

There are two things that should be considered though:

1. Guam, like the Philippine islands, was colonized by Spain. Because of this, we share the same colonial pattern imposed by Spanish culture. In many documents from the Spanish colonial period, Guam (and lesser adjacent islands) was referred to as the Marianas and many Filipinos were exiled there for perceived political offenses by the Spanish colonial authorities. Many Filipino exiles opted to stay in there and presumably intermarried with the native Chamorros. In this sense, it can be deduced that a significant portion of modern Guamanians are of Filipino descent.

2. Chamorros and the different ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines all belong to a bigger ethno-linguistic group known as Austronesian. The same is true with most Indonesians, Malaysians, South Pacific peoples, indigenous Taiwanese and even the Malagasys (the indigenous people of Madagascar.) From this, we can say that instead of Guamanians being our descendants, they are our "cousins".

Answer 2

No, the people of Guam have a diverse ethnic background, including Chamorro, Filipino, and other Pacific Islander, Asian, and Caucasian groups. While there is a significant Filipino population on Guam, the indigenous Chamorro people make up the largest ethnic group on the island.