Page "Music of the Philippines" Paragraph 3

The tradition of kulintang ensemble music itself is a regional one, predating the establishing of borders between the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia.

It transcends religion, with animist and Christian ethnic groups in Borneo, Flores and Sulawesi playing kulintangan ; and Muslim groups playing the same genre of music in Mindanao, Palawan and the Sulu archipelago.

It is distantly related to the Gamelan music orchestras of Java and Bali, as well as the musical forms in Mainland Southeast Asia, mainly because of the usage for the same bossed racked gong chimes that play both melodical and percussive.