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The following is a listing of the sovereigns of the kingdoms in the Philippine archipelago before their dominions fell to either the Kingdom of the Spains and the Indies (mostly in the 16th or 17th century) or the United States of America (in the 20th century), and of their non-sovereign descendants that kept honorary titles.

Mentions of the King of Luzon by the Spanish king Charles V in a decree and correspondences and of the King of Cebu by Hernan Cortes, Spanish governor of New Spain, in his letter to him are found in Spanish records; these occurred in the first half of 16th century.

After the fall of particular Philippine dominions to the Kingdom of the Spains and the Indies which started in 1565, due to the much earlier Spanish royal authorization given to the royal audience and chancery of New Spain on 26 February 1538 to prohibit the title of "lord" from being adopted by the nobles of acquired overseas dominions, since, according to its author the Spanish queen Isabella, "it is convenient for our service and royal preeminence that they are not called [lords]" but principals, the particular Philippine nobles who swore allegiance to Spain became part of the "principalia" or Philippine principality and came to be considered as "principal Indians". This same authorization formed part of the Spanish Laws of the Indies as Law 5 of Title 7 of Book 6. The ranks in nobility were also reduced to practically the lowest one based on the truly common designation of "datu" equating it fully to being a "cabeza de barangay" or head of a barangay or town district, with an opportunity for a noble to be elected as "gobernadorcillo" or town governor by the same nobles. Nonetheless, they were given privileges comparable to Spanish nobility such as exemption from taxation, authority of governance, and inheritance of title and privileges; these had also been part of their previous powers albeit reduced. Upon converting to Christianity, these same nobles adopted the initially fairly exclusive titles of "don" and "doña". The occurrence of a Philippine noble becoming a "principal" was only mutually recognized by both the Spanish king and that noble after the noble swore allegiance to the Spanish king. In insular Spanish records, the principalia was also sometimes referred to as nobility, and principals also as nobles.

The Kingdom of Luzon was described as one of the more powerful and wealthier kingdoms in the archipelago. It was noted for its commerce, literacy, diplomacy, navy, and use of artillery. Its influence ranged at least from Mindoro to Kapampangan lordships, with possibilities of greater extent suggested by the name of the kingdom. The kingdom and its subjects began to fall under the Kingdom of the Spains and the Indies, starting in 1570, just as the Kingdom of Luzon was starting to adopt Islam.

The Kingdom of Cebu was known for its military achievements and for having a large army. The male citizens of the kingdom were tattooed as marks of honour. Its dominion became a protectorate of the Kingdom of the Spains and the Indies in 1565 but fell to the said kingdom after 1570.

Mactan is known to have had several rulers at the same time, unlike most principalities in the neighbouring Cebu. Mactan is assumed to have had its own sovereign.

The dominion of the Sultanate of Maguindanao gradually fell to the United States of America in the 1900s.

In English toponymy, borrowed from Spanish toponymy, Sulu is the term that refers to the Sultanate of the Tausugs, with this term being an approximation (perhaps Spanish) of the root term "Sulug" in Tausug which is also pronounced as "Suluk" in Malay. Both these terms refer to the Tausug people, the first being an endonym and the second an exonym, besides being the name of the sultanate itself. Jolo is another term that serves this approximation (initially pronounced as /Sho-lo/ in Spanish).

The primary language of the Sultanate of Sulu is Tausug, with Malay and Arabic as secondary languages. The dominion of the sultanate stretched from Sulu in what is now the Philippines to Sabah in what is now Malaysia. From its dominion, the side on the American reckoning of the Philippine islands gradually fell to the United States of America within the first half of the 20th century. The Sabah territory was continually leased by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the Sultan of Sulu, and was then transferred by that kingdom to Malaysia, which continued to pay for the lease.

Part of the legacy of this sultanate is the presence of around 1,200,000 Tausugs in the Philippines and around 700,000 Tausugs in Malaysia at the present time. The royal family of the Sultanate of Sulu still maintains its lineage well-documented.

Title and Name	Flag	From	Until
Sultan Sharif ul-Hashim		1480	1505
Sultan Kamal ud-Din		1505	1527
Sultan Amir ul-Umara		1893	1899
Sultan Jamal ul-Kiram I		1893	1899
Sultan Mahakuttah Kiram		1974	1986
Sultan Muedz ul-Lail Tan Kiram		1986	Present

Some aristocratic descendants are either officially granted leadership of particular communities by the Republic of the Philippines or unofficially still assume this role.

Muslim

Some Muslim aristocratic descendants who kept ancestral lordly titles have attempted to participate in the republican government and have served as either appointed or democratically elected public officials while they continued to assume roles as community leaders. There are also sometimes contending claimants to the titles. For aristocratic descendants, the following are several examples:

• Datu Pax Mangudadatu – former Governor of Sultan Kudarat from 2001 to 2004
• The Maguindanao Sultanate has an incumbent titular Sultan, Hajji Datu Amir bin Muhammad Baraguir – the 25th Sultan of Maguindanao. Son of Al-Marhum Sultan Hajji Datu Muhammad G.M. Baraguir, Llb. the 24th Sultan of Maguindanao^[1]
• The Maranaos have sixteen royal houses that rule the four principalities in what is referred to as the Confederation of Sultanates of Lanao.

Polytheistic ethnicities

• Datu Benhur – Lumad leader of the Banuaon tribe^[2]
• Datu Viloso Suhat, also known as Datu Lipatuan – a tribal leader from the Tinananon Menuvo tribe in Arakan, North Cotabato, and the first Lumad to sit in a local legislative body in central Mindanao.^[3]
• Datu Lamparan Talima Danda – the tribal chief from Subanen tribe, and a second generation descendant of Timuay Danda Antanao from Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay. Elected Mayor of Kabasalan, serving from 1961 to 1964. He was the Secretary General of United Subanen Community Association Inc.
• Datu Wilborne Sanghanan Danda – A Tribal Leader of the Peninusula, He became a Board Member of Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Zamboanga Sibugay (2000–2013), Elected Councilor for three terms, Elected Vice Mayor of Municipality of Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay from year 2010–2013, He is the son of Datu Lamparan Talima Danda the Tribal Chieftain of Zamboanga Peninsula.
• Datu Wata Eduardo Lihao Danda – a tribal leader in charge of the communications for the entire Subanen Tribe. He functioned under Datu Lamparan Lihao Danda, his elder brother. He was enlisted into United States Armed Forces of the Far East (USAFFE) during World War II, attach to the Medical Detachment of 106th Infantry (Filipino) Division with rank of Corporal, and captured by the Japanese in May 1942. Datu Wata Eduardo was imprisoned in Camp 78 in Davao, escaped the same year and re-joined with US Army 41st Division. After the liberation of the Philippines from Imperial Japanese forces, he reenlisted to the Philippine Constabulary and retired in 1972. He served as the Secretary General of United Subanen Community Association, Inc. in Zamboanga Sibugay, succeeding his elder brother.
• Datu Labi José Lihao Cayon – a tribal chief of the Subanen tribe and the 1st cousin of Datu Wata Eduardo Lihao Danda and Datu Lamparan Lihao Danda
• Datu Wilfredo Lunsayan Sanggayan - a Municipal Councilor of the Municipality of Kabasalan, Province of Zamboanga del Sur for Three (3) consecutive terms from July 1, 1992 to June 30, 2001 (9 years); He also served as Provincial Board Member representing the Indigenous Peoples of the Province of Zamboanga Sibugay from July 2005 to October, 2012 and was recognized as the FIRST Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of the Philippines in the Provincial level pursuant to RA 8371 otherwise known as the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997; Founding Chairman of the Provincial Indigenous Peoples' Organization of Zamboanga Sibugay, Inc. (PIPOZSI); Founding Chairman of Subanen Indigenous Peoples Association of the Philippines, Inc. (SIPAP); Founding Chairman of Subanen Partylist of the Philippines; He is the eldest son of late Timuay Langhap Pablo B. Sanggayan of Kabasalan, Zamboanga del Sur.
• Datu Labi Julius Mascarinas Cayon – board member of Zamboanga Sibugay Province And the Son of late Datu Labi JoseLihao Cayon, he is recognized as the Tribal Chieftain not just in Zamboanga Sibugay but entire Region 9 and partly in Region 10. "NCIP" - national commission on indigenous people, record section.
• Datu Lumok Imbing – 2nd cousin of Datu Laparam Talima Danda and a tribal leader from Subanen Tribe, who leads the aborigins of the Municipality of Lapuyan, Zamboanga Del Sur Province.
• Datu Langhap Dacanay – he is the 2nd generation of the royal blood stream and a 3rd degree relative of Datu Wilborne Sanghanan Danda
• Bae Sonita Manda Ryde – the 1st highest women handle the position she was proclaimed by former President Gloria Arroyo, and she is in the 2nd generation royal blood stream a relative of Datu Lamparan T. Danda, Datu Wata Eduardo Lihao Danda and Datu Labi Jose Lihao Cayon.

The following are present-day elders in ancestral domains as provided in the 1997 Act No. 8371 of the Republic of the Philippines "to recognise, protect, and promote the rights of the indigenous cultural communities".

• Apo Rodolfo Aguilar – a Tagbanwa sire of Coron island^[4]
• Apo Dr. Pio Lledo – a Tagbanwa sire of Calauit island^[5]

These figures are based on Pedro Monteclaro's "Maragtas", a history of Panay published in 1907.