داتو

250px|thumb|right|A pre-colonial couple belonging to the datu or nobility as depicted in the Boxer Codex of the 16th century. Datu is a title which denotes the rulers (variously described in historical accounts as chiefs, sovereign princes, and monarchs) of numerous indigenous peoples throughout the Philippine archipelago. The title is still used today, though not as much as early Philippine history. It is a cognate of datuk, dato, and ratu in several other Austronesian languages.