Glossary of
Pilipino (& Near-Pilipino) Terms
Unabridged, in fact, expanded from that of the book version
Disclaimer:
The author is not an expert in Linguistics and the
definitions presented here should be taken only in the context of this book and must not,
I repeat, must not, be used in Philippine schools. Readers are meanwhile invited to
help me further develop my vocabulary. Feel free -- and by this I mean really free, take
no money, nada fulos -- to e-mail me your own
definitions of anything that you think is relevant to the world of BUGS & BYTES.
Al Baik
Not a Pilipino term. But this is the name of a popular chain of fastfood chicken
restaurants in Jeddah, rivalling the best of Kentucky Fried Chicken, maybe even better!
Ask any Filipino in Jeddah.
ARMM
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao
Bangsamoro
Moro nation, something like the elusive Shangri-La
Bayanihan
Filipino trademark of active community group service, assistance and cooperation, usually
applied to the effort to move a structure, a nipa hut maybe, from one location to another
by carrying it over the shoulders of men while women prepare the feast. This is known to
be practiced by Filipinos more in small, rural areas (where nipa huts are prevalent), but
not in the frantic metro-cities where skycrapers dominate. But this spirit has not been
totally abandoned in the cities: my heart still fills up with warmth at the sight of
people pushing a stalled car, or jeepney, or even a bus, to the roadside.
Bulaklak
Flower
Cha-cha
An easier way of saying the tongue-twister: Charter Changes to the 1987 Constitution of
the Republic of the Philippines
DECS
Department of Education, Culture & Sports
DFA
Department of Foreign Affairs
DOLE
Department of Labor & Employment
EDSA
Epifanio de los Santos Avenue; anything that conjures up the image of traffic gridlock,
including a people power excursion
Erap
Term of endearment used by Joseph Estrada to reinforce his wrist-band mentality
Fernando Poe, Jr.
That other Filipino pro-poor, pro-weak, macho movie legend, and a lot superior than Joseph
Estrada for not going into politics
Hatsing!
A Filipino sneeze (bless you)
Huwag niyo akong
subukan!
Do not try me!, or archaically, Try me not!
Iklog
Tausug vernacular for egg; itlog, in conventional Pilipino
Iqama
Saudi residence card, very much in the lingo of Filipinos now
Ito Ang Tunay Na
Pilipino!
This Is The Real Pilipino!, a Pilipino raising a San Miguel bottle with his right hand or
his left hand (depending on what you think is right or left on a TV screen) but not with
both hands
Kapit sa patalim
Romancing the dagger
Kaya Natin Ito!
We Can Do This! [This phrase was so abused by many that some wise guy eventually got so
impatient, he finally blurted out: Just Do It! That guy, I heard, is called Nike and he is
not a Filipino.]
Kumadre
A godmother of one's child (masculine: kumpadre, e.g. Erap is the Father Of All Kumpadres)
Kung hindi tayo
kikilos, sino ang kikilos? Kung hindi ngayon, kailan pa?
If we do not act, who will act? If not now, when yet?, a classic battlecry in the league
of Huwag niyo akong subukan!
Lampaso
The half of a coconut husk used for scrubbing the floor; the act of scrubbing the floor
with the lampaso
Liwayway
A fragrant Philippine flower, or so I thought, until I was l told that it has something to
do with a flowering or shining (like bukang-liwayway, the budding of dawn), but definitely
not a flower. Meanwhile, I am still on the lookout to discover a heretofore un-named
fragrant flower that I can call liwayway, preferably growing in the forests of Mindanao.
Malacanang
Official residence of the President of the Philippines, reportedly with a master’s
bed that is too low one cannot hide underneath it to evade hostile elements such as the
press
Manok
Chicken
MERALCO
Manila Electric Company
Mga hinayupak na yan!
The battlecry of Jun Credo and Ibrahim Bahjin, roughly translating to ‘Those lower
forms!’ but better
Magandang Gabi Bayan
Good Night Country
MILF
Moro Islamic Liberation Front
MNLF
Moro National Liberation Front
Moros
Natives of the Mindanao islands who tormented the Spaniards and the subjugated Indios from
the 16th to the 19th Century, then the Americans in the early 20th
Century and now the Filipinos in the late 20th Century; like Fidel Ramos, Moros
generally have a can-do attitude, even when they are already biting the dust
Moro-moro
A cultural stage play where the Spaniards usually win and rule over the Moros, often held
in public places especially during the Philippine Hispanic period. [I prefer to think of this
book as a modern moro-moro where, finally, the Moro rules.]
NAPOCOR
National Power Corporation
OCW
Overseas Contract Worker; the modern-day proverbial milking cow
OFW
Overseas Filipino Worker; the modern-day Filipino hero
Penoy
Salted egg
Perico ambuta
Nothing in particular. I do not know the meaning of it myself (let me know if you do)
Rizal
Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, who wrote two consequential books El
Filibusterismo and Noli Me Tangere in the second half of the 19th Century
Sapagkat tayo ay tao
lamang
Because we are only human, the title of a popular song in the Philippines; its popularity
largely explains why Filipinos could not conquer the world
Sarimanok
A legendary, large, colorful fowl in Muslim Mindanao folklore, some saying as large as
peacocks, but will always fit into your satellite TV screens
Shari'ah
Islamic Law
SPCPD
Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development; more popularly known as TCTNW, The
Council That Never Was
Surah
Qur’anic Chapter, very much in the lingo of Filipinos who converted to Islam while
working in the Middle East
TFC
The Filipino Channel
Tilapia
Also known as Tilapia Cichlidae; a fish
Tikka
Not a Pilipino term. It refers to a broiled Pakistani spicy dish. Personally, I like it
very much, but one chicken tikka restaurant near my residence in Jeddah recently closed
down.
Ummah
An Arabic term commonly used by Muslims in Mindanao to refer to their Muslim brothers and
sisters living elsewhere around the globe. Peculiarly, a lot of Muslims belonging to the
various tribes in Mindanao look at their own selves as less than an ummah.
UP
University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, MetroManila, Philippines; a valiant
attempt at being succinct, like Harvard!, or Yale!
(Note: Readers are
invited to help me further develop my vocabulary. Feel free to e-mail me your own definitions of anything that you
think is relevant to the world of BUGS & BYTES.)
|
