A (Filipino Cultural Dictionary)

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Abaniko. [Tagalog] 1. Fan. 2. Also, pamaypay.

Abel. [Ilocano] 1.A cotton weave.

Aberiya. [Spanish averia, damage.] 1. An engine that gets stuck or defective. 2. Delay in arrival. 3. Damage to the car engine. Abong. 1. In Ilocano and Kankanaey, a . little home.

Abuos. [Nueva Ecija] 1. The red ant or its edible egg.2.A native delicacy in northeastern Luzon primarily. cooked from the eggs of red ants.

Aksaya. [Sanskrit ksaya, loss or decay.] 1. Waste of anything. 2. Excessive use of something, like water and power. 3.To be extravagant.

Adobong Taal. [Batangas] 1.A Taal food cooked with mixed pieces of pork and chicken, vinegar, seasoning, and turmeric, which gave it the bright, yellow hue.

Agamang. [Mt. Province] 1.A ricegranary. 2.Storage for basi,nativesugarcane wine, during the three to sixmonths that it undergoes aging.

Agawan. [Quezon Province, from agaw, to snare or snatch.] 1.An annual festival celebrated in Sariaya in honor of San Isidro Labrador, the workingman's patron saint. 2. A patronal feast observed every May 15 of each year. 3.A festive fiesta feature that allows people to pounce on assorted goodies hanging from knots tied to bamboo strips that form a dangling trellis. The pandemonium created attracts house owners to toss fruits, vegetables, buri hats, fans, coins and pastillas to the crowd below.

Aggao nue Cagayan. [Tuguegarao] 1.A festival celebrated in Cagayan in the last week of June each year.

Agsangey. [Mt. Province] A ritual prayer recited by a native priest before an animal is being slaughtered to be cooked as food.

Akyat-bahay. [Tagalog slang, from akyat (climb) and bahay (house).] 1.To rob by scaling the house. 2. To steal by passing through the roof, window, or any part of a house that allows access inside it. 3. A gang with the same name.

Akyat-barko. [Tagalog slang, from akyat (climb) and barko (ship).] 1.A whore who sells services by taking the ship's gangplank in reaching the ship. 2. Prostitute who offers services inside vessels. 3. A woman of ill-refute who peddles her ware inside ships by climbing the dockside with the help of a pimp or a sailor.

Akusa. [Spanish akusar, to accuse, prosecute.] 1. To sue in court. 2.To charge.

Alamang. [Tagalog] 1.A shrimp paste diluted in rock salt, laced with food coloring, and used as companion appetizer of raw mango, pinakbet (an Ilocano food), or kare-kare (a Tagalog viand). 2. In Visayan, uyap.

Almusal. [Spanish almorzar, meaning to breakfast.] 1.Early morning meal. 2. Breakfast.

Altapresyon. [Spanish de alla presion, high pressure; intense, urgent] 1. Highblood pressure. 2.Also: cardiovascular disease.

Amadeo, Cavite. 1.Coffee town of the Philippines. 2. Now known as the Coffee Capital of the Philippines Amakan. [Visayan] 1. Bamboo mats. 2. Matted bamboo popularly used as ceiling, wall, and decorative. 3. Any mat similarly made from bamboo or similar material.

Ambak-pare. [Davao slang, from ambak (to jump) and pare (buddy)] 1.Pirates who ask their victims to jump off their fishing boat while in the open seas. 2.Poachers who harass fishermen in Davao Gulf and nearby coastlines. 3. Sea pirates who steal motors of fishing boats. 4. Marine looters who specially target marginal fishermen.

Ambos. [Spanish ambo, a combination of two numbers in a lottery.] 1. Specially drawn two numbers in a sweepstakes or lottery.

Anghit. [Malay angit, the smell of something burning.] 1. Tagalog / Visayan: the odor secreted by the armpit. 2. A bodily smell that combines perspiration and body odor.

Angpao [Chinese] A red envelope with money given during Chinese New Year as a symbol of luck and wealth.

Ang Pagtaltal [Guimaras Prov.] Holy Week festival reenacting the suffering of Christ on Calvary. It was founded by Aquilino M. Secusana, a native of Jordan town,in Guimaras Province in 1988.

Anibina. [Davao, from ani, harvest, and bina, lode] 1. A festivity designed primarily to highlight the tourism potentials of Compostela Valley Province, the mining capital of the country. 2. First launched in 1998, the ethno-cultural activity was promoted in honor of an abundant agricultural harvest and thriving mining industry.3.An annual event collectively participated by 11 towns in the province of Compostela Valley.

Anlaw Ta Panglibatuhan. [Bukidnon]1. An annual festival in Valencia City launched in 2003. 2. An ethnocultural affair that features the 12 tribal groups in Bukidnon.

Apo Duwaling. [Davao] See Kadayawan.

Apurado. [Spanish apurado, needy, hard up, difficult, dangerous, hurried.] 1. In a hurry. 2. An action wherein a person wants a thing done faster.

Arroz caldo. [Spanish] 1. A Hispanicinspired dish cooked with chicken broth, rice, poultry, and ginger, mixed with chopped onion leaves, sauteed garlic and lemons, preferably flavored with a dash of white powder pepper, fish or soy sauce.

Asar. [Spanish azar, meaning unforeseen disaster or unfortunate card or throw in dice.] 1. Tagalog: to get irritated. 2. Vexed or angry because of failure in expectation. 3. To get annoyed for an inappropriate action, decision, or activity.

Asinan. 1. An annual event celebrated in San Lorenzo, Guimaras Province. Asiong Aksaya. 1.An icon used by the government that sarcastically depicted the energy waste in the '70s. 2. The symbol of energy wastage. 3.Mr. Extravagance. 4. An anti-energy wastage hero conceptualized in cartoon by National Artist Larry Alcala.

Aswang. In Philippine folklore, it is an evil creature that can assume different forms and harass people at night, especially pregnant women.

Atabatabiok [Cagayan Valley]. 1. The first wave of Pacific salmons, also known as vanguards, that go downstream to spawn in various sizes and schools in the Cagayan River. [See also lurung and ifun.]

Atake. [Spanish ataque, attack, offensive.] 1. To invade, assault, or intrude in another person's territory. 2. Atake sa puso: heart failure.

Ati-atihan. [Aklan] 1. A festive annual tourism event erroneously attributed to have started with the native Ata tribe. 2. A streetshindig that shows charcoal-painted dancers emulating a native dance, brandishing spears, shields, and creative headgears. 3.Main tourism attraction in the entire island of Aklan.

Ator [Cordillera] 1. A group carrying out economic, political OJ religious functions in the community.

Atraso. [Spanish atrasos, delinquency, arrears.] 1. An unpaid debt or promise. 2. A commitment that has not been fulfilled

Atsay. [Spanish muchacha (servant girl) with playful addition of -y, atsoy, or achoy.] 1. A housemaid, an atsay .. 2. A domestic househelp. 3. A servant boy.