You know you’re a true blue Ilonggo if:

The author of this piece is GLADITA www.promdiliving.com/ilonggo-guid/. I hope you won't mind if I copied your piece. Kanami bal-an sang thought kay every Ilonggo can relate to it. Hope you can make more pieces like this one. Madamo guid nga salamat.


You know if you're a true blue Ilonggo if:

Your one peso is pisos
You take a bath using a tabo which you call Caltex
Your bathroom has at least one lugod (some has one for every family member)
Your nanay used to make you drink Mirinda or Royal Tru Orange when you have a fever, which is supposed to make you feel better
Sinamak is a staple in your dining table (the best Ilonggo invention if you ask, was even banned on airplanes long before 911)
Your toyo is patis and your patis is Rufina
You use atsuete for your adobo and pinamalhan (pinaksiw)
Your daily meal will likely include laswa, kbl (kadyos, baboy, langka), ginat-an nga tambo with tugabang and okra, ginat-an nga munggo, linutik, apan-apan, etc.
November 1 means eating ibus, suman, suman latik, kalamay-hati, bayi-bayi, valenciana or other native delicacies with glutinous rice and coconut milk
You call your special someone palangga, pangga, langga or ga (means love)
You call your siblings or cousins inday, nonoy or toto and the househelp may call you the same
You call those who are older than you manang or manong
You catch the attention of sales attendants by calling them “day” or “to”
Your childhood games include tumba patis, taksi, panagu-ay, balay-balay, ins, tin-tin baka, etc.
You used to be (or still are) scared to go out at night lest you meet the aswang, tik-tik, tayhu, kapre, kama-kama, morto, etc.
You used to listen (or still listens) to Tiyay Evelyn, Sin-o Ang May Sala, Lain Siya Sa Iban, Probinsyal Jil, and Toyang Ermitanya
Your grandparents read Yuhum magazine
You call a person, thing, place and event “kwan” when you forget it (si kwan, ang kwan, sa kwan) You used to sleep in an aboy-aboy made of patadyong when you were a baby (probably applies only to us below the poverty line)
You understand that “Particulars Keep Out” sign means outsiders keep out (believe me, this sign may look and sound English but only us Ilonggos use it)
You use words such as “ahay” (expression of pity, grief, empathy), “yuga” (expression of disbelief, surprise), “ambot ah” (to say you don’t know, expression of impatience)
You often start your sentence with ti
You say goodbye by saying “halong”
Your favorite cuss words are linte (if you’re slightly pissed off)