Manila Life uses everyday Filipino and Taglish words. This glossary explains them for players who are new to them. For how the game works, see How to play.
Utang
Debt or credit. At a sari-sari store, neighbors often buy on utang and pay later. In the game, unpaid utang hurts your reputation.
Tubo
Interest. Money you owe grows over time.
Padala
Money sent home to family, often by overseas workers or by relatives in the city sending to the province.
Pasalubong
A gift you bring home after a trip. In the game you can buy pasalubong in Divisoria.
Balikbayan box
A large box packed with gifts and goods that overseas Filipinos send home.
Sari-sari store
A small neighborhood store, often in the front of a home, that sells snacks, drinks and household basics in small amounts.
Carinderia
A small, cheap eatery that serves ready-cooked home-style dishes.
Palengke
A wet market for fresh food.
Barangay
The smallest local government unit. A barangay clearance is a paper you need for many applications.
Boundary
The daily amount a jeepney driver pays the vehicle owner before keeping any earnings.
Bayad po / Para po
"Payment, please" and "Stop, please". Passengers say these on a jeepney, and the game turns them into minigames.
Tawad
To haggle or bargain over a price.
Tindera
A woman who sells at a stall or store.
Paluwagan
A community savings circle in which members put in money regularly and take turns receiving the pool.
Handaan
A family or community feast.
Barkada
A close group of friends.
Videoke
Home or street karaoke, a common part of gatherings.
Simbang Gabi
A series of dawn masses before Christmas, usually followed by street food.
Noche Buena
The family feast on Christmas Eve.
Undas
All Saints and All Souls Day, when families visit cemeteries.
Brownout
A power outage.
Pera
Money.
OFW
Overseas Filipino Worker.
NBI clearance
A certificate from the National Bureau of Investigation, often needed for work abroad.
13th-month pay
A mandatory extra month of pay that many workers receive in December.
EDSA
The main highway ring through Metro Manila, known for traffic.