bandalas

Noun

bandala (countable and uncountable, plural bandalas)

1. A fabric made in Manila from the older leaf sheaths of the abaca (Musa textilis).
   • The fibers of the inner petioles, which are softer but not so strong as the outer, are called tupus, and sold with bandala, or mixed with tapis and used in the native weaving.1916, Austin Craig, The Former Philippines Thru Foreign Eyes, page 301
2. A system imposed by the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines in the early 17th century which required farmers to sell their products to the government for extremely low prices, and sometimes without ever being paid.
   • Another exploitative device was instituted by Governor Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera during the first half of the seventeenth century . This was the bandala.1975, Renato Constantino, Letizia R. Constantino, The Philippines: A Past Revisited, page 51

See all 3 meanings of bandala