The study of Philippine history during the Spanish colonial era is never a task solely relying on digging of chronicles, travel accounts, books published during that time, letters, government documents, statistical reports, catechisms and various ethnographic reports written (and most were published) by the frailes themselves. While the invaluable pieces of information the aforementioned offered can't be discounted, something as paramount and as encompassing are on vernacular dictionaries and lexicons! The foreword written by Fr. Jose M. Cruz, S.J. for prolific writer William Henry Scott's book Barangay: Sevententh Century Philippine Society mentioned the importance of dictionaries in the reconstruction of 17th century Philippines Society and culture: Dictionaries figure importantly in this book. in the sixteenth century, there were only about a million and a half natives and only a small number of missionaries. Aware of the acute imbalance between thei