[2] Mabuhay is also the name of the inflight magazine published by flag-carrier, Philippine Airlines, as well as its frequent-flyer program.
The word itself has been recorded as a salutation at least early as 1930, when General Douglas MacArthur was sent off amid shouts of “Mabuhay!”[3] In 1941, the Rotarian noted local chapters using it in conveying well wishes to the service organisation.
[4] In February 1973, a big cloth sign saying “Mabuhay, Maj. Bob Peel”[5] welcomed released North Vietnam prisoner-of-war, U.S. airman Robert D. Peel, as he stopped by the country as part of Operation Homecoming.
It is specifically part of acclamations directed to a patron saint or God during community feast days and assemblies (e.g., “¡Viva, Señor Santo Niño!” “¡Viva, Poóng Jesús Nazareno!”)[citation needed] A number of other Philippine languages have phrases that are cognates of “Mabuhay”.
The Bisayan languages, for example, use the term "Mabuhi",[7] while Kapampangans have the phrase "Luid ka".