Laban sign
The Laban sign is a Filipino hand gesture made by extending the thumb and index fingers pointing up, leaving the other fingers closed to create the letter L, which stands for laban (Filipino for "fight"). It is sometimes mistaken for the mildly offensive Western "loser" and "raised gun" gestures, to which it is unrelated.
The term "LABAN" is an abbreviation of Lakas ng Bayan ("People's Power"), a former political coalition organised by opposition Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. for the 1978 Interim Batasang Pambansa regional elections. The gesture was popular in 1983 during Senator Aquino's funeral, and the 1986 People Power Revolution that his assassination had precipitated. The Laban sign was again widely seen during the 2009 funeral of his widow, former President Corazon Aquino, and the subsequent presidential campaign of their son, President Benigno S. Aquino III, before the 2010 Philippine elections.
