gaya
imitation


gaya
like, similar


kagaya
similar


gayahin
to copy


paggaya
imitation


Gayahin mo ito.
Copy this.


Huwag mo akong gayahin.
Don't copy me. Don't do like I did.


Ginaya ko sila.
I copied them.  I did as they did.


The Tagalog phrase gaya-gaya puto maya is used to mock someone who is trying to copy someone else (gaya means "to imitate"). It has nothing to do with the rice cake puto maya; the words simply make a nice rhyme in Tagalog.