Filipino Games We Love

ByCAMILLEL EUSEBIO

T is already sum m ert im e in t he Philippines The sun is out and shines bright ly in a t ropical count ry like ours

IAround March, school ends, and kids get two months of summer holidays when they are free to play on the streets and hang out with their friends

But times have changed Most Pinoy parents back home are worried about their kids?security, they rarely let them go past their gates unchaperoned Kids spend more time on their gadgets than they do playing outdoors But do you still remember how it felt like to be a kid on the streets on a hot summer?s day, buying chichirya (junk food) from the sari-sari store, playing with your friends until sunset?Sounds like an Eraserheads (or APO Hiking Society if that is more your era) song, right?Oh, those were the days

So, while we are braving the chilly weather here in the southern hemisphere, let us take a quick trip down memory lane and reminisce about some Pinoy street games we used to play:

Pat int ero

Probably the most popular street game for kids living in private subdivisions, patintero is our variation of tag, but played with two opposing teams The team who?s ?It?or taya will attempt to tag the members of the other team while staying in their grid (usually like a rectangle or 2 parallel lines) The objective of the game is for the running team to make it past the grids and back to their starting point without being tagged If one of their teammates is tagged, they lose and the game restarts with them as the It

Tum bang Preso

Also known as Tumba Lata, this game requires an empty tin can placed in a small circle The one who is taya will guard the can while the other players use a slipper to knock down the can while a couple of metres away from it The goal is to hit the can, put it back to its original place and run back to their starting point without being tagged by the taya

Luksong-baka and Luksong t inik

Probably the most popular street game for kids living in private subdivisions, patintero is our variation of tag, but played with two opposing teams The team who?s ?It?or taya will attempt to tag the members of the other team while staying in their grid (usually like a rectangle or 2 parallel lines) The objective of the game is for the running team to make it past the grids and back to their starting point without being tagged If one of their teammates is tagged, they lose and the game restarts with them as the It

Chinese gart er

Your schoolgirl days will not be complete if you have not experienced playing jackstones inside the classroom and Chinese Garter in the hallways or on the streets The game has a similar concept to Luksong Baka and Luksong Tinik, but the players use a garter (about one to two meters long) as the hurdle The players have to jump over the garter and back as the hurdle gets higher and higher in every round