A few decades ago, kids used to gather in the streets or in their neighborhood playground to play their favorite Larong Pinoy games like piko, patintero, taguan, tumbang preso, siato, luksong tinik, etc. These has been their regular and popular pastimes, as well as the favorite games of their parents and grandparents until new and modern forms of entertainment has taken over the interests of young kids.
Patintero
This game is played by boys and girls, ages 5 to 10 years old in mixed teams. Adults though tend to rank themselves according to sex. There are two sets of this game. One requires six players to a team while the other needs eight players. The game is played outdoor at anytime of the day and at night when the moon is out.
The game is prepared on the ground by drawing a rectangular field (usually five to six meter with four parallel lines inside) using either water, stick and charcoal on the ground to define the boundary.
To play, one set of taggers or the 'it' situate themselves inside the lines of the rectangle while the runners will try to get through both ends of the field and back without being tagged or blocked. When caught, they right away change roles. The group that has lesser tagged incidents is declared winner. The games is widespread in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
This is a relatively simple game. At least 3 players are needed, although the more, the merrier. First, select the "it" or the defender. Next, find a can, or something that can be knocked over easily from a distance. Position this can in the center of the game area (this will be it's home plate or base). The game is played as follows.
The "it" will defend the can from being knocked down. While it is in the upright position, the "it" can chase anyone and tag him/her. When a player is tagged, and the can is still in the upright position, that player becomes the new "it".
The rest of the players must then see to it that the can is always knocked down. The "it" of course can always put it back in the upright position. The rest of the players usually use their slippers to knock the can from a distance. Or if one gets close enough to the can without getting tagged, he can kick it and pick-up the rest of the "weapons" or slippers used. Of course, it is usually up to the other players to get their own "weapons" or slippers. For fairness, it would be nice if the players had only two slippers to knock down the can, no more than that. Once all the players are out of slippers, this would be a major opportunity for the "it" to chase everyone before the can is kicked. The can has to be positioned in a particular area of responsibility.
Luksong Tinik
Two teams of equal number of players; each team electing a leader, usually one who can jump the highest. This is called the mother.
Players decide on which team to play first. Two players serve as the base of the tinik by putting their right/left feet together (soles touching gradually building tinik). A starting point is set by all the players giving enough runway for the players. Players of the other team start jumping the tinik followed by the other team members.
If they all successfully jump without touching any of the feet of the base players, the next degree of difficulty is done next. The base players then extend their right/left hands one on top of the other (fingers spread apart to symbolize thorns). The other team continues the same jumping process until the base players have used all their feet and hands and as long as none of the jumping team member's clothes, foot or any part of the body touch the tinik. Should this happen, the jumping team's leader or mother gets to jump to redeem the other player who missed the earlier jump. If the leader misses that jump, the teams exchange places and the game starts anew.
Piko
The succession of turns is determined by aiming markers (usually a flat stone or a fruit peeling) at the center of the diagram. The player whose marker lands closest to the center will go first, followed by the second-closest, then the third-closest, and so on.
The diagram varies. Usually, the more players there are, the more complex the diagram and the sections are numbered or labeled to indicate the correct order in which the players are to hop. The first player starts by throwing his marker at the initial section. He then hops onto the section and kicks his marker to the next designated section. The player continues this process until he gets to the final section. Some games require the player to retrace his hops back to the start or for players to hop across other players' paths. At any time a player's marker touches a line, or when any part of his body touches a line, he surrenders the turn to the next player. The first player to complete the diagram wins.
Some games have another part after the first, apparently to extend playing time. This part has the players looking towards the sky then throwing his marker on the diagram. Without looking, he must walk across the diagram to fetch his marker without touching any lines. This stage is intentionally more difficult to give the other players a chance to catch up.
Palosebo
Palosebo or greased bamboo climbing (from Spanish words greased stick) is a traditional Filipino game for 2 to 10 or more players. This game is usually played by boys during a town fiesta or on special occasions in the provinces of the Philippines. Long and straight bamboo poles are greased and polished to make them smooth and slippery. Before they are set upright, a small bag containing the prize is tied at the end of every pole. It usually contains money or toys. The contestants try to climb the poles to secure the prizes. Sometimes, a small flag is used instead of the actual prize. The actual prize will be given to the winner afterwards. Anyone who fails to reach the top is disqualified. The winner is the one who succeeds in reaching and untying the prize.
Syato
Two players compete in this game. They both need a short stick to hit and a long stick for hitting the short stick with. The short stick is propped against a rock/home base with one player hitting it with the long stick making it toss on air. While the short stick is airborne, the player uses the long stick to hit it again until it lands a certain distance from the rock/home base. Then the player picks it up once more and hits the short stick again and again until he accidentally fails to hit the short stick. Failure to hit the stick while it is airborne means the player loses the round and has to pick up the short stick and return it to home base while shouting “Siyato” all the way back. If the player loses his voice while running back to base, the player has to do it all over again.
Sipa
Sipa- game of Sick - The object being used to play the game is also called sipa. It is made of a washer with colorful threads, usually plastic straw, attached to it. The sipa is then thrown upwards for the player toss using his/her foot. The player must not allow the sipa to touch the ground by hitting it several times with his/her foot, and sometimes the part just above the knee. The player must count the number of times he/she was able to kick the sipa. The one with most number of kicks wins the game.
The game mechanics of Sipa is patterned after the Western game called Hopscotch. Sipa is also played professionally by Filipino athletes with a woven ball, called Sepak Takraw with game rules borrowed from our Southeast Asian neighbor, Indonesia.
Agawan Base
There are two teams with two bases. How many players on each team depends on the players. There are two bases which each team claims as their own. The goal is to tag the other team's base without getting tagged. If you're tagged, you're transferred to the other team and must be rescued. There are several variations in which the rules are changed, in some, you can connect other items on the base so you can easily touch the base.
There are usually set points, such as first team to tag the other team 5 times wins. You can tag other people who has touched their base before you and are on the opposite team. If they've touched their base after you've touched your base, they can tag you, and you can't tag them. Numbers 1, 6, 7, and 8 = buan (moon). Numbers 2 and 5 = dibdib (chest). Numbers 3 and 4 = pakpak (wings). A flat stone, shell, or fruit peeling, is used forpamato (object to be thrown). The first player is determined as follows: The players stand on the corners of the playground, and each one throws his or her stone. Whoever succeeds in putting the pamato at the intersection of the diagonals has the first play. The next nearest is second and so on. Part I. The players, before starting the game, choose their own moon. The first hopper will begin in her moon. She throws her pamato in her moon and then hops inside and kicks the pamato out of the moon. Then she throws it again in 2, then in 5, and 6. She hops in and kicks it out after each throw. In hopping, she hops on either left or right foot but lands on both feet when she reaches 3 and 4, and hops again on 5 and 6.
Every player plays the game twice; the first time he begins in his moon, and the second time in his opponent's moon. When he is through, back and forth, then the second part is started. Care must be taken in throwing the pamato into their exact places, in hopping and in kicking it out. The pamato and the player's foot must not touch any of the lines. Should the pamato or the player's foot touch the line, he stops, and the other player will have his turn. If the second player fails or makes a mistake, then player number one will resume the game. Part II. The second part of the game is exactly the same as Part I, but instead of hopping, the player walks with his eyes looking towards the sky. After throwing the pamato, he steps in, without looking at the ground, to take the pamato. At every step, he asks, "Have I stepped on the line?" Should he step on the line, the othe rplayer will have his turn. The game goes on as in Part I. The player who finishes Parts I and II is the winner. PENALTY: The winner pats the loser's hand rather heavily from ten to thirty times according to the agreement. This is called bantilan (patting). Another kind of penalty is the following: The winner blindfolds the loser and takes him to different places. The loser takes a stick or his pamato with him. He drops it at the command of the winner. He is then moved about to many places in order to be confused before he is realeased to look for the stick or pamato. This is called hanapan (to look for something).
