LARO NG LAHI

Traditional Filipino Games

“a symbol of our nationality & pride”

- “LARO” is the Pilipino generic term for all forms of recreational play. Filipinos say “Laro tayo” meaning "Let's
play”.
- Indigenous games widely known as “Laro ng Lahi "are Hispanic in origin.
- Laro ng Lahi was coined and popularized by the Samahang Makasining (commonly known "Makasining")
- National Commission for Culture and the Arts and being used by the other Philippine Local Government Unit,
other organizations and other institution.
- Bureau of Physical Education and School Sports (BPESS)
- Dickie Aguado, confirms that the Traditional Filipino Games are very much alive in Philippines.
- The first "Palaro ng Lahi" on February 10, 1984 at Laoag, Ilocos Norte

INVASION GAMES - are team STRIKING GAMES - are activities in TARGET GAMES - are activities in
games in which the purpose is to which players score points by which players send an object
invade the opponents' territory. striking an object and running to toward a target while avoiding any
While trying to score points and designated playing areas or obstacles.
keeping the opposing team's prevent opponents from scoring
points to a minimum. by retrieving the object and
returning it to stop the play.
 Agawan Base  Syato  Batuhang bola
 Agawan Panyo  Basagang Palayok  Tatsing
 Bahay-Bahayan  Dart  Holen
 Chinese Garter  Tumbang preso  Palo Sebo
 Piko  Sipa  Luksong Baka
 Luksong Tinik

1. SUNGKA
- Sungka is a Philippine mancala game. Sungka is closely related to Congkak.
- Sungka is an ancient Filipino game. Its history can be traced back to the 17th century. The game was first
described by the Jesuit priest Father José Sanchez in his dictionary of the Bisaya language (Cebuano) in 1692 as
Kunggit.

EQUIPMENT
- Sungkaan (sungka board) is usually made of a long wood that consists of 16 pits in total, 14 small pits (home
base or bahay) and 2 big pits (head or ulo) at the end.
- The game is played with small seeds, pebbles, stones, or shells, which are placed in the holes on the board. A
total of 98 seeds, shells, or stones are needed.
SCORING OF THE GAME
- The goal of the game is to remove as many stones from the opponent's side as you can. The scoring is based
on the quantity of stones removed.

2. PIKO
- "Piko" or "hopscotch" in English has its origins traced back to the days of the Roman Empire.
- It is said that Roman soldiers would often jump for several feet while wearing their heavy armor as a form of
military training.
EQUIPMENT
- Chalk
- Pamato
SCORING OF THE GAME
- The first player to get a "bahay" is the winner.

3. TUMBANG PRESO
- Tumbang preso or presohan in Luzon, and tumba-patis or tumba-lata in most Visayan regions (in English Hit
The Can).
- 2 players: one as the taya (it), who is responsible for guarding the lata (can), and others as the players
striking (hitter). The game is performed by having the players use a pamato (one's own slipper) to strike the
can that is held beside the taya.
 EQUIPMENT
- Can
- Slippers
- Chalk
HOW TO WIN TUMBANG PRESO
- By hitting the tin can (preso) with your pambato
- Supposing a hitter is unable to retrieve his/her pamato, the other hitters can save him/her by hitting the can.
4. SIPA
- Sipa is a native Filipino game that dates back to the time before the Spanish rule in the 15th century.
- It is also known as "Takyan" The first record of the sipa game was in the fifteenth century (before Spain
colonized the Philippines. Sipa originated in the Philippines and was considered the first “Filipino National
Sport”.

VARIATIONS OF SIPA
- Washer
 Objective: To keep kicking the ball without it touching the ground.
 The object being played is made of lead washer, coin-like object covered with cloth tied with a
rubber band or simply big bunch of rubber bands knotted together.

- Sepak Takraw
 Formal form of Sipa
 Objective: To kick the ball backwards and forwards and kept going continuously.
 The ball for sipa is made of rattan strips interwoven to form a ball. It cannot be touched with any
part of the body except head, knees, legs, and feet. In this case, the rattan ball can touch the
ground.
- Sipa Lambatan
 Objective: to kick a sipa ball back and forth over a net in the middle of the court.
 The game "Sipa Lambatan" is played by teams, indoors or outdoors, on a court that is about
the size of a tennis court.
 In this play variant, Sipa is allowed to touch the ground.
SCORING OF THE GAME
- In this game, the player’s score will base on the number of kicks without the ball touching the ground. If you
are playing against other people, the person who has the most kicks win the game.

5. LUKSONG BAKA
- Luksong baka is also known as “Jump over the Cow”.
- It is a traditional Filipino game that originated from the province of Bulacan.
- It involves a minimum of three players and a maximum of 10 players, and involves them jumping
over the person called the baka, or "cow".
- Variation of the Luksong tinik.

EQUIPMENT
No equipment is required in playing Luksong Baka, except for these three skills:
- Mobility - or the player’s ability to move easily and freely. The more agile the player is, the higher he can
push himself up.
- Stability– it’s the player’s ability to keep his body parts steady, especially on his waist.
- Strength – once the player is stable, he can jump as high as possible without hitting the baka
HOW TO WIN LUKSONG BAKA
- A person becomes the it when they touch the baka as they jump.
- It will repeat continuously until the players declare the player or until the players decide to stop the game
most of the time once they get tired.
- It is the Filipino version of leapfrog.

6. LUKSONG TINIK
- Luksong tinik or "jumping over thorns" is a popular game in the Philippines.
- It is originated in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, played by two teams with equal numbers of players.
- Each team designates a leader, the Nanay (mother), while the rest of the players are called Anak (children).
SCORING OF THE GAME
- If the player of team a touch any part of the hands while jumping, the two teams exchange places and the
game start all over again.

7. PATINTERO
- Patintero started in 1997, wherein the Samahang Makasining (Artist Club), Inc. created time-based scoring
like basketball.
- Patintero is derived from the Spanish word tinte which means “tint" or "ink" in reference to the drawn lines.
 - It is also known as harangang-taga ("block and catch") or tubigan.

8. TUMBANG PRESO
- "Knock down the can" or bato lata "hit the can [with a stone]"
- also known as Tumba lata or otherwise, Bato lata
- originated during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines.

9. TSATO/SYATO
- Also called Siyato or Siyatong. It is also known in the Visayas as "Pitiw."
- It belongs to the striking/fielding game category.
- Shatong is a traditional Cebuano game.
EQUIPMENT
- The shorter stick is placed perpendicular to the elongated groove/furrow.
- The longer stick is used to launch the shorter stick off the ground and whoever catches short stick or
whichever team that child belongs to starts the game.

10. HOLEN
- Derived from the phrase "hole in," players hold the ball or marble called holen in their hand.
- They throw it to hit another players ball out of the playing area.
- Holen is a variation on marbles in the United States.
- It is played in a more precise way by tucking the marble with the player's middle finger, with the thumb
under the marble, and the fourth finger used to stabilize the marble.

11. PALO SEBO

- Palosebo (lit. greased bamboo pole climbing)
- This game involves a greased bamboo pole that players attempt to climb.
- These games are usually played during town fiestas, particularly in the provinces.
- The objective of the participants is to be the first person to reach the prize—a small bag—located at the top
of the bamboo pole. The small bag usually contains money or toys.

12. TEN TWENTY

- A game involving two pairs, with one utilizing a stretched length of garter.
- The Mother (Nanay) is the expected higher jumper in this game.
- One pair faces each other from a distance and has the garter stretched around them in such a way that a pair
of parallel lengths of garter is between them.
- The members of the other pair then begin doing a jumping "routine" over the garters while singing a song
("ten, twenty, thirty, and so on).
- Each level begins with the garters at ankle-height and progresses to higher positions, with the players
jumping nimbly on the garters while doing their routines.

13. AGAWAN BASE

- (lit. catch and own a corner): the it or tagger stands in the middle of the ground.
- Players in the corners try to exchange places by running from one base to another.
- The it tries to secure a corner or base by rushing to any of those when it is vacant.
- This is called "agawang sulok" in some variants, and "bilaran" in others.

14. BATUHANG BOLA

- One of the most common games is dodgeball.
- Batuhang Bola is the Filipino version of dodgeball.
- It really makes children active because it involves throwing, running, jumping, hopping, catching and dodging
which kids really love. It must be done skillfully to have more fun in this game.
- Dodgeball or Batuhang Bola is a game in which players on two teams try to throw balls at each other while
avoiding being hit.