RM 323

Submitted by:

Barrera, Clariz Mae T.

BLA 3A

Submitted to:
 Gascon, Rondell, MAURP

PalaroJuan: How can the Modern Filipino Identity be established

in Landscape Architecture through the Revival of Traditional
Filipino games

CHAPTER 1

A .Background of the Study

Play is the contrast of work. It reciprocates the exhaustion of urban life. It is the
engagement of young, and adults alike in activities for enjoyment and refreshments rather
than the unplayful, serious, pragmatic gist of work. According to Alex Mclean, author of
The Playbook, 2006: …”unlike real life situations, in play, you can stop the clock.” In
play, people are engrossed in an imaginative and carefree experience.

Play is the difference of mammals among other vertebrates. In an experiment

done in 1964, Marion Diamond and her colleagues, carried on a landmark experiment
wherein they used to raise rats in a boring, lonely environment, and others in an exciting
and active environment they discovered and confirmed that rats raised in rousing
environments had bigger brains. They were smarter, too—able to find their way through
mazes more quickly (Greenough and Black 1992).These benefits of play extends to
humans too, human brains respond to play and exploration in similar ways. The
experiment may not be done on children but It is the most fundamental factor that affects
the growth of a child. Being playful in nature looks to have positively affects the brain, it
optimizes children to learn. It has a significant impact on learning. It enhances the
performances of a child in both “cognitive-linguistic and social affective domains”
(Fisher 1999) It stimulates the growth of the brain and harnesses the memory of a child.

There are different kinds of play such as physical play, expressive play,
manipulative play, surrogate play, symbolic play, dramatic play, familiarization and
games .Haplessly, among these kinds of play, Physical play is the least prominent
nowadays, amidst the benefits and importance of it to human life, unstructured physical
play or outdoor play, has been out of trend. For about 25 years, kids have decreasing
amount of time outdoors (Swan, MD. 2011) In this present generation, children are more
engaged with electronic activities for 7.5 hours spent a day. Unstructured plays are those
activities spent outdoors, these are more active, it increases the physical and social
attributes of a child. This seemingly unalarming issue, resulted to growing rate of obesity
of children ages 6-11 around the globe, it doubled from 7-percent in 1980 to 18-percent
in 2014. It also exposes human to heart diseases, diabetes, bone problems and problems
on vision because of the lack of Vitamin D, the vitamin coming from the sun when a man
is exposed outdoors. This also increase the range of stress in children, where 1 in 100,000
chidren ages 10-14 are reported to die by suicide each year. (NIMH) There might be no
report as such if children are exposed to outdoor play and playful colleagues with their
stimulating mental health rather than they are only concealed in a lonely, hopeless
environment, or in a virtual world of social media. This issue may also contribute a lot for
a despairing future. Imagine a company with incompetent employees with unskillful
bosses. This may be possible if no physical outdoor play will be experienced by children
of this present era.

Philippines is one of the countries which are betrothed with its traditional games,
labeled as “Laro ng Lahi” or “Larong Pinoy”. Yet today, decreasing number of Filipino
children are engage with the play. Now that Philippines is declared as the world’s most
active users in social media, labeled as the world’s “Social Networking Capital”
(Gonzales, www.tea-after-twelve.com), children playing outdoors are replaced with
Filipinos young and adult alike glued on their mobile phones, taking selfies, chatting
online or playing video games or online games. That’s why the world is not appalled by
the unproductiveness of Filipinos. Indeed, play has taken its crucial role in the society.

“Pakikibagay sa mga tao, maging aktibo, patriotism, family bonding, at

friendship.” (Dicky Aguado, 2013) --these are the benefits of play in a Filipino child yet
the virtual world has taken over. Another factor that affected the issue a lot is the
decreasing quality and quantity of open fields and playgrounds for children. “bihira na
ang mga palaruan”, said Dicky Aguado in an interview, the head of Magna Kultura, an
non-government organization focused on the maintenance of Larong Pinoy in the
 Philippines. “pasikip na nang pasikip ang mga urban area at kalsada, nawawalan na ng
lugar kahit na sidewalk, wala nang nalalaruan, marami nang tricycle na dumadaan , so
medyo delekado na”. Apparently, the need for new grounds of play that exhibits the
traditional Filipino games may hinder the perish of this Pinoy tradition that parades the
essence of being a true Filipino.

Filipino Identity might as well be establish once again in this project.

When it comes to being imaginative, creative and active, Filipinos are known for
being as such. Thus, the need for Landscape Architecture to revive the tradition is a
significant leap towards the new emergence of Filipino Identity, in arts, architecture and
culture.

B. Statement of the Problem

Filipino youth could have been more productive and competitive in all aspects of
life if they are more engaged with the traditional Filipino games. It could have been the
turn of the Philippines to stand in the spotlight of culture and tradition when the
traditional Larong Pinoy are well preserved up to this day amidst the growing and
sprawling technology. Philippines will be known as one of the countries that gives great
importance to play rather than just “to work”, for with play, productivity and
aggressiveness of every individual are enhanced.

Envisioning the established Filipino Identity that has been founded by its
traditional games through landscape architecture is a great opportunity for the country to
compete globally because employees that have been occupied by outdoor play are more
likely to be fruitful and active in work rather than those who are not. Therefore,
Philippines could be a place for harmony--with its citizens’ concordance, the state could
be a hub for foreigners longing for better colleagues, in business and in urban life.

However, this might not be possible if the local authorities are not serious about
the issue and space allotted for physical play is limited. As a field focused on outdoor
spaces, Landscape architecture has its full potential on making the vision possible. The
 application of design psychology and principles in a design proposal may trigger the
“come back” of the “healthy” Filipino youth. Then and now, this field of study simulates
the effectiveness of a playground. Form at its sense, contributes to the efficiency of a
playground, it encourages the interaction and socialization. Research has indicated that
students from schools with “advanced” landscape features had higher body mass index
values than students from schools with “low” landscape feature. (Wood L. and Martin, K.
2010)

Thus this paper is conducted to emphasize the affection of landscape architecture

in culture and tradition preservation and is intended to answer the questions:

How can landscape architecture be a tool for the revival of the Filipino traditional
games?

What are the landscape design elements and principles that could contribute on
the revival of traditional Filipino games?

What is the impact of landscape architecture when used as a tool for culture and
tradition preservation and revival?

C. Thesis Goals, Objectives and Strategies

Thesis Goals

(1) Revival of the slowly perishing tradition. The researcher aims to promote
the rescusitation of the Pinoy Laro ng Lahi which is said to be one of the traditions that
displays the essence of being a Filipino.

(2) Landscape Architecture as a tool for culture and tradition revival. This
paper comprises the study of tradition revival, culture reanimation through a field that
focuses on arts and science which is Landscape Architecture

(3) Magnify Filipino Identity. The goal of this study is to magnify the Identity of
Filipino Landscape architecture through reviving the Filipino Traditional Games. The
researcher longs to emphasize the Filipino-style of landscape architecture through a
landscape design that will inhibit Filipino Identity.

Objectives

(1) Revival of the slowly perishing tradition

a. To study the effects of outdoor physical games in Filipino children
Strategies:
 Research on the psychological, mental, physical, emotional and
social benefits of physical outdoor games in children
 Conduct a survey for adults and know how much did physical
outdoor games affected their lives now.
 Carry on an interview of a Filipino veteran that may speak on
his/her view on the effects of physical outdoor games in
Filipino games.
b. To have a list of the prominent traditional Filipino games that are slowly
expiring and study the methods to be done in order to revive it.

Strategies:

 Conduct a survey for the young Filipinos, know from them the
games that has reached its perished state.
 Research on the rules of these “perishing” traditional games.
 Research on the possible advanced solutions of the revival of
this tradition.
c. To engrave the Filipino traditional games in the minds of present Filipino
children.

Strategies:

 Research on the importance of maintaining and preserving the

traditions of a country in tourism and economy aspects.
 Research and study on tradition-promotion strategies
conducted local and abroad.
 Conduct a case study focused on promoting awareness of the
traditions and its effects on the conducted studies.
(2) Landscape Architecture as a tool for culture and tradition revival.
 a. To promote environmental awareness through this tradition revival

Strategies:

 Conduct a survey that may display the effectiveness of play

grounds in promoting tradition and in environmental
awareness.
 Research on the recent studies that show the relationship of the
environment to play.

b. To maximize the relationship of function, form and space in reviving the

Filipino traditional games.

Strategies:

 Research the relationship of space, function and form and make

it a tool for the tradition revival

c. To implement the elements of landscape design and its principles in

making a design solution that will elevate the promotion of Filipino
traditional games.
Strategies:
 Research on the psychological effects of landscape design that
may contribute to the psychological effects of outdoor play in
children
 Study and consider the principles of design and know its
impact on promoting and preserving the traditional Filipino
games.

(3) Magnify Filipino Identity

a.To showcase the Filipino Identity in landscape architecture while
resurrecting the Filipino traditional games.

Strategies:
 Research on the Filipino Landscape Architecture, its
elements, style and its condition.
 Conduct a survey and know the present prominence and
individuality of Filipino Landscape Architecture
D. Scope and Delimitation

This study focuses mainly on the application of Landscape Architecture as a tool for the
revitalization of the impending loss of traditional Filipino games. This does not comprise the
application of landscape architecture in modifying the rules and regulations of the traditional
games. This focuses only on the traditional games of the Philippines rather than of the other
foreign countries.

This focuses only on the “play” benefits of landscape architecture rather than agriculture,
urban regeneration nor residential developments. This will not extend on the issues like
malnutrition nor basic needs of street children rather than their right to play. The researcher will
not go beyond the field of landscape architecture as a tool for preserving the traditional Filipino
games.

E. Significance of the Study

The revival of the traditional games is not just a mere project that will uplift the field
landscape architecture but rather will uplift the

LA Profession

This study will help strengthen the identity of modern Filipino landscape architecture,
this may define the stand of the country Philippines in the field. The researcher aims delineate
modern Filipino landscape architecture.

LA Student
 As a landscape architecture student this paper may help the researcher to promote
landscape architecture as a growing course, literally and ideally because the opportunities in the
field are yearning. These opportunities magnify the strength of landscape architecture as an
evolving field of study.

Society and Environment

The revitalization or revival of the traditional Filipino games may help the Filipino
culture to be well-preserved in the future, this is a way for Filipinos to have its spot on the
limelight of the world’s emerging globalization, that despite of the growing and sprawling
urbanization, culture and tradition can still be preserve with the help of preserving and
conserving nature through landscape architecture.

F. Assumptions

 The researcher assumes that every Filipino have access on the social media ages 10-
above.
 The government does not have a concrete plan for the traditional Filipino games rather
than the existence of Magna Kultura, a non-government organization that is concerned
with the issue.
 There is a fund intended for culture and tradition preservation in the Philippines.
 The DSWD is one of the government organization that must be concerned with the issue
of declining number of children who experience outdoor play.

G. Theoretical Framework and Conceptual Framework

The landscape design theories used by the researcher and the process she did to initialize
the design proposal is as follows:
G.2 Conceptual Framework

The researcher undergone the following process in order to proceed on the success of the
study:
H. Review of Related Literature

Related literature, foreign and local alike are gathered to formalize and strengthen the
case, this is a visual diagram that will simplify the study of related literature:
!. Methodology.

The following procedures are done by the researcher in order to obtain the sufficient data.
The researcher searched on the current stand of the Filipino traditional games amidst the
contagious social media addiction. The study leads the researcher on making a questionnaire that
will answer the need of the Filipino community to fully revive the traditional Filipino games.

Certain schools public and private alike from different part of Luzon shall be
respondents, as granted by the principal, questionnaires shall be distributed with questions for
Filipino children, ages 7-13 years old for what they now about Filipino traditional games. These
questions will assure that the growing generation were not fully aware of the traditional games
and that they are more exposed to social media rather than physical outdoor games. Another
questions are set to answer what has been the benefit of experiencing the late traditional games,
questions are offered to ages 14-above. Upon having the data, the researcher will search on the
logical site that is possible for the project. Sets of site evaluation may make the project feasible.
In these questionnaires, opinions are all accepted, with no right or wrong answers, they will be
asked of their own views on the Filipino traditional games.

J. Definition of Terms

cultural landscape- a preserved land that exhibits the cultural heritage of a certain community,
can be people, buildings, ancestral houses, railways or even an activity, event, or things that
pertains to the culture of the place.

design psychology- the field that focuses on the impact of design in behaviors, dreams , and
emotions.

dramatic play-a play where children used to act as other characters.

DSWD- Department of Social Welfare and Development

ecological landscape design –an approach that focuses on the interdependence of man, nature,
and design

expressive play- a kind of play wherein the children are focused o expressing themselves
through different way of expressions rather than that of oral communication
familiarization- Children handle materials and explore experiences in reassuring, enjoyable ways

games- the kind of play indoors, engaging with computer online games

Magna Kultura- a non-government organization that focuses on maintaining the Traditional

Filipino games alive

manipulative play-children are tend to control toys, manipulate the environment and humans

parks and open space-a huge area intended for recreational, educational revitalization

surrogate play--or children who are too ill or incapacitated to play, another child or a parent may serve
as surrogate. Watching the surrogate who plays on behalf of the sick child is stimulating to the sick child.

K. Bibliography

Aguado, Dicky, Investigative documentaries, Magna Kultura 2013

Alcazaren, Paulo, The Philippine Star, CITY SENSE “Cutting-edge Filipino landscape”, 2015

Alcazaren, Paulo, The Philippine Star, CITY SENSE “A Filipino landscape aesthetic”
Garcia, Richard www.generosity.com , “Let’s create a refugee playground by Richard Garcia”

Gwen Dewar, Ph Dwww.healthofchildren.com.” Importance of Play”

Kompan, Playground Solutions, 2011

Mclean, Alex, “It is Human Nature to Play” The Playbook, 2006

Robinson, Smith, M.A., and Segal, Ph.D.www.helpguide.org, 2016

Swan, Avril, MD www.kevinmd.com- “Why children need more structured play.”

Torres, Ted ,The Philippine Star, “Philippine leads coountries with highest obesity levels”, 2014

West,Tara www.livestrong.com, “The Negative Effects of Youth not staying outdoors”,2013

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