LARO NG LAHI STRIKING GAMES - are activities in which
Traditional Filipino Games players score points by striking an object
“a symbol of our nationality & pride”
- “LARO” is the Filipino 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 institutions.
- BPESS: Bureau of Physical Education and
School Sports
- Dickie Aguado: confirms that the
Traditional Filipino Games are very much
alive in the Philippines.
- The first "Palaro ng Lahi" on February
10, 1984 at Laoag, Ilocos Norte
INVASION GAMES - are team games in
which the purpose is to invade the
opponents' territory. While trying to score
points and keeping the opposing team's
points to a minimum.
- Agawan Base, Agawan Panyo,
Bahay-bahayan, Chinese Garter, &
Piko
and running to designated playing areas or
prevent opponents from scoring by
retrieving the object and returning it to stop
the play.
- Syato, Basagang Palayok, Dart,
Tumbang Preso, & Sipa
TARGET GAMES - are activities in which
players send an object toward a target while
avoiding any obstacles.
- Batuhang Bola, tatsing, Holen, Palo
Sebo, 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.
- 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
- Luzon: Tumbang preso or presohan
- Visayan Regions: tumba-patis/ tumba-lata
- 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, a coin-like object
covered with cloth tied with a rubber
band or simply a big bunch of rubber
bands knotted together.
SEPAK TAKRAW
➢ Formal form of Sipa
➢ Objective: To kick the ball
backwards and forwards and keep
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 be
based 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 wins 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 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 the team touches any part
of the hands while jumping, the two teams
exchange places and the game starts 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 the 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 player's 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.
- 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.

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.
- Then it tries to secure a corner or base by
rushing to any of those when it is vacant.