Bridging the Gap
By Prof. Henry F. Funtecha

Recreational activities of children during WWII

Japan’s imperialist ambition and her Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere propaganda led to the bombing of dark Field in the Philippines and other military installations starting December 8, 1941. Earlier, Pear Harbor, an American naval base in Hawaii, had also been attacked. With this, war had started in the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia and the Pacific area. By 1942, the Japanese had launched so many successful offensives that the joint Filipino-American forces were forced to surrender.
The Philippines was now under Japanese rule. It will be for the next four years.

During the Japanese occupation, many inhabitants of Panay, fearing alleged Japanese atrocities and brutalities, fled with their families to evacuation areas. Most of these places are usually heavily wooded and hilly in nature like the province of Antique, the towns of Janiuay, Lambunao and Calinog in Iloilo Province, and Tapaz, Dumarao and Dumalag in Capiz Province. Here they stay from a few months to even years.

Life is harsh in these evacuation areas and the people have to make do with things at hand. They prepare their food using plants and animals indigenous to that particular area. They also build makeshift shelters made of light materials such as bamboo, cogon grass and coconut leaves. Better still, they dig into the soil behind clumps of plants or trees and make holes big enough for a family to hide in which they cover with leaves during Japanese penetrations or air raids. It is a time when Filipino ingenuity and resourcefulness are manifested.

In the case of the children who have found themselves in the middle of the war, life goes on as usual. They even find going to evacuation areas enjoyable and full of adventure. The children like the fact that there is no school, as classes have been suspended, and no work as there is little to do but wait. Of course, with a significant amount of free time at hand, they play a lot. Usually, they do their recreational activities during late afternoons when the sun is not that hot and bright and twilight is fast approaching. Nights are also conducive for playing as darkness elicits more excitement and fears of being discovered by the Japanese are lessened.

Recreational activities are always part of childhood. They can be social activities and considered as important tools for socialization. They make significant contributions to children’s personal and social adjustments. For this, they are vital learning experiences. But simply said, children indulge in recreational activities for the enjoyment and relaxation they get.

Some games and play activities that were engaged in by children in evacuation areas are still being played up to the present, some no longer. Common to these recreational activities is that there is always the room for improvisation. Whenever the children cannot find the needed materials for a particular game, they substitute them for the more common materials. They also revise the nature and mechanics of a game to suit the given conditions.

"Panaguay”, ”tumba patis”, and "pitiw" or “pikyaw” are the most common-played games. “Panaguay” is easy and requires a group to play it. One player acts as the "it” and covers his eyes while counting, usually from one to ten. The rest of the players hide themselves. After the “it” stops counting, he looks around and tries to outfox the hidden players. If he saw a player, he says “bong!” and runs to the designated home base. If the “it” outruns the "revealed player”, it is the turn of the latter to be the "it”. If not,  then the "it” goes on looking for the others until he finds one he can outrun. This is usually played in the dark or in areas with many hiding places. The game requires agility and speed.

'Tumba patis” is also a group game. The players are situated in a home base some distance from a tin can or any object for that matter. If a player threw a fist-sized stone or a slipper at the can and only touches it, he becomes the “it”. He can only stop being the “it” if another player does the same or if the "it” first make the can hit by the player stand upright and then catches the player in retrieving his stone or slipper used to hit the can. This game is played in a clearing and flat area. It also requires a lot of running.
"Pitiw” or "pikyaw” make use of two sticks, one long and one short, for each player. A shallow hole is dug where the short stick is made to rest on. The first part of the game is to dislodge the stick by using the long one. It should either fall short or over-extend a player standing at a distance from the hole. If the player catches it, it is now his turn. The second part has the short stick being hit by the long one to make it fly. If the other player does not catch it, he must run to where the stick landed and from there, tries to throw it back to the hole. If it landed very near the hole at less the length of the long stick, it is now time for the players to exchange places. If the short stick landed far from the hole, the distance is measured making use of the long stick and is counted. The third and last part has the small stick placed in a slanted position on the hole. It is hit again by the long stick to make it fly. Mid-air, it has to be hit again and should not be caught by the other player. The winner is determined by the sum of the farthest hits he made in the three parts. This game is played in flat areas and requires muscular dexterity. (To be continued)