Bridging the Gap
By Prof. Henry Funtecha

Recreational activities of children during WWII (2)

As stated in the  previous column, during WWII in Panay, life for the children went on as usual  in the evacuation areas. With a significant amount of leisure time at hand, they played a lot. Other than “panaguay”, “tumba patis” and “pitiw” or “pikyaw” which are the most common-played games, there are also the “bagol”, hole-in, and “trumpo”.

“Bagol” is played with the placing of an object to be hit three steps from the  players. The players go through a series of hitting the object with another object, usually a stone. Each round has a different way of hitting the object making use of three steps to and from the object.  Failure to do so results to repeating the same steps until the player hits the object. The first player to complete the series is declared the winner.

Hole-in is a game common among boys. Four holes on the ground are made in a row. A player aims the marble to hit the hole and if he does, he then proceeds  to the next hole. If not, the next player has either the choice to hit the  hole or the other marble. Hitting either will automatically entitle him to move to the next hole. The player who completes the four holes first is the winner. This game is played in a cleared and even ground.

“Trumpo” or  spinning tops is also a boy’s game. With the war going on and there are no manufactured tops available, they are carved out of guava branches with driven nails. The rope used  to make them spin are homemade thick threads. There are two ways of playing with the  tops. One is a competition to whose top spins the fastest and the  longest. Another is to “fight off” one top with another with the object of breaking the rival’s top.

There are also the common games such as skipping rope and jackstone using pebbles. Kite-flying using scraps of paper on a bamboo frame is also a frequent activity. Surprisingly, some boys manage to bring along rubber bands to the evacuation areas   which they bury in the sand or the soil. Everyone takes turn in wangling the rubber bands using coconut midribs. The one with the most number of rubber bands is the winner and keeps what he gets. “Taksi” is also one game where improvisation plays  an important part. Materials used may range from coins, bottle caps and stones. They are placed inside a small square drawn out on the ground. “Pawns” that have crossed the line become the property of the player. “Sungka” is played with the board made  of a tree trunk with  holes carved out and pebbles are used in playing. Then there is the ever-present “balay-balay”   and “tinda-tinda” using leaves and fruits of plants as household materials and food,  and trees as houses.

“Piko” is common among girls. Lines are drawn on the ground to form  a rectangle with one round end. A player uses a guide such as a  stone to  help her move through the maze. If she forgets a step  or steps on the line, she loses a turn. The winner is the  one who completes the round. “Sudsud” is also similar to “piko”. The only difference is that the rectangle is divided into six squares. The players also have to trudge instead of hopping. But essentially, the rules and mechanics are  still the same.

“Uri-uri Kamansi” is similar to “ins”. However, the line is drawn in a circle. The players go inside it while an “it” goes along the line blindfolded. If he cathces a player, he must guess the player’s name so that the latter could  be the next “it”. If not, he  continues being the “it”. They all do this singing “uri-uri kamansi, latay-latay sa buri…”

For those who like to play  mockbattles, they use “sungkit”and “pusil-pusil”. “Sungkit” uses: “bulo” or  “bagacay”, smaller pieces of bamboo, about a foot long. Water is used as the “bullet”, hence this  game is usually  played near the creek.  For gaskets, old cotton shirts will do. The “pusil-pusil”  or  toy gun is made of bamboo. The “bullets” are of tiny fruits such as “sininguelas” or unripe “datiles” or “cereza”. “Tagumtagom”, reddish tiny rounded  fruits of a  wild bush, is also popularly used. The leaves of “sentimento” and paper, which are crushed  and formed  into small balls, are also  used.

“Shatbong” has elements of both  hide and seek and “tumba patis”. The “it” stands at the center  guarding the  tin can while at the same time looking for the other players who are hiding. Whoever is the first to be seen by the “it” and does not outrun the “it” in kicking the can is the next ‘it”.

Finally, there is a “bug-oy” which is  a game of probability. It uses “sigay” or shells of  different sizes. Each player makes use of three of these shells as his “game instrument”. This game involves only two players and the combined six shells are put in the  hands and then shaken before throwing them on the ground. The one with  the odd man out is the winner  and gets  all the bets.