Sun.Star Essay: Keep the ‘patintero’ memories

Saturday, November 26, 2011

THIS week came out an Amper Campaña photo of children in Carcar City playing karang (bamboo stilts), something I still have to personally see being played of the traditional street games in the country, especially in the towns. I wish there were a culture and art group (or is there?) who’d think about preserving the Filipino street games, by including these in the annual festival week.

The karang photo also reminded me of one late afternoon when I turned to the wrong corner and found myself driving into an unfamiliar street in the areas near the pier south of the city. Daylight was slipping away and it would get darker since I could see that there also was a brownout. I could hardly move the car any faster because the street was treated like a community parlor to where everyone went to talk and play because it was getting dark inside the house and no one could watch TV.

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And in the streets, I even stopped a quick while to watch the children play the game of water lines, or patintero.

We’re talking of street games not only because the karang reminded me of the drive to this street but, most of all, because I’m afraid of the young forgetting the memorable street games in their growing years. It’s like losing the traditional story of being raised with relatives, neighbors and friends in a beloved hometown.

I don’t have a home town, my home is a city. But I’ve always wanted to know how it feels to go to a home town. When we talk of home towns, we talk of growing up and the games which are part of these years of formation. I’m scared thinking of what change can do to wonderful memories when at this time young people instead would rather play a game alone in the computer room and even close the windows of their heart.

If I had parked on the side in that wrong street I mentioned here and stayed longer in that street crowd until the lights would go on, I would have seen the children rush up the houses, into the computer corners until dinner time; then after, and forever.

In a conversation with officemates who look like they had just turned their backs to the game age, we came up with several names of street games in rural areas, including their wonderful memories with neighbors and the community as a whole.

Tubig-tubig, bato-lata, bagol-bagol, bitok-bitok, tago-tago. The implements include lata (can), chinelas (slippers), kahoy (wood strip), handkerchief., tansan (softdrink crown), bamboo, checkers.

Remember bulan-bulan? One player is bulan-bulan (moon) and another is bakunawa (eclipse), each chosen through Jack-en-poy of the 6 to 8 players in the game. The rest are in a circle facing the center, each holding on to the players in the sides. The bakunawa, who stands outside the circle, would try to reach in and touch the bulan inside the circle while the players in the circle run around to protect the bulan, holding on to the ones in the sides to keep the former safe from the bakunawa grab.

The outdoor venues are the streets, plazas, the times of play are before, during and after school, and at night when the moon is full. There’s joy in the game, win or lose, even while it’s easier to win after a loss in a point of sportsmanship. Then the children outgrow each other, move out of town, work away from the home ground, or move on to other games, get cyber game addiction.

Some of the signs are when a regular player goes into the cyber games as if into heaven. Thus, he can’t be stopped. He cuts off connection with family and friends, in fact, goes into depression, lies even to loved ones, does not sleep, gets unhealthy.

Even as China now has a ruling regarding the games, such as allowing cyber gamers a maximum of 3 consecutive hours, Singapore has put up services and a facility “to take care of the cyber well-being of Singaporeans.”

Let’s save the memory of the traditional Larong Pinoy where children grow in mind and heart, thus, stronger than the lure of cyber games, even if the games do overwhelm.

(ecuizon@gmail.com)