Go Outside and Play Traditional Filipino Games - Patintero

We used to play these games when we're younger. Now, I don't see children playing these games anymore. These games need no or minimal equipment, but are still fun to play. Maybe, we can play these traditional Filipino games again during outings with our friends and family. And if you're not familiar with these games, you might still want to try them out and experience the fun!

Patintero

Mechanics:
1. Invite your friends and family to play; the more, the merrier!

2. Form 2 teams with equal number of players.

3. Set up your play area: a rectangular grid such as this:

You can mark the lines with a chalk, or you can just use existing lines on the ground. Feel free to be creative with your markers.
The number of divisions depends on the number of players for each team (one line per player).









4. Decide on which team will defend (Team D) and which team will pass (Team P).

5. Team P will position themselves before the starting line. Team D will position themselves on the grid lines.

Patintero starting positions

6. Team P will try to pass across the play area to reach the other side and return to the starting point.

7. Team D will prevent Team P from passing by tagging the passers if they are within the defender's reach.
Team D can only move along the line assigned to him/her. Team D can also face either side of the line as long as he/she doesn't step out of his/her assigned line.

8. If a Team P member is tagged, he/she is out of the game.

9. The teams switch roles if all the Team P members are out.

10. If a Team P member manages to cross and return to the starting point, a point is given to his/her team. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Goals:
Team D - to prevent Team P to pass through the play area by tagging.
Team P - to pass across the play area and return to the starting point without being tagged by Team D.

There are a number of variations of these mechanics; you can play whichever variation you want. You might even want to add your own rules. During this summer season, you can play patintero at the beach or, to make it more challenging, in the swimming pool. Again, feel free to be creative. The only thing to remember is to have fun!

Go outside and play patintero!