Photographed by Chiron Duong for the March 2025 Issue of Vogue Philippines
Before screens dominated playtime, kids ruled the streets with nothing but quick feet and endless imagination.
On a sunny afternoon in the Philippines, the echoes of children’s laughter bounce off the pavement. They could be waiting at school or perhaps in front of their neighbor’s house, passing time by playing games. Scraped knees and a sweat-soaked shirt are a marker of an afternoon well spent. Next afternoon, it’ll all happen again when their playmate invites them with a simple phrase: “Laro tayo!” (Let’s play!)
In the book A Study of Philippine Games, folklorist Mellie Leandicho Lopez defines “Laro” as the Filipino generic term for all kinds of recreational play. At fiestas, festivals, parties, and even wakes, he notes “palaro” as part of the celebration just as much as “salo-salo” or karaoke. Filipinos like to play games even in the digital age; over 95% of internet users in the Philippines are gamers.
Whether it’s on the streets or inside homes, play remains a large part of Filipino life. Below, revisit these Filipino games that shaped generations, one exhilarating round at a time.
Trumpo
From the Tagalog regions, trumpo or turumpo is a top, an egg-shaped toy with an iron nail driven into it. The player wraps a piece of string around the stem of the top, with the loose end of the string tied to a piece of wood or bamboo. The wood or bamboo is then jerked, and the top spins. When played with others, the goal of the game is to damage your opponents’ tops. In another version of the game, the goal is to keep your top spin for as long as possible.
Jackstone
Jackstone has its origins all over the world, and it has also found a home in the Philippines. Indoors or outdoors, the players sit on the floor in a circle, then the colorful, spiky-shaped jacks are scattered on the ground, and a ball is thrown into the air. Then, the player picks up a jack and catches the ball after it bounces. The steps repeat until the player fails to catch the ball on time or when the jacks are picked up.
Sipa
Sipa, which literally translates to “kick,” involves a coin-shaped token with colorful strings attached. But during their school break, students would get a coin and wrap it in paper, making a quick DIY version of the toy. Traditionally, the game is played with a rattan ball. To play the game, the player must repeatedly kick the sipa with the top, side, or heel of the foot, to keep it in the air for as long as they can
Sungka
Sungka or sungca involves a boat-shaped board called sungkaan or sunkahan, with seven holes arranged in two parallel rows. Each hole is called a bahay or “house,” and at each end of the board, there is a large hole called Ina (Mother) or ulo (head). Often, shells are used as tokens in this game, and the goal is to accumulate more shells in the player’s mother hole than the opponent’s.
Holen
In varying colors and designs, holen or marble is used to hit other players’ holen. Each player chooses a marble to act as their “shooter,” and then the remaining marbles are arranged in a circle. The players then take turns trying to knock the marbles out of the circle, and if they’re successful, the marble becomes theirs. The game continues until the player with the most marbles wins.
By BIANCA CUSTODIO. Photographs by CHIRON DUONG. Fashion Editor: DAVID MILAN. Beauty Editor : JOYCE OREÑA. Makeup: Gery Peñaso, Japeth Purog of MAC Cosmetics. Hair: Mong Amado, Glenda Eugenio, Gerelyn Valentino, Jeremi Cabarrios of Toni & Guy Philippines. Model: Denise Quinto, Keziah Ayuk, Mia Golosino, Maxene Sanchez, Ruthlaine Tan, Naya Magallano. Art Director: Jann Pascua. Set Designer: Aren Dale Santos. Producer: Bianca Zaragoza. Nails: Extraordinail. Multimedia Artist: Tinkerbell Poblete. Set Assistant: Manuel Tarroja. Photographer’s Assistants: Rojan Maguyon and Ruby Pedregosa. Stylist’s Assistant: Neil de Guzman. Set Crew: Erick Salvante, Vincent Salvante, Nino Dumdum. Video Director: Aijalonica Lei. Video Team: Rohan Oncada and Francis Calaguas.
