BUGTONG (Filipino Riddle)

Credits to my husband for this layout.

Thank you!

General Santos City is the only city in the Philippines which experiences black out every day for 4 hours a day. The generals also call this BROWN OUT. In some cases, this term means a different thing in other places however; in this city it means NO ELECTRICITY. And when there’s no electricity, there’s no computer, no laptop, no fridge, no air conditioning units, no nothing. And that means boredom.

Most of the time, people get frustrated or pissed off and get annoyed because there will be work delays. For some big companies with generators, that’s fine. But for those houses and companies which rely too much on the city electricity itself, good luck!

Yeah pissed off and annoyed but not tonight.

I remembered one of my friends and a very good teacher once posted a status worth pondering on Facebook that brown out makes you realize how beautiful the stars and the moon. Those are the only things you could see at night without electricity.

So, instead of getting vexed, I started to recall family traditions that we had when we were kids. I suddenly remember BUGTONG game, or this is what we call RIDDLE in English.

This game’s very easy. Everyone gets the chance to ask and answer. This game is for kids, teenagers, adults and elders. Somebody already started to throw a question:

Riddle/Bugtong: Hayan na si Kaka, Bubuka bukaka. (Filipino Riddle)

Then someone would answer that. Answer is SCISSORS.

I happen to see how this game made everyone laugh. This was the game I had in my childhood which honed my thinking skills. This was the game I played with my friends after every lunch time when I was in grade school. And if we’re lucky enough, our teacher would join us and would throw a lot of riddles we didn’t hear of but much eager to know for the answer. Those riddles were passed on from generation to generation.

This game develops a child’s HOTS or Higher Order Thinking Skills. It allows someone’s mind to think and develop critical thinking or even analogy.

Some Filipino (Bugtong) Riddles:

1.       Hayan na, hayan na, hindi ko Makita

Answer: Hangin

2.       Hindi tao, hindi hayop, ngunit kumakain ng gisado

Answer: Kawali

3.       Hindi tao, hindi hayop, ngunit nagsusuot ng damit

Answer: Sampayan

4.       Hindi tao, hindi hayop, ngunit umiiyak

Answer: kandila

5.       Hindi tao, hindi hayop, ngunit nagsasalita

Answer: Radio or Television (These were the only available things when these riddles were invented; no cell phones, no walkman.)

6.       Isda ko sa Mariveles, Nasa loob ang kaliskis

Answer: Sili

7.       Kalamay ng Hari, Hindi mahati hati

Answer: Tubig

8.       Dalawang magkapatid laging nag-uunahan

Answer: Paa

9.       Isang barko puno ng negrito

Answer: Papaya (kapag ito’y nahiwa na)

10.   Baston ng Hari, hindi mahawakan

Answer: ahas

11.   Isang Prinsesa, naka upo sa tasa

Answer: Kasoy

12.   Nagtago si Pepito, nakita ang ulo

Answer: Pako

13.   Isang bilog, pito ang butas

Answer: Mukha (7 holes: 2 eyes, 2 nose holes, 1 mouth, 2 ears)

14.   Isang kabaong, puno ng negrito

Answer: Posporo

15.   Nag umpisa na may 4 na paa, naglaon ay nagging 2 na at makalipas nagging 3

Answer: Tao (4 is for the baby crawling, 2 for the kids and adults, 3 for old man with a cane)

It really amazes me until now, how I could still recall all of those. I had the best teachers in grade school.

After the bugtong, we had DUGTUNGAN game. All we did was sing a song and stop. When we stop with a particular word, the other person should continue with a different song starting with the word that was given.

Example:

First person: No no no no way.. No no no no way, I’m living without YOU... (Since YOU is the last word, the next person should starting singing any song that starts with YOU.)

Second person: YOU are the one who makes me HAPPY...

Third person: HAPPY sha lala everybody wants to be HAPPY...

Fourth person: HAPPY birthday to you... Happy birthday to YOU... (If you cannot think of any song that starts with YOU anymore, think of any song that you could start with YOU although it isn’t the first word of the song you are thinking.)

Fifth person: YOU are my first romance AND...

That’s how it’s done. We’ve been doing that since we were kids. However, we used both English and Filipino songs, OPM. I was even delighted when my two cousins in grade school joined us because they will pass that to the next generation. Singing Filipino songs is very good plus for posterity’s sake (Main purpose).

Enjoy reading!! Leave comments please.

Jonee Slimwitch