Page 27 - Martial Science Magazine April 2018

A new variation of Sikaran has 1595 under the leadership of Fa- The next sport is hide and seek
also emerged when the players ther Jun de Pacencia and Father (tago-taguan). This is a game in
agreed to a formal version of the Diego de Oropesa, founded a vis- which the ik will go behind the
game. The “Partida Laban. This ita in Morong or the present site tree and will give time to the play-
new variation will pit two players of Boso Boso South of Painaan. It ers to hide by counting from one
inside a circled area in the pad- was known as Visita de Santiago to ten. The ik will begin to look
dy. Whoever could land the first or Santiago until such time it be- for the players and whoever will
kick in the body inside the circle came Baras. be found will be the next ik.
wins. The player who gets out of
the circle loses. The winner stays Another version of its origin was The third sport was (karera ng
inside the circle and will be chal- from the Spanish priest Father Bangka) boat regatta – or the se-
lenged by a woman player who Francisco Barasoin, he is known ries of boat race. Racing event of
will play outside the circle while for his kindness and the commu- rowed or sailed water craft, three
the prior player is limited within nity was named after him. or four boats will race, whoever
the limits of the circle. Within a will reach the designated place
certain time, if the woman play- The third version of its histo- will be declared the winner.
er fails to drive the player inside ry dates back in the olden times
the circle outside , then the play- when there were plenty of hard- The fourth sport was water wres-
er inside the circle stays inside wood which were made into baras tling (Buno sa Tubig). They play
and will eventually be declared of two pieces of wood between this game whenever they were in
Champion. But there were also which the house was harnessed the river with breast deep height
women who fight men inside the and later became Baras. In 1750, and the opponents are in pair.
circle and eventually win. These it was divided into Barangays. It Both carry their partners in their
women-players have become the was under the jurisdiction of the shoulders they will wrestle in the
inspiration of men. province of Laguna from 1606 to water and whoever will be down
1853. three times will lose the game.
Then the variation of “Labo-Labo
Matira Matibay na Labanan” (Mix In 1929 to 1931 Baras was classi- Another sport is known as the
up, the toughest Rules) was also fied as a fifth class municipality Mud Flip (Sabuyan ng Putik.)
played. This was played inside the and had settled its conflict with There are two or three players
circle by three to eight men who Morong and Tanay. and they will throw mud at each
could not efficiently kick due to other using hands and feet and
the limited space. The ones who Through the Executive Order No. this paved the way to the sports
goes out of the circle loses and 57 dated November 24, 1920, His Sikaran, the ancient art of Filipi-
the toughest that will be left will Excellency, the Governor General no Foot Fighting.
be the Champion. of the Philippines, it became a full
pledged municipality.
The evolvement of Sikaran is also
the history of Sitio Baras, Baras
Rizal is an idyllic town situated EVOLVEMENT
between the towns of Morong and GRASSROOTS
Tanay. In the olden times in the OF SIKARAN
Sitio of Baras, the residents get SPORTS IN
their source of living by planting Sikaran is a sports using the legs
vegetables and other root crops, BARAS and hands. Farmers having well
another livelihood was fishing developed feet emphasized the
from the Laguna de Bay, Baras The first sport was known as pa- use of the feet. The farmers dis-
has mountains and plains and the tintero, a line will be drawn in the covered the use of SIkaran in
life of the people was plain and fields or streets by means of wa- Baras, Province of Rizal. They
simple. ter. There are at least three or four often prepare the fields for plant-
players in each team, one human ing palay. Rice is the offshoot of
frontline, one for the rear and one palay, usually grinded and it be-
for the vertical lines and the oth- came the staple food of the Ta-
THE ORIGIN OF er for center line. The objective of galog region. When farmers are

BARAS the game is to outsmart the oth- resting after every harvest of pa-
er. The objective of the sport was lay, the farmers will bring their
to accumulate as many points by water buffalos in the hole full
Baras Rizal has different version passing the lines without being of mud. During the olden times,
as to its origin. The first version tagged. the youngsters of Baras were re-
was that it was founded through spectful and they do not mean
the Franciscan Missionaries in to harm their playmates in their