RECREATION AND ENTERTAINMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES
Popular recreation sports and hobbies include golf, tennis bowling, billiards, diving, kite flying, orchid shows, bonsai, gardening, ballroom dancing, photography, painting and meditation.
People in the Philippines enjoy watching professional basketball, both American teams and Filipino professional leagues. Basketball courts are the only sports facilities found in every barangay and school. Cockfighting is a popular sport among men. The cocks have metal spurs attached to their legs just above their feet. The contest continues until one of the cocks is unable to continue fighting or runs away. The Cuneta Astrodome in metropolitan Manila is used for both professional basketball and cockfights. Mahjong, a Chinese tile game, is particularly popular among women. [Source: Sally E. Baringer, Countries and Their Cultures, Gale Group Inc., 2001]
The Zamboanga Golf Course and Beach Park was founded in 1910 by Gov. John Pershing. It is one of the oldest golf courses in the Philippines. Ilo-Ilo golf and country club is the oldest golf club in the Philippines. It was built at 1908 by Irish Engineers. See Golf Course Architect Helps Defeat Marcos Under PEOPLE POWER AND THE FALL OF MARCOS factsanddetails.com factsanddetails.com
Karaoke in the Philippines
Filipinos love karaoke. Karaoke machines found everywhere — cheap bars, remote villages, modern KTV joints, jeepneys and even on some airlines. When they take a break busy tricycle drivers slip a coin into a karaoke machine and belt out their favorite songs while waiting for passengers. Many families have their own karaoke machines of rent them out for parties. For as little as five pesos (about nine US cents) per song, Filipinos can enjoy a few minutes of relief during the day.
AFP reported: Soriano, 53, smiles as he sings in a small eatery on a hot weekday afternoon, performing British musician Albert Hammond’s “When I’m Gone,” a song he knows by heart. The karaoke machine is one of six at the terminal, yet drivers and passengers waiting for rides seem unfazed by the overlapping music coming from the speakers. “I always sing that song. It’s my favorite,” said Soriano, dressed in a long-sleeved Jordan top and tracksuit pants. [Source: Allison Jackson, AFP, October 20, 2023]
Felomina Hernane, 52, owns the eatery where the karaoke machine runs from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. or later every day. She bought it to draw in customers, and it has significantly boosted her income, generating up to 18,000 pesos a month. “It’s a huge help for my business,” Hernane said, adding that singing lifts the spirits of drivers. “It entertains them,” she said. “It’s a way to relax after driving.”
In a densely populated neighborhood in Manila, tricycles transport karaoke machine casings to shops where they are assembled with speakers, amplifiers, and televisions. Prices vary depending on the components, with basic units starting at around 19,000 pesos and premium models reaching 46,000 pesos. Alfred Condez, 40, works in a shop filled with machines at different stages of assembly. Each unit takes several hours to complete, and customers are often willing to wait. “We love singing,” Condez said. To demonstrate, he picks up a microphone and tests a finished unit on the sidewalk, his voice carrying over the noise of the street. Business peaks in November and December, when Filipinos celebrate Christmas and New Year, Condez said. During that period, his shop can sell up to 10 machines a day.
Norimitsu Onishi wrote in the New York Times, “Social get-togethers invariably involve karaoke. Stand-alone karaoke machines can be found in the unlikeliest settings, including outdoors in rural areas where men can sometimes be seen singing early in the morning. And Filipinos, who pride themselves on their singing, may have a lower tolerance for bad singers. “On one recent evening, at the table closest to the karaoke machine, Edwin Lancaderas, 62, crooned a Tagalog song, “Fight Temptation” — about a married man forgoing an affair with a woman while taking delight in their “stolen moments.” His friend Auxlero took the mike next, bawling songs by the Scorpions and Dire Straits. Several empty bottles of Red Horse crowded their table. [Source: Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times, February 6, 2010 ||||]
Why Karaoke is So Popular in the Philippines
According to humanbreeds.com: “83 percent of the Filipino women and 72 percent of the Filipino men dream about becoming a famous singer… well, I just made these statistics up, but the actual numbers are probably not so far away from those fake statistics. Filipinos just love singing, not only in the shower, but also on the streets (I’ve seen it happen countless times), in the living room, alone or with friends or of course in the extended and so frequently happening Karaoke sessions. [Source: humanbreeds.com, February 7, 2014]
Karaoke became popular in the Philippines in the 1980s, according to Krina Cayabyab, a vocal instructor and associate professor at the University of the Philippines’ music department. She said the country’s strong singing culture is rooted in its colonial history, shaped first by Spanish influence and later by American music.“It’s really tied to the way Filipinos adopt and reinterpret what they hear,” Cayabyab said.[Source: Allison Jackson, AFP, October 20, 2023]
For many Filipinos, singing remains one of the most accessible forms of entertainment. In a working-class district of Manila, children and young adults gather outside a small shop where a karaoke machine is constantly in use. “My friends and I hang out here because it’s boring at home,” Honey Servito, 24, told AFP. “I’m not really a singer, but when there’s nothing else to do, we come here and sing,” she said. “It takes away my stress and boredom.”
“In the Philippines, life is difficult,” Dindo Auxlero, 42, who repairs watches from a street kiosk, told the New York times, as he railed about government corruption and a weak economy that has driven so many Filipinos to work overseas, including his wife, who is a maid in Lebanon. “But, you know, we have a saying: ‘Don’t worry about your problems. Let your problems worry about you.’ ” The two men roared with laughter. “That’s why we come here every night — to clear the excesses from our heads,” Mr. Lancaderas said, adding, however, that the two always adhered to karaoke etiquette and, of course, refrained from singing “My Way.” [Source: Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times, February 6, 2010 ]
Singing Sinatra at a Filipino Karaoke Can get You Killed
Reporting from General Santos, a rough town in Mindanao, Norimitsu Onishi wrote in the New York Times, “After a day of barbering, Rodolfo Gregorio went to his neighborhood karaoke bar still smelling of talcum powder. Putting aside his glass of Red Horse Extra Strong beer, he grasped a microphone with a habitué’s self-assuredness and briefly stilled the room with the Platters’ “My Prayer.” Next, he belted out crowd-pleasers by Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. But Mr. Gregorio, 63, a witness to countless fistfights and occasional stabbings erupting from disputes over karaoke singing, did not dare choose one beloved classic: Frank Sinatra’s version of “My Way.” “I used to like ‘My Way,’ but after all the trouble, I stopped singing it,” he said. “You can get killed.” [Source: Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times, February 6, 2010]
“The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.” The killings have produced urban legends about the song and left Filipinos groping for answers. Are the killings the natural byproduct of the country’s culture of violence, drinking and machismo? Or is there something inherently sinister in the song? ||||
Whatever the reason, many karaoke bars have removed the song from their playbooks. And the country’s many Sinatra lovers, like Mr. Gregorio here in this city in the southernmost Philippines, are practicing self-censorship out of perceived self-preservation. “Most of the “My Way” killings have reportedly occurred after the singer sang out of tune, causing other patrons to laugh or jeer. “The trouble with ‘My Way,’ ” said Mr. Gregorio, “is that everyone knows it and everyone has an opinion.” Others, noting that other equally popular tunes have not provoked killings, point to the song itself. The lyrics, written by Paul Anka for Mr. Sinatra as an unapologetic summing up of his career, are about a tough guy who “when there was doubt,” simply “ate it up and spit it out.” Butch Albarracin, the owner of Center for Pop, a Manila-based singing school that has propelled the careers of many famous singers, was partial to what he called the “existential explanation.” ||||
“Some karaoke lovers are not taking chances, not even at family gatherings. In Manila, Alisa Escanlar, 33, and her relatives invariably gather before a karaoke machine, but they banned “My Way” after an uncle, listening to a friend sing the song at a bar, became enraged at the laughter coming from the next table. The uncle, who was a police officer, pulled out his revolver, after which the customers at the next table quietly paid their bill and left. ||||
“‘I did it my way’ — it’s so arrogant,” Mr. Albarracin said. “The lyrics evoke feelings of pride and arrogance in the singer, as if you’re somebody when you’re really nobody. It covers up your failures. That’s why it leads to fights.” Defenders of “My Way” say it is a victim of its own popularity. Because it is sung more often than most songs, the thinking goes, karaoke-related violence is more likely to occur while people are singing it. “Misunderstanding and jealousy” were behind the “My Way” killings one karaoke customer said. “I just hope it doesn’t happen here,” he said. ||||
Karaoke Violence in the Philippines
Norimitsu Onishi wrote in the New York Times, “Karaoke-related killings are not limited to the Philippines. In the past two years alone, a Malaysian man was fatally stabbed for hogging the microphone at a bar and a Thai man killed eight of his neighbors in a rage after they sang John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Karaoke-related assaults have also occurred in the United States, including at a Seattle bar where a woman punched a man for singing Coldplay’s “Yellow” after criticizing his version. Still, the odds of getting killed during karaoke may be higher in the Philippines, if only because of the ubiquity of the pastime. [Source: Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times, February 6, 2010 ||||]
“The real reasons behind the violence are breaches of karaoke etiquette, like hogging the microphone, laughing at someone’s singing or choosing a song that has already been sung. “The Philippines is a very violent society, so karaoke only triggers what already exists here when certain social rules are broken,” said Roland B. Tolentino, a pop culture expert at the University of the Philippines. But even he hedged, noting that the song’s “triumphalist” nature might contribute to the violence. Awash in more than one million illegal guns, the Philippines has long suffered from all manner of violence, from the political to the private. Wary middle-class patrons gravitate to karaoke clubs with cubicles that isolate them from strangers. Ordinary karaoke bars, like the Nelson Carenderia here, a single room with bare plywood walls, mandate that a singer give up the microphone after three consecutive songs.||||
“But in karaoke bars where one song costs 5 pesos, or a tenth of a dollar, strangers often rub shoulders, sometimes uneasily. A subset of karaoke bars with G.R.O.’s — short for guest relations officers, a euphemism for female prostitutes — often employ gay men, who are seen as neutral, to defuse the undercurrent of tension among the male patrons. Since the gay men are not considered rivals for the women’s attention — or rivals in singing, which karaoke machines score and rank — they can use humor to forestall macho face-offs among the patrons. In one such bar in Quezon City, next to Manila, patrons sing karaoke at tables on the first floor and can accompany a G.R.O. upstairs. Fights often break out when customers at one table look at another table “the wrong way,” said Mark Lanada, 20, the manager. “That’s the biggest source of tension,” Mr. Lanada said. “That’s why every place like this has a gay man like me.”
Yo-Yos and the Philippines
The popular toy, the yo-yo, some say was invented by 16th century hunters in the Philippines. Ancient yo-yos were large wooden disks with twine attached. The weapon was thrown and the twine ensnared the animals legs causing it fall it the ground, ready to be killed. The word "yo-you" was originally a Tagalog word.
Other say yo-yos were invented around 400 B.C. by Filipino tribesmen who used them like weapons like a boomerang attached to thick ropes. The word yo-yo is said to have been derived from the Tagalog word for "come back." Yo yos are also believed to have been used in ancient Greece where they were made from wood, metal and terra cotta.
Yo-yo mania hit the United States in the 1920s when Donald Duncan, a U.S. businessman, began large scale production after purchasing the production rights from Philippine immigrant Pedro Flores, who made yo-yos in a factory in California. Duncan had witnessed a demonstration of a Philippine yo-yo. He scaled it down and made it a children toy.
Games in the Philippines
“Batinero” is a form of tag popular in the Philippines. Kids in Cebu love to play a game in which they throw down a silver-dollar-size paper disc on another similar-sized paper disc on the ground. If they can make the disc on the ground flip they get to keep it and the pile of discs it is sitting on.
In 2020, Leo Borromeo, a 13-year-old speedcuber from Cebu City, won the unofficial Monkey League Season 2 online competition, organized by YouTuber LaZer0MonKey. He defeated top competitors, including Polish speedcuber Tymon Kolasiński and Australian champion Feliks Zemdegs, whom he beat decisively 5–0 in the grand finals with an average solve time of 5.39 seconds. Borromeo became interested in the Rubik’s Cube at age seven after watching Zemdegs and began competing in World Cube Association events in 2015. He has since built an impressive record, including 36 gold medals and personal bests of 5.12 seconds for a single solve and 6.31 seconds for an average. He previously defeated Zemdegs at the 2018 Asian Championship and later competed in the World Championships in Melbourne. Borromeo practices intensely, solving around 100 cubes daily, and hopes to continue improving and setting new records. His father expressed pride in his achievements, encouraging him to apply problem-solving skills beyond cubing while also remembering to enjoy his childhood. [Source: Bryan Ke, Nextshark, October 20, 2020]
The most popular fiesta game in the Philippines is 'Palasebo', also known as the 'Lard Game'. It is said that this used to be an athletic training technique, which later evolved into a community pastime. A tall bamboo pole is placed in the middle of an open space and covered in lard or oil from top to bottom. A small flag is placed on top. The idea is for one contestant to climb the pole, half-naked and without any climbing implements. Furthermore, contestants in this Philippine fiesta game must pour oil over their bodies to make the climb more challenging. Sometimes, all the contestants climb the pole simultaneously. The last contestant standing who manages to take the flag down is the winner of the game. [Source: philippinesinsider.com +]
See Fiesta Games Under FIESTAS IN THE PHILIPPINES: HISTORY, PURPOSE AND WHAT THEY ARE LIKE factsanddetails.com
Chess Players in the Philippines
Chess icon Bobby Fischer was almost always accompanied by Filipinos grandmaster Eugene Torres. Fischer lived outside the United States after 1992 and divided his time between Japan and the Philippines and earned some notoriety for making anti-American and anti-Semitic remarks. After the September 11th attacks he told a Manila radio station that was “wonderful news...I want to see the U.S. wiped out.” It is not clear why and how he had been able to travel for more than decade after he violated the international sanctions.
Super Grandmaster Wesley So represented both the Philippines and the U.S. He had represented the Philippines until moving to the United States in 2014, where he later lived with adoptive parents who helped manage his career. A chess prodigy, So became the youngest player to surpass a 2600 Elo rating in 2008 and competed in multiple Chess Olympiads, including his debut at age 12. Despite major achievements for the Philippines, including a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Universiade, he cited limited opportunities at home as a reason for his move. So is among the world’s top players. He has beaten world champion Magnus Carlsen in major tournaments on the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. [Source: Ryan General, Nextshark, June 2, 2021]
Arianne Caoili, a Filipino-born chess master, died at age 33 in Yerevan, Armenia, following injuries from a car crash. Born in Manila to a Filipino father and Australian mother, she represented the Philippines early in her career, competing for the Philippines in international events, including the Chess Olympiad. She gained recognition as a talented and charismatic player, winning the Asian Girls Under-16 Championship in the Philippines at age 14 and later earning the title of women’s international master. Later she represented Australia and settled in Armenia. [Source: Dylan Loeb McClain, New York Times, April 2, 2020]
World Records Held By Filipinos
Some world records that the Philippines holds or has held, with many but not all recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records: [Source: Scoop.ph]
Most Chilies Eaten: Filipino Eriberto N. Gonzales Jr. consumed 350 chilies in 3 minutes at the annual Magayon Festival chili-eating contest held at Penaranda Park, Legazpi, Albay on May 27, 1999, making it to the Guiness Book of World Records for the most chilis eaten.
Largest Liquor Shot Slam: In December 2010, 2,435 people simultaneously drank a shot of gin at the Naga City Coliseum.
Largest Human Rainbow: In September 2004, 31,000 students, teachers and employees from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines created the world’s largest human rainbow at Rizal Park in Manila. The record was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records. The previous record was made by 11,750 people in Malta in November 2003.
Largest Strawberry Buttercake: The northern Philippines town of La Trinidad made an 11,146 kilogram strawberry buttercake. La Trinidad bills its itself as the strawberry capital of the Philippines. It has been making giant cakes for a number of years. The Guinness Book of Records said it had no entry for strawberry buttercakes. Organizers of the cake baking event tried to convince the Guinness people to make a new category.
Fastest Speed Reader: Maria Teresa Calderon— a Filipina world champion speed reader—is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records
Largest Human Smiley: A total of 8,018 participants formed the largest human smiley on May 30, 2015, at Burnham Green in Luneta Park during an event organized by Alliance in Motion Global.
Most Fireworks launched in 30 Seconds: Pyroworks International Inc. in Cebu set a record by launching 125,801 fireworks in just 17 seconds using 16 stacks of rockets.
Largest Zumba Class: The Mandaluyong City government organized a Zumba event attended by 12,975 participants on July 19, 2015, with preparation by 84 instructors.
Largest Collection of Fast Food Toys: Percival R. Lugue of Pampanga amassed a collection of 10,000 fast food toys, verified in November 2014.
Fastest Time to Eat a 12-Inch Pizza: Kelvin Medina of Taguig finished a 12-inch pizza in 23.62 seconds on April 12, 2015.
Most Hair Donated to Charity in 24 Hours: Matrix Philippines collected 82.21 kilograms of hair from 1,345 donors during a single-day campaign in Mandaluyong.
Most Trees Planted in One Hour (Multiple Locations): A total of 2,294,629 trees were planted by 122,168 participants across 29 locations in the Philippines on September 26, 2014.
Longest Message Chain: A chain involving 1,600 participants was completed along the beach in Boracay on May 16, 2014.
Longest Barbecue: An 8,000-meter barbecue was created in Bayambang, Pangasinan, using 8,000 grills and cooking 50,000 kilograms of fish during a 2014 festival.
Longest Continuous Poker Tournament: A poker event in Pasay ran for 48 hours, 55 minutes, and 58.5 seconds in December 2013, organized by the Asian Poker Tour.
Largest Board Game Tournament: A total of 43,157 participants played chess in a record-setting tournament organized in Cebu City in 2012.
Largest Human Anchor: A formation of 6,000 participants created the largest human anchor at the University of Antique in 2016.
Most Wine Glasses Held in One Hand: Filipino Reymond Adina set the record by holding 39 wine glasses in one hand in Spain in 2007.
See Filipino Couples Set World Kissing Record Under SEX IN THE PHILIPPINES: HISTORY, INFLUENCES, STORIES factsanddetails.com
Guinness Recognizes Charity Walk in Philippines but Rejects Mass ‘Circumcision Party
In February 2014, the Philippine Christian group Iglesia ni Cristo set two Guinness World Records by organizing the largest charity walk to raise funds for survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. According to the Associated Press, Guinness adjudicator Kirsty Bennett confirmed that 175,509 members joined the main event along Manila Bay, surpassing the previous record of 77,500 participants set in Singapore in 2000. Bennett also reported that similar walks were held in 28 countries, bringing total global participation to 519,221—another record for the largest charity walk held across multiple venues, exceeding the previous mark set in Canada in 2007.
Church spokesperson Edwil Zabala said the initiative aimed to fund housing and livelihood projects for thousands of survivors still living in temporary shelters months after the disaster. Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms to make landfall, struck the central Philippines on November 8, killing more than 6,200 people, leaving nearly 1,800 missing, and displacing over 4 million residents. The event also sought to encourage continued international support amid concerns that aid efforts might decline.
In May 2011, Guinness World Records failed to recognize a mass circumcision held in the Philippines as a world record. Public health officials said more than 1,500 boys underwent the free procedure at a sports stadium in Marikina, where circumcision is considered a common rite of passage for preteen boys. Guinness said that it would not recognize the event. Spokeswoman Jamie Panas said the organization does not track records involving medical procedures performed within a set time or in large groups due to hygiene concerns and potential risks. She emphasized that such procedures should only be done under proper medical advice with patient welfare as the priority, adding that Guinness has never maintained a category for mass circumcisions. [Source: Michael McLaughlin, Huffington Post, May 10, 2011]
Local officials had hoped to gain recognition not only for the number of procedures performed but also for the size of attendance. Vice Mayor Jose Fabian Cadiz said they documented the event and planned to submit data to Guinness for consideration. Despite the rejection, city officials defended the initiative as a safer alternative to circumcisions sometimes carried out by untrained practitioners. They also promoted it as a cost-saving measure for low-income families, as the procedure can cost around $40 in private hospitals. Marikina, known as a shoemaking hub, previously gained international attention in 2002 when it was recognized for producing what was then the world’s largest pair of shoes.
Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons
Text Sources: “Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings, 1993; “Culture Shock!: Philippines” by Alfredo Roces and Grace Roces, Marshall Cavendish International, 2010; Metropolitan Museum of Art; National Geographic, Live Science, Philippines Department of Tourism, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Encyclopedia.com, Library of Congress, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia, The Guardian and various websites, books and other publications.
Last updated March 2026