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Many of our old folks never allowed us to say riddles except during wake time and only if the riddles were
"homework." My cousins and I oftentimes would use "homework" as an excuse for reciting riddles. Some
of these riddles may sound familiar, however, there are a few that are hardly heard of because of their
antiquity. When I was still young, the riddles almost always started like this- "Marunong ka man at
maalam, angkan ka ng mga paham, turan mo." ("You may be wise and intelligent, belonging to a learned
ancestry, name it.") Well, let's have a little brain exercise. (Note: These riddles may have been heard, said,
or written in a different way, but they express the same ideas.)
Hayop, Isda, at Insekto
Bahagi ng Katawan
References:
1) Corpuz, Laura B., Personal Collection from High School and College Notes, Philippines
2) Frederick Starr, 1909 Filipino Riddles. World Book Co. Yonkers, New York.
3) Donn V. Hart, 1964 Riddles in Filipino Folklore an Anthropological Analysis Syracuse University Press.