Are you a “lato-lato” toy player and living in Cainta, Rizal? If you are, then read this and see how you can turn your ball-hitting skills into cold cash.
The administrator of Cainta municipal government is offering up to P35,000 in cash prizes to individuals who can play the stringed spherical plastic toy the longest.
Administrator Johnielle Keith “Kit” Nieto, in his post on Facebook, said he is encouraging “lato-lato” players to take his challenge of proving that he or she can the play the toy the longest time without stopping in front of him and other judges.
Those who want to accept Nieto’s challenge must first upload a video on the former mayor’s Facebook page, while playing the toy.
As of 10 p.m. there were around 10 videos uploaded on Nieto’s Facebook page showing the participants of the “lato-lato” challenge, their techniques in playing with the toy. Most of the uploader were young boys and girls.
Twenty players who will be chosen by Nieto’s staff from among the video uploaders will automatically win P1,000 aside from their chance to become the champion who will bring home P10,000 in cash.
Second placer will win P5,000 while P3,000 will be given to the third placer of the challenge.
(From Johnielle Keith Pasion Nieto's Facebook page)
Nieto said the prizes may go up depending on the number of participants who will be uploading their videos prior to the actual challenge at his office on Friday.
Playing the toy has become the latest craze among kids and adults alike, be it on the streets or on social media platform Tiktok.
The toy, used to be known as clacker, reportedly originated in the United States sometime in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The ball toys were later banned as cases of injuries on children were recorded.
The toys, originally made of tempered glass before becoming acrylic plastic, emerged again a few years ago in Indonesia before the craze spread to its neighboring countries including the Philippines.
In the country, a regular clacker sells at P45 to P50 while the more colorful ones are priced at P60 and above on sidewalks.