WHAT IS 'BANGUNGOT'?

 By Ba Ipe

THE middleman named by the alleged gunman of Percy Lapid was said to have died of “bangungot” in the afternoon of Oct. 18 (or Oct. 13?). Bangungot is officially called “sudden unexplained nocturnal death,” or SUNDs. As its name implies, the deaths happen in the evening. It is unexplained because it could not be ascribed to specific causes. In 1992, I went to the U.S. to attend a conference in one of the islands that composed the state of Hawaii. It was a tiring trip and conference, but the positive side was that I happened to read a scientific paper of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu that explained SUNDs.

According to the paper, SUNDs happen to the young people in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Victims are usually male, aged 15-30 years, and they die while sleeping. According to the paper, the study further delved into the reasons why SUNDs happened to certain cases. It found out that the common denominator was the victims’ diet comprising of heavy intake of salt and fats. It found out that fish sauce, or “patis,” was the culprit. Patis has certain enzymes that cause the short circuiting of the heart’s impulses leading to heart attacks among its victims. In countries that heavily consume soy sauce instead of fish sauce like Japan, Korea, and China, SUNDs hardly happen.

By inference, the middleman, Crisanto Villamor, 42, could not have died of SUNDs because his death happened in 2 or 3 pm. There could be another reason for his sudden death but certainly not bangungot, which happens in the deep of the night. This is a case worth investigating and top PNP officials involved in the case should look carefully into the case. Incoming Bucor chief Greg Catapang can provide the healthy environment for the proper probe. Outgoing Bucor chief Gerald Bantag and his men deserve inclusion in the probe to explain their side why the sudden death of the middleman occurred while they were in office.

MIDDLE CLASS VALUES

By Philip M. Lustre Jr.

WHEN I was a sociology major in the mid-1970s, one of our teachers, a young UP graduate and batchmate of Randy David, a prominent sociology teacher who later has ventured into opinion writing, introduced us to the concept of “middle class values.” In her assertion, our young teacher told us that the middle class is a distinct economic class that has its own value system, which is different from the rest of society. By her definition, the middle class is in between the elite and lower classes. It is neither rich nor poor, but it’s qualify of life is definitely better than the struggles for life and death of the lower classes.

Take the issue of reputation. Somebody who belongs to the elite class, or those people who are awashed with cash and wealth, would say: “What's reputation? We can buy it. Call the society page editor of that publication and ask him to write about our lifestyle.” Everything or anything can be denominated in cash or its symbol - the peso sign. Reputation is something that can be bought or acquired using the affluence and opulence of his family and affiliations.

People in the lower class, or whose daily survival depends on the available cash, which is difficult to come to their side, would view differently the issue of reputation: “What reputation are you talking about? We don’t have money to buy food.” They would ask the most beautiful girl in their family of four of five to go to Japan and work as a GRO there. Or work as an pole dancer in a nightclub. "Reputation will not give you food on the table.” Their sense of values is highly dependent on their survival. It is survival, which is a main factor in their value system.

Those people who consider themselves part of the middle class – or those who are educated - would have a different take on the issue of reputation. “We're not rich. We hardly have worldly possessions. But we have our values intact. We value our reputation better. That’s the only thing we have.” This would be what a middle class guy would say. He values integrity, fairness, and honesty. He lives a kind of life anchored on those fundamental values. Neither the rich or the abjectly poor would understand him but the middle class cherishes those values.

No wonder, the rich and poor would not - and would would never - appreciate PNoy. But those people in the middle class miss PNoy so much as shown by the statements of adulation and respect in social media. PNoy stands for middle class values of hard work, dedication, integrity, and honesty in public service.

I once talked to a woman, who obviously belongs to the lower class. She misses dictator Ferdinand Marcos because during his dictatorship, Filipino entertainers were allowed to go to Japan. Her sister married a Japanese gangster there and had a different quality of life than hers. See the perverted value system. (Wrote this missive shortly before the 2022 elections.)